Christmas Getaway

In early November I started to have this thought that I wanted to take a trip for Christmas.  Reason argued with me that I should not spend money like that; it wasn’t practical and did not fit my long term goals. Peace of Mind countered with the fact that I had taken little to no time off this past year in advance of the paid time off of work I would need in early 2016.  Practicality chimed in with the fact that as the office would be mandatorily closed on the 24 & 25th of December I should take advantage of that.  Frivolity contributed that I had been pretty financially responsible for a while now and there should be some room in the budget for an expedition.  And thus the decision was made.  The rental of a charming cottage 30 minutes from Acadia National Park was arranged and here I sit before the lovely stove enjoying…. well everything.

The Rest of Forever

He would have been 67 today, the rest of forever began for me 17 years ago, and yes there is always a hole inside me that cannot be filled.

“it will be happier”

Yesterday terrorists struck Paris in several coordinated attacks, more than 100 people are dead, many more injured.  I spent the evening and most of this morning listening to the reports on NPR.  No matter what news reports I hear, or in-depth interviews trying to explain it, I just do not understand.  With every instance of terror the same viewpoint I have had for as far back as I can recall is reaffirmed; I will not judge all people by the actions of some with whom they share an affiliation.

And your little dog to

I don’t trespass, no matter how I might want to check it out, I just don’t trespass.  Driving down a coastal country road I was brought to a stop by a rather large sign that read “PRIVATE ROAD”  I needed to drive past the sign in order to find a safe spot to turn around as I did I spotted this interesting fellow.

On a side note, I reread the sign and it did not say no trespassing so I traveled a lovely country road on a lovely autumn morning.

 

I almost didn’t go

I decided last night that this is where I would go this morning.  I decided that I would get an early start as the drive was going to take a little more than 2 hours.  So why then this morning did I start contemplating shortening the trip and going to Pemaquid instead?

I have cruised by the Marshall Point Lighthouse at least four times by boat and none of the photos I took made the cut. Being there and able to shift around to different spots made all the difference I have a boatload of photos that will all make the cut.

There are many lovely memorials to people who have passed, including a stunning fisherman’s memorial.  I felt moved to stop and touch each one while saying a prayer for the ones gone and the ones left behind.

Don’t ignore the signs

Having seen a hand painted sign for this church once already I determined I should not ignore it when I came upon it a second time (I would later figure out that it was actually two separate signs one at each end of the long a winding road that took me to the church).  You don’t often see signs like this directing you to a church, you see the highway signs that are all shaped the same and say the name of the church, the distance to it, and the basic schedule of service, but a hand painted sign indicating nothing more than the name of the church and an arrow pointing down the road, this told me there was something different about this church, and I was not disappointed.  Down a lovely country lane I wove my way turning onto a dirt road as the next sign I saw directed me, a right of way road that dissected a property barn from the house.  I am sure it is pretty in the other three seasons but this church in this spot was made for Fall.

 

tis near Halloween

As I sat crocheting in my chair I was reminded why in the fall I move that chair from under the window facing into the room to facing the window (the practical part of me would say it is because with the colder weather coming it is better to be sitting away from windows and outside walls so you feel less of a chill and thereby use less oil for heat).

To photo shop or not

A while back I had seen a post on Instagram of the Artists Bridge but the wooden barriers placed to keep vehicles from driving through were missing, it took me a moment and then I realized the person had photo shopped them out of the picture.  I didn’t like it.  For me it is one thing to use filters to sharpens the colors, and I am okay with cropping the photo to get rid of anything I don’t like on the periphery but to edit something out, and as I have seen in other photos add something in, doesn’t see like photography to me.

Is this photo any less lovely for having the wooden barriers in it?

The Other Side of the Road

A few weeks back I had missed my turn and passed by what appeared to be a fogged in pond.  As I turned around and made my way back I saw it again and it looked like it ran alongside the road I was taking to get to Doubling Point Light.  It turned out to be a field not a pond, and while the view from the side road was nice it was not as mysteriously pretty as it had looked from the main road.

The bonus was this little spot directly across the street.

A Triumphant Return

Having visited Portland Head Light on a handful of occasions I had never previously ventured any farther than the lighthouse and nearby fort.  In July of this year something finally clicked in my head that Fort Williams Park is actually a large beautiful space and deserved more exploration.  The problem in July was that less than an hour into my visit my body betrayed me by bringing my current medical issue back to the front of my consciousness, as a result a return home was the only option for me.

In planning my expedition for this day I admitted fairly early on that I did not want to travel too far and I wanted the expedition to be somewhat brief allowing for me to spend the larger portion of the day at home working away at multiple projects I have going on.

The weather was fantastic, 60 degrees at 5:30 on a November morning.  In addition to exploring the other fort buildings and walking trails I was treated to being able to admire dogs and their people running, jumping, and playing.  The park has a policy that allows for dogs to run free for the most part.  I also got the joy of meeting three of the lovely creatures, feeding my dog snuggling need.