Dear Reader:

Isn’t it curious how life imitates art and art imitates life? I see this more and more as I grow older…one of the perks, I suppose, of living a life-time filled with many different experiences.

I enjoy adding a new children’s book every year to each of the holidays in my storytelling “library.” This year, in typical random fashion, I came across this special little story. It has such a great message in it and the story opens itself up to several creative ways to get children involved in making it come alive.

The story starts out in a Christmas tree lot where young saplings are excitedly conversing about growing up to be beautiful Christmas trees one day…the type of tree that customers will want to take home and decorate for the holidays. (All except for one rather grumpy little sapling who decides he wants nothing to do with this Christmas tree holiday business.)

He complains to the other saplings that he doesn’t like lights, decoration, or people. So mind over matter…he purposefully keeps the green branches from sprouting and each year becomes odder and odder-looking… to the point that customers wince at him, shake their heads, and walk the other direction.

One day a big For Sale sign goes up on the tree lot…it has been sold. All the other trees have gone home with customers over the years except, of course,  this one strange, grumpy tree. Soon homes are built around a partial vacant lot where he, alone, stands glaring out at the world around him.

Until one day…some neighborhood children discover…that all his bumps and lumps make for the best climbing tree…ever! The children turn him into forts, space vessels…anything their imagination can produce.

But one day the children hear their parents announce that it is time to cut down that ugly tree. For the first time, in a long time, the old tree wants to live…he has grown fond of the children who adore playing on his branches and misses them in the winter time when he is left alone. Is it too late to save himself?

The children come up with a brilliant idea…they turn him into a Halloween tree with all his scary lumps and bumps. Soon the whole neighborhood gets involved decorating him and he becomes the beloved “Trick or Tree” from that time on.

After I finished reading this sweet little story…I remembered that I had not pulled out my own Halloween “Tree” in several years. I found him in one of the closets and proudly displayed him again.

But as a teacher…what a great lesson could be taught to the children about accepting differences and making something good out of something less desirable at first glance. Down deep everyone wants to be accepted and loved.

The children could bring in a large planter, filled with dirt, then add a crooked (broken) branch and make decorations for the “Trick or Tree” in the classroom as part of a Halloween project. The possibilities are endless.

Later as I glanced through my Maine photos I discovered the strangest trees that Anne pointed out on two separate occasions. These trees have the oddest shapes…filled with all kinds of lumps and bumps…(perhaps they just simply are all “Trick or Trees” at heart.)

So until tomorrow….”Often it is the deepest pain that empowers you to grow into your highest self.” Salmansohn

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

While going through some kitchen cabinets over the weekend…I found my silver pumpkins…so glad I caught them before the season was over…love my ‘Blessed’ candle Carrie gave me for my birthday!

Dear Reader:

Every day since the blog began in August 2010…the post has ended with “Today is my favorite day“- Winnie the Pooh. After all these years I never tire of typing the final daily farewell message…because it is true…Every morning when I wake up to another brand new day…I am so happy and so grateful!

We must remember that just because every day can’t be a ‘super good’ day… that doesn’t mean there isn’t  some good to be found in it…if one takes the time to do so.

A few weeks past Anne found this printed thought from Ralph Waldo Emerson that basically concurs with Winnie the Pooh’s similar analysis on the importance of living each day to the fullest. Read it slowly…it deserves one’s attention.

The one line that jumps out at me (more powerfully than any other) is… “HE IS RICH WHO OWNS THE DAY!”

Think about it…we might not have material riches on our sojourn through life but any one who makes the most of every precious day they are given on earth is the richest person in the world….because they own the most expensive real estate there is …TIME!

In spite of the rainy conditions yesterday ….it turned out to be a fun day…delivering the stuffed (Maine) moose toys to the grandchildren. I had planned to watch Rutledge’s soccer game but it was cancelled so the family packed up and went to a rather soggy fall festival…with delicious foods and warm atmosphere.

A photographer was there who took the family photos for some contest…it was all in fun! What’s a little rain in life? It’s why we have umbrellas and raincoats! 🙂

I think Lachlan won the award for loving his moose the most…”Junior Lachlan” went with us to the fall festival and never left his side. Eloise would have made a great “flower child” for the sixties.

The boys saw their neighboring babysitter…I think both boys have a crush on her…too cute!

After a tiring rainy Saturday morning with three little ones…Mollie said she couldn’t resist this wooden plaque!

Both Jake and Lachlan had the same thought for posing with “Moosey-Goosey” and “Junior Lachlan”…peek through the antlers…or not.

*Eva Cate had spent Friday night at a classmate’s sleep-over birthday party and it did her in….but she had already decided on a pink flamingo over a moose…a lowcountry gal through and through. Sleep well Eva Cate and “Pinky.”

Fall and Halloween has arrived at the Dingle house in Mt. Pleasant.

So until tomorrow…Eloise has just started attending a little pre-school part-time and is so proud of her backpack.. she tried it on for me. *Eloise…always remember these wise words from Ralph Waldo Emerson…With your strong personality I think you will nail it. “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else…is the greatest accomplishment!”

“Today is my favorite day” Winnie the Pooh

With all my running up and down the interstate I missed most of the Clemson game but got back in time to watch the second half of the fourth quarter…way to go Tigers!

  Clemson Tigers – 45  Record: 7-0

                    Louisville Cardinals-10  Record: 4-3

*Sorry Sammy the Cardinal…you know I love you …but I must remain faithful to my Tigers! 🙂

Dear Reader:

It is such a testimony to the human spirit how quickly we can adapt to new surroundings and daily changes. Children are the best at it…but I was telling my “Ya” friends how quickly I felt right at home in Maine…just so excited about every moment of every day…all the new possibilities awaiting the ‘Spruce and Moose” Adventure!

So when I arrived back home it took some adjustment to return to my more sedentary life style…for the first time I felt restless in it…I was ready to go see something new again…even if it was just driving around town looking at new homes  or walking a different path around the block. *(So glad Mandy called to ask me to help with the grandchildren…that always keeps one hopping 🙂

Last night I realized that there was one set of photos I forgot to include and  comment on,  in yesterday’s post. For me they were some of the most tantalizing and pictorially exciting experiences. Before we went to dinner at Becky and Dan’s home in Kennebunkport….we drove over to the Bush Compound.

On this particular day…the waves were hitting the rocks with such velocity that the spray shot up several feet in the air…I was awe-struck. Becky told us at supper that a “Northeasterner”  hit the house so hard a year before… that it broke all the front windows in the house. (I hope this latest one didn’t do damage of that intensity.)

As an avid history “geek” I loved the words engraved on a stone marker to honor our 41st President….George Herbert Bush

Anne added these two photos…”the sea was angry that day.”

A permanent monument to the president, who called his Kennebunkport home  “Anchor to Windward,” is just that – a 6,000 lb. naval anchor along the coast above Blowing Cave, the scenic spot from which tourists can view the Bush house and the sea.

*When Bush was surprised with the anchor at an unveiling ceremony with a bagpiper playing in 2009, he said, “All this tribute and I’m not even dead yet.” (Don’t we miss such a humble, dignified personality?)

As all the Ya’s get ready for next week and our fall retreat at Edisto…we know that the majority of the time will be spent on the front porch telling stories to each other….personal family stories, funny incidents, etc. Of course we all share our dreams and hopes for the future too.

We are going to celebrate each of our benchmark birthdays…finally…together as they should be spent. The week celebration is all about being together again…and gaining strength, to face what obstacles  confront us, from each other. 🙂 We will be an “anchor” for one another.

So until tomorrow…

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Happy Birthday to my sweet niece, Bekah! I hope this year brings fulfillment for all your dreams! Love, Aunt Becky

Nala was so happy to have Anne back home…she didn’t stop to smell the roses but she did pause to admire the sunflower/daisy vines. 🙂

Ding-bat Boo wants you, Susan, to know that even though this greeting is a day late Happy Birthday… it’s never too late to wish you the best of everything always!!

*Of all the 365 days in a year… it does seem almost freaky that we have so many overlaps in our families now-same day birthdays….Mollie and you, Lee and Marcia, Ben and Vikki, Jake and me……Whew! I have a sneaky suspicion  there are probably still more family double day birthdays

Seriously….I do wish you the best life has to offer Susan….these past years have brought much turmoil/sadness…this year I want everything to fall into place for you.

Happy Birthday Susan…and many many more!!!!

Dear Reader:

Maine is a parody of calm, pastoral farming fields and wild, crazy sea coasts filled with turbulent waters and jagged rocks…it has something for everyone.

For me…just seeing rocks was amazing! There are no natural rocks in the lowcountry…in fact the only rocks that ever crept into the lowcountry came from rocks on ships used as ballast (in the bottom of the sea vessels)  to secure/steady them while sailing from England and other European countries to the colonies.

The drive from Camden to Northport (where Sherry lived) was spectacularly beautiful…the rocky cliffs reminded me of the North Carolina mountains….there was also lakes with islands filled with maple trees blooming away….breath-taking!

Sherry  had wild turkey crossing the road to her house…I think we should have named these three Anne, Sherry, and Boo….turkey trotting as fast as we could to see as much as we could.

Wednesday, October 9 on our way to Sherry’s we stopped at the Doyle’s farm of apple orchards and pumpkin farms. School children were there walking through mazes, eating apples and playing pumpkin games ….too cute!

As we were leaving the farm… we noticed the most beautiful hydrangea “tree”…they are HUGE in Maine and grow several feet straight up…this time of year the gigantic blooms are pinkish white while the leaves turn yellow…resulting in this gorgeous sighting!

After going through several small towns heading towards Camden…we decided to detour and go visit our third and last light house…we were not disappointed…the sun came out and there really was a ‘sea to shining sea’ beside the Permaquid Lighthouse Park.

This beautiful weathered clap-board house was right next to the cafe where we had lunch…Anne spotted a lone spruce on one section of the rocks….I think there is a children’s story just waiting to be told… “The Lonely Spruce”

The next day with Sherry driving her bright red truck…we were off to Acadia National Park where we planned to picnic at a ‘secret garden’  Anne discovered…from her stay at the College of the Atlantic one time. Sherry made the most delicious chicken salad sandwiches with cranberries. We sat on this gorgeous bench in the garden… cut off from the strong chilly winds from the sea.

Then it was on to Bar Harbor and the Cadillac Mountains where I thought life would end… by getting blown off the rocks. The temps dropped over 10 degrees in a matter of minutes with gale winds.

Friday we were back in Portland again….with the tour I shared with you earlier and then home again on Saturday. Whew…what an amazing adventure!

Much calmer in Summerville….my garden seemed happy to see me and has been showing off the last couple of days…trying hard to please me with autumn leaves too. Eva Cate’s Japanese Maple sprouted a few fall leaves yesterday for me. The Confederate rose bush is blooming more each day.

Tea Farm is really getting in the “spirit” with lots of them, spirits that is! 🙂

Honey….yesterday I drove by the entrance to your father’s Pine Forest Inn and saw the plaque dedicated to the memory of this beautiful inn…and thought of you!

Thanks Honey for this Victorian Period Halloween card…adorable! Love historic cards.

Today is Mollie’s birthday! Happy Birthday girl! A new car to fit in the whole family, more comfortably, came just in time for birthday.

Wednesday I took Mollie to Five Loaves for lunch or, rather, she drove me in her new car and we had a delicious lunch….time to catch up…I gave her the treats (lobster/chocolate moose lollipops) I brought back from Maine for the grandchildren…blueberry jam for the family.

Eva Cate told me that she squealed when she got the post card from me I sent from Maine…and apparently Eloise did too. I love getting photos of the grandchildren and apparently they still love getting “snail mail” from Boo Boo…so reassuring in this fast-paced technological age.

So until tomorrow…Sweet dreams and hum’s…of pumpkins and mums!

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

Autumn continues to call nature to start planting seeds and letting go of its leaves. I spent the last two days in Mt. Pleasant helping Mandy with the children while John was at a meeting in Florida.

A great time….and while Tigger (the dog) and I relaxed by the pool (our “Zen” time) I saw an opportunity for the perfect photo shot….a crack in the fence separating the pool/yard from the canal waters. Autumn and peace in the lowcountry at its best.

Then yesterday morning, while it was still foggy and rainy… I got another perfect photo moment….through the screened back porch…perfect reflection!

Peace and tranquility can be found everywhere in the fall….each natural region offering its own beauty and surprises. * The picture (below on the left) was taken on our way to the Doyle Farm from Steeple Falls. Again nature reflecting in the waters doubles the beauty, doesn’t it?

In the right photo…my Bradford Pear (not to be outdone) had a surprise for me yesterday….one branch of its leaves is starting to turn colors…fall really is coming to the lowcountry! *It will be in the upper forties tonight and a high of 69 tomorrow….(that’s almost winter weather down here! 🙂

Here is the rest of my garden and yard…foliage filled with fun surprises. The Confederate Rose is outdoing itself this fall.

Gazing balls…bringing good luck and weather to my garden!

Even the setting sun seemed to be welcoming me home last evening.

The kick-off to the food extravaganza (on the “Spruce and Moose” Adventure) started Monday night (a week ago.) I went over to Anne’s to spend the night since her neighbors were taking us to the airport at 5 am the next morning. *Anne said she just threw some things from the fridge together for our kick-off meal…(I want Anne’s fridge if this is just  those “things” inside! 🙂

Everything was set in pink for breast cancer month…so thoughtful!

Cold cuts and cheese for sandwiches and deviled eggs, cole slaw…glorious deviled eggs…how I love them!!!!!

When we got to Kathy’s (Anne’s sister’s house outside Portland) a beef stew had been cooking all day and made the house smell delicious… it was  the perfect meal after a day of traveling)…the next morning the blueberries came out with the eggs and we ate them from that point on…..luscious blueberries…straight from the fields of Maine.

The next day was a beautiful drive through winding back roads on our way to Camden and then onto Sherry’s ….a wonderful, zany, lovable friend of Anne’s….her last principal who now has a second home in Maine. I can’t think of Sherry without her red truck (symbol of Sherry’s out-going personality)…I felt like “Queen of the Road” traveling to Arcadia National Park, Cadillac Mountains, and Bar Harbor in that amazing machine!

The gourmet dinners Sherry made for us were spectacular!

Try this on for size…fresh corn on the cob…yes, you heard me…fresh corn in Maine in October! Steak, homemade diced potatoes, fresh asparagus, and fresh squash. Sherry always had homemade apple butter and apple sauce on the table.

Our final meal was at some high school friends of Anne’s….Becky and her husband Dan, who live in Kennebunkport….gorgeous home on beautiful acreage .  Again…fresh fish, potatoes and broiled fresh vegetables….with homemade gingerbread. (Believe me there wasn’t enough farm pastures or mountains to work all that food off! 🙂 *But worth every bite!!!! (*They live just a few short miles from the Bush Compound in Kennebunkport)

So until tomorrow…Fall seems to be following me and I love it! A season that shares a parody of vibrance, death, and renewal. (A wreath at Mandy’s house)

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

A short break from Maine today. Anne and I discovered the most innovative endeavor inside the Philly International Airport. When we arrived there Friday morning from Portland…for once we actually had time to explore….about a two hour interval before the plane to Charleston took off.

(And what a plane it was…It is never a good sign when you have to walk outside on the terminal to board a plane….it looked like a fairy size plane….two little seats on one side…one seat on the other. We were practically sitting on top of each other…an old, not very clean plane that I felt might fall apart if the velcro fell off…like the pockets behind the seats were doing if you placed anything in them! )

Before the fairy plane arrived however…we realized that we would actually need most of the time to get to our terminal for departure because it was terminal F- the very last one that was not connected to the main terminal. We had to take a bus to even get over to it. It was like its own private satellite within the big terminal complex.

Still… the time allowed us to find a Philly cheese steak sandwich  and something else….the coolest, most creative idea for a busy airport terminal.

Won Kyoung Lee and Matthew Aiden Price came up with a way for busy passengers to stop and share something from their pockets or purses that have meaning to them and share the item and the story behind it  for the thousands of passengers going through the airport each year.

When Anne got home she went on the Philadelphia Story link and found this short but sweet story. As a history teacher it really touched home…learning something new about World War I.

*Next week I will be at Edisto beach with the Ya’s so I will share a different story with you each day when I am gone….here is a sample of one such story Anne sent.

128 Whitman’s Sampler Tin Box (submitted by John and Gail Buhler)

Whitman Chocolate has a long history in producing a quality product in the Philadelphia area.  Of particular interest was Mr. Whitman’s support for the soldiers in WWI.  He supplied millions of “tins” of his chocolate during the war to help support the morale of the soldiers. 

One interesting fact was that the women packaging the chocolate would place notes in the chocolate tins.  This was a great help for the soldiers.  The “tins” have changed over the years but always brought back good memories.  This tin box was one I found among my father’s treasures.

Don’t you just love this idea? Will share more with you next week.

So until tomorrow….A story lives forever in the memory of the one telling it and the one who reads it, sees it, or hears it. The best gift of all! Sharing our stories with others.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

In my search for the slippery, elusive moose…I first asked what the plural of moose was….(my first thought was moose again)…moose being one of those “irregular” nouns like fish, sheep, pants,  etc. that stay the same. We called Anne’s sister, Kathy, to have some fun with her and she laughingly replied, “Of course….meese! You know… like goose to geese!” So much fun to start the search already.

(*From what I gathered through research…moose is an  irregular noun that doesn’t change form in the plural.  Moose derives from Algonquian, a Native American language. It keeps the same plural ending it had in its original language instead of adopting the normal S ending of most English plurals.)

Actually the plural of moose didn’t matter much to me…I just wanted to find one lonely moose and we sure tried. Even though I must admit defeat in finding a breathing live moose…it didn’t stop me from finding every other kind of moose….starting in the Portland International Jetport.

This moose statue was placed strategically inside the airport…  a hot spot for photos as passengers and excited tourists scurried by to claim their baggage.

Next we all saw a really “cool” moose smiling at us, also welcoming us to Maine!

After picking up the rental car and heading to downtown Portland, some exquisite moose artwork was located in the park area beside the terminal. (*It is one of Wendy Klemperer metal animal sculptures on the access road to the Portland Jetport. (photo by Gordon Chibroski)

I am not sure what the population is in Maine per square mile…but let’s just say there is plenty of room left for moose….especially when you get on stretches of back roads that seem to go on forever and there is nothing around you but woods filled with fall foliage and pastures of farming land.

My eyes grew weary watching the edges of the woods for moose…I felt like they were in the woods staring back….so close but yet so far. Sculptors and artists must realize the frustration tourists have in trying to find a live one…so they fill almost every township and village with some form of moose artwork….which always brings a smile!

Right behind this statue were some spruce trees so Anne took a picture of me with a “Spruce” and the “Moose” for our Spruce and Moose Adventure in Maine!

And if you couldn’t find them outside….there were some delicious moose inside candy stores you could sit on….and in the famous Len Libby candy shop tourists were flocking  to see the 8 foot milk chocolate moose! Len/Libby also have the famous chocolate moose lollipops that I brought back for the grandchildren….as well as, red lobster pops! 🙂

*Even the bear got its due notice in milk chocolate and pumpkin-sharing art attractions.

So until tomorrow….No live moose sighting….but I look at it that this problem was in the human eye….not the availability of wild moose. They were simply living in their wooded habitat and letting humans take the roads and townships to live in theirs….quite civilized of them actually! 🙂

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh (He likes cherry “lobstah” pops too)

Dear Reader:

Even though the quaint small hamlets and villages in Maine really spoke to my heart…I also fell in love with Portland. A city, yes, but not as big as Charleston, with so much nautical history behind it…which includes a wonderful story about the great producer John Ford bringing his buddy, John Wayne, there to catch lobsters and fish, on numerous occasions, throughout their long friendship.

Even the old state flag, regaining popularity today in Maine, originated in Portland because the fishermen could see the simple design far out at sea…and it was comforting knowing they would soon be home.

Since we flew in and out of Portland…it was our beginning and ending spot during our four-day, fast-paced Maine adventure.

One restaurant (DiMillo’s on the Water) became our favorite and it provided our first meal in Maine and my lobster roll opportunity on the last day before heading home. It was on Friday that we took a tour of the city before eating at DiMillo’s again…it is right on the water beside the wharf because it once was a boat turned into a restaurant.

Tuesday…a tall cold beer was called for, in our excitement of being in Maine…..Anne had her wine and that is exactly how we ended our trip on Friday! 🙂 Same place, same cuisine and drink!

I will have to admit that I am more of a New England clam chowder girl than a lobster girl but I couldn’t miss an opportunity to be in Maine without a lobster close by. All the food was beyond delicious! Thanks to everyone for making this memory possible! 🙂

The tour of Portland was fascinating and I was impressed by how many times the city has voted down the building of more condo’s along the front seaside…  successfully so. Charleston could take a lesson from Portland…they stand behind the lobster men and the fishermen ….all those who make their living from the sea. Bravo Portland!

Sherry has a friend and caretaker, Taylor, who watches over her and her husband’s place in Maine when they are in Massachusetts….he is quite the outdoorsman and provides Sherry with fish and game if she is up in their Maine home…and provides, of course, ‘lobstah’- right Sherry? 🙂

During the tour we came across the statue of poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow…a ‘favorite son’ of Portland…*It was hard to take pictures from the trolley because of the window decor and separated panes…so I found this picture of the Longfellow statue on-line….apparently Longfellow stays warm during Christmas… thanks to the caring people of Portland. 🙂

Anne was able to capture a few more photos from the tour than me.

So many of the older houses were built in Victorian style and were just beautiful!

Everywhere we went in Maine…. the signs for “lobstah” were (in many cases) just a few hundred yards or less than a mile apart. Maine does love them so!

Sometimes it is really overdone…as seen in these pictures… but still fun to ride by and smile at on the trip.

We couldn’t leave Portland without going to see the most famous lighthouse of all …the Portland Head Lighthouse. Actually the roads leading to the Lighthouse were as impressive as the lighthouse itself.

Cape Elizabeth, close by, is also breath-taking and the paths connecting the two held such charm. True confession…we went to the lighthouse at Cape Elizabeth first…took pictures all around and had a grand time….before we realized it was not the Portland Head Lighthouse.

When we realized our mistake we headed straight to the Portland Head Lighthouse….it was magnificent and the most photographed lighthouse in Maine.

Yesterday I showed you a book cover featuring “Jessica Fletcher” from Murder She wrote on a cover with this lighthouse in the background.

Well now…there is a new Nancy Drew (Eva Cate, my granddaughter, is so into Nancy Drew now…it makes me smile…I loved that series growing up too) television series and it is set in a fictitious little town in Maine. They used the famous lighthouse for their backdrop too.

So until tomorrow….I must stop…my hand is exhausted from scanning and then flipping through dozens and dozens of Maine photos for the right one to match….getting a cramp in my hand. 🙂

The adventure continues tomorrow…stay tuned…lots of Maine still left!

“Today is my favorite day” Winnie the Pooh

One of my favorite photos to end with… in this post…from Acadia National Park.

Dear Reader:

We are back and… even more unexpectedly….Philly’s sun was out bright and shining yesterday…no delays…*In fact if we had taken the Charlotte flight back, like we did going, our flight would have been cancelled due to bad weather. Life keeps us on our toes!

Anne and I walked past the cancelled Charlotte flight (at 6:00 in the morning) with all the poor passengers shaking their heads to find other ways to fly home as we flew in to sunny Philly and tried out a real Philly Cheese Steak sandwich….DELICIOUS!

Actually the whole trip was like that…everything just fell into place at the perfect moment to allow us to pack (as much as humanly possible) into four days of loving and learning about Maine and its wonderful inhabitants!

I mentioned yesterday in the blog post that I was leaving the spruce and fir behind in Maine to return to South Carolina’s pine and that was “fine” :)!

I was wrong….the original state flag of Maine (title picture) is making a comeback in popularity. It shows a white pine tree (not a spruce or fir that one sees so much of in Maine) and a star representing the north star for its two emblems. In fact the state flower is the white pine cone. Who knew?

South Carolina claims the palmetto tree for its state tree but in most of the state it is the pine trees that dominate the different regions… more so than just the lowcountry palmetto. (The pine trees sure dominate my back yard and gardens…especially pine cones….not white…just hard…especially when they hit my head!) 🙂

The state animal in Maine…is of course…the moose…an elusive creature that I came to consider more fantasy than real in my quest to find one. (though I will take you on my quirky, hilarious search to find one this upcoming week.)

Sherry told us  that the farther north one goes in Maine, the higher the chances increase of a moose sighting….we did get as far as Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor…but I think the moose was scared off from all the buses of “foliage followers” ….tourism is quite popular this time of year.

We actually hit the peak season (by sheer luck) this past week and it took my breath away….just a couple of samples to tease you until I overcome my jet lag and put all the photos in some kind of order together for you.

Well…I don’t know if “we changed the world” on this trip :)….but I do know that Maine changed me in the novelty of seeing another beautiful lifestyle/culture with down-to -earth people who love life ….especially the friendliest most generous people who I got to meet ….Kathy and Steve, Anne’s sister and brother-in-law, Sherry…close friend from former teaching days (Sherry is in the Time picture with Anne above) and Becky and Dan…old high school friends.

We were wined and dined better than any five-star restaurant and given ideas on the best way to use the back roads of Maine to find the top front scenes-of small hamlets and quaint seaside villages…on our limited time there. (Like Camden, Maine from the mariner)

(In towns like this I half-expected to see Angela Lansbury (in Murder She Wrote) ride her bike down the sidewalk!)  With a little sleuthing we discovered at the Portland Light House…that another popular sleuthing television series is using a small town outside Portland as the fictional setting for its on-going mystery too….stay tuned to find out what?) We traveled to three different lighthouses and all were spectacular!!!

So until tomorrow….I “oohed and aahed” so much on this trip at the sheer beauty of Maine…that I made myself almost hoarse! God sure spread the beauty of our country around ….putting something unique in all our states.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

Today on our way home we stop in Philly to change planes…say a prayer there are no thunder storms in late October so we can break the curse! 🙂 Home is calling…so good to get away…so good to return!

There will be lots of adventures and photos to share…but most importantly memories to treasure for the rest of my life. Maine is spectacular….what an amazing country we live in with such diversity in landscape and culture….we are blessed beyond measure.

Looking forward to seeing…. A huge cranberry hibiscus bloom on lanterns by the fence…with more lanterns in the back yard. My night garden calls me.

Memories of five little pumpkins growing up….my five hearts.

And Home…with porch lights on welcoming me back…letting everyone know…”The Witch is Back!”  🙂

So until tomorrow… *John O’Donohue

May you travel safely, arrive refreshed,
And live your time away to its fullest;
Return home more enriched, and free
To balance the gift of days which call you.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh