Strange Plants

 

common mallow

On Kodiak I have taken close up pictures of practically every plant and flower. So in Maine I enjoy taking pictures of the 'strange' plants and flowers.  But since I grew up in Maine they are not really 'strange'. I do know most of their names, but I have not yet met them through the lens of my camera.

On this trip while bike riding I kept on noticing this very strong and pleasant scent. I noticed it occurred near fields where I saw what looked sort of like the milkweed I remembered from my youth in Virginia.  But I never remembered milkweed having a pleasant scent and it did not look exactly like the milkweed I remembered. Anyway, we eventually figured out that it was indeed the plant that smelled so good.  And it also turned out to be milkweed.  The very plants that monarch butterflies like so much. I bet it smells so good to attract the monarch butterflies. The milkweed does not have a very pretty flower but it sure does smell good!

Patrick

Bay leaves

Un ripe plums

Black-eyed Susan

un ripe apple

Day Lilly

some sort of fancy cultivated rose

wild rose

mullein

milkweed

Azalea

Good Food

 

Vacation is all about food, and we ate well in Maine. Practically every meal consisted of at least something getting cooked on the grill. But at this time of the year in Maine there are also lots of fresh vegetables available.

In the beginning of the trip we mostly ate down at Granny Thurby's house on the water.  Later on we mostly ate up at my mom's, Granny Coco's, house up on the hill.  We'd commute on foot or by bike between the 2 houses. My mom and I would play Scrabble while we cooked dinner.  She's pretty good at Scrabble and I never did beat her at it.

I think my favourite meal was lobsters on the lower deck.  Nothing quite like eating lobsters and throwing the shells directly off the deck and into the water.

Patrick

First night chaos - this was the meal the evening we arrived

Lobster and wine on the deck - an annual tradition

Blue mussels at a restaurant on the Harbor in Camden

Family

 

Of course the most important thing about a Maine vacation is getting reacquainted with family. On North Haven we ran into some sort of distant cousin or uncle 'twice removed' every other day.  But what matters most is the immediate family.  The kids got to hang out with Granny Coco, and this year we also saw a lot of Uncle John and Aunt Polly.

Now as I write this I am about to start the long journey home to Alaska.  Our Maine vacation is at an end, and it is time to go home.

Patrick

Messing about on the water

 

In Maine our recreational activity has largely focused on the water.  At high tide we jump off of the house deck to swim and there are also the kayaks and paddleboards.  It helps that we are literally staying right on the water. 

High tide is when the water is closest to the deck and it is easier to get the kayaks and paddle boards into the water. It is also the best time to swim. When we arrived it was high tide just before we woke up and we had to wait until evening before it was deep enough to do the deck leap. But with every passing day the tide is an hour later and soon the high tide was after breakfast. This is my last day and the high tide has now migrated to the late afternoon. It is dead low in the morning and in the evening.

Patrick

Afternoon Sail

 

One of the highlights of our trip to Maine was an afternoon sail in my mom's 'Herreshoff 12' sailboat. We have not had too many good days for sailing.  The first few days were too windy.  Then on a few days it was flat calm. And lately it has been too foggy.  

But one day it cleared off in the afternoon, the wind was perfect, and the kids and I went for a sail. We sailed out past the Sugarloaves to Crabtree Point.  Earlier in the day Stuey and I had biked out Crabtree Point, and it was interesting to see what all the houses we'd passed on the road looked like from the water -  A totally different perspective.

We had to beat to windward to get out of the Thoroghfare, and I did all the steering.  Then on the way back we raced along downwind and Stuey took the helm.

A beautiful afternoon on the water!

Patrick