What to Do in Maine

August 10, 2016

Both Jocelyn (who works on the blog with me) and I were taken by surprise with the new format of the blog- from clicks to scroll. There are changes involving Picasa, WordPress and Google all of which help power the blog. We are working through the glitches now and hope that we will be able to deliver a blog that runs smoothly as a scroll, with photos that can be enlarged for more detailed views, with easy access to "comments" and other blogs, and easy to read captions on all devices from desktop computers, to iPads to mobile devices of all sorts.
We love that you all love the blog and find it informative and useful, and we want it to be as easy to use as possible. Changes will occur and we beg you to have a bit of patience until all is ironed out.
As for the sling on my left arm- I had a clumsy fall off my horse a couple weeks ago - the low branch that swept me off Rutger's back has been removed from its Catalpa tree and my arm is on the mend. Not to worry!!! Thanks for the concern however. --Martha

If you’re ever in or around Maine, please try to visit Acadia National Park. It’s a beautiful 47-thousand acre Atlantic coast recreation area primarily on Mount Desert Island. Acadia is filled with pristine woodlands, rocky beaches, clear ponds and so much more. I visit every time I am up at Skylands - I love hiking its many trails and always enjoy the stunning views, and tranquility - especially now that my grandchildren, Jude and Truman, can join me.

This weekend is the annual Friends of Acadia Benefit Auction. The mission of Friends of Acadia is to preserve and to protect Acadia National Park and its surrounding communities.

Acadia National Park is very important to me and my family, and we are happy to support Friends of Acadia during this centennial year. With a special “challenge grant” under the FOA Second Century Campaign, we hope to encourage and inspire others to join us and “give back” to Acadia. By making a gift, donors can help the FOA meet its overall goal of 25-million dollars. Let’s all try to preserve Acadia National Park - a truly magical place. Enjoy these photos.

: Jude and Truman love the water. Here they are at Hunter’s Beach throwing rocks to rocks.

: Hunter’s Beach is a secluded cobblestone beach nestled in a small cove a short distance from Bar Harbor. The beach is only 100-yards long, but great for playing on the rocks.

: As part of the celebrations marking Acadia National Park’s 100th anniversary, dozens of sailboats and powerboats gathered at Somes Sound for the Windjammer Parade.

: Here are two classic cutters as they approached Somes Sound. A cutter is a small to medium-sized watercraft designed for speed rather than for capacity.

: We watched the tall ships in the Sound from a friend’s lawn.

: 30-sailboats were expected to lead the parade, but unfortunately, we only saw a handful.

: Here is my Hinckley picnic boat coming to pick us up. Somes Sound was named for Abraham Somes, who was one of the first settlers on the island.

: This photo was taken as we rode my Hinckley picnic boat back to Seal Harbor.

: This is the 139-foot yacht named “Rebecca”. It is one of the finest looking, modern sailing yachts in the world.

: “Rebecca” was built at the world-renowned Pendennis Shipyard in Falmouth, Cornwall, England.

: This yacht has such a wide beam! The beam of a ship is its width at the widest point.

: Located at the mouth of of Northeast Harbor is Bear Island and the Bear Island Lighthouse.

: The Lighthouse was first established in 1839, but its current structure was built in 1889.

: It isn’t open to the public, but you can view it from the water. The keeper’s house is a large, gambrel-roofed dwelling that looks like a French barn with baby blue trim.

: Here is a stealth black boat moving briskly through the water.

: We always know we’re back in Seal Harbor when we see this buoy. We always slow down when we see “NO WAKE ZONE”.

: This is a picturesque scene of the town dock in Seal Harbor.

: The pink granite rocks show the low tide.

: Bunker’s Ledge, right in the mouth of Seal Harbor is where seals congregate at low tide, sunning themselves and resting happily in between feedings.

: Harbor seals are characteristically solitary and rarely interact with others except when mating. However, they often “haul out” in loosely organized groups. These groups may include both sexes and all ages and even other varieties of seal.

: Harbor seals generally do not touch each other when hauled out. They maintain a space between them of several feet.

: While on land, harbor seals rarely move once they find a comfy spot. They turn their heads frequently, however, to watch for potential danger. When alarmed, harbor seals will quickly rush into the water.