Part 2 September 2017 Vacation : Maine!

As a desert rat, I rarely get to the Northeast.  Here I was flying out and back into JFK from my Italian vacation and it occurred to me that maybe I could follow my friends, Susan and John back home to Bailey Island, Maine.  I know, I can be bold.  I asked and they welcomed the idea!  So here's how that worked out.

I was pretty careless booking the flight from NYC to Portland, Maine.  Looking back, it would have made sense to build in a LOT of time.  My flight out of London arrived an hour and 40 minutes late at JFK, landing about 9:20 PM.  Needless to say, I missed the last flight of the night into Portland, Maine and had to rebook for the following morning.  I spent the night in JFK airport and took the shuttle to LaGuardia at 6 AM.  I reached the calm and beautiful airport in Portland, Maine about 10:30 AM, giving us all day to begin Patty's introduction to the state of Maine.  Now, I admit that my parents likely had in the state as a toddler, but who remembers those days?

My Maine hosts, Susan and John.

Izzy and Brodie...aren't they cute? 

Yes, I did plenty of this once I got to their house!  They did too since they came to the airport twice to fetch me!  Oh, the joy of traveling internationally.

So, after settling in I just settled in some more!  I thoroughly enjoyed making myself at home, mostly relaxing and looking at the incredible views from decks at their home.  I got a kick out of a neighbor.  Each sunset he stepped to the back of his property, closer to the water and sounded a conch!  I was told to be glad I wasn't there when he had the cannon!  The funny thing was that we could  occasionally hear a response from the other side!

Notice the pretty fog in the distance.

My first night there Susan prepared Maine lobster, of course!
One day we cooked gazpacho and canned pickles!

During the week, Susan and I enjoyed a Girls Day out and made our way to Rockland by way of Moody's Diner in Waldoboro, Maine where we had the traditional lobster roll.

We stopped in Thomaston at the Maine State Prison Store where I bought souvenirs stamped as such. 

The site was used in 'The Shawshank Redemption' book.  However, I learned later the movie was done in Ohio with sets made to look like Maine.  Oh, Hollywood! Once in Rockland we visited the Farnsworth Art Museum where we saw Wyeth (NC, Andrew or Jamie) adorning many walls.  

Later in the week John would join us for a trip to the most magnificent farmers market I have ever seen in Bath, Maine.  I discovered husk tomatoes and corn sprouts!  These folks in Maine have it going on!

I was graced with four days of sun and 3 of fog, making the place quite eerie! A walk in the nearby cemetery....I came across a few headstones that read, "Lost at sea." Oh, my! 

On my last day there, Susan showed me Land's End and Giant's Stairs and McIntosh Lot. 

(www.hhltmaine.org)

The hurricane season was just starting to show in the Northeast.  The water was very choppy making for beautiful splashes.

It was warmer than it looks.

It was a choppy sea that gave big splashes.

Foggy scenes of the island the day before I left.

Lobsterman statue at Land's Ending

This was all of the fall colors I would see.  I returned to Rim Country and found about the same in my own back yard!

Fun fact....Maine has a higher percentage of elderly population than Arizona!

Here is a sampling of Susan Ferraro's fiber art work and space. 

What you cannot see is the three dimensional aspect of her pieces.

She aims to please and you can reach her here: artisancsf@comcast.net

Now, my Maine vacation would come to an end but I got a surprise at the airport.  I volunteered on an overbooked flight and got $$$ for the next adventure!  Follow up with me in a month!!

"Instead of trying to make your life perfect, give yourself the freedom to make it an adventure, and go ever upward." Drew Houston