Forget-me-not

We are enjoying life, at a much slower pace than we are accustomed to – due in part to the lack of cellular service for Verizon customers . . . So far, the Maine Event has been absolutely unforgettable. Ah yes, that brings us to flower question from the prior blog post.

Thanks to everyone who responded. Special mention goes to Grant.  We know your forgetful buddy Archibald loves to clown around. Next time consult with Betty, who would advise you that the Forget-me-not is the official state flower of Alaska, my beloved home state.  Winner, winner, winner – my dearest hometown friend Adnerb, miss you so much!

Pretty Marsh

We have been spending more time at anchor – capturing beautiful sunsets.

Maine is well known for it’s Lighthouses, like this one in Tremont

Seal Cove

Aptly named, we anchored out next to the seals. These seals departed when the fishermen arrived. (8 second video to be added at a later date …).

Southwest Harbor

Capt Rick has been on a quest for the best soft serve ice cream, which is not easy to find. So far, the winner is in Southwest Harbor where the chocolate actually tastes like chocolate!

“What’s up, butter cup?” One of Capt. Rick’s favorite sayings – although this might be the first time he has ever seen a field of the flowers!

Little Cranberry Island; Islesford, Maine

A dink ride to Little Cranberry Island took us to the popular Islesford Dock Restaurant.

The food was good, the service was even better. We took a brief stroll up the hill, in quest of the local post office.

We heard some crazy trivia about how this post office ranked #1 in the sale of postage stamps in the U.S, I am guessing per capita, which would not take much given the resident population is a mere 65 (Wikipedia: 2013 data).

Look at these antique mailboxes!  True Story:  A long time ago, I served as an unpaid high school intern at the local Post Office. In Seward, AK we had the exact same kind of boxes, with a spin combo or maybe three letters.  Yes, we read every postcard that we received, and yes, it was like Mayberry, where the post office staff gossiped all day long about the comings and goings of the whole town – resident population roughly 2,000.

Seward’s Lydia Jacoby Wins Gold!

On the topic of Seward, AK Congrats to Olympic swimmer Lydia Jacoby, she won gold in Tokyo for the 100-meter breaststroke.  The 17-year old athlete is Alaska’s first Olympic Swimmer!  You are right, swimming in AK is not a common sport.

Roque Island – Lobster Mania

Not on the original itinerary, we heard about this secluded island from Sean at KYC.  Rarely crowded, it was a quiet haven, with a white sandy beach – a rare sight in Maine.

These lobster boats were rafted together – a strange site, indeed.  As we drifted by with Maddie in our dinghy, the friendly fishermen told us there were LOTS of freshly cooked Lobsters on shore, “Please join in and eat as much as you want.”. Wait, what did you say?

Most of the folks were done eating and had moved away from the food tables as we were offered to partake in their “leftovers”. Then we saw the GIGANTIC steaming pot – with more than 20 cooked critters remaining. Next to the pot were the carcasses of more than 100 lobsters that had already been devoured. wow. Wow. WOW! Let’s just say our Maine Lobster craving was more than satiated.  Sorry I don’t have photos – trust me, it was a delicious buttery mess.

Now Capt Rick is raving about how Roque Island, Maine is “the very best gunk hole, ever” possibly de-throning Cayo Costa from its long-standing perch (Don’t’ worry, Donna, Caryl and Gail; Pelican Bay is still #1 for me).

A New York Minute

Happy birthday to my beautiful niece Carly – so excited you and Austin are in New York supporting Alisha’s latest movie project! Mija, your costumes are absolutely exquisite, of course!!

Celebrating Milestones. Birthdays: Andrea Davis and Carly Maurer, August 3; Weston Wayne Sumpter Straley, August 4;  Tanja Elliott, August 6; David Hendry, August 10; Romeo and Ruby, August 11. Anniversary: Mike and sue Gillespie, August 13.

Next Stop: Bar Harbor