Baxter State Park Anniversary

Today the Coles celebrated 45 years of marriage by spending the day in the woods. Driving down through the woods to Patten with a picnic lunch aboard, they entered Baxter State Park at the Mattagamon Gate. Here is a picture taken near there:

We spent three hours driving through the woods, stopping to picnic at the Ledges. Louise finished knitting a sock on the trip. With music from the 60s playing on CDs, it was a lovely day to drive through one of the loveliest spots in Maine. Here we have a collection of pictures taken today for you to enjoy.

The Height of Summer

The rain has returned today to northern Maine. One effect of all this rain is lush flower gardens. Here we share a few pictures of the gardens Gary has worked so hard to cultivate.

And last but not least is another picture of Bridget from last week. She is enjoying the outdoors with Grampy.

A Day in Massachusetts

We came down to Massachusetts two days ago. Louise is free again - the book is done! We are visiting with Bridget, Gina, and Bob. Look at this cute picture of little Bridget. She is a firecracker for sure! She loves books and looks at them a lot.

 Today we visited the Wayside Inn and mill near it, and then went to the Garden in  the Woods. Sponsored by the New England wildflower society, this is quite a place. We actually hiked for about two hours in a wonderful setting with flowers, brooks, fences, and nature. There were a few mosquitoes, but this spot was worth it. Nice trails and such a peaceful, relaxing place.

 The chapel at the Wayside Inn.

 The Wayside Inn in Sudbury. Mass

 Louise at the replica of the old gristmill at the Wayside Inn.

 The entrance to the Garden in the Woods in Framingham.

A lily pond with flowers, water lilies, turtles.

A chipmunk having a lunch.

A butterfly on the cone flowers.

 Gary on one of the garden paths.

July??

The weather is still so wet and cold that is certainly doesn't feel like July. Louise is still working nonstop on the Washburn book. It is coming right along and the end of it is near (we hope!) Gary was just elected president of the Salmon Brook Historical Society. Bob and Gina have brought Bridget for a visit. We share a picture of Bridget, and a couple of the flowers that are growing nicely despite the rain!

This is Bridget at almost 11 months. Notice that she really likes books.

This is a supertunia called Bermuda, a lovely shade of pink.

This is Gary's shade garden.

The return of the paddle boat again, and again....

We have had two afternoons and evenings of severe thunder showers/tornadoes up here. Hearing that the damage was bad in Ashland and Portage, we decided to check out the camp today. As we started down the West Road, Louise spotted a paddle boat that looked like ours near a wharf just beyond the playground. She said to Gary, "I hope that isn't ours." When we reached the camp the water was very high, waves coming in, white caps on the lake, and no paddle boat. Gary and Ryan had used it Sunday.
Gary went down to the camp where we had seen it, and he loaded it on the truck to bring back. Meanwhile, Louise went down to the shore and looked around, spotting the paddle boat two camps down stuck in a little inlet. Gary returned the first one to where he found it, and then dragged the second one up on shore and the two of us got it loaded in the back of the truck and back to the camp. How many times has that paddle boat been rescued? This time it produced a twin! Who would believe two identical paddle boats floating around the same area?

On our way home we took pictures of the storm damage along Route 11 in Ashland. It has been a wild week!

Spring at Last!

We visited Portland last week and spent three days with Jon and Erin. One of the highlights of our trip was a tour of the Victoria Mansion, a really unique place in downtown Portland. We could not take pictures inside, but we have some lovely photos of the exterior to share with you.

Notice the damage to the brownstone on the back of the mansion.

We also enjoyed a visit or two to the waterfront, and relaxing at Jon and Erin's home.

Before we came home, we visited the Farmer's Market in Portland, purchasing a few plants to start another growing season.

 

Jon and Erin added a few to their collection also!

The weather has been so cold and wet since we returned from Florida gardening has been far from our thoughts, but finally yesterday it became warmer and the sun appeared. The tulips responded, as you can see.

We are ready for some sunshine and nice weather. Gary has started the yard work, and our thoughts are turning to gardening. Meanwhile Louise is in the middle of a time-consuming and totally engrossing project researching Washburn history and gathering pictures for a sesquicentennial booklet scheduled to be published this summer. She has become a history detective and is enjoying the job!

Winter returns.....again

We have neglected the blog as we returned from Florida and resumed life in Washburn. It has been a busy time. We spent the first week trying to decide how to sort the trash as the town went to a "pay to throw" plan whole we were gone. We have moved back in and returned to our routines.

Yesterday Mother Nature threw us another surprise as the snow came down all day. This morning it continued to snow. It clearly looks like February outside! We share a few pictures of our latest April snow.

Doesn't this look like mid-April? It is a bit depressing to say the least! The one positive thing we have seen is birds in great abundance. We have used a 25 pound bag of black sunflower seeds in less than a week. We share a few pictures of the birds feasting.

The redpolls come in entire flocks.

We have seen several evening grosbeaks today, including some baby ones.

Here we have a goldfinch that has joined the redpolls. We are waiting for spring again, and hoping that it will start soon!