Life at Camp

We have spent a few days at camp, and want to share the peace and beauty we found there.

As the water level has gone down, our beach area has increased.

Some interesting grasses have begun to grow near the big rock.

Here we see the front of the camp, the rock wall, the wharf, and the beach.

The pot of flowers add a nice touch, with the camp in the background.

The pink and green add a nice touch to the outside beauty of the place.

Another peaceful spot, an inviting place to read or knit.

This planter sits at the edge of the woods.

A cozy spot, with a great view of the lake.

Does it make you want to take a nap?

An interesting sail boat we spotted on the lake.
Hopefully these photos make you want to jump in your car and drive to Portage Lake! We enjoyed our days there and plan to return soon.

O Canada....

Today we crossed the border to New Brunswick and spent the afternoon at the New Brunswick Botanical Garden in Saint-Jacques. It was sunny and cooler today, a perfect day for such a trip. There is a lot of walking at this garden, but they had many perennials and some annuals as well as trees and shrubs in blossom in a lovely setting with brooks and benches everywhere. Enjoy the photos of our visit!

There was a butterfly house full of butterflies. Here Gary has one landed on his finger.

This is a scene of the pond and the water falls on the rocks in the background.

This gazebo is on the pond and in the center of the garden.

There were several sculptures made of living grasses and flowers, but this bird is special.

Yellow day lilies and red astilbe combine into beautiful color.

A pond lily near a rock in the pond.

How about a buffalo with moss eyes and green and red growth all over?

These hollyhocks are lovely - much better than the ones creeping around our door at home.

Another beautiful display of color.

These are a few of the photos we took on this peaceful, lovely day in a place full of beauty. What more could a person ask of a sunny day in July?

Babies and Little Girls

This blog has been sadly neglected since the Coles came back to Maine. We have kept busy with the garden, the yard, the historical society, the museum, and family. This past weekend we traveled south to see our youngest grandchildren. First we went to Portland to visit Emily.

This is the perfect baby who is growing so fast it is hard to keep up with her.  She is happy and fun to visit, as are her parents.

Next we went to Massachusetts to see the newest grandchild in our family, Alexander.

Here he is sleeping away in his grandmother's arms. What an adorable baby! Bob and Gina have a perfect family.

Here is the special little girl, Bridget. She looks a bit angry, but that duck in her hands would not work. So much for Chinese toys!
Here she is at her best, ready to go to a party.

All in all we had a very special time visiting our sons and daughters-in-law and their wonderful kids!

Back to Maine

We left Florida on Wednesday, April 3. Here we have a photo of Gary loading the car. There was so little room left inside that Louise rode with two bags under her feet and legs.

The first night we spent in Rocky Mount, NC. It was a long day, but a good one and the weather cooperated. The second day had more difficulty once we reached Pennsylvania. There was a lot of construction, and when we finally reached the Scranton area we were lost several times trying to find a place to eat and our way back to the hotel. On Friday morning we headed out to Massachusetts. The day went well and we got to spend time with Bob, Gina, and Bridget. It was great to see them after such a long time. Bridget was adorable and we really enjoyed having a chance to play with her.
Saturday morning we headed back to Maine. We visited with Jon, Erin, and Emily in Portland. Here is a picture of us with Emily.

As we came up 95 the snow in the woods appeared at about Lincoln. By Millinocket it was everywhere side of the road. The temperature dropped down into the 40s and we dug out the coats we had not worn since December. It was a great homecoming with some very special treats waiting for us at home like a warm house and a full chicken dinner waiting in the refrigerator. It really makes a person feel special to have such caring people go out if their way to make the homecoming a good one.

The weekend was pretty cold, but we are adjusting. Today we went to the Motor Inn and swam, filled the refrigerator with food again, and went for a ride to Portage. The snow is still pretty deep at the camp, but we took a couple of pictures of April at Portage.

On our way home we spotted some deer on the State Road feeding. Here is a cute one that shows one running back to the woods.

So we have made the transition back home. It was wonderful to see all of the grandchildren and the rest of our family. Summer will come eventually, and another winter in Florida is ahead of us.

Winding Down

Our Florida season is about over. We will start the trip north next Wednesday, and are busy trying to finish up things. The car has been serviced, the packing is well underway, and we plan to enjoy our last few days in the sun. We wanted to share a few photos of life at Cocoa Beach this sunny Saturday morning.

Here we have the beach, and a man getting his exercise. Beautiful view of the water and beach.

Vegetation on the beach. As you can see, it is pretty dry. There have been a lot of wildfires in the area this winter. We often can smell smoke.

These two palm trees give us a nice view from the deck.

The waves are coming in and the temperature is rising. It is supposed to hit 80 today, but they say the water temperature is down in the low 60s. Yesterday there was a group of kids playing in the waves who didn't seem to care if it was cold.

Gary is still painting. He has several paintings going, and hopes to get some of them done to be photographed on Monday.

Louise is hard at work on a baby blanket with sailboats for the next addition to the family. So we are busy, and enjoying the warm weather, getting ready for a cooler experience next week!

Looking Ahead

Gary has another painting finished, one of the Perham Church. Here you can see it:

Much of our time over the past few weeks has been concentrated on trying to find a better place to stay next winter. Calls to real estate agents and hours on the computer looking at places for rent produced nothing. Instead, one of Louise's knitting friends found us a condo where she lives. We met the owners this week and came to an agreement on renting it for next winter. It is a wonderful place that meets most of the things we wanted. The one thing missing is proximity to the beach. It will be a 10 minute walk to the beach, but everything else is perfect. We will not be at Cocoa Beach. After five years here, we are moving on. This condo is in Indiatlantic or Indian Harbor, depending on your sense of geography I guess.
Here are a few pictures to show you what we have found:

We will be on the second floor in an end  unit.

The master bedroom. There are two bedrooms and two bathrooms.

There is a 50 some inch TV in the living room, plus a TV in each bedroom.

This is the chair Louise plans to use for knitting.

There is a gym in the club house.

A pool with several sitting areas outside.

A hot tub is located in the pool area.

A shaded area at the pool for reading or knitting.

There is a fully equipped, modern kitchen.

The view from the balcony. It did not take us long to decide that this was just what we wanted. With the major problem of housing for next year solved, we plan to relax for the next two weeks before we start the long drive home.

Art and Inspiration

Gary has completed another painting - horses and the wagon at King's Landing. Here we have a close-up of that painting. It is being framed.

As our time in Florida is getting short, we left today for an overnight trip to St. Augustine. We spent the day as tourists, beginning with the exhibit of Picasso's work. All of this material is in the United States for the first time, and different aspects of his work were represented, from book illustrations to ceramics. Here is a picture of Gary standing outside the exhibit.

Advertising of the show. It is part of the celebration of 500 years of Florida history, and 450 years since the founding of St. Augustine, the oldest city in North America.
We enjoyed the architecture of the old buildings and inns along the quaint streets of the old city.

Hundreds of people had the same idea that we had today. There were busloads of tourists everywhere, and many school groups. This is just one school group we met along the way.

We settled into a nice hotel room with a jacuzzi tub and all the amenities. What a treat from the rather Spartan living conditions we are faced with this winter. The hotel recommended an interesting restaurant for dinner - a fishing shack in a marsh. We both had shrimp and the food was great. It is a rustic looking place for sure - called Salt Water Cowboys.

Here's Louise waiting on the porch for our table to be called.

Tomorrow we plan to continue our adventures in St. Augustine.