Good Night!

Since, I will probably never be up early enough to get a picture of the sunrise, I hope a sunset will do. It was my first attempt at timing a photograph. I had a different picture in my head as to how this would turn out. Hopefully next time I will not be a few minutes late!

Note to self: Next time you want to make it to the Portland Headlight for a sunset shot, don't get distracted in the Home Goods store!

Eight Inches and Counting...

Saturday's Adventures

Aaron and I decided to take advantage of the break in negative temperatures around here and head outside on Saturday. First up, the shooting range. Well, it wasn't really a shooting range as much as a large field with old targets set up. Aaron had stopped and asked the owner a few weeks ago if he minded us shooting there and he was gracious enough to let us. I told you about going with Aaron to sight in his gun and me shooting a few shots, remember? This day I went out trying to hit apples. I actually had a lot of fun!

Me getting ready to shoot! Aaron was great about teaching me how to load the gun, how to hold it and other safety things.

The poor apple I destroyed. Aaron estimated we shot around 75 times. The best part about that is that I only missed the target 5 times!

I tried shooting this old shell off a metal stand. I couldn't believe I hit it!

My babe getting ready for his turn.

After shooting we decided to take advantage of the Navy's hobby shop and rent ice skates. They are building an ice rink on base over a softball field. Apparently, there was a leak so we headed to the rink in town.

They flooded a park right downtown for people to enjoy.

We went with Catherine, Garrett and Jase. It was Jase's first time ice skating. He sort of got the hang of it but he had a blast none the less. We brought him that plastic white chair to hold onto but his feet were going too fast to hang on!

Us! You can see that the ice wasn't in great shape but we had a blast. It is a cool thing for the town to do for the residents free of charge.

I was so tired by the end of the day. I guess being outside really does tire me out. It was a really fun day outside. We both really needed the fresh air!

'The Good Old Hockey Game...'

Aaron and I attended a Portland Pirates hockey game Saturday night. We hadn't been to a hockey game for so long we were going through withdrawl. I used to go to Buffalo Sabres games a lot when we lived closer. So when we heard the Pirates were hosting a military night we thought we would go check it out.

To our surprise the Pirates, as of June 2008, is the new feeder team for the Buffalo Sabres. It was cool to be able to see the guys in action who might one day make it to play for the Sabres in NHL.

(pic courtesy of portlandpirates.com)

The Pirates wore special stars and stripes jerseys to honor the military.

After 3 periods, the Pirates came out victorious over the Philadelphia Phantoms 5-3. We definitely want to go to another game before the season ends. The arena was pretty full and the fans were electric. We had a great time!

New Trophy

Aaron hasn't had much time to go hunting and fishing so when he brought home this 7 point buck the first day of hunting season, he was really excited! It really was a beautiful deer.

Great job babe!

A Fun Fall Weekend

Aaron and I headed out Saturday morning on our second big motorcycle trip of the season. We headed down to the White Mountains in Laconia, NH with about 8 other bikes. We took mostly back roads to get there so we could enjoy the fall scenery. Even though the leaves had started to die, it still made for a gorgeous ride!

Sunday afternoon, Aaron and I went on a hunt for pumpkins and apples. We were told that Rocky Ridge Orchard was the place to go. They had a large orchard with various apples. They also had a little bakery there where you could get just about anything. We tried the pumpkin cinnamon doughnuts and were not disappointed. Although the place was nice, we didn't walk away with any pumpkins. All they had were huge ones and I can't justify paying a lot of money for a pumpkin. It makes me crazy actually! But we did leave with doughnuts, cider and apples for pie.


We ended the day at our favorite wharf for lobster and fish. I am really going to miss having fresh seafood when we leave here. The Five Islands Lobster Co. is delicious!

I really do like fall. There is something about the temperature and the smells this time of year that make you feel so at home!

The Blue Angels

Sorry I have been MIA lately. I didn't have a chance until now to post about my fun weekend! Well, I didn't really have a fun weekend but I did have a very fun Friday afternoon. This past weekend Naval Air Station Brunswick held the Great State of Maine Air Show 2008. The air show included many acts (click here to view all). The two I was most interested in seeing were the US Army Golden Knights parachute team and The Blue Angels.

I missed the Golden Knights but I did get to see The Blue Angels. It was one of the coolest things I have ever seen. If they ever come near your home, I would recommend you go see them perform. I am not even interested in plane at all and I loved it!

Below are pictures I took of their show. The pics do not even do them justice. All I kept saying out loud the whole performance was that they must be crazy! Anyone who would willing fly 18 inches apart from 3 other Boeing F/A-18 Hornets (with perfect precision) must be a little crazy and very brave.


Friday was a great day! Saturday and Sunday, well, not so much. Because I work for the Navy I was 'asked' to help out with one of the concession stands. And I can say after two very long days, if I ever see another french fry again it will be too soon!

Low Tide

Sunday afternoon, Aaron and I headed up to Popham Beach. We had been there before but had never made it there during low tide. There are a few islands about a half mile off shore that you can walk out to when the tide is low. We had a great time walking around! It was really neat to get to walk all the places where water is usually so high you can't even swim.

Below are some pictures from the day:

Sorry...I couldn't resist!

All this sand is covered when it is high tide.

On the way out to the island.


A closer look at the sand left behind. I thought it was beautiful!

Another view of the beach.

The walkway to and from the beach.

Our picnic spot. I love picnics!

A close-up of a tiny wave.

I am sure we will go back again. There were tons of shells lying around. I heard from a friend you can even find sand dollars out there. Who knew low tide could be so cool?

Bailey's Island

So a week or two ago I took advantage of the beautiful day, and went for a ride to Bailey's Island. If there is one thing I can say is that it is beautiful! I wish my pictures did it justice but alas they do not. If you ever get a chance to visit Maine you definitely should do it! There are many hidden treasures around here to explore.

Here are some pics from my ride:

The bridge from Orr's Island over to Bailey's Island.

Doesn't this look like the coolest place?

This was a "memorial to all the Maine fisherman who devoted their lives to the sea".

I couldn't go down there to see if there were any there. The road was private!

A cove filled with boats. I couldn't even get all of them in my shot.

A feathered friend. He let me walk right up beside him. But once my camera clicked he flew for the hills.

I can't get enough of the peninsulas around here. They all lead to some place amazing! I love the smell of the ocean, the noise of the sea gulls and the houses up on the rocks. This state really is something out of the movies. I am so grateful we have gotten to experience it!

Click to Enlarge

I went for a ride today to Bailey's Island. I took some pictures which I will post soon, but I wanted to try my hand at photo stitching again. You can see the seams in the sky. But that can't be helped. I will have to try again at a different time of the day. But the smaller version looks good! But I did think it was a pretty enough picture to share.

Click on the photo below to enlarge it.

Sorry I can't make it any bigger here on Blogger. I don't think they enjoy the panoramic pictures. Or it could be I just haven't figured out how to post them yet.

Wanted: Some Sunshine

I haven't really been paying attention to the rest of the world but here in Maine, all it has been doing is raining. Until Sunday, I had almost given up hope that it would stop raning. There are records being set all over around here for the number of inches we have been getting. (Click Here).

For the most part this weekend Aaron and I were inside. We don't mind it too much because it allows us to read, watch movies, eat, etc... All things we love to do! However, Sunday (when there was a brake in the rain.) we decided to go to the closest state park, Wolfe's Neck Woods State Park, and do something we hadn't done yet just sit there. We have walked/hiked a lot of the state parks around us and they are awesome. But we decided to take a book (me)/magazine (Aaron), sit and enjoy the calm that comes with the end of the day.

It was so calming to sit and read as the waves hit the rocks around us. We weren't on the ocean but we were close in Casco Bay. While reading I was still able to take in the sounds and smells that surrounded me. Aaron really liked it too! As we were hiking back to the car he said "we will have to do that again!" It was the most calm I had felt in awhile. I suggest a night of reading/sitting in a calm place to anyone!

I didn't get any good photos because it was still cloudy out but I was able to capture this mushroom. Aaron spotted it amongst the trees.

Does anyone else think this mushroom resembles the colors of the sun? I do! And then I got to thinking that although the sun hasn't been showing itself much around here, maybe this was God's way of telling me that you can find beauty/color even on the dreariest of days not just the sunny ones.

Home Cooking

This weekend instead of going to a restaurant/wharf and getting a lobster, Aaron decided to try and cook one at home. They are really easy to purchase around here. They have them at any grocery store, Wal-Mart, campers on the side of the road, etc... And no I am not kidding about that last part!

Aaron getting ready to cook his lobster.

Cooked to perfection!

The end result.

I am not a huge lobster fan so Aaron made me some haddock but he said the lobster was delicious! It was nice to pay half price for a lobster meal. And the best part was that it was super easy! Now that he has the cooking part down, it will be a fun meal to cook for future visitors.

*Yes, actual animals were harmed in the making of this meal. Tasty, tasty, animals!*

Lobsters, Whales & Sharks...Oh My!

This past weekend we were fortunate enough to get our first visitors! Kathy, my friend Jeff's mom, and her friend, Ben, were vacationing in Maine so they stopped by for a visit. When they arrived Saturday, we took them to Five Islands Lobster Co. They are located on a wharf in Georgetown, ME. Dinner was delicious and the view was amazing!

There was a lobster shack, a Love Nest Grill for those who didn't want seafood and an ice cream stand. We choose to eat seafood and we were glad we did!

The great thing about the wharfs around Maine are that you know the seafood is fresh! They actually showed Aaron and Kathy their lobster while they were still alive.

Aaron, Me, Kathy and Ben with full stomachs!

After a quick trip to L.L. Bean for some boots, Kathy and Ben headed to their final destination Booth Bay Harbor, ME. Since Booth Bay is only about 45 (+) mins away from us I decided to join them today to hang out.

We walked around the quaint town until we decided to go on a whale watching trip. We didn't know if we should or not since it was rainy and miserable but we all decided to brave the weather. They were both great sports! They were only around here for a few days, so they decided to pack as much as they could into the time they were here.

This is the Pink Lady II that took us on our 3 1/2 hr whale watching adventure.

This was our captain. I forgot to ask his name, sorry!

On the way out of the harbor they pointed this house out to us. It was the home of Maragret Hamilton. I didn't recognize the name either. He then told us it was the women who played the Wicked Witch of the West in the Wizard of Oz (1939). She lived out her life here. She died about 5 years ago. Cool huh?! If she were still living there, I probably would have tried to visit her after the trip. And no, I am not kidding! :o)

The first animal (besides birds) we encountered was a porpoise. But unfortunately, we saw him so quickly I didn't have time to take a picture. Next, we met this friendly seal.

Isn't it cute?!

He/she hung around the boat for a few minutes. The captain said that they weren't usually found so far out where we were. He noticed he was young and thought maybe he just hadn't learned any better yet.

On the trip we were able to see 5 whales. It was amazing!! At first they were really hard to spot but once I could figure out the signs to look for it was fun. One of the first things you see is the water they spout out. Now, I know that isn't the technical term but I can't remember what they called it!

You can see it in this picture pretty good.

This Humpback whale came the closest to the boat. It was a big creature! The captain of the boat told us we saw both the Humpback and Finback whale. But I am a little leary because I never saw the tail of the humpback whale. Oh well, I got to see whales and that was cool enough for me!

This creature, the Basking Shark, was the weirdest thing I saw all day. It didn't have a care in the world. It was just floating very slowly on top of the water. It came quite close to the boat too.

I never saw it's head but I tried with this picture to get an idea of it's size.

Here is Kathy and I freezing! But it was more than worth it. It was an overall great experience! It may have been an even better day because it was so dreary. There were only about 20 people on a boat that normally holds 75 people. I think we got lucky that there were not many crazy people like us. It made it easy to see over the side of the boat and take pics.

I took a lot more pictures than this but I will spare you. It was great having company! And it was great to get to experience something new together. If you ever get a chance to go whale watching, you should definitely do it. Next up on our animal watching agenda is Puffins!