Kim's Thoughts
Just a few thoughts I feel worthy of jotting down!
2017 New England States Adventure – Maine
Continuing on with photos from my recent motor home adventure through the New England States. To recap — I’ve posted about all the lobster and crab we ate, our time in Connecticut – where we spent three nights in the Niantic / Mystic area, day trips into Massachusetts to visit Salem, Plymouth, Gloucester, and the home of the NE Patriots. I left off on the last post when we stopped for the night in Saco, ME, near Portland.
Our next major stop was Bar Harbor, where we stayed three nights in the Bar Harbor Ocean Side KOA – a fantastic KOA park right on the water with fresh lobster dinners available every night! While there, we pretty much covered the entire island that Bar Harbor is located on – Mount Desert Island…..we did all the different loops in Acadia National Park, took a bus tour up Cadillac Mountain, and drove the perimeter of the island to get to a fantastic working lighthouse on the tip of the island and then back up using a different route back to Bar Harbor. What an amazing place!!! Everything was soooooo beautiful!
I was very excited to see Bar Harbor, in particular. I went on a New England / Canada cruise a couple years ago and Bar Harbor was one of the scheduled ports, but the fog was so thick that they wouldn’t let us tender in and the cruise ship raised anchors and moved on to the next port! So, this is the second chance I’ve been waiting for. I was also excited to try to do the tour I had planned on my shore excursion that didn’t happen – a boat tour to see all the lighthouses on the island! Unfortunately, the fog, again, kept me from doing that particular tour – they weren’t taking boats out the two days I was able to attempt the tour! 😦 But…..the time we spent in Bar Harbor was still amazing! I absolutely LOVED it and hope to return someday!
Here are some photos:
Taken at the KOA Campground:
Our campsite at the KOA — just a stone’s throw from the shore!
Every day, a guy set up cooking these fabulous lobster dinners – the lobsters were caught each morning fresh by the guy’s cousin! We enjoyed these dinners twice while we were there.
Ellie, enjoying the sunshine and the view!
And, the warm grass!
Acadia National Park and Cadillac Mountain:
On the first day, we took a bus tour on the Park Loop and up Cadillac Mountain. The fog prevented us from going all the way to the summit and the visibility was low, but what we did get to see was amazing! On the second day, we drove ourselves around the Park Loop and another loop – the visibility was better and we had more time to stop at scenic overlooks – it was still too foggy at the summit, but we really enjoyed our time in the park.
Thunder Hole — at high tide, the surf rushes in here and sounds just like thunder and the waves shoot super high into the air against the rocks! We weren’t there at high tide, but it was still very impressive!
Beaver home
There are “carriage roads” throughout the park – roads that can only be traveled by bike, foot, or horse
We tried the local favorite – Blueberry Soda! The first sip was “OK”, but my thought was that I was glad I tried it, but probably wouldn’t finish it……but, I drank some more and then some more and it grew on me —- once I got into it, it was actually very good! I’d definitely drink it again, if I ever get the chance!
The Village of Bar Harbor:
Both days we took time to wander around downtown Bar Harbor — LOVED IT! The shops were so quaint and the town was so lovely! I could have spent a LOT more time there! The first day, there were two cruise ships anchored, so there were several thousand cruise passengers on shore! The next day – no cruise ships – so, it was easier to get around and the stores were less crowded.
I had a wonderful breakfast of fresh Maine wild blueberry crepes, wild blueberry muffin, and a cup of tea!
I learned that whoopie pies originated in the area of Bar Harbor……this is a coffee bar that had whoopies in every flavor imaginable!!!
The only kind of moose we saw! 😦
I got these cool ornaments at a Christmas shop…..the claw is an actual lobster claw!
Bass Harbor Light House:
Located on the southwestern side of Mount Desert Island in Tremont.
And……the sunsets!!!!
That’s all for Maine…….one last post will wrap up the rest of the trip through New Hampshire and Vermont!
Photos of the Day – October 7th and 8th
Here are my Photos of the Day for October 7-8, 2017:
OCTOBER 7
# 280 Photo Prompt – Relaxing:
“Tea, a Book, and a Comfy Patio Chair”
#relaxing
OCTOBER 8
# 281 Photo Prompt – A Treasure:
“Keepsakes”
#atreasure
The photo is my Grandfather, Marlin Freeman’s baby picture and the utensils were his as a baby. The dress is circa 1874 – worn by my Great Grandfather, Howard Carlton Miles (my Grandmother, Ada Miles Freeman’s father) when he was about 3 years old. It was hand sewn by his mother – my Great-Great Grandmother, Sarah Miles! These items were handed down to me by my Grandparents.
I have had these items a long time – my Grandmother gave me her father’s dress about 1975 or so – at the same time my Grandfather gave me his father’s steamer trunk that he used when he worked on the railroad – I keep all my keepsakes in the trunk. Grandpa gave me his photo and silverware sometime in the late 80s. When I saw today’s Photo Prompt – “A Treasure”, I knew these would need to be in the photo!
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October 2017s Photo Prompts:
2017 Albion Fall Festival Fun
The Albion Merchants Association sponsored a really cool event in downtown Albion, today! It was the first year for what I hope will be an Annual Fall Festival! They had food trucks, vendors, local artists, activities, a car show, scarecrow building fun, and even a pet costume parade!!! Here are the photos! Some of the photos were taken early before the crowd got into full swing, but they did have a really good attendance for a first year event! Everyone seemed to have a great time and enjoy all there was to do, see, and buy in our wonderful historic downtown!
First……lots of exciting new and revitalized stuff downtown…..two new shops on Bank Street and a renovation/expansion to an existing business on Main Street:
- “Town and Country Quilter” owned by Tara Thom – she’s planning to have quilting classes, long-arm certification classes, and sell fabrics and other cool things – she had a soft opening this weekend. Tara will have a big open house with a “Meet The Teachers” event where the instructors of the classes being offered will be available to meet and answer questions on November 11th.
Tara Thom by her Gammill Long Arm Quilting Machine
- Adam Johnson is in the process of renovating the middle of three buildings he owns on Main St. The middle building will be an expansion of his “39 Problems” restaurant and will make room for indoor seating and a bar area. All three buildings will receive new store fronts – two store fronts are targeted for completion by year end and the third to follow later. Read more about this expansion on The Hub by clicking here.
- The second new business on Bank St is “Bird and Matilda’s Boutique”, owned by Terri Jordan. Terri sells soaps, bath bombs, candles, home decor, and more. Sadly, I got side tracked and realized after I got home that I forgot to get photos of Bird and Matilda’s!!! DANG IT ALL!!! But — you can read all about this wonderful new shop by clicking here for an Orleans Hub article on both new Bank St. businesses.
Now…..more on the Fall Festival:
Navarra’s Farm Market was there!
Mia, Joan, and Jenna!
One of several fun activities
The Scarecrow Building activity was very popular!
THERE WERE LULA BOOTHS!!! But, I didn’t get anything except this photo! hehehe
Lots of amazing crafters selling their creations!
And, food trucks!!!
And, now for the adorable participants in the Pet Costume Parade!!!
Organizer, Lori Laine, her son, and their babies lead the parade down the east sidewalk along Main St!
Minnie and Moose – the parade’s Grand Marshalls…..Lori Laine named the parade after her special dachshunds!
This “Hot Dog” trio were the winners of the costume parade contest!
They were ALL adorable, but this little guy stole my heart!!!
There were even some super sweet super heroes!!!
I’ll leave you with this shot……while I was waiting for the pet parade to start, this scene of peaks and ornate building tops caught my eye!
Great job to all who worked so hard to put this fantastic event together!!! I look forward to attending future Fall Festivals and watching this event grow!
Photos of the Day – October 5th and 6th
Here are my Photos of the Day for October 5-6, 2017:
OCTOBER 5
# 278 Photo Prompt – Today’s Weather:
“Gorgeous with 100% Chance of Awesome”
#todaysweather
# 278 Caught By My Lens:
Amazing Autumn Day
My family and friends in Florida were closer than I think…..saw this in the clouds over my neighborhood!
OCTOBER 6
# 279 Photo Prompt – Something Green:
“Christmas Cactus”
#somethinggreen
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October 2017s Photo Prompts:
Photos of the Day – October 3rd and 4th
Here are my Photos of the Day for September 3-4, 2017:
OCTOBER 3
# 276 Photo Prompt – I Bought This:
“New Stuff”
#iboughtthis
They’re both PURPLE…….One has my name on it!!!
# 276 Caught By My Lens:
One of many photos taken on a lovely morning walk in Mt. Albion Cemetery
OCTOBER 4
# 277 Photo Prompt – Far Away:
“That’s Canada Over There”
#faraway
In the right conditions, you can see a faint skyline across the lake!
# 277 Caught By My Lens:
Looking for drift wood for projects or stones to paint? Head to the Point!
One of many photos taken on a gorgeous day at Point Breeze, Kent, NY
And, another……it was so warm, breezy, sunny, and ever so blue……then, later in the day, it turned stormy! So glad I went when I did so I could enjoy THIS!!!
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October 2017s Photo Prompts:
Photos of the Day – October 1st and 2nd
So…..here we go on to October! What year this has been, so far! I do love October…..it is my favorite month – and not just cause it is my birthday month! It is just the best month of all!!!
Here are my Photos of the Day for October 1-2, 2017:
OCTOBER 1
# 274 Photo Prompt – My Happy Place:
“My Little Slice of Paradise”
#myhappyplace
# 274 Caught By My Lens:
“Cool Ride”
OCTOBER 2
# 275 Photo Prompt – Envelope:
“A Very Special Invitation”
#envelope
# 275 Caught By My Lens:
“A Pop of Color Against the Aging Corn”
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OCTOBER 2017s PHOTO PROMPTS:
2017 New England States Adventure – Massachusetts
In this second post to share my photos from this year’s Most Excellent Adventure…..the New England States……I’ll cover all the cool stuff we did in Massachusetts. While we camped in Niantic, CT, we rented a car and one day we drove up to Salem, MA and then to Plymouth, MA. We also made an amazing side trip to Gillette Stadium – home of the NE Patriots NFL team after we left Niantic on our way to Gloucester, MA.
Wait…..Rhode Island? I thought this was going to be about Massachusetts!!!??? Well, duh – we had to drive through Rhode Island to get to MA from Niantic! We didn’t stop anywhere in RI, but we got to enjoy the scenery and count it as a visited state!
There we go…… Hello, MA!
A bridge we saw along the interstate…..looked like a huge four-poster bed!!! hahaha
And, we drove by the Basketball Hall of Fame
SALEM, MA
We visited Salem, first. I was really looking forward to Salem, but found it to be disappointing. Don’t get me wrong…..it is a lovely little town and I’m glad we went there, but it didn’t live up to the historic hype….in my never-to-be-humble opinion. First – it is very touristy – lots of witchcraft shops and museums, which were fun, but a bit cheesy and over done. Second, we couldn’t find any historic witch related stuff…..there was one “Witch House” that we didn’t go in, but it looked like another museum and every time we asked someone where to find the location of the witch trials and stuff was, we got a different answer – all of which boiled down to “it used to be on {whatever} street, but it isn’t there anymore”……like, for instance – we stopped to listen to a guy hosting a guided tour and heard him say that everyone has a different opinion on where the gallows were located, but the real location is “down that street, there, but there is a Walgreens on that property, now”! So……nice little town, but not a whole lot of historically significant things to see…..unless they are well hidden! I’m told the town comes alive on Halloween…..but, I’m thinking that is all just capitalizing on the hype, too! Anyway — glad we went — here are some photos — but really wish we’d spent less time there so we could have spent more time in Plymouth!
Bewitched Statue was really cool!
The Witch House……didn’t go inside!
Different versions of these were all over town on the light poles
Commemorating the man who gave our flag the nickname “Old Glory”
PLYMOUTH, MA
Like I alluded to in the Salem paragraph, I LOVED Plymouth! I really wish we had more time there and would love to go back, someday! Our plan was to get there for dinner on the coast and to see Plymouth Rock and that was it…..cause we heard that was all that was there and if we needed to skip something, that is a good one to skip. Well…….glad we didn’t decide to skip it……and hate it was rather late in the day by the time we got there! We found Plymouth Rock and found it to be really cool……got a tad emotional thinking about what happened there all those years ago! Then, we found a nice little outdoor restaurant to have some supper and wandered around town a little. It is a WONDERFUL little coastal town with quaint shops and memorial statues and the coolest lobster sculptures painted by local artists. Sadly, the Mayflower replica was not in port at the time we were there…..maybe I’ll get to see it next time I go! I could have spent a couple days there and still wanted more! Here are a few photos.
The structure built to protect Plymouth Rock
Even though you can’t get down near it, I managed to get a selfie with it! 🙂
It is a lot smaller than you’d think – mostly due to erosion over the years
The beach the Mayflower landed at – the rock is just this side of the lower left corner of this photo
Looking through the pillars surrounding Plymouth Rock
This amazing statue was up on a hill facing the bay
Commemorating the Pilgrims
This squirrel eating a french fry was soooo cute, I had to get his photo!
These great lobsters painted by local artists were all over town……I got photos of any I got close enough to do justice to them
I think this rock-star one was my favorite!
Cute stuff like this were all over…….
Dinner……lobster roll and onion rings! YUM!!!
GILLETTE STADIUM
My nephew, Kevin’s oldest, is a HUGE Patriots fan, so we had to find him some Patriots stuff and where better to find some than their home stadium!!! So, after we pulled out of Niantic, CT to head north to Maine, we took a detour to Gillette Stadium. Now, mind you, I am NOT a football fan and could care less about the Patriots, but I have to say it was a quite a thrill to see an NFL stadium! I really got into it and thoroughly enjoyed our stop there!
The stadium is HUGE and it is attached to a massive shopping mall! It was pretty impressive driving up to it.
Their “gift shop” was amazing…….I wouldn’t be surprised if you could fit a Target inside it! There was section after section of everything you could possibly imagine with Patriots logos on it! I kept getting lost trying to find things I saw and wanted to go back to look again as I was deciding what to get Bryan and his family……and I couldn’t find Kevin to get his opinion! hahaha
Steps going up to the mall and restaurants
Entrance to the field
Kevin is a Bills fan, but he was pretty excited to be there, too!
We weren’t allowed to go out on the field, but could take photos through a gate at the entrance!
GLOUCESTER, MA
It was a long driving day from Niantic, CT to our next overnight stop in Saco, ME (near Portland) with the detour to Gillette Stadium, but we still took time to stop for dinner in Gloucester. Sooooooo glad we did! Another location that I LOVED!!! Gloucester is a quaint little fishing village where we didn’t spend much time – had to eat and get back on the road – but what we saw was wonderful! If I ever get back to the area, I’d love to spend some more time there.
We ate at this lovely outside cafe and had an incredible meal with views of the harbor across the street
Yeah, I know…..I posted pics of all my lobster meals in another post, but – HEY – it’s LOBSTER – and it is the main thing I wanted to do in New England!!! hahaha
MISCELLANEOUS
This was a view from a big double bridge we crossed on the interstate – so beautiful!
END OF DAY – NEXT STOP
That night we got in to our next overnight stop after dark…..it was a really nice KOA in Saco, ME (near Portland).
2017 New England States Adventure – Connecticut
Here it is……DRUM ROLL, PLEASE…….the much anticipated photos from my big New England States Adventure!!! YAY!!! There is way too much to put into one post, so this will be the first of several posts…..the basic info about the trip and our time in Connecticut!
This was yet another most excellent adventure with my brother and sister-in-law in their motor home. This time we were joined by their newest family member – Ellie, a rescued chocolate lab mix puppy! What a sweetie…..and, she traveled so well!
Me, Ellie, Lylace, and Kevin – ready to head out!
And, on the road!
And, Ellie in her favorite spot, doing her favorite past time while on the road!
TRIP STATS:
- Seven (7) states (counting NY…..cause we drove from one end to the other and camped one night in Herkimer)
- 10 Days
- 1,570 miles
CONNECTICUT
We spent three nights in the KOA in Niantic, CT, where we rented a car so we could do Mystic, CT, Salem, MA, and Plymouth, MA. Here are a few pics from time spent in Mystic and other Connecticut stuff.
This was an interesting sight along the interstate not long after we crossed over into CT
Our campsite at the Niantic, CT KOA
We got to see a Beluga whale at the Mystic Aquarium! WOW! So cool!
Ellie and the whale were fascinated with each other…..they definitely bonded! 😀
These seals were having a blast playing and wrestling in the water together!
The penguins were fun to watch!
This was one of several HUGE crabs……all I could think was “DINNER”! haha
They had tons of fish of all kinds, but these clown fish were my favorites!
I think they like each other……
I always get a kick out of seeing the under-side of these guys – they have a goofy face!
Jellyfish are awesome!
Olde Mystic is a little “village” of old-time buildings, specialty shops and restaurants
Amazing fish and chips at a little German Pub
Then, we went to downtown Mystic so we could see Mystic Pizza
We picked up take-out slices for later that evening
It was good……I’ve had better, but it was cool to eat a slice of Mystic Pizza
Downtown Mystic is tiny and congested, but a cool little town
Look at the counter weights on that draw bridge!!!
Loved this arched entrance into the Mystic cemetery
One night while we were in Niantic, a friend of Lylace’s that lives nearby stopped by to visit with us – we had a campfire and enjoyed some wine and conversation!
NEXT POST:Â MASSACHUSETTS – covering Salem and Plymouth some other cool stuff we did in MAÂ
Photos of the Day – September 29th and 30th
What is happening to this year……..September is done and tomorrow we move on into October!!! That’s a joke, right?
Well…..here are my last Photos of the Day for September, taken on September 29-30, 2017:
SEPTEMBER 29
# 272 Photo Prompt – Dessert:
“Sweet Tea and Pumpkin Munchkins”
#dessert
SEPTEMBER 30
# 273 Photo Prompt – Selfie:
“Lula Heaven”
#selfie
And, added surprise of a photo bomb by my friend, Melissa!!!
Taken at our church fundraiser, today — seven Lula Roe consultants set up their inventory and it was a HUGE success!!!
And, here is the second photo I took after noticing Melissa had photo bombed me……
# 273 Caught By My Lens:
Megan all snuggled in with her favorite buddy, Lamb Chop, on a chilly Saturday morning!
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October 2017s Photo Prompts:
Photos of the Day – September 28th
Here are my Photos of the Day for September 28, 2017:
# 271 Photo Prompt – Trash:
“Not Where This Belongs!”
#trash
#litterbug  #keepAmericaclean #putitwhereitbelongs
# 271 Caught By My Lens:
“Evening on the Farm”
This scene caught my eye on the way home from Batavia……just HAD to pull over and get a photo!
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SEPTEMBER 2017s PHOTO PROMPTS:
OCTOBER 2017s PHOTO PROMPTS:
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