Hedgehog Mountain

 Supported by #1 grandchild, I managed to summit Hedgehog Mountain, the highest peak in all of Freeport, Maine. This had been a long-held goal, achieved at last. It was a lovely hike with an excellent companion, who kept us from wandering into the wilderness on the way back. Suzanne and I were able to talk a little football on the drive back. She will be a powerful GM for some team some day!

Farewell, my lovelies

 Most Saturdays, even when they weRe not in season, I have been eating oysters on the half shell. At first we got them down the road in Georgetown, but when that site dried up I found Emily's Oysters, cultivated in Freeport and sold at the Bath Farmer's Market. As the summer turned to fall the oysters grew larger and tastier. Emily's last day at the market was today. Although she sells them out of her house in Bath (in fact, she has an oyster CSA), I think the custom has run its course. No more oysters for a while.

Old Glory

 On election eve, I wrote this:

The election day is tomorrow

And my flags will be flying,

Taken down four years ago when

It seemed we had shit our country's pants

By not caring or hearing.

Equal time for lies and truth

On the news outlets we had foolishly

Come to trust. It seems, almost, worse now.

Yeats put it this way: “everywhere

The ceremony of innocence is drowned;

The best lack all conviction, while the worst

Are full of passionate intensity.”

Maybe Yeats didn't know how to spell

Kakistocracy, but now we have it,

And worse. Those are the passionate ones,

The innocents who are indoctrinated

By their TV habits and drive their pickups

Into a moving catastrophe.

But tomorrow, or probably later,

It all ends, I promise. Because, dammit,

This IS America, and there are enough

Good people, best if they're young,

Who will say, or have said: ENOUGH!

Enough with your lies! Enough

With your degradations! Enough

With the deaths you have brought

Because you didn't care. Enough.

Enough. More than enough.

So tomorrow, look for my flags.

And look at last for your country.

It's coming home.

========================

The flags went up next morning, including Big Al's one-sided official Camp Arrowsic flag and our new electric flag, that glows proudly all night.

Today, finally, all good.

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All to Myself

 This morning I was alone on the trail up Higgins Mountain. This has become my favorite hike, and today the colors were resplendent. Any way to escape, even for an hour, the horror that is our national scene is a blessing. We were planning to go to the Azores for election week, but of course COVID-19 got out of hand and we who are stained by Trump are not welcome in Europe. So we'll have to find some way to avoid election night, anyway.

Bald Head

The bald head you see summited Arrowsic's highest peak today, accompanied by a lovely Sherpa  It was a beautiful fall day, though windy, and the trail was pleasant, with marsh and river views  At the top we looked down upon the sparkling Back andKennebec Rivers  Great day for bald heads  

 

Cox Pinnacle

 

Breathing hard, I summited Cox Pinnacle, the highest point in Brunswick, this morning. It was a a tough climb along a wide path, surrounded by beautiful fall scenery. Now, having conquered two of the lesser peaks, I am prepared to conquer the Everest of the coastal plain, BALD HEAD, right here in mountainous Arrowsic!

Powerless

 Today there was a strong south wind. It took down a few small branches, but now the sun is out and the front has passed. However, yet again our horrible electric company, Central Maine Power, has 100,000 Mainers without power. CMP is owned by European companies which are interested in profit rather than service. They are the only utility rated lower PG&E. There is a bill in our state legislature to create a publicly-owned utility, which would be a non-profit. Please let it happen.