Time

Funny how the days stretch a bit, and the week seems long--till we get to the end of it and realize it is gone. Our time is not punctuated by travel, entertainment, dining out, or any of the other usual activities. Thus it seems to rush by. The research I did for our camping book told me this would be true, but now we are living it. It would be wonderful to be able to travel freely, socialize freely, eat freely at restaurants. Our feeble initiative will be a neighborhood croquet game a week for Sunday. Although this sounds like a bit of a whine, we know we are doing very well under these circumstances.

Bingo

We hit it for real today. Seeing calm seas andfavorable tides, we cast off at 8 and motored to Damariscove, where we tied up to the one free mooring. It had been ten years or so since we last visited this beautiful island, and we hiked once again up to the tower. The path had been well tended and most of the world-class poison ivy had disappeared. Our return took us up the back side of Damariscove and into Boothbay Harbor, which was very very quiet. For lunch we tied up in Townsend Gut at Robinson's Wharf, which was gussied up and expanded...and packed. We lunched on the deck and it was good. I enjoyed my first draft beer since March. Home to a hot day and the McGraths swimming off the float.

The Heat Cometh

Finally it got hot--91 in the shade. However, we have a lovely breeze from the river so it is cool on the lawn. The newly-windowed screen porch is hot, though. This morning we took off at 7:30 and motored down to the river mouth. There was some haze out to sea and great beauty all around. Not many boats, not many people. Dozens of boats whizzed up and down in front of us Sunday but now they are home with empty tanks.

On the Seas at Last

Hitherto we had not been as far as Boothbay Harbor, but today we set out for South Bristol to visit the Carlisle Kalksteins. The trip took under two hours and was pleasant except for some big swells at the mough of the Damariscotta River. They have a terrific rental on The Gut with a beautiful yard and a private dock. Next door is the Fish Coop where you can get--and we did--lobsters, clams and so forth. The trip back was fun, too. A wonderful day on the water with a grand lunch and visit.

Poor Timing

Maine residents can can clam without licenses at state parks. This morning we went down to Reid after Marnie had worked at the bookstore. But my timing was wrong; low tide was past; the flats that used to be productive were under water. I did get 4 keepable clams and threw back lots of babies, so there was some success, but overall it was a bust. To compensate, I ordered oysters to pick up at the farmers' market tomorrow.

It's June I Guess

We haven't had rain for days, yet things are lush. Lots of wild flowers, and the mountain laurel has just bloomed. The grass hasn't browned out--yet. Yesterday we circumnavigated our fair island. The sun was out, the water sparkling, and no bugs. Idyllic. How wonderful to be stuck here in these otherwise unhappy days.

Breaking Out

We went to Southwest Harbor for two nights, staying at the HarborView Motel and Cottages in Cottage 6, which was excellent. On our arrival on Tuesday, we walked the Wonderland Trail, which was pretty and easy. The next day, however, was not easy: we hiked up the St. Sauveur Trail, and then on to Valley Peak. We saw almost no one. The hike took us 3 1/2 hours, more than it took 30 years ago when first we did it. But we DID do it. Then as a topper in the afternoon we walked to the shore on the Ship Harbor Trail, which was spectacularly gorgeous. Now it is again Saturday, and thanks to a tip from Molly, I found oysters from Emily's Oysters at the Bath Farmer's Market. Since Marnie was enjoying a solstice yoga at Popham, I had to choke down all of the oysters myself. Life is hard.