A day trip earlier this past summer up to Boothbay Harbor to see the giant trolls at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. Simply amazing!
Each one of the trolls represents a part of the tree, and tells a story of why each part is so important to the whole forest.
The Gardens have grown to become one of Maine’s most popular attractions and one of the country’s most renown botanical sites. It’s superb gardens and dramatic and engaging natural landscape – which includes nearly a mile of tidal saltwater frontage – keeps it ever changing, endlessly captivating and so completely unique.
The Gardens have the ability to inspire learning about natural history, ecosystems, botany, horticulture and ecological relationships in a variety of ways.
One of the key exhibits is the Guardians of the Seeds by Thomas Dambo. Dambo, known for his troll sculptures is regarded as the world’s leading recycled materials artist. These sculptures are massive, and each one draws viewers into the depth of our forests while also communicating a fabulous conservation message.
The grist mill at Longfellow’s Wayside InnIt’s famous red wheel
If you are looking for a sweet Autumn get-a-way, Longfellows’s Wayside Inn in Sudbury, MA is the perfect spot to visit. Rich in history, legendary tales, set in a tranquil pastoral setting, with a twelve room inn and fine fine dining… open to the public as well as its guests.
Walk the lovely trails, research the exhibits and historical treasures… timeless history will be found here in America’s oldest continually operating inn.
Where does the time go? It seems like I was just counting down to the first day of Spring. I was clearing out photos taken this summer and somehow this memorable day was lost in the shuffle of the previously posted shots during his visit. These were taken when my brother was here vacationing from Michigan this summer.. and a most memorable day it was.
Sunrise at the West Quoddy Head Lighthouse in Lubec, Maine, located in the most Eastern point of the U.S. and a stunning spot to witness the first rays of light in the country.West Quoddy Head LightA gorgeous place to hike.A perfect summer’s day visit.
When my brother was here for a visit, he wanted to spend some time on our islands. I squeezed in as many as possible for them considering their itinerary.. and time.
So in the end, I managed to get them to Bar Harbor, Monhegan Island, Boothbay Harbor, Mt. Desert.. one end of Acadia National Park, Campobello Island for just a brief visit, and lastly Isle Au Haut.. the other end of Acadia.
Ferry/Mail boat, Miss Lizzie departing with her load of passengers.
I hadn’t been out there in many moons. Years ago we spent many days kayaking out there. It’s just such a lovely area.. pristine waters, small.. quiet, and very peaceful and relaxing. I saw my first puffin out there eons ago.
My first puffin
It’s no Monhegan, but what I like the most about it is the island’s deliberate and ongoing resistance to overfishing and tourists! I think one of the things that put Isle Au Haut on the tourist map was the fact that celebrity author Linda Greenlaw, who wrote The Lobster Chronicles, The Hungry Ocean, All Fishermen Are Liars among her other wonderful books, as well as a year-round resident who also just happened to live there too.
After growing up in Midcoast Maine, Linda disappointed her parents by passing up law school to chase fish on the high seas instead. Starting as an onboard cook, she worked her way up to captaining her own commercial swordboat. In 1997 she found sudden and unsought fame as a key player in the bestseller The Perfect Storm. In part, it told her story of being at sea during the infamous October 1991 tempest, which led to the loss of six fishermen on the Andrea Gail out of Gloucester, Massachusetts. “Not only is Greenlaw one of the only women in the business,” it’s been written, “she’s one of the best captains, period, on the entire East Coast.” Yes, that book and film really put tiny Isle Au Haut on the map for certain.
Half of the island is protected as part of Acadia National, a very popular summer destination for our bazillion tourists here. But unlike Bar Harbor and Mt Desert Island – both nearby, Isle Au Haut has managed to avoid catering to the tourists. Isle Au Haut is for the visitor that needs no bells and whistles and for one that appreciates the pure beauty out there. The “ferry” that brings you to the island is actually the the twelve seat mailboat. No soft or hard drinks nor souvenirs will be found on this boat. Once there, however it is similar to Monhegan Isle in that it too seems to take you back in time while there.
The beginning of Acadia National Park
With hundreds of fine nature trails, the freshest lobster dishes, and quiet ocean scenery, there’s a lot to write home about and you can even send it through the Isle Au Haut’s own tiny post office. And if you’re really lucky, your post card may even travel with you off island on the same mail boat that carried you there. Aside from Monhegan Island, my brother was in awe of the beauty and much slower pace he found there.
Chihuly’s inspired ‘Fiori di Como’ from Lake Como’s beautiful surrounding flowersfound there..
I’ve always been fascinated with the artistry and beauty of glass, be it Murano, Simon Pierce or anywhere in between, but my absolute fave has been Chihuly’s free flowing artwork.
Chihuly’s ‘Yellow Herons’ another fave for obvious reasons 😊 My eyes were just drawn to it.Murano glass.. graceful and so colorful!
Thyme Goes By... 