Freeport and Pemaquid Point

Another Maine roadtrip, probably my last, due to the fact that my contract ends this Friday. I headed north with a vague idea to visit the original LL Bean store and maybe hit the midcoast of Maine for a pretty picture.



LL Bean was big. Had the outlet store right there, so I found a pair of shorts for $14 and a travel makeup/shower case that usually runs $70 for $25. The rest was all catalogue prices, so I just looked and enjoyed the sheer numbers of everything. I strolled down the outlet mall shops in Freeport and wandered here and there, but it's surprising how easy it is to avoid buying stuff when you know you have to move that same stuff in 1 week.

I headed east to Pemaquid Point, and into inclement weather. It rained the whole time and I'm not sure if that's what was stirring the sea up or if the sea is just that monstrous at the point all the time. There was no way to capture the fluid immensity of the area, but I sat and enjoyed for over an hour at one spot that had a view of rolling waves and swelling waves with the splash up movement.













There is just something about rolling, waving, splashing water that holds my attention stronger than anything else. Part of it is the unknown energy- where does all of that movement originate from? What will happen next? When will the next wave hit? The unpredictability, the violence, the beauty and the underlying movement of the scene keeps me looking long beyond putting the camera back on my lap.

I sat on the rock, with umbrella propped against my shoulder, watching the waves crash and roll across the rocks. There was one area that the waves reminded me of that scene from the Last Unicorn where the unicorns were running out of the waves- white thunder across a smooth rock. Another area where the waves jumped when they hit from one direction and rolled over the rock when they hit from another direction. Everyonceinwhile they'd hit from both directions and there'd be a splash a house tall. It was hard to shake the spell and head home, but the rain was falling harder and the temperature was dropping, so I headed off and found a nice fried seafood platter at a local place.

On the way home I saw a sign for "historic bridge"- screeeeetch. The Androscoggin Swinging Bridge. Ohhhh, pretty bridge.



New England is a pretty place, eh?

Back to Maine- Ogunquit and Kennebunkport

Maine was so fun, I decided to head back up and wander around a few of my favorite towns that I had driven through last weekend.

My initial goal was to eat a lobster in the Lobster Shack at Perkin's cove, and walk the Marginal way. The Marginal way in Ogunquit is a 1.25 mile paved walkway that borders the ocean between Perkin's cove and the Ogunquit downtown area. When I arrived to Perkin's cove I was lucky to get a spot- then realized it was only a 3 hour spot with a ticket to purchase. That's plenty of time to get my goals done!

The lobster I had at the lobster shack was outstanding and not that expensive compared to the other lobster prices I had seen last weekend. It wasn't as cheap as buying one and murdering it myself, but it was way more humane to both Fred II and myself. I am now quite good at lobster shucking- not as good as I am at Alaska King Crab shucking- but very close! My Fred II was actually a Female and had an enormous amount of roe- which I have found I enjoy (that's the bright red eggs). I am not a tamale eater- and that's probably a good thing cause that's the green junk the lobster was about to poop out. I avoid tamale.

Then I started the Marginal way with that high powered protein snack in my belly. The weather was gorgeous. Blue sky, bluish water, brown rocks cutting the blues in half! Along the path there were numerous benches with cute little couples and groups just sitting and watching the waves. There was even one older fellow pushing his little old wife in a wheel chair half way through the walk- smiles plastered on both faces. You could step off the path along the way and explore the rocks if you were limber and brave. I'm not sure why I think I'm limber, or brave, but I walked out across the rocks to an outcropping.

As mentioned before, the rocks are sharp, not rounded like the ones in rocky Rockport, MA. When I got to the first water crossing, inspection revealed a shelf of rock a couple of inches below water (without a wave) and about 4 inches below water (with a wave), so off came the shoes and I slowly walked 2 or 3 steps across the slippery ledge. If I had fallen, I would have been wet, but not drowned.



When I came to the second crossing, it seemed pretty simple at first glance. I did notice a peculiar sucking sound as the water rushed out on either side, so i decided to sit and watch the water flow for a minute before trying to cross. Here's the crossing without a wave:



Here's a moment later! The wave crashed as high as my head, and then the water fell back into the sea with a sucking sound. I'm pretty sure there was enormous force pulling that water out to make such a noise on the rocks.



I decided that brave, or not, I'm not stupid. Especially when I'm on my own! So I headed back towards the walkway along the rough rocks- this time barefoot. I returned to my first crossing, and did not pause to snap a photo because in the 10-15 minute I had spent out on the outcropping contemplating my level of stupidity, the tide had come in. Instead of 2-3 steps in 4 inches of water, it was not 6-7 steps in knee deep water with stronger waves. Still would have just been wet if I fell- but I would have been VERY wet, not splash wet!

When I stopped to put on shoes back on the safe shore, I noticed blood dripping- somewhere on the 6-7 steps my frozen feet had bumped against a rock and broke skin. My next post may be a feverish hallucination induced post about getting my infected food amputated! My last tetanus shot was 12/05, so I think I'm safe.

The Marginal Way overlooked the Ogunquit beach. If you want to stay somewhere that has the same view, I recommend the SeaHawk with a beach view! I'm not sure what the rooms look like, but you could just sit on the porch and enjoy the view.



I wandered the shops at Kennebunkport and landed up buying a Tourmaline ring at Coastal Jewelry's. Tourmaline usually comes in bright pink, or deep green, or green fading to pink (called watermelon I think). Mine? Bright orange triangle with a silver setting. I fell in love with it. I don't have a Clemson ring from graduation- maybe I can consider this my early 10 year anniversary gift to myself! Kennebunkport was lovely, but I was a little out of place with my sleeveless shirt and my salt encrusted jeans; the rest of the clientele had on long sleeve shirts and lightweight jackets. I was only chilly in the shade- and I kept thinking that I'll be grateful for the cold in 2 weeks when I get back to South Carolina.

I've been trying to improve my eye for pictures, so I try to pick a favorite among the batch.

I had two pictures, almost I identical. This one, Sailboat #1, which I prefer for some strange unexplainable reason:



And this one, Sailboat #2, which is almost exactly the same, but I don't like as much!



Any views on this? Do you like one over the other? Why do I? I really do need to take a photography class so I can learn perspective and focus and all that jazz!

Chronicles of Narnia; Prince Caspian Reveiw

I saw the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe when it came out, and was contemplating not seeing this one. The first Chronicle installation was a little too long for me. It was pretty to watch, but that was my only lasting impression for the entire movie.

Maybe I was in a different mood, or maybe the second installation was just...better. This, too, was pretty to look at. There was action. There was intrigue. There were differing personal journeys of faith. It was good. It was recommendable! The filming was creative- enough info to establish body count with very little evidence that anyone actually died. No blood. There was an excellent "son calling on the father" scene with cool special effects. There were some twists to the plot that I hadn't expected-- of course it's been years since I read the series so I went in a little blind.

I would recommend the movie, but set aside disbelief. Some of the CGI characters were a little shallow. Some of the real characters were a little shallow in development as well! There were a few too many bad guys with beards running around- I got a little confused on exactly who was double crossing who. There was a slightly preachy tone to the entire story- something I may be a little more sensitive to right now as I contemplate my own faith's acceptance of other faiths. But it was cool anyway.

I did like the line- "maybe you weren't looking for him". I liked that.

Route 1 and 1A North

I didn't stop until I hit the Maine welcome station, where I met a lovely fellow who suggested some stops along my route.

The first stop was the Cliff Walk in York, ME. As I "hiked" along the well marked path, along with multiple small groups of families and curious folks, I couldn't help notice two very important things. First, Maine is very beautiful- the beaches do have some sandy parks, but the round rugged rocks seen along the MA coastline is replaced by sharp, layered rocks that jut into the ocean like knives. The second thing I noticed were the signs proclaiming the "Cliff Walk is CLOSED. It is unsafe and dangerous to your life!" Had I not noticed them, the 5 year old in the group ahead of me would have pointed them out in his happy sing-song little voice every few minutes.



Also in York, ME was the Nubble Light-- a very attractive light.



The next town was Ogunquit, ME which had some pretty beaches as well. I think this one was from Ogunquit- the beaches are all blending together. I have GOT to take notes when taking scenery pictures!



In Ogunquit I ate at Mike's Clam Shake and had outstanding seafood chowder. It had haddock, scallops, shrimp, clams, potatoes and all sorts of strange stuff in it. It had very few potatoes- every spoonful was 90% seafood. It was so good, I ordered a bowl to go and had it again tonight for dinner! Thank goodness for coolers. Next door, Mike's had a seafood store to buy lobster- at $7.99 a pound I had to buy a lobster in order to compare them to the MA lobster I've been eating down here.

I learned a little bit about why lobsters in the restaurants are so expensive. For starters, lobsters freak OUT when you put them in the pot- and their calm demeanor with the tucked tail turns into a spread eagle position that is difficult to get into the chosen stock pot. Second, said freak out makes inexperienced murderers like myself feel like maybe I should be a vegetarian since the only thing I'm comfortable with first hand killing is a carrot. Third, I overcooked the poor thing and had to eat it anyway because I felt guilty. The only thing that makes me feel better is that in the future I will let someone more experienced kill the lobster because they are probably more humane than me in the process. I think Fred the lobster would agree. (Yes, I broke the rule and named him).

My final stop was Kennebunkport, ME. It is a place of really elaborate houses and nice ocean views as well. One such elaborate house caught my eye and I stopped to take a pictures. I asked a jogger running by who the house belonged to (it was obviously someone well-known due to the scale and placement). She laughed, "former President Bush, of course!". Ha. I found papa Bush's house! It's not hard to find- follow the coast and look for a really big house.



It occurred to me later that the jogger may have been secret service. She was buff enough and had on sunglasses.

It took me almost 8 hours to reach President Bush's house in Kennebunkport. It took me a little over an hour to ride 95 back home. Gotta love the scenic routes!

Iron Man: Female Review

I second Lucky Bob's advice. Go see Iron Man. It was freakin' awesome. I especially liked that it concentrated on the build-up instead of a never-ending fight between the good guy and bad. Recently, the hero movies have specialized in downsizing the plot and exaggerating all their fancy smancy special effects. This movie reveals that you can show off all the fancy smancy special effects WHILE you share the plot. Bravo.

Wild Ride

Today I worked 4 hours at the hospital, went on a date with a nice guy, and took a helicopter ride (birthday present from my brother).

:-) Here's some pictures of the helicopter ride.



I forget which one, but apparently this house was built by one of the inventors of the toilet. He wanted a view of the ocean, so he cut down the trees. Nice.


Remember my picture of the twin lighthouses? I got a better look at them from the front seat of the copter.


This is Baker's Island-- only 65 houses, handed down generations, with no public access at all. Most of the property has been owned by the same families since before 1900. I got enough of a view to think "gee, I'd like to live there". Ha. According to the pilot, it takes 50 years of being married into one of the families to get an invite to the island. Gotta love urban legends.


Lots of big houses on the coast. The pilot has done some private tours for some of the families- said that one family talked about throwing lobster cages out of their window and hauling up lobsters!


One last lovely picture. My camera did not even begin to capture the beauty of it. Pilot Roger was awesome and entertaining. The 30 minute ride was great- it was really cool to see all of the beaches I had been exploring, by foot, from the air. I have never ridden in a copter before- but if you ever get the opportunity- go.


Thanks to Roger from Beverly Airport Helicopter Tours for the lovely tour!

Personality Test- Phlegmatic? Like Phlegm? Yuck.

So I joined a new dating site (a free one) and it made me take a personality test. Any truth in this??? :-) I thought there were a few points that matched me for sure....

If you are a phlegmatic-sanguine, your phlegmatic side will dominate. This will result in a greater tendency to introversion (though still less than a melancholic’s or pure phlegmatic’s). You are congenial and cooperative and get along well with most everyone. Because of your emphasis on harmony in relationships, you are peace-loving, conservative, well-balanced, easy-going, with a dry wit and a talent for bringing people together. As an employee, you are compliant, dutiful, orderly, and subdued (and probably were as a child too). Others may not realize that you have a sanguine side -- at first. It may take a little longer for you to make close friends (because you do not reveal your feelings or thoughts as readily as the more extraverted sanguine-phlegmatic), but once you do, your sanguine nature can assert itself. It will also show up when, for example, you have been so dutiful and compliant about work or school that finally you need to relax and unwind — and now the sanguine, fun-loving side comes out. Or, when you are hanging out with your closest friends.

You are very thoughtful of others, with a knack for empathically putting yourself in other people’s shoes, and value peace and harmony at all times. You also have a great sense of humor and an easy-going manner that makes you a valued friend. You are discouraged by criticism or negativity and need acceptance, support and cooperation in your personal life. You can be deeply wounded by sarcasm, harsh criticism, and anger when it is directed at you. You will not, however, directly fight back but prefer to “turn the other cheek” or redouble your efforts to please.
Phlegmatic-sanguines tend to prefer movies, concerts, or other forms of relaxation that are a bit more spectator-oriented. When they attend parties, they tend to prefer smaller groups, rather than the large social gatherings a pure sanguine enjoys. Like sanguine-phlegmatics, they are very attentive to relationships, to harmony among people. They have deep feelings, hate negative criticism, and become discouraged by negativity in those around them. They are strongly tempted to repress their own wishes in order to preserve peace in a relationship. A stressful situation (especially one that is interpersonally demanding) may cause the peaceful phlegmatic-sanguine to withdraw into solitary television watching, playing computer games, eating or sleeping, instead of directly expressing their negative feelings.

A danger for the phlegmatic-sanguine is to be satisfied with achieving less than what he is capable of -- whether because he tends not to plan for the future or because the more challenging goals seem to be “too much trouble.” A phlegmatic-sanguine will be strongly tempted to quit if he doesn’t think the end product is worth the effort or if he fears he won’t succeed. Perhaps the most besetting difficulties for this temperament mixture are the natural inclination to peace and quiet (tempting one to laziness), a preference to live within the moment (superficiality), and a tendency to make decisions based first on the desire to please someone else or to restore harmony.

In a relationship, the phlegmatic-sanguine is true-blue. He is likely to be a great listener, is willing to put others first, and has excellent mediatory skills. You are a supportive friend and a cooperative employee; however, this can cause you to say “yes” to demands of friends or colleagues, without first analyzing whether this choice is actually the best choice to make. At times, wanting to either please your good friends or avoid conflict either at home or at work, you may “go with the flow” when in fact a strong stance is necessary. Or, you may avoid a more demanding task or career move in order to maintain harmony and stability. If you find yourself “stuck in a rut” or avoiding making the extra effort required to make an important change, take time out to analyze your goals for the future, realign your priorities to reflect your values and, if necessary, seek spiritual direction to ensure that your values are aligned with God’s will for you