Maine 4

Still Monday - Miss Rumphius has been here! There were lupines everywhere even though they're not native to the state.

One of our first days in Maine, Dave asked a local where the best spot for Lobster was and they said "Thurston Company". It was on the west side (or quiet side) of Mount Desert Island and on Monday, after a beautiful drive along the coast and around a semi-fjord, we arrived -- much to my chagrin. :-)

This is what is known as a Lobster pound. (And for those of us who do not eat fish -- their non fish selections are few but decent).

Could Dave look any happier? Before Maine, he'd had lobster "in" things but never a whole one. He ate his 2nd whole one here at Thurstons. There were 2 large tanks with live lobsters and Dave got to choose the one he wanted. The lobster was then weighed and thrown into the boiling tanks outside. 20 minutes later and Dave was in heaven!

Playing with his food.

The remains of the lobster -- poor thing.

At the bottom of the west side of the island is Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse. While the light has been automated, the house is still lived in by a Coast Guard family.

The pink rocks you see -- granite! Take a look at your countertops -- they very well may have come from Maine! We passed a quarry on our way to the lighthouse.

Tuesday - we went back to Acadia National Park to say goodbye as we left for home that afternoon. So -- here is the house that we purchased while in Maine. Ha! I wish!!! Bar Harbor was a vacation spot for the rich the first half of the 20th century. The Rockefeller family still own thousands of acres on the island. Who knows -- maybe this is one of their houses!

The view from the house above. This is looking out into the Gulf of Maine. And this was our goodbye view. After our last trip through Acadia, we picked up some souvenirs and drove back to Bangor to catch our flight home (which turned out to be an adventure as the east was experiencing some nasty weather).
You know how sometimes in anticipation of something wonderful, you build it up so much in your mind that when it finally happens, it is almost a let down? I was so afraid that this would happen with Maine. For 2 months, our trip had been a life-line and a bright spot on the horizon. I was afraid that after all of that, I would be let down somehow. But it was beyond amazing and lived up to our dreams and went beyond our wildest imagination! It was exactly what we needed and we came back completely refreshed, with hope restored and spirits lifted!

Thank you Maine! We will back!