Remiss

So much of September went unreported. I didn't even tell you about the Common Ground Fair!

There was some hooping.

Some tintype-taking.

Piecone eating.

This is a picture of a beautiful cane chair. I'm going to learn how to do this myself.

There were also herding dogs and bunnies and fancy chickens, great food, blue skies, bunches of people, honeycomb and native crafts and  elderberry tinctures. It was David M's first fair ever, and it took us so long to get there that it was a short one for him, but Mark and Isaac and I stayed on. We may have eaten our weight in potato chip fries.

And then there was a week when Isaac went off on a kayaking adventure with the Learning Shack, and Mark and I took a one-day field trip to our favorite peninsula with our favorite dog.*

Gus, King of the Blue Hill Peninsula.

I'm not even kidding when I say this is my current fantasy dream house.

We discovered this place, a trail that goes through this field and into the woods, much of it with breathtaking views over Eggemoggin Reach, the bay, and islands. And in season, you can pick blueberries here!

I love it up there. The air smells different, the rocks and water and hills are different. And when I say "different," I mean, not like around here, and here is already pretty damn gorgeous. I just like to fuel my rural/seaside dreams by imagining a little house (or a renovated former Oddfellows Hall, perhaps) way the hell up in Brooklin or Sargentville or Blue Hill. A big field for Gus to run in, a patch of sunshine to plant some vegetables in. Blueberries!




*I was going to say "favorite living dog," but that sounds weird. You must know we didn't bring the ashes of former dogs with us, and you may also know that Minnow was the dog of my heart, and that Gus really truly doesn't mind when I tell him he's my second favorite dog in the whole world.

Be Wild of Tongue

Isaac is off on a North Carolinian adventure this week, so Mark and Minnow and I left the empty nest and took a day trip to my favorite peninsula yesterday. First we stopped in Belfast, where we got tasty baked goods and coffee at Chase's Daily (Minnow got lots of compliments, too, despite the fact that he stood outside crying pitifully until Mark emerged).

Minnow was looking good all day long, in fact! People in Hancock county, Maine, were fans of this guy.

In Blue Hill, we walked around town and down to the water, where we enviously watched people setting out on kayaks into the peaceful bay.

And we went to Brooklin, the town where E.B. White lived and wrote and gentleman-farmed. The air was cool and piney here, the houses were shingled and weather-blown. The coast made me want to cry, it was so beautiful.

We had lunch at El El Frijoles in Sargentville (get it? get it?), delicious fresh Mexican food, homemade tortillas and horchata and agua fresca, tucked back in the woods. So good.

We drove down to Cape Rosier, and stumbled on the Good Life Center, where the Nearings built their home and farm. The friendly couple who are the current stewards of the Center (meaning they live there all summer, tend the garden, show people around when they randomly show up) gave us a tour of the gardens and greenhouse and home. When we went inside, they took Minnow's leash and walked around with him while he cried like a toddler being left at daycare, and we watched a short video about the Nearings. It was funny handing our dog over, but sort of sweet somehow. My favorite things were the stone wall all around the (gorgeous) vegetable garden, all the poppies mixed in with the beans and tomatoes, and the view over the water.

I am glad Mark made me get out of the car there (I get shy, okay?!). Also, I appreciate his appreciation for town landings and public boat launches. We probably checked out a dozen of the sweetest, most peaceful little docks on this trip. This one in Brooksville was one of my favorites.

“I would really rather feel bad in Maine than feel good anywhere else,” said my friend E.B. White. He also said, "Be wild of tongue in a way we can understand!" We have to go back soon, because we neglected to hike up Blue Hill, go to the book shop there, or check out this cheese/chocolate/coffee place. Plus lots more.