He's Back!

Calley is a land creature and she is happiest when all her charges are on terra ferma. So when David and his cousin John rowed to the beach on the eastern "prom" of Portland, Maine after a three day sail from Provincetown, she took no time to dive right in to greet her missing family member.

I don't like spending much time on boats but I do get wrapped up in the romance. Imagine using the wind for power (though frankly, there is often no wind when "sailing" and loud, smelly diesel engines must be used.) In a boat you can traverse the waters which are  roadless areas, some call the ocean the last frontier (though actually there are so many lobster pots on the floor of  the Gulf of Maine now, attached to colorful buoys on the surface that sailors have to scan the horizon constantly to avoid getting snarled in the lines. Beware the lobster boat, it may look pretty but the drivers are working and don't like "pleasure craft") But how great is the sun, nice for awhile but you can't get away from it, not a tree in sight.

But there is still magic there. What I liked best  about David's sailboat was exploring the islands in Penobscot Bay. We have scrambled around the White Islands, Bar Island, Butter Island and Spruce, to name a few. The boat was a way to get out to the many uninhabited  (by humans) small islands. We'd drop an anchor, row ashore and explore the pink granite edges, sandy beaches, swim in the turquoise blue water and discover seals in hidden coves. I'd grab a handful of sea lavender before climbing into the dinghy to sit across from David as he rowed us back to the boat. And on his boat, David was the cook. That was pretty nice.

Now we climb mountains, way above sea level and on summiting, sit on a rock, take a sandwich out of the pack and let the wind cool us down. And Calley can come, which is a bonus.
I must be honest, though. This past weekend it was too hot for climbing. The view from the top across to the White Mountains of New Hampshire was gratifying but getting there was.... hard. Cooler weather needed for this activity!

View from Mt. Albany near Lovell, Maine.