October has come and gone!

Already it is Halloween today!

Mutter under my breath like an old lady......where has the time gone.....?  More important, what did I do with it?

First, the airline industry produced a minor miracle and actually deposited my brother at Ottawa Airport without cancellations, delays, overbooking or weather issues. The last three times he had to cancel just before departure from Dallas, so we had our worried fingers crossed. Unfortunately he "lucked" out on this trip with the first real cold weekend of the fall. Sweaters and wool coats were promptly pulled from closets, and the annoying cold drizzle was endured with the right amount of Canadian pragmatism.

We didn't visit anything in the surroundings due to the cold weather. We went out for dinner one evening and for brunch one morning. And we watched some movies and spent a lot of time catching up and discussing the trip to New York among other things.

Then his flight back home was cancelled. No, he is not still here! He managed to get back via another connection. Jeeesh.

The next weekend was Thanksgiving. As if on cue, Indian Summer arrived. The weather hit the high twenties, and I actually went for a walk in shorts and a t-shirt. There was bright sunshine, and not a cloud in the sky. And there was plenty of nice colour!

Half red and still half green.

 The abandoned house, ethereal in the low light

Nice enough to go fishing 

In the mean time we finally hired a contractor to come and replace the uuuuuuuuuuuuuugly front path and the  uneven and too small patio. This has been on the to-do list for years, but kept getting put off, because we had no idea how much damage would be done when the sewer lines were installed, and the septic system was decommissioned. (A lot, it turned out!) Now that all that is finished we finally could start redesigning the yard.

In the spring I had reshuffled some of the old path tiles we had sitting around to cover the sand pit created when they filled the decommissioned septic tank. This turned out to be a very bad idea. Anything rectangular and filled with sand is considered a litter box by the cats in the neigbourhood.Sigh!

Finally the contractor started the work. For two weeks there was a small excavator and a small bulldozer parked in the yard. When he was finished building the patio and path, we also had him correct the grading, so the water actually drains away from the house when it rains, a particular problem at the front and on the side of the house. Huge amounts of dirt were transported onto the grass, and it was too late to put down new grass seed, so we will have to live with the effect until spring. And I get to go through my gardening books this winter to figure out what to plant in the new beds.

The finished patio in the back, chairs already stored away.

  The front "before" with weedy path, and lovely "lose your keys" gap under the steps.

And now without ugly gap and with new earth.

What was not ripped out was winterized. Roses have been covered, and the new beds have been filled with mulch, to avoid an explosion of weeds in the spring. Next year the contractor will repair the driveway, which needs new crushed stone and repairs to the retaining walls. Wooohooo curb appeal!

In between the work and garden clean up we made plans to go see a show at Absolute Comedy. Six of us went for dinner at Pub Italia (200 kinds of beer!) and then to the show, just down the street. Headlining was Andy Hendrickson, who was very funny, and there were two opening acts. One of the opening acts was a former Montrealer who moved to Ottawa. I can relate! A very fun evening.

This past weekend we finally made a day trip again. We woke up to a cold day with brilliant fall sunshine. It as not too difficult to forget the to-do list and the house cleaning and get outside while there is still some colour.   We took the back roads to Kingston, through Perth and Westport. Not too far past Westport we stopped to take some pictures at Bedford Mills. This is a ghost town where the original mill and the church are still standing, but no other buildings have survived. The church is still in use, and the mill is now a private residence.  They have a nice view!

The mill at Bedford Mills surrounded by the last of the fall colours

At this spot the birds were screaming and chattering the way they usually do in early spring. It was really weird and we could not figure out what could be causing that.

Once in Kingston, we lost the good light,but we still managed to get some nice pictures in the flat autumn light. 

At King and Earl Street.

Tunnel effect under the trees along King Street.

A little colour against the old grey house.

 Outside Earth to Spirit. Do they drag this in every evening?

Courtyard entrance to Chez Piggy's

Without the sun it was below zero with the windchill, so we took refuge in our favourite lunch spot in Kingston, Chez Piggy restaurant. This place never disappoints!  They had something called Pisco on the drinks menu, which was so tasty, we have since picked up a bottle to savour at home.

Once warmed we resumed our walk around and came across this unusual garden:

How much planning went into this? Either a lot, or none at all.

A for originality!

 We drove back in the late afternoon along Hwy 2 and the 1000 Island Parkway. We had unfortunately lost too much of the light for more pictures.

And now it is Halloween. As usual, there isn't a single kid on our street, maybe because none live on this street. So we make a fire and watch a movie. Tomorrow is November. 

Really? Already? We should not complain, though!. Boston got 28 inches of snow yesterday. Usually we get it first!

September 17 and 18: Shopping and going back home

The next morning the breakfast basked contained a warmed baguette, butter, jam, fruit salad and orange juice. This day was sunny and warm. (Yeah!) After all this nature and history, we thought we needed some retail therapy. We had heard that there was a large outlet plaza in Kittery, and so we set out south again. But first we stopped in town to take a look at this unusual house.

The Wedding Cake house

The wedding cake house was an ordinary house when the connected stables and carriage house burnt down in 1852. The owner had just been to Europe and was very impressed by Gothic architecture. The stables were rebuilt with so much detail added that the main house looked odd, and so the over-the-top trim was added to it as well.

In order to keep the travels interesting, the photographer found a different route...........on the map, that is. All went well until a badly signed detour had us utterly confused, and actually going in circles. In the end we changed the route and passed through York and by Fort McClary again. We stopped to take a picture of this traditional center chimney cottage, dating back to 1763.

Traditional colonial style cottage with center chimney

The beach at York

Once in Kittery we located the street where the outlets are. Parking was hard to find, but in one small lot we found a space and a Starbucks. We sat down with a coffee and used their wi-fi to figure out how big the shopping area actually was. It turned out to be pretty big and pretty busy, and crossing the street wasn’t the simplest task. The streets were filled with impatient drivers scouting for a parking spot, honking at nothing, and giving pedestrians a hard time.

After we finished our coffee, we managed to cross the street and wandered in to a huge outdoor sporting goods store. Unexpectedly, I managed to score a new pair of rugged winter boots. Not the kind you wear to work, but the kind you use to shovel the driveway or to go snow shoeing. (My current pair is cracked and leaks.) Upstairs in the same store is the hunting equipment department, with row upon row of guns and rifles of all kinds, including black powder muskets. None of the rifles are secured to the racks. Ammunition sits on the shelves completely accessible. In Canada all this would be under lock and key and behind a counter.

Once back outside we crossed the street again with the same level of difficulty. The plan was to put our purchase in the trunk of the car, and figure out where we should relocate the car to. And then it all went wrong. Next to us was a man waiting in a minivan for his wife, who was in one of the stores. While we were looking at a map of the area, (with all the windows of the car down) a boy of about 8 years old came to tell the man that mom needed another quarter (yes, $0.25) to pay for her purchase. The man subjected the kid to the third degree and made him go back into the store to ask questions more than once. All the while traffic honked around us. I was tempted to go out and give her the quarter myself.

Suddenly we looked at each other and said: do you want to stay here? We’d had totally enough of the atmosphere of the mall area, and chose to go look for a cute place to eat lunch in an area with less people and concrete, and a much calmer feel. We extracted our car from the parking lot, and were going to the town of Kittery itself, to what looked like a cute bakery and eatery, when it turned out they had a “factory store” with a restaurant on a large manicured lawn just beyond the area of the outlet stores.

At “When pigs Fly” they make a fantastic lamb, tapenade and goat cheese pizza with spinach and onions. Service was excellent, and the patio was very relaxing. We took our time with lunch. There was no danger of any serious walking being done later in the day, so we sampled a local wheat beer and a nice Shiraz.  After lunch we nosed around in the factory store where they sell an impressive amount of different breads.

Pig do fly!

Having decided we were not that desparate to shop, we made our way back to Kennebunkport via yet another set of roads, and this time ended up going through Ogunquit again, which was even busier than the day before. We stopped at several places to take some pictures of the shore.  Once back in Kennebunkport, earlier in the day than expected,  we realised it was the first time we were in the town at high tide, and so we reshot some of the pictures we took before. It looks quite different with all the muddy inlets filled.

Blue water, blue sky, high tide.

What we saw from the cottage doorstep.

Pretty autumn afternoon light.

We went to One Dock for the final dinner of the trip. They had fresh oysters on the menu, and so we each had six. They were served with cocktail sauce and a green apple champagne granita, which was absolutely to die for. We had fish for the main course, and split a dessert sampler. The food was excellent. We were lucky that we had the good server, because the table next to us had a guy who was just an awful klutz. 

We had already told the cottage people that we would leave before they delivered breakfast the next morning, and that is exactly what we did. We took the interstate back and stopped in Montpelier, Vermont for lunch at the Skinny Pancake at Marilyn's suggestion. Green living is very big in Vermont, and the restaurant proudly displays its 100 mile diet suppliers. No disposable knives and forks here. There are so many different pancakes on the menu, it is difficult to choose. I had a veggie monster with pesto sauce that was heavenly. 

After lunch we took a stroll through the town. Montpelier is very unassuming considering it is a state capital. Old buildings line the streets, and then suddenly set back from  the street is the State Legislature.

 Vermont's legislature.

French influenced architecture in Montpelier

Town street, mountains in the background.

Reluctantly we went back on the road. We could have enjoyed spending time looking at the little shops, but there were many miles to go.  We chose to drive through Swanton to the Canadian border this time, we had not seen it in many years, and the town seems to have been extensively spruced up. Storefronts were redone, and it all looked neat and tidy.

Main intersection in Swanton Vermont.

Near Rouses point we stopped to find out what the deal is with this fort we see from the road. It is overgrown, and it has sat like that for decades. It is nicknamed Fort Blunder. If you are curious, you can read here why.

Fort Montgomery (aka Blunder)

After experiencing no delays at the border we lost an hour in a stop and go detour  for a closed on-ramp to the Champlain bridge. Two hours after that, we were back home.

September 16: South along the coast.

The next morning arrived with beautiful bright sunshine and oddly, much cooler temperatures. No open door during breakfast this time, the heater was promptly put on. The breakfast basket contained muffins, fruit salad, two hard boiled eggs and of course the flask of orange juice.

This time we headed south towards Wells, Ogunquit and York. The first stop was at Cape Neddick lighthouse, built on an island just off shore. The place is also referred to as The Nubble. It is not accessible to the public and it seems the people who do get on the island use a boat and also use a cable bucket to bring over some items. It was never intended for transport of people, but one Coast Guard keeper tried, as you can read here. So why is the yard fenced? It seems the keeper and his family would live there with livestock. The place was automated in 1987 and is now preserved by a historical society.

The Nubble light on its island. Note the cable bucket.

It was pretty chilly there, despite the bright sun. There was a cutting wind, and it was the kind of beach day that makes you think of fleece, chunky knits, and thick socks. The photographer made his way down the rocky shore to get a good angle, but it was low tide and the rocks were still slippery and covered in some seaweed here and there. Besides some nice pictures he got a wet foot and a wet behind for his efforts. No matter, we always keep towels in the trunk of the car for when we are in shorts and the seats have baked in the sun. The effort was worth it.

This once housed a family with farm animals.

Further along the coast stands this pretty resort hotel.

Back in the car we continued on to Fort McClary, which is near the town of Kittery. It was less windy and noticeably warmer there. The fort is unstaffed and it’s upkeep is financed by what are essentially volunteer donations made at the entrance to the grounds. We sat on a bench in the sun for a few minutes and soaked up the heat. In fron of us were large blocks of granite are strewn about, unmoved since 1868. They were constructing upgrades to the fortifications when the proposed strategy was declared outdated, and construction abandoned as it was.

Forget it men, that wall is long enough!

Of the buildings only the blockhouse, powder house and the rifleman's house still exists, and the latter has no roof. Outlines of barrack foundations are visible in the lawn. Near the shore we came upon a caponier, and we had no idea what that was. We descended the steps and found an underground fortified room with gun ports in different directions.

Dark entrance to the caponier. 

 No enemy, but another lighthouse.

The fort saw minimal action in the Civil War and the War of 1812, but like many forts in Maine, not much else.

The blockhouse housed a canon on its carriage, showing how they dealt with recoil and reloading. On the floor was the strip of metal allowing for left to right aiming adjustments. Understanding how this works really makes you aware what a hellish place a small blockhouse under attack must have been, with canon fire noise and all the activity of the many men in such a cramped space. This website has many more good pictures of the site.

Gun on its carriage inside the blockhouse.

The blockhouse.

After soaking up enough warmth and taking enough pictures, we moved on. Along the road we noticed that some of the houses had the year of construction posted on them. A few of them date back to before the American Revolution. One had 1717 another 1763. Considering they are generally wooden houses, that is quite impressive. We began to realize that many of the houses we saw along the way are about 150 years old. Close to York we passed by a trail called the Steadman Woods which featured this adorable mini suspension bridge as part of the path.

The Wiggly Bridge

The next stop was York itself, where we stopped at Goldenrod Kisses and picked up some salt water taffy. Jennifer recommended the place to me, and clearly they are “it” in the salt water taffy industry. Production takes place in front of the windows of the shop, with the kind of machines you could easily imagine being driven by belts connected to a steam engine. Inside there is much more than the taffy. There is also a restaurant, and they sell homemade chocolate and fudge. I got the impression that I was in a well known place that is being run very efficiently.

Why taffy is called "tire" in french (pull)

Automated yet old fashioned.

We drove through the rest of York, with impaired conversation and all the while trying to separate our lower and upper teeth, and followed the road to Ogunquit.  Compared to all the places we had been up to this point, Ogunquit was busy! Stop and go traffic on the roads, and absolutely nowhere to park. The sidewalks were packed, and going through intersections was challenging. Eventually we realized there was no choice but to park in a municipal paid parking lot, and parted with the required amount of cash.

We settled down for lunch in the sun on the patio at Frills Restaurant and since we were on vacation, duly ordered a glass of wine with lunch.  I had scallops, quite possibly the best I have ever had.  I don’t bring them into the house, ever, because they make the photographer really sick. Every meal on the menu seemed to feature Gorgonzola cheese in it, and as far as we could tell, they made that work.

 Shore road in Ogunquit.

After lunch we felt a happy tired from all the fresh sea air and the wine. We got a latte somewhere else, and realized that having wine before walking the Marginal Way was perhaps not the most intelligent choice. We began the 1.6 mile path along the beach in less than optimum condition for a hike in the sun, and carrying the photographer's equipment. On occasion it felt like a punishment. It was beautiful, and many photos were taken....... especially near the benches along the way. Once at the end we chose to return to the car through the town, rather than to take the narrow and busy path back again.

Marginal Way

 Let's sit here for a while, OK?

Next we found a second hand bookstore in a rambling old house north of the town. The owner specializes in military history and the rear of this many times extended property was crammed with books, paintings and drawings. A meowing cat remained close to us as we walked around and the photographer located some books he has been unable to find elsewhere.

“Let’s go try that beer tasting” he said as we got back in the car. I agreed this was not to be missed, despite the fact that we usually try not to go to the same place twice. After all, how often do you come here?  Off we went to Federal Jack's, and ordered the board of beer.  It comes with a plasticized cheat sheet so that you know what you are trying.

Eenie meenie..........

It was pretty chilly at the end of the day, and the beer even colder, so I ordered a plate of cider-squash soup, and then I had to try the fried clams. I had never in my life eaten any, as far as I can recall, and that needed to be rectified. If I ever do again, I will have to try them baked rather than deep fried, because they were a bit lost in the batter. There was absolutely no room for dessert.

September 15: To Portland Head

Day two began with breakfast brought to the cottage door in a neat little canvas bag. It contained a flask of orange juice, two scones and a container with a fruit and yogurt mixture. There was a single serving coffee maker in the kitchenette. We had the front door open, it was overcast, but relatively warm.

At about 9:30 we parked in Kennebunkport's town center, only to discover that nothing opens before 10. The overcast sky turned into a fog, and a fine spray of water hung in the air and coated the windshield. Nevertheless the temperature was pleasant and remained like that the whole day. We walked around and window shopped the smallish town center. We stood on the bridge over the Kennebunk River and watched the swirling of the water as the tide was coming in.  We had a look inside the shops once they opened, but I found things I liked outrageously expensive. Other than that there were lots of scarves, jewellery, aprons, trays, bags, nick-knacks and items with lighthouses on them. 

Houses on a small inlet off the Kennebunk River.

Bridge over the Kennebunk River with the town center in the distance.

 Cener of Kennebunkport

We toured along Ocean avenue, admiring the properties and from a distance we saw the Bush family estate at Walkers Point. It sits on a small peninsula, and there seem to be constantly tourists taking pictures from the nearby road. We tried but could not see Goat Island  lighthouse, it was too foggy. We drove north along a road that loosely follows the coast, and eventually ended up having lunch is a coffee shop called Scarborough grounds. Apparently it is the only location, but they know their stuff! Starbucks watch out! That was the best Americano I have ever had.

The presumed location of Goat Island light. 

We continued north and reached Old Orchard Beach, which is a popular destination for Canadians. Before we reached the actual town we stopped and parked at the end of a side street and went for a walk on the beach. Dunes with the typical long grass separate the houses from the beach. It felt deserted, aside from us only a few people were there. One man was on his knees, energetically stuffing seaweed into garbage bags. "For my asparagus beds" he said as he walked past us and off the beach with two full bags. I guess I wasn't the first one to stare.

Old Orchard Beach

Old Orchard itself was also deserted. The multiple amusement parks were all closed, ice cream shop shut down, motel parking lots empty, and there was almost no one on the streets. I guess the season is done there when Labour Day arrives.

We continued and made our way to Cape Elizabeth to visit Portland Head lighthouse. The lighthouse is set in a former military fort, FortWilliams Park, and old ruins of gun emplacements litter the park. Most are left to decay, but one is restored and has informative displays posted. There are various parking areas, but initially we parked near the lighthouse itself. It was still pretty foggy, so the foghorns were sounding regularly and being answered from Ram Island Ledge Light, situated on an island a few miles off the coast.

Portland Head Light and Ram Island Ledge Light  

Portland head is possibly the most photographed lighthouse in the United States, and the subject of a painting by Edward Hopper. An Ikea reproduction of this hangs in our living room. All around were photographers and there was also one person painting on an easel mounted in the back of his minivan. I got the impression that in July and August there are probably many more people painting and sketching there. We walked around and took a ridiculous number of pictures from almost any angle we could find. Even the rocky shore on the north side of the lighthouse was braved (not by me) in an attempt to get a little bit more original vantage point. The sky was slowly clearing, and at one point the foghorns even stopped for about 30 minutes. In all this time the sun came out for exactly 5 minutes allowing us to get a few cheerier shots too.

Probably the most famous angle.......

.....because of this.

Nearby this place the Germans sunk an American ship the USS Eagle on April 23, 1945. That was just two weeks before German capitulation, and somehow seems sadder because of it. There is a stone with a bronze plaque on it to commemorate this event. 

After getting our digital fill of the place we re-parked the car in another parking area and explored the rest of the park. An enormous whitewashed wall turned out to be an emplacement for a 12"gun. The interpretive boards explained that the gun was never used in conflict, and it seemed to be the same for the other emplacements around the park. 

The circular space fitted a single large gun.

Close to the park entrance we came upon a ruined mansion. The property must have burned at some point, because only the stone structure still stands. We walked all around it and tried to imagine the original function of the spaces in the house. I could not figure out where the kitchen used to be. 

 As usual I think it's a waste.

After leaving Fort Williams we followed the coastal roads to Two Lights State Park. Two lighthouses still stand nearby, but they are on private property right next to the park, and no longer in use. The park allows access to the water, and there is a foghorn built on the edge of the shore. Warnings are posted for a good reason, despite the fact that the speaker points out to the water, this thing is incredibly loud. There are pick-nick tables, and there is a restaurant and snack bar. We went in to get two bottles of water. For a snack bar, the place sold an impressive array of desserts as well as many fried things, and there were live lobsters in a tank right next to the cash. The cashier felt she needed to hone her rather brusque up-sell skills on us. No effect, as the pissed off look on her face attested. 

It is not possible to get the two lights in the same shot.

Very serious wattage!

After this we slowly made our way back to Kennebunkport, and checked out Federal Jack's for dinner. The restaurant is on the second floor of a building that also houses a brewing company, and the signs say that the finished product is piped directly upstairs. The brewing equipment is placed along the windows and boards mounted on the outside of the building explain what each step of the process is.  The pub style menu upstairs has an excellent steak, sweet potato fries, and an inventive steak and artichoke salad. Breaded fried shrimp were crisp without being greasy. The seasonal brew, pumpkin head ale was surprisingly delicious, and not at all gimmicky. We noticed other tables getting boards with about 10 different small glasses of beer, and made a mental note to come back. The crème caramel was also excellent.

The gift store (also below the restaurant) was still open, and an assortment of beer was acquired to take back home to Canada. Once back in the cottage it began to rain heavily and steadily, and it did so until well after we went to sleep hypnotised by the sound of the rain on the roof. Later we realized this was likely the tail end of hurricane Maria, which was supposed to drench the maritime provinces in the afternoon of the following day.