Tuesday and Wednesday in Maine

Tuesday dawned clear and it was time to take to the water. I got in the kayak early and paddled around the north end of the lake. Saw two beaver and a pair of loons...with the mom sitting on the nest. She wasn't too happy about my paddling around, so I spent as little time near her as possible. Didn't want to spook her. Don't know as the beaver are such a great thing to see considering the level of damage they can do. Didn't see any obvious signs of dam building.

After breakfast it was time to head into Portland to pick up the fifth member of our group, Gladys, who was coming in for the remainder of the week. Found Gladys without any problems at the jetport. Got directions to the Lobster Shack in Cape Elizabeth just south of Portland. It ended up being a place where I had been with the inlaws and nieces and nephews many years ago. It's obviously a Portland area institution. Weather was a bit rainy so we couldn't sit outside at the picnic tables. The inside was nice, if very busy. Thanks, Maureen, for the lobster treat.

Marilin and Gladys wait patiently for our number to be called.

The lobster is here...time to dig in.

After lunch it's time to visit the cute gift shop beside the Lobster Shack. While I was inside shopping I got the seagull report from the other girls who had been wandering in and out. It seems the weather had cleared enough for some folks to sit outside and eat. One couple had a seagull swoop in and snag their container of fries. It flew to the next table and landed with the food and then was swarmed by the other seagulls. The food was gone in seconds. Apparently the gentleman of the couple was quite annoyed, but the woman had a good laugh over it as did everyone else who was watching.

Interesting yard sculpture in front of the gift shop.

The rocks at the shoreline look like petrified wood.

The girls after a very satisfying lobster lunch.

Next stop was the Portland Head light, another working light house. After a brief stop there it was on to LL Bean.

We did some power shopping. Here is Marilin doing what she does best...shopping and talking on the cell phone to Arthur.

Maureen got a nice watercolor of a Puffin. The art was displayed in the Starbucks around the corner from LL Bean. The artist was called by the Starbucks staff and she hustled over with an original for Maureen. At that point we figured we had made a pretty decent donation to the economy and headed back to the cabin to get Gladys settled in and to have dinner. Marilin and Maureen teamed up on a delicious pork roast with veggies and a salad. Then it was time for more wine and more chatter. You'd think we had solved all the problems of the world by this time, but noooo. Alas, no cards.

Wednesday was a pretty quiet day around the cabin and lake. A little too rainy to go find a decent hike. The weather cleared in the afternoon and Les, Gladys and Marilin took a trip in to Renys. Les decided to make penne pasta with butternut squash. A favorite recipe she found online this winter. Discovered some gluten free pasta at Renys to accommodate Maureen's allergy, and then off to Hanaford's for more ingredients and yet more wine. After dinner Marilin decided she was going to brave the water and kayaking. I had finally figured out how to get into and out of the kayaks from the dock, without ever having to set foot in the chilly Maine lake water. Kathy had figured it out too, so Marilin was convinced it was her turn. We went down to the water and got Marilin all suited up in a life vest and got her into the kayak without incident. Les got in the other one and we headed out towards the north end of the lake. Wanted to take a quick peek at the loon. Marilin had never seen one up close. After showing her how to paddle we set off on a glassy lake for a beautiful ride. All was going well, then we returned to our dock. Marilin came in a little bit too far to just reach out for the dock, so she decided to just scoot over. Well, for those of you who have ever been in a canoe or a kayak you will know that those small vessels don't "scoot" too well. In fact, all you achieve is upsetting the balance and then going ass over teacups into the drink. And that is exactly what Marilin did...with a whoop. She came up gasping (the water is THAT cold) and with her glasses intact on her face, but fogged up rendering her essentially blind. I yelled at her to put her feet down since she was in chest deep water. At least that was a blessing. So, we got her around to the dock stairs and got her on the dock and wrapped in a towel. The girls up at the cabin were in the living room reading, so had missed the ruckus. It was amusing and at least Marilin had a good laugh over it.