Touring Maine

Portland Head Lighthouse built in 1791

We started our tour in Portland, ME with a bus tour of the city and a stop at one of the many quaint old lighthouses that can be seen up and down the rocky coast.

The tour guide told us Portland was settled in 1632.

It is the largest city in Maine and has a population of only 60,000.

Terry at the lighthouse

Lighthouse keeper's house

We saw many old houses, churches and businesses in Portland.

View from our hotel of sailboats in the bay.

Farther up the coast we stayed in rural Belfast.

We had another beautiful view of the coastline on both sides of the bay there.

Belfast

After an afternoon of shopping at L L Bean in Freeport,

we were ready to relax and watch the
sailboat in the bay at Belfast.

Inland Maine is very rural with many small farms and timbering.
The field behind us grows low wild blueberries which are raked up for sale fresh or for processing into blueberry tea or wine and other blueberry products.

Here is a pond on another small farm where Norwegian Fiord draft horses are raised.

On to Cadillac Mt. in Acadia National Park.

The hills and 1,500 ft. Cadillac Mt. are rose granite.

The Washington Monument is faced with granite from Maine.

View from Cadillac Mt.

Marilyn considered the hiking trail down but decided it would be too much of a climb back up.

View of small islands off the coast of Desert Island on which most of Acadia Park sits.

More of the rocky coast of Desert Island.

Terry and others viewing the Atlantic from Ocean Dr. in Acadia Park.

Thunder Hole is named for the thunderous roar of the surf

when it builds up and blows from the hole in the rocks.

The surf was calm when we visited,

but the park ranger told us the surf is frequently 15 to 20 feet.

Eider ducks in the water near Thunder Hole.

Lulu Lobster boat ready to give us a sea tour of Bar Harbor.

Didn't know there was so much to learn about lobsters and trapping them.

Cruise ships come to Bar Harbor.

Harbor seals and birds in front of one of the famous Bar Harbor mansions.

Seals look like they are relaxing in the sun.

Bar Harbor shops

More shops

Waterfront park

Marilyn enjoying Bar Harbor park and flowers.

Four Masted Schooner anchored in Bar Harbor.
Beautiful day in Maine.

Lake Jackson June 2010

Lake Jackson is right in Tallahassee. You go under I-10 to use the boat ramp. It's nice to live in a city that still has natural beauty and wildlife to enjoy. Luckily the cutter boat had been by to open up the channel leading out into the lake.

Terry fished from his kayak, but didn't try hard to catch anything.

The birds were very intent on their fishing. Guess I would be too if my life depended on it.
We saw this Little Blue Heron catch his dinner.

Great Blue Heron

Great Egret

This house along the lake, that belongs to Terry's friend Ben, is where we've watched the Bald Eagles fish and return to the live oak tree to eat their catch.

Spring Wildlife in our backyard

Caught this racoon on the trail cam set up by the creek that runs thru our east lot.

This is one of the 3 deer that visit our back meadow every day.

We see lots of small woodland birds, but this Indigo Bunting is a more unusual guest at our feeder.

Fishing in the Gulf out of St Marks April 2010

Marilyn and Captain Chip heading out into the Gulf in his Carolina Skiff

Terry onboard leaving St Marks Marina

Terry's got our catch of Trout ready to filet for dinner

Fishing Lake Woodruff March 2010

We stayed at Highland Park Fish Camp near Deland, FL

It's back there

in the Florida bayous somewhere.

Shoreline of Lake Woodruff
We saw more birds than fish.

This is where Terry fell out of the boat.
The alligator didn't even move, but the splash sure scared off the manatee.

Immature White Ibis

Great Blue Heron

Great Egret and Common Moor Hen

The 4 biggest are Marilyn's, but Terry caught the most Blue Gill & Crappie.

Fishing

Finally we got some nice days so we headed over to Lake Talquin
for the first time in 2010 to see what's biting. All we caught were little ones.

This Limkin was standing in about 2 feet of water trying to catch his dinner too. He's a big shore bird, about 30 inches tall.