on land or on sea, those two words may be used to describe how we might—if we choose—live our lives in maine, or elsewhere for that matter, where both the expected and the unexpected can pop up at any time. in maine we have bears, and we have pirates—oh yes we do—and we have lots of waves. i also have it on good outside authority that maine is an amazing place and that it stimulates all kinds of imaginings.
to some people—especially small visitors from the warm south—that's the good news. the bad news is that the summer air may feel a tad too cold (80 during the day, 60 at night—but just wait a few months!), and the sea may not be quite warm enough (66 degrees in the middle of casco bay in the middle of summer). oh well, you can't please everyone.
our gaggle of guests observed many wild beasts during their visit, beasts which presently live in maine, such as moose, bears, lynx, bobcats, foxes, coyotes, owls, and bald eagles, and those which once inhabited the state, such as mountain lions.
the animals were viewed—some "sitting pretty" with their eyes masked!—in their natural habitats in the large, forested maine wildlife park in gray. many of them are being rehabilitated, and hopefully will be able to return to the wild someday, and others are being relocated, having been rescued from precarious situations (raccoons stuck in chimneys, skunks slinking around under porches, bats inhabiting attics).
on another day a large population of pirates was spotted aboard a pirate ship. in particular, a pretty and very—argh, matey—tough pirate hung on for dear life in the wildly pitching crow's nest while attempting to hoist the skull and cross bones at the portland children's museum.
and then there are the people who can never get enough speed, and for whom "full throttle" is a somewhat meaningless concept because it merely states the obvious to them—they believe as much of life as possible should be lived at full throttle. i must say, i concur.
and that, my dears, is just a small sample of the simple pleasures which may be experienced on a wild ride in the fabulous state of maine.
3 comments:
That may be the cutest pirate ever to terrorize the high seas : )
I really like the last photo- I can feel the speed of that boat, imagine the sound of the engine and feel the spray from the wake.
Mignon- I've been absent too long... but I see you've been featuring some pirates here at SWD. :)
Maine is an amazing place, every bit as beautiful and unique as you illustrate here, and certainly does stimulate all kinds of imaginings. And from what I've been reading, you've been sharing your unique part of the world with many guests this summer. How wonderful for you! I love the photos, and the unflagging exuberance of your writing. Sounds like you've been having a marvelous summer.
I never did make it back up to Maine. We got a little too busy here in southern New England. Who knows, maybe Labor Day... my mother won't be happy if we don't soon return! ;)
When I got out of graduate school, I applied for my first job in the profession of Speech Pathology, and Maine was a top pick. I wanted to live somewhere wild; and a place where forests meet the ocean. Alaska called first, so that's where I ended up. The 2 places share many similarities...sparse population, plenty of breathing room...and of course, immense beauty at every turn.
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