Pictoral to end out the Maine section!

And no herons involved...promise, Gulls, yes. Hey, I'm incorrigible, shoot me!

This is Phil's favorite Japanese restaurant in Portland (Maine, yes). Now I know why!

The bento box lunch, 9 bucks! with incredible miso soup too..

And now to the soul food portion of our show...this is, once again, at Ocean Point. And no, it's not photoshopped, it's what my camera saw (except where I toned it down a little on a couple of the sunset shots because it was ridiculously violently colored!)

You'd think after all the wonderful food above we'd be full but it was 

hours later and who isn't hungry for bries and peapods and wine? 

Down by the river...I shot my duckie

To celebrate Susie's birthday yesterday, I took a glass of wine on a walk (it enjoyed every step too) down to the river after I got back from work. Someone else had also decided to celebrate something, as I came upon this sign at the gate. I thought it was romantic and sort of cute so of course I kept going to see what tender moment I could shatter in the complete silence. As it happened,  they were shattering it themselves, moving from rocks where I wanted to be to rocks where they believed the black and delta flies wouldn't eat them up. Perfect! I didn't have to see them, nor they me AND I got my sitting rock! And didn't get fly bit once. That time.

As I raised my glass to toast Susie I noticed a duck flying low to the water and grabbed the camera. The skiddy landing happened too fast for me, but I got a few other shots...

I was so ready for the flight of the duck...and then it happened so fast! How good to not be able to control Nature...too bad Monsanto doesn't believe the same.

This is across the Cross River (finally asked its name - but it's not really a river, even though, as the link says, it looks like a river and it's named a river, with a couple of names...

whatever one calls it, it sure is pretty to sit by and lime!)

This is the quartz in the rock that is next to my sitting rock. At that time of day 

it gets all shiny. I've tried once here in a post to show it, but I think this is better. 

Not quite there yet but close!

That color thing everyone gets

all nutty about? It's staaarrrttteeeddd!

I am going to try to get back to Free Range Friday but it's not that easy with the schedule we're currently keeping around here. Shortly we are off to Morrill to put the finishing touches on a giant garage sale of all sorts of stuff - stuff I'd buy if it was on Culebra  but can convince myself not to ship there (like those Japanese dishes...damn it). Which means no cooking again today - at least I don't think so. Which means I'd have to take photos of any meal that does get done at home and I forget to do that! But I'll try to do better... In the meantime, here is a green bean, tomato and feta recipe I hope we get to use, as we have the beans in the garden, just waiting for picking! It's simple, and it sounds delicious. I'd make it a lot simpler....do as you like! Buen provecho!

Bags aren't packed, not ready to go

I booked my ticket for Maine yesterday. Well, I actually booked my ticket for Boston, the closest big airport. And then a shuttle to...someplace I'll find out about sooner than later I expect. Someplace near or in Boothbay Harbor, where I'll be spending the summer with Laurie, working in her hot sauce/art gallery and exploring this part of the world.

Since I've lived in the Caribbean, I've never been gone longer than a month or so at a time, so the idea of leaving for a whole summer, plus an extra month to travel around the US seeing my brother and my children and grandchildren has an element of 'yikes!' to it. But Maine is beautiful, I have a few friends up there and my 95 year old aunt lives in Montreal; it will be good to see her. I'm debating taking a train out west, for the slowness of it, having not seen much of the country in the last 15 or 16 years. And despite my at times negativeness about America, it's a beautiful country in many ways and I miss road trips (I'm already ready to be back and I don't leave until June...sheesh).

Laurie's store is a combo of hot sauces and an art gallery. Just learning the hot sauces will be an experience...take a look at only PART of the store! I figure if nothing else, I'll come home with some awesome recipes for a new sauce!

photo credit: Laurie Knowlton

It looks like one of those beer bars with 89 gagillion types of beer...

For now though, it's good days in Paradox. Except for things like my (and so many others) favorite house on the waterfront being demolished...against all permits. I don't know the whole story yet but will find out as the day goes along...more later.