My Happy Place

My soul is feeling the peace of getting back to my happy place. Just now, settling in to my new environment, just as the frost is settling into the ground.
Leaving family and friends is always difficult. Leaving my folks, who aren't getting any younger is the most difficult of all. Not knowing if I'll see them again before they depart this earth. I expressed my love for them and told them I'd be back for the holidays, part of my heart was left with them.
My children and grand children know that I come and go like the wind. They know how much I love them and miss them but they also know that I need to be in the Great Land to experience the joy that the wild outdoors brings to my soul. I'll bring back stories and rocks, lots of photos and a ton of love when I go back east.
My friends don't know what to think of me, some say I'm totally crazy, some think I'm adventurous and some wonder if I'll leave one of these times and never return. Some ask what my plans are.......all I can say is, I just don't know! I'm not a planner per say, I have no idea what I'll have for lunch or dinner, never mind what I'll be doing tomorrow, next week or next year. I take each day as it comes. They ask, "What about your retirement?" WHAT??? I'm living an awesome life, and I wonder, retire from what? You only get one life and I don't want to grow old and say, golly, I wish I had done this, or traveled there. I'm living and enjoying new experiences, everyday! I never know what day it is, or what time it is, nor, do I care.
I learned to live without"things", they are not important. There's so much more to life and living, and with fewer belongings, there's a sense of freedom to come and go. There are so many interesting people to meet and share stories with. That's one of the reasons I love it here in Alaska, people enjoy life everyday. They are not caught up in what they own or worrying how they'll pay for things. Yesterday, I met a woman from Juneau, originally from Pennsylvania, who moved here in 1995 with her teenage daughter, who by the way, thought she was nuts! An attorney, she started mushing dogs in 1999 and has decided to try racing in the Iditarod. She ferried her truck, dogs, snow machine and four wheeler and is spending the winter in the mountains, alone, training for the last great race. She's 58 yrs old, put her practice aside and is living life. Can you imagine? I wish her well.
Hopefully, in this quiet place with stunning surroundings I'll be able to put my thoughts to paper. If I can inspire one person to seek their dreams, my ramblings will not be in vane.

Summer fleeting away.......

How quickly time flies when you are so busy! Work, play, sleep, visiting, hiking, swimming, playing nursemaid, building, cleaning, repairing, chatting, driving, so much to do, so little time.
Here it is the middle of August, the nights are getting shorter, although not as cool as I'd like them to be. All the fun ideas for the summer, camping, hiking, playing didn't happen, somehow time passed in a blur without those thoughts coming to fruition.
I think in terms of years now, not weeks or months. Life seems to be spinning faster and faster. Children are growing older, getting taller, much smarter and I'm loving them more each day. I miss the babies I get to see oh, so infrequently. I miss the smiles, the new accomplishments, the cute phrases that come from their innocent mouths. I miss their tiny chubby legs and puggy fingers, and inquisitive bright eyes.

Getting older is not it's all cracked up to be.......all the wishes in the world can't slow down the aging process, much to our dismay. I savor every day and thank the power that is, for all my blessings. I'm so very lucky! Healthy, loving family, great friends and incredible jobs that seem to fall in my lap. I believe everything happens for a reason and you must take advantage of every opportunity, no matter how strange, or far fetched. Life is here to be lived to the fullest, it's such a short ride!

The Morning Light

Woke up this morning at 4:15. After making a pot of coffee and checking email, I noticed out of the corner of my eye, the sun making it's debut. They say "red sky in the morn, sailor be warned." It is one of those mornings. I sat in awe as the sun lit up the clouds with bright red rays, and thought I should go out to the car and get my camera and take some photos, but... I was too lazy.
The rays were getting brighter and brighter and I couldn't turn away. Hurrying, I put my boots on, thinking I've missed a great opportunity. I got the camera out of the car and headed up the back hill. Of course, by this time most of the red had disappeared, a reminder that minutes truly count. The sun was rising above the clouds. The smell of the cool morning air is so invigorating. I headed up over the hill and into the pasture. The morning dew on the hay field was seeping through my sweat pants up over my knees, and felt really cold on my legs but I didn't mind. It's all part of the big picture and I just breathe it all in, and thank the powers that be, for allowing me to be "in the moment."
As I turned to head back to the house, I noticed the neighbors out in their garden, enjoying the predawn air, coffee in hand. I'm not the only early riser!
It is the start of a great day!

Photographs and Memories.......

Photography is not only a hobby, but my passion. Photos help, along with stories to share wonderful times and places with family and friends.
On Friday, June 5th, 2009, my Grand daughter Anna and I spent the morning hiking at Moose Point State Park in Searsport, Maine. It was a glorious day, and with a little chill in the air, it was perfect. Anna and I wore our wind breakers, and arrived at the park by 9:15AM. We pulled up to the toll house at the park entrance and the Ranger asked if we were Maine residents, yes, I said. She then asked if Anna (who just turned ten) was under the age of five. Oh boy, that was not cool! I told the ranger that Anna was very proud to have just celebrated her "10th" birthday. The charge was two dollars for me, and one for Anna.
Three dollars, a bargain as far as I was concerned. To have a day walking through the woods, along the Maine coast with my Grand daughter was heaven to me. Anna was totally insulted that she would have been mistaken for someone under the age of five! After all, she was closer to being a teenager than a "kid" under five years old. "Did she look like a five year old" she asked? I explained that they asked all children their age ........She didn't buy it. It seemed to be on her mind for the rest of the day.
After loading my backpack with water, camera lens, and snacks, we headed down the path to the point. It's not a very long walk, but a truly beautiful one. The park is meticulously kept by my good friend, Julie, who works endlessly to keep the park looking pristine. Wild flowers are everywhere, including Lady Slippers, one of my favorites. Anna spied the flowers first and asked what they were. The flowers were shielded by a wire cage and Anna asked why? I explained it was to protect the flowers from being trampled or picked. She bent down to examine them closely and quietly as if the flowers could hear, proclaimed "they were the most beautiful". I wanted to take a photo and carefully lifted the chicken wire over the flowers. I snapped a few pictures and carefully replaced the wire and Anna told me she would replace the sticks that were securing the cage to the ground. She was so gentle.....I could tell the memory of that flower would remain with her for a long time.

Next to the Lady Slippers were some tiny yellow flowers, they almost looked as if they belonged to the orchid family. I'll have to look them up.

We walked on, Anna kept peeking through the trees at the water below, just itching to get down to the waters edge. We walked past the largest tree in the park, listed as over one hundred years old, Anna stopped to admire it. I truly believe Anna is an "Old Soul", appreciating with her entire being, the truly beautiful things in life.
As we walked past two trees that were close together, Anna stopped and said, "Look Gram, this tree is hugging the other, it's holding it up." I filled up with tears.......

We came to the point, there's a huge granite outcropping that cascades down to the waters edge. Anna exclaimed, "I love this place, look at all the rocks!"


As we climbed down the rocky ledge, Anna asked what the pink flower was that was growing out of the face of the rocks. I told her it was a beach rose and that we would be seeing a lot more of them as we walked back along the rocky coast.

So many things to see, like the lobster boat that was chugging by. I told Anna to wave to the folks and they returned two handed waves, much to Anna's delight.

The water was so calm and Anna's eyes were darting everywhere. She found a tidal pool and schooched (I know it's not in the dictionary) down to see what she could find. Snails, seaweed, a few small dead crabs and small chunks of granite that glistened in the water, Anna picked them up to show me.



She was so excited about finding "pretty rocks"and filled her pockets until her pants started to fall down. She asked if she could put them in my backpack and I knew what this would entail. (Anyone who knows me, knows that everywhere I go, I bring back, bags and bags of rocks. I must have at least a ton stored at different locations.) At least Anna was choosing marble sized rocks, they wouldn't be so heavy. She also asked if she could bring her Mom a prize, a small smooth piece of driftwood the size of a twelve inch ruler. Yes, she's a collector. It is in our family DNA. My Mom, both sisters, one of three brothers and I, collect rocks, driftwood, shells, salted sea glass, etc. Anna was hooked and I can proudly say, I didn't pick up even "one" rock! I was having so much fun watching and photographing Anna that it truly never crossed my mind.


As we walked back along the water, the rocks became more jagged and stepping from rock to rock was more precarious. Anna and I were a little concerned about slipping and falling, especially with Anna's broken arm. We glanced up at the cliff side and decided that climbing up the rock face would not be prudent, and carefully made our way around the next bend. The tide was going out, at least we didn't have to worry about that. The rock formations were amazing, we took our time and talked about each design, and how amazing Mother Nature is.


As we came around the bend, Anna got all excited and said "Look at all the driftwood", I started to laugh. We sat and had a snack and some water and talked about how lucky we were to be able to enjoy our surroundings. Anna loves being outside and wonders why some people stay in the house all the time. I agreed, there's just too much to see!
Anna spied designs someone had meticulously carved into one of the driftwood trees. I asked if she'd like to put her name on it also. I gave her my car keys and she sat and worked for quite a while. The smile on her face when she was done was priceless! Some people may not approve of me letting her carve her initials, but it's driftwood, and the next high tide will roll the log around and the carving will slowly disappear. We would never think of carving anything into a live tree, so not to worry.

After sitting for a while, we decided it was time to head back home. We hiked up over a few huge rocks and made it back to the trail. After a short walk, we made it to the car. Anna unpacked her peanut butter and jelly sandwich and shared it with me, it's been a while since I've had peanut butter and jelly. I have to say it tasted pretty darn good! A stop at Dairy Queen on the way home topped off a wonderful day, out in the sunshine with my precious Grand daughter, enjoying all life has to offer and making precious memories that will last a lifetime.

Fixation with frogs?

What makes a person fixate on a particular subject? It seems I go in spurts, lately it has been the beach, rocks, shoes, and frogs!
Frogs..... Maybe it's because the frogs have been startling me as I walk by the ponds, and obviously I startle them, as they quickly dive into the water. I freeze, spotting another, resting on an old lily pad, with it's large eyes glistening in the sun. I raise the camera and focus, and plop, it's gone! I'm patient, and as still as a statue, I wait, and sure enough, I see the eyes pop through the surface of the pond and I snap the photo.
Today, my Grand Daughter Anna, asked if I would walk down to the pond at the bottom of the hill, in her back yard, with her and her friend. They wanted to see if they could capture a frog or tadpole with the small nets with long red handles they were toting.



I said sure, and grabbed my camera, put on my green Muck boots and off we went. The pond is quite deep and I was a little nervous about the girls getting too close to the edge and mentioned: "That if they fell in, they were on their own, due to the fact, I would be too busy, snapping pictures of the whole event". They became quite cautious!



While the girls were screaming about the small fish that were darting back and forth, there on the brown floating reeds from last year, was a nice big green frog, just sitting there begging me to take his portrait.

I was afraid to take my eyes off the girls and took a couple of quick shots of the accommodating frog. The girls spied the frog and reached with their nets, splashing them down, at least six feet from where the little guy was sunning himself. PLOP, and he was gone. I could see tad poles swimming to the surface, gobbling the bugs that were sitting on the water, then quickly diving back down to the bottom. The girls caught two tadpoles and had them in a bucket. My four year old grandson came running down the hill, and I knew there would be issues, James has no fear and would want to get right up to the edge of the pond. I tried to convince the girls it was time to head back up to the house. While walking through the knee high grass, little James, flushed a Mallard hen, obviously sitting on a nest. James froze, and I explained there must be a nest and that we had to be extremely careful not to step on it. Just one foot in front of James was the nest, snuggled in the deep grass, hidden from the crows and nest robbers.



We counted eleven eggs. I took a few snap shots so James could show his Mom and Dad. We made our way up the hill, hoping we hadn't scared the mother duck too badly. The wild strawberry blossoms were everywhere as well as the small white bell shaped flowers of the wild Maine blueberry. What a great place for children. My daughter Heather and her friend Susan, tell stories of me "forcing" them to pick the wild strawberries for hours on end when they were young. In reality, it was only a request, to keep them occupied and it was only two cups, to make a batch of wild strawberry jam, that they couldn't wait to try. Funny, how life comes around. Here I am, enjoying the same things with my grandchildren, that I used to do with my children and loving every moment.



As we came to the top of the hill and up the garden steps, I looked down into the small frog pond in the garden, and there on the edge was a small brown toad, just waiting for his picture to be taken.

A Frosty Morning Walk

On Wednesday, May 13th, I awoke to the bright eastern predawn glow through the french doors of my second floor bedroom. The soft light gently waking me to a view of thick mist hanging over the meadow. A few minutes later with my eyes fully awake and taking in the quiet that was clearly visible, I quickly rose, dressed, grabbed my camera and jacket and left for a morning photo shoot.

Off to Ruffingham Meadow. The water was like glass and the mist hung softly near the shoreline. A perfect reflection of the tree line was mirrored on either side of the mist and there wasn't a sound. The birds were still huddled in their nest keeping their newly hatched babies warm.

According to the thermometer in the car, it was thirty four degrees. I drove further down the road, parked the car, donned my boots and walked into the woods, one of my favorite places to be. The sun was now above the horizon and the frost on the new leaves, wild strawberries plants, and fiddlehead ferns was beginning to melt. Bending down to get close up photos of the ice crystals, I could watch as the tender fiddlehead sprouts wilted as the sun warmed them, they were doomed, sad, but all part of natures way.

The birds began to sing their morning songs, chirping away, flittering here and there, looking for tasty morsels to bring back to the fledglings anxiously awaiting their buggy breakfast. I walked past a beaver lodge, and obviously they were sound asleep, there wasn't a ripple anywhere to be seen. I climbed over the hill and through a wild raspberry patch, the thorns catching my jeans,. I had to stop and carefully pick the thorny branches out of my leg, ouch! I thought about a place I used to go to bow hunt. A natural rock formation at the top of the hill that formed a perfectly comfortable arm chair. I remember leaving a padded heated seat, wrapped in a plastic trash bag there years ago and wondered if it was still there. When I arrived at the spot, the rock formation was still there. The heated seat was gone, and trees and bushes obscured the view of the swamp and field that I had so long ago watched as the white tailed deer grazed in the early morn.

Looking to the north over the tops of the brush, I could see the tall dead tree on the next ridge, I was excited to get there. Climbing over rocks, dead trees, and through the thick alder clumps, I found a small deer trail. I followed the trail across the bottom land, sometimes having to circumnavigate the swampy area and then take a right, heading up the hill, through an area that had burned about ten years ago. The fire had started by a lightening strike and with luck, the smoke had been spotted early by a neighbor and the fire department, quickly extinguished it with Indian tanks. Although there were still signs of the fire, new growth was now about five feet tall and lichen was growing on the dead falls.
Reaching the tall dead tree at the top of the ridge, I climbed on the huge granite rock, with a flat top that sits to the left of the dead tree. I've spent many hours on that rock taking in the view to the south east. I could see the Northport and Camden hills from there. On many occasions I've camped there alone, under the full moon in two feet of snow and had my morning tea sitting on that granite rock, streaked with quartz, watching the sunrise, contemplating just how very lucky I am, just to be.............alone, in the Maine woods, my sanctuary.

Aiming for the Stars

It's been raining off and on all week here in southern New England, leaving lot's of time for day dreaming and planning future adventures. Family members mention their "Bucket List" over dinner, and I always ask......What's on your "Bucket List"? It occurred to me that I should take the time to write down what I would like to accomplish before I leave this earth! So here's my wish list, and although it is no where near complete, the list includes chapters in a book yet to be written. I'm aiming for the stars!

Spend three weeks hiking Cusco and Machu Picchu, Peru

Work for a year in Antarctica

Publish a book about my Alaska adventures

Organize my 35,000 photos (YIKES)

Spend some time in the desert in the fall

Do more fly fishing

Acquire a good used commercial bread mixer

Teach my Grandchildren about the wild outdoors

Live off the grid

ME