Panama, Canada, Switzerland, Italy,
the French West Indies,
Indiana, Germany, England,
New England, New York, New Jersey
California, Washington, DC, Vegas,
the Carolinas, Georgia, Louisiana, and Oregon,
Texas Texas Texas!
Illinois, Missouri, Ohio,
PA, VA, LA, FLA
Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware,
Maryland, Tennessee, Virginia,
Arizona, West Virginia, Minnesota…

Kentucky, Scotland, Tennessee

And counting…

But, before I continue lamenting (and you all groan at the sound of the violins tuning up) I do have some highlights from the past month or so.

The 4^th of July: once again, I made my initial ocean-swimming splash of the summer on the weekend of the 4th. Twice. Fireworks were a smashing success this year, as was the weekend as a whole.

Father’s Day weekend: our family went up to the spectacular Baxter State Park. Ayuh, it’s a good piece up into Northern Maine, but worth the drive. And baby made his first splash ever into South Branch Pond.  The only disappointment was not seeing a moose.

The Harbor Arts Festival is in Camden this weekend.  I’m excited to cruise the booths tomorrow after work.

Okay, back to work!

–Elizabeth

I don’t really have a good sequitur into this picture I took by the Camden Yacht Club on my Sunday morning jog…I just think it’s utterly irresistable!

But last week on an afternoon walk I decided it was official.  The grass is vibrantly green, tulips are everywhere, and the forsythias are bursting.   The aforementioned star magnolia trees are beyond gorgeous, certainly not winter parading about in spring’s clothing.  So there we have it, spring, and it came a month early: love it!  This week, I feel like I could take a whole new set of photos: trees have leaves!  fiddleheads are unfurling!  boats are in the harbor, and schooner crews are here, already working on the pre-season punchlists.

And because I cannot resist a corny pun lately, I’ll end by saying there’s certainly an extra spring in everyone’s step this year…

-Elizabeth

Watch this to feel like you’re the toboggan’s front-man and click here for a Down East writer’s competition and costume experience.

As usual, I end my post ruminating on how lucky I am to live in such a cool place…Next year, you can be sure I’ll be reporting from the Snow Bowl live!

As you might imagine, the holiday season is feeling extra special for me this year–my family has NEVER taken so many Thanksgiving pictures (I’m not sure we’ve really ever taken any, come to think of it). One of my favorite Camden holiday traditions is the star on Mt. Battie. This giant lit star sits on the top of Mt. Battie’s tower. It’s lit on Thanksgiving night and every night through the new year. Remarkably, the generator has been fired up by hand each night for forty years, through all kinds of Maine weather. You can see the structure of the star in one of my pictures below. Most nights it’s impossible to see the outline of Mt. Battie, therefore our star often looks magically suspended in the sky, twinkling over our beautiful town.

The day following both storms was bright and brilliant, allowing everyone to enjoy the fresh snow (or, if “enjoy” is overstating things, at least shovel in the sunshine). I’m pleased to say that even with a new baby, I was able to get out and do a little easy winter hiking. The key is, of course, dressing for the weather and taking it slow. The pictures below depict my adventures: after the first storm we walked up the Mt. Battie road; we did Bald Rock after the second storm.

Finally, a reader asked a few months ago for some kid-friendly ideas for her visit…now, instead of having only word-of-mouth knowledge–and the somewhat dusty memories from my childhood–I’ll have some first-hand info. Stay tuned for a “Activities for Kids” page in the future!

Happy Holidays!
-Elizabeth

While there’s still a lot going on, it’s now quiet enough to hear the leaves crunching underneath our feet, and traffic has thinned out, both on the streets and in the harbor. Only a few boats remain, and our beloved schooners are wrapped in plastic, ready for hibernation. There’s also the palpable anticipation for the first snow…coming…??? Stay tuned. It’s been falling all around us, but so far none in Camden!

Once again I found myself on Beauchamp Point, enjoying a glorious Sunday afternoon bike ride. The first three pictures below are of Rockport Harbor–the lighthouse in the distance is Indian Island Light. The other three pictures were taken from a friend’s deck in the back of her store–too beautiful not to share!

-Elizabeth

I love talking to people.  I almost always ask folks where they’re from, and I usually like to know the circumstances around their visit to Maine and specifically Camden.  I also like to know how their visit is going.  And like a proud parent who desires for their child to be seen in the most positive light, I prefer to ask that question on our more resplendent days.  Those days I feel confident and satisfied before they even answer, perhaps even a touch smug: Camden is, after all, about as charming and picturesque as a coastal New England town can be.  I’m a bit more relaxed when conversing with seasoned visitors–they don’t seem to be as concerned about what the weather may or may not be doing.  Usually they’ve found their personal reasons to come back to Maine each year, regardless of what mother nature has in store for us.

As for the couple from Minnesota: I followed up their question with a few of my own in order to zero in on how they define a good vacation and what they might like to do.  Being a native, I happen to know that our area has no shortage of activities to suit just about anyone’s personal definitions (…unless one is looking for a taste of big city, I suppose…).  After learning that they’d been up hiking in Acadia National Park, I knew to direct them to our most spectacular nearby hikes and some casual dining spots with delicious views.  I hope they had a good few days here!