Hi all-- blogging is too tempting-- just blah blah blah all one want! Mine aren't nearly as erudite as Miriam's!

Just an update on leaving Maine-- the last week was so much fun-- saw neighbor kids in productions of Seussical the Musical and a concert of Pandemonium, the kids' branch of Schoodic Steel-- steel pan band-- you haven't llived until you've seen a lot of white old fogies whanging away enthusiastically--and well-- on steel pans, a form of music closely associated with the lively, lovely people of the Caribbean, not with Downeast Maine....

But Monday of that week I took in a concert of 32 players of steel pans, called Flash in the Pan (the groups are very prone to puns for names...) all but 1 of which were well over 40--that concert took place alongside one of Downeast's pretttiest places, the Tidal Falls in Sullivan--which is just what it says it is-- "falls" or very rapid rapids over rocks that change direction as the tide goes in and out. There is a small Conservancy park overlooking the falls, and a Maine-typical pine encrusted island complete with lighthouse in the middle of the river of the falls. The evening I was there, the moon was full and the sky clear, so the combination of full moon on the tide rushing in, the island, the park and the tent full of pan players and audience was intoxicating.

Visuals were a big part of my last week. On the Thursday before I left--Aug. 6---my forester completed clearing the marsh in front of my house of alders, clearing the view to lovely Tunk Stream and making a wide park-like expanse that now runs across four large properties. It is spectacular and something I was not sure could be accomplished so soon! I was especially happy that Forrest the forester could do it, as my shoulders and other muscles were beginning to resent my efforts at clearing 3-5 inche trees with large loppers.....

And on Friday the 7th, as I finished up last minute yard jobs like cutting down burdock plants that were literally the size of small trees ( burdocks are those sticky burrs in the shape of little balls that stick to everything when you are out walking-- awful--one time in Wausau, Lily got into a whole thicket of dried ones and was literally velcroed to herself!! She could not move an inch--fell over on the ground and gazed imploringly at me!!) that were growing at the edge of my lawn. It had been a typical Maine day of off again on again sunshine and clouds with breezes-- actually a beautiful day, punctuated by misty rain now and then. All of a sudden I looked up and saw a COMPLETE double rainbow ending right in Steuben. My pot of gold!! Neighbors Ray and Joan were out too and we all admired it.

I had the good fortune to meet one more neighbor before I left-- a lady who owns two houses on Village Road, actually--one huge two-story L shaped one near the highway in not-very good outside condition, and a second in our gathering of houses that mirrors the one being fixed up-- a Greek Revival Cape style, but that one has the ell (the added room typical of so many New England houses) and then the barn, also attached to the ell, making it a classic New England house. It is apparently in nearly original condition, with original fireplaces and all. She is a very nice lady and was thrilled to meet me and the new neighbors, the Roddas. Mr. Rodda explained that they were delighted to move to a place where neighbors talk to each other since at their old house, near the town of Milbridge, they knew none of the neighbors on their road and had made almost no friends. My housewarming gift to them was a large pot of hens and chicks (those succulent plants that look like rosettes) , which grow in profusion along my stone stairway at the back of my house.

So Saturday the 8th, I packed dog, cats and a lot of stuff into my trusty Honda and set off for Boston to have late lunch with Merm.

I traveled a different way, turning off north from west-bound route 1, towards Bangor--and was rewarded with a sight no one should miss: a full, unblemished view of all of Mt. Desert Island--all the mountains--and the bay between it and the mainland-- simply breathtaking. Words pale-- and I don't have a good enough camera to catch that. The rest of the way to Bangor included many other views of mountains all over Maine and lakes and inlets as well-- really a gorgeous drive.

Other than one cat barf, the trip was uneventful and I found Merm at our favorite Super 88, a huge Asian food market and food court, where we love to lunch. We had soup and other goodies while we caught up on her last couple of weeks in Boston and I was much relieved to find her ready to go and excited for her work. She had been, as her blog says, much saddened to leave friends, hospital and Northampton when I saw her in DC in mid-July.

After lunch I hit the glorious Clear Flour Bakery, an artisan bakery in Brookline where all of Boston livers used to shop for unimaginably good European-style baked goods. I loaded up on Italian rustic bread and hit the road--spent the night in Southington, which my girls and Jer will remember as our usual stoppover on trips to the island. It was a crappy motel, but cheap and took dogs and cats no problem. My kitties and Lily are terrific travelers, except the cats dislike the transitioning from cage to motel and back again. Lily, on the otherhand LOVES motels--she loves leaping from bed to bed and running up and down the halls-- she always tries to go upstairs, too-- we must have done that once, but I don't remember!!

Sunday we took route 80- through mid-PA and stopped briefly at the Delaware Water Gap -- a state and national forest --and a gorgeous place, though it was foggy and buggy and made for a challenging picnic.... then on through central PA to Baltimore and home--listening to a mystery story I missed the turn onto Georgia avenue!!

My apartment was clean and nice-- tenants took pretty good care of all--plants wanted attention but weren't dead, thank goodness and the difficult neighbors next door have been finally evicted.

Next blog-- starting work!

To thank my peerless neighbors for all their help, I baked a cherry pie for the Martins (they said they had never HAD cherry pie...!!) because Ray helped me cut down so many cherry trees, and chocolate cake for their family and the Lipskys across the road with the cute 4 children. All enjoyed the sweets.