This photo is from our hike to Corea Beach on a very foggy Sunday. Tony, Ellie, Elizabeth with Eli in front, Raven, Scout, Ruth, Pepper and Sean. We are standing on a huge beautiful outcropping of granite. It goes on for miles with its dips and color changes. Very impressive! I couldn’t get any other photos to download because the files are “too big.” As the Wizard of Oz himself says, “I don’t understand how it works!”
I have been home for a few days now from my wonderful vacation in Maine where I happily cohabited with Sean, Elizabeth, Natalie, Tony, Ruth, Ben, Ellie, Coleen and four dogs and two cats. What a houseful! Yes, in all sorts of creative ways there was enough room for all of us and even enough coffee!
Ruth and Tony bought the place 23 years ago. They arrived on that number by subtracting how old Natalie was then from how old she is now. Very clever. It is on Bunkers Cove and quite possibly was the original log cabin for the Bunker family. I only say this because there is a very old cemetery just off the north side of the house complete with a fence, rose bushes and gravestones from the 1800’s with the Bunker family name on them.
In the years since the purchase they have added bedrooms, bathrooms and two miraculous porches. One, open with a view to Bunker Bay and one screened and windowed with another view to the bay.
It lies in a picturesque spot on the edge of Acadia National Forest. On a clear day you can just get a peek of Bar Harbor across the bay and see the multideck tour boats that frequent that lovely tourist town.
We had clear days and we had clouds and fog. We played silly games, made crafts, had lively book discussions, cookouts and hikes, large and small. I joined in on only the small ones as my foot is still healing from a recent surgery.
We swam, floated actually, in a lake so clear that you could watch the little fish nibbling at your toes. We read our books, wrote in journals and ate great food. These people are gourmands! I chopped vegies and helped with the occasional dish, but they have such a routine I found it to be more helpful just to stay out of their way!
As much as I enjoyed the company of our outstanding hosts, I wallowed in being with both of my children at the same time with no agenda. No Thanksgiving with relatives, no wedding, no obligation other than what to do that day. This is a rarity for us as we are in no way physically close to one another in our respective states and homes. Any time spent together is precious to me.
And as much as I enjoyed hanging out with both of them I enjoyed watching them hanging out together even more. Also, with no agenda they could just sit on the porch (pick a porch) chatting or take a hike or whatever their hearts and the fun group desired to do! How marvelous!
On the morning of our departure they kayaked together past the lobster boats toward Mt. Desert Island across the bay. It was a beautiful morning. The water was glass smooth, the sun shining after a previous day of fog. (See photo above.) Just about perfect. At some point as they neared the south end of the island they were joined by five adult seals, with their big heads sticking out of the water, most likely curious about those silly creatures paddling around on the surface of the sea
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And my grown up kids had a little fun adventure all of their own. It makes a mom’s heart happy.
