Side Tracked to Maine!

*if you like pictures, click on them to see them all but ... the best are at the bottom!*

Sometimes you just need to get away. Living alone, one would think that you wouldn't need to get away, well, I did. When I woke up Friday morning and looked ahead to a weekend filled with ... nothing, I decided to choose something different. I chose a weekend full of something but had no idea what that something would be ....

Friday morning, I tossed a bunch of clothes in a suitcase and jumped in the car. After work, I made a phone call or two and decided to head north to Boothbay Harbor, Maine and visit my cousin at the Welchhouseinn.com . It is run by my cousin Susan and her husband Michael ... you will not find finer people on this good earth! 

The Inn is a wonderful place atop a hill just outside downtown Boothbay Harbor. There is much to do in this little Maine town if you wish to hang around. We had a lovely set of appetizers at McSeagulls.biz and I enjoyed a great view of the harbor at night from the Inn's rooftop deck.

Saturday morning, I left the Inn and ventured north without a clue where I was going or how far. I set my sights on Acadia National Park but my photographer's eye kept stopping me. I've always been fascinated with Cat-o-nine tails and loved how they loose their fur. I took the following two pictures somewhere north of Boothbay Harbor from a beaver pond. The Maine ponds, streams and lakes are incredible this time of year as they start to transform into ice rinks!

Who says that the northern climes have no color in winter? These little flowers were fighting for sunlight and got rewarded.

Bridges have always fascinated me. I posted something similar to the picture below on Facebook and wondered if other people knew that Maine could have such a gorgeous bridge ... of course, everyone on Facebook knew about this bridge and now I know. In this case, I liked the symmetry between the tree, the old bridge and the new bridge.

I got up to Acadia National Park in Maine and frankly put ... everything was closed up for the winter. There were very few vacancies and I was considering turning around and heading back to the Welch House Inn. Suddenly, I saw this pond. The reflection of the clouds in the water reminded me of growing up in Wilmington and exploring the ponds and streams there.

Venturing further on, I stumbled upon a babbling brook. I can't tell you the name but I grabbed my tripod and camera and hustled as the sun was setting! The pictures below are fast becoming some of my favorites already!

A stone bridge crossed over the brook and yet below it, the streaming water thundered by.

Darker and darker, I rounded the corner and stumbled into another pond reflecting the end of the day.

Pitch dark and I found myself walking along the paths with only my phone for a flashlight. Sounds echoed in the silence that is the woods without super highways all around you. Fear gripped me for the briefest moment. I thought "Lions, Tigers, and Bears" and chuckled. I heard a noise to my left and held still. Real concern crossed my mind. It was a rabbit. Relaxed again, I attempted some night pictures that didn't come out very well and headed toward my car. I reached my car under moonlight and let her warm up. Looking at the gps, home was only 3 hours away and soon I was cruising at 75 on one of America's great noisy road systems.

I hope you've enjoyed the pictures ... leave a comment if you like.