autumn reflection

Trees are still wearing a cloak of color as autumn days grow shorter.

end of season

Wilted, faded, transitioned to brown... end of season flower remnants are still beautiful.

in transition

Oak leaves are in transition, wearing colors ranging from green to orange.

a tree-lined path

I was heading for the Jesup Path in Acadia National Park. My approach route on this day was a little different; I walked down what I think is part of the Hemlock Trail.

The trail was lined in white birch trees, a wonderful treat for the eyes!

welcome Baxter

Baxter, a dachshund wearing an age of about 9 years, joined the household of Mom, Suze, and Gracie (the cat!) on October 16, 2015. He agreed to pose for a few photos.

Baxter told me that he hopes he can fill the very large dog shoes that Bailey left behind. I think he's doing a good job so far.

More photos of my first day with Baxter can be viewed in the gallery welcome Baxter!

through the window

The setting sun painted the clouds in pink as I waited for a flight at Logan Airport.

before the freeze

Early in October flowers were starting to fade, still providing pops of color.

rocks and reflection

The Schoodic Peninsula is a favorite destination of mine when I'm visiting Acadia National Park.

This clear view of rocks and reflections stood out on a very foggy day.

a sea of clouds

As the end of daylight approached, a layer of clouds started to build below the summit of Cadillac Mountain. The setting sun colored the sky, providing an accent for the wonderful sea of clouds.

photos! Midcoast to Downeast Maine

Photos from my autumn wanders in Maine are loaded into galleries, ready for viewing. Start with the top level gallery Midcoast to Downeast Maine :: 2015-10 or click on the photos below to enter a specific gallery.

Acadia, and... autumn 2015:

following a jagged coastline:

Interested in words too? You can find my ramblings in the blog entries tagged Acadia 2015-10.

impressionist reflection

Autumn colors create impressionist paintings when reflected in pools of water.

along a quiet trail in Acadia National Park

moody Schoodic

I was happy to visit the Schoodic Peninsula on a foggy day. I loved the moody nature of the space, fog gracing the landscape.

on a rock

Even though I like traveling it's good to be home again.

I thought I'd share a photo of Blue and me on the Schoodic Peninsula. Denise really likes it there, and I do too. There are lots of big rocks to bounce between, that's fun!

--- Rover

freeze watch

I was still working this afternoon when my Band vibrated and my phone called for my attention. The National Weather Service had just issued a freeze watch for tomorrow night. Oh! It feels much too early for temperatures this cold!

The freeze watch is in effect from late Saturday night through Sunday morning with temperatures predicted bo be in the upper 20s to lower 30s. Brr...

home again

After a last walk along the rocky coastline in Acadia this morning I headed for home. It was a good trip, a nice break from my normal routine. As always, I left the park with the knowledge that I will return again.

a painting in leaves, along a trail in Acadia National Park

little wanders

Today was a day of little wanders (until the end of the day, that is!).

Our first walk was on the Great Head Trail. I think most people start that trail from Sand Beach but we started on the other side of the head, not too far from Schooner Head. We walked, we stopped and looked then walked some more. I liked the view!

Our next trail was the short Schooner Head Trail. There were some spots where we wandered off of the trail to bounce closer to the ocean to get better views. The first photo below is from one of those step off of the trail times.

When we were done at Schooner Head we hopped into the car and drove a little ways to a side of the road start of a trail. We wandered down a few of those, looking for and finding hidden color.

Then, Denise decided she wanted to repeat yesterday afternoon's rainy walk, to see the same path in different light. We also did the walk as a loop instead of an out-and-back like yesterday. At the end of our longer than planned last walk of the day I checked Denise's Band and found that she had walked 11 miles. Wow! No surprise that she said her feet are tired!

Oh! We weren't quite finished since we had to walk down to the water to see if the setting sun was creating any interesting patterns.

It was a another good day.

--- Rover

at Schooner Head, Acadia National Park


ferns in autumn brown, trees wearing mixed colors

pop!

Rain followed me from the Schoodic Peninsula back to Bar Harbor. The rain gave me a reason for a mid-day rest. When the rain got lighter I headed out again with rain gear for me and for my camera bag. Luckily my camera doesn't mind playing in (somewhat) wet conditions.

My walking destination was the Jesup Path in Acadia. I walked down some quiet Bar Harbor roads to start, then crossed into the park and hopped onto the trail. Not far from the beginning of the trail I came to a spot where I just had to stop and stare. The pop of color was simply amazing.

mysterious Schoodic

It was foggy this morning, with the forecast calling for rain. Denise decided we needed to head to the Schoodic Peninsula; she said that she would keep her fingers crossed for some wandering time before the rain started.

Fog was with us for most of the drive to Schoodic. There were a couple of places where is seemed to lift but it always came back again.

We reached the tip of the peninsula and walked out on the rocks, stopping in awe at the quiet beauty. Denise spent some time chatting with another woman who was also standing, absorbing the beauty. She was a painter who was participating in an Artist Retreat at the Schoodic Institute. Ah, that's why we have been seeing so many artists with easels painting at different locations in the park!

There was a section of rocks that was covered by resting sea gulls. We didn't walk too close to there so we didn't disturb the birds - but we circled to a point where we could see the rolling waves just past that section of rocks. The water was full of birds floating in the surf, so wonderful.

Schoodic is beautiful in any weather. The fog today gave it a feeling of mystery.

--- Rover

sunset

Sunset today was at 5:54 PM. That seems really early, doesn't it?

We stopped wandering this afternoon a little earlier than usual. That's because Denise thought it would be good to stop for some food and a little rest before we headed back into the park to watch the setting sun color the sky.

The top of Cadillac Mountain was our first destination. We walked the loop at the top, then dropped down to the next parking area. We left the car and walked a little further down the mountain, stopping to watch low clouds move in below us. The sun dropped into the clouds, painting the sky.

--- Rover

in the garden

After completing the circle of Park Loop Road I decided to drive another loop on the eastern side of the island, heading to Asticou Azalea Garden in Northeast Harbor.

The garden wore a nice mix of greens and autumn colors.

loops

Today was a day of loops. We drove a loop by following Park Loop Road, and we walked a loop too.

Our walking loop was in the middle of the driving loop. We started walking at Sand Beach, following a path along the coast until we found the start of the Gorham Mountain Trail. We turned inland on that trail, heading up and up. When we reached the high point of the mountain we continued moving in the same direction, heading down a different trail until we were back at Sand Beach again.

The sky was pure blue for most of the day. Denise always likes to see clouds decorating the blue but the weather wizard clearly wasn't listening to her request today. It sounds we may lose the blue tomorrow; the weather forecast calls for a 50% chance of showers. Hmm...

The colors here don't seem to have peaked yet. It seems a bit odd though because there is a mixture of green and color, some bright, some tinged with brown. When we were on the down part of the trail, walking through the woods, Denise just stopped walking and stood looking at the leaves for a while. I was bouncing ahead on the trail but I came back when she stopped. The leaves in that section were wearing bright yellows and oranges, very pretty.

--- Rover

a view from high on Gorham Mountain

a drive and a wander

Today's drive was a little longer than planned because I convinced Denise we should exit the highway in Augusta and head towards the coast on back roads. I wanted to look at the splashes of color in the leaves and I thought a 2-lane road gave me better sight lines. It was a really pretty drive.

After we drove over the Penobscot Narrows Bridge we looked for a road that would take us out one of the jagged fingers of the Maine coastline, across the very narrow bridge to Deer Isle, then on to Stonington. It seemed like a longer drive than I remembered but Denise thought it felt the same as the last time we drove it. Once we arrived in Stonington we walked along the coast for a bit, looking out at islands of rock and at lots of boats anchored in the harbor. I think I did a good job of finding safe spots for Denise to put her feet when she was walking over the rocks that were exposed as the tide was heading out.

Just before the road jumped onto the bridge from Deer Isle back to the mainland I noticed a park on the side of the road. It didn't take much convincing the get Denise to stop there - we were able to walk under the bridge! I thought that was very cool.

When we were finished walking (carefully) under the bridge we headed to Bar Harbor and our home away from home for the next few nights.

We're staying at the Holland Inn. The bear who lives in our room is a friend; I always enjoy catching up with him! We quickly moved into our room, then headed to the water. Low tide today was just about when we arrived so we took advantage of the tide time to walk to Bar Island.

--- Rover

in Stonington, Maine

constructed gull

I find it interesting to look at the art that decorates houses. A sea gull constructed of wood and rusty pieces of metal was on a small house sitting on the edge of the harbor in Stonington, Maine.

two peninsulas

Oh! I think I forgot to tell you that we had October plans to wander in Maine. Yesterday we drove to Yarmouth, and tomorrow we will finish our drive in Bar Harbor for a bit of a play at Acadia National Park.

Today was quite chilly and windy. I need some new photos of me from this trip but I just knew today wasn't the right day since I don't want to inadvertently end up in the ocean! Today Blue and I stayed warm in Denise's camera bag; maybe tomorrow will be a day to bounce on the rocks next to Denise. What? Of course we poked our heads out! We needed to be a part of this wander too.

It was a two peninsula day.

We started by driving the Reid State Park. The wind was howling when we popped out of the car and the air was really cold. Denise was wearing layers and layers and layers. She said she was warm enough, especially if she kept moving. We walked mostly on the rocks by the ocean with just a bit of sandy beach walking. It was high tide, lots of water!

As we drove and walked we saw patches of brightly colored leaves.

Later in the day we went to the tip of the Phippsburg Peninsula. I thought we were going to jump out at Popham Beach but we drove to the end of the road, popping out of the car at the Fort Popham State Historic Site just before low tide. We walked down the beach, stopping to enjoy the beautiful sights.

--- Rover

in Reid State Park


late day light on the Phippsburg Peninsula

on the wall

I found this green creature hanging out on the wall this morning.

dahlia delight

The days are growing shorter, the air is cooling. The season is jumping away from summer but there are still some delightful flowers decorating the landscape.

a time to say goodbye

Oh Bailey, we're going to miss you!

Bailey joined the family early in 2005. He was 4 years old, and there was a bit of adapting to be done on the part of my father since he really wanted a puppy. Bailey was very lucky that (my sister) Suze found him and convinced my mom to adopt him; we were all lucky to know him.

He was very attached to my mom - I'm sure he thought she was his mom.

Like all of the dachshunds I've met he was a bit of a food hound. His dog food provided nourishment but he liked people food too. I'll never forget him at breakfast asking to share my banana!

Today it was time to say goodbye to Bailey, a dog who always brought a smile to the day.

a pop of red

Berries provide a bright splash of color on a gray and wet day.

leaf posing

I was happy that this bright red maple leaf to agree to pose for me.

faded

Some flowers are still bright but as cooler temperatures prevail many are showing faded petals.

to Tower Hill

Yesterday's forecast was for cool temperatures and wet conditions, with the chance of rain pegged at 50%. I chose to wander anyway, heading to the Tower Hill Botanic Garden. A light rain was falling during most of my visit; I was wearing a good rain jacket, and my camera didn't mind a bit of wet.

The gardens continued to serve as home for late blooming flowers and for ready to harvest vegetables. The trails in the woods were quiet but nicely walkable. For the most part trees are still wearing green with occasional splashes of red.

More photos from yesterday's wander can be seen in the gallery
Tower Hill Botanic Garden - 2015 starting with this photo and ending here.

subtle changes

While there are a few maples showing bright red, green still predominates as you look across the landscape. Some trees wear a more subtle set of colors in their autumn transition.

reaching

A flower, reaching for the sky...