to Schoodic

I wasn't sure where we were going to wander today. Denise always needs to visit the Schoodic Peninsula; I thought we might be going there tomorrow. But - we went today!

Our day started with a drive back to the mainland and a turn onto route 1 north (which I think looks like it is heading east!) to head to the next peninsula. Then we followed a 2-lane road to the tip of the Schoodic Peninsula where we hopped out of the car to wander on the rocks.

I did a little bit of bouncing on the rocks but then I jumped back into Denise's camera bag to keep Blue company. It was kind of chilly with the temperature in the high 40s and the wind was howling. I was afraid I would get blown away - and the camera bag was nice and toasty. Blue and I both popped our heads out so we could kind of explore from Denise's back.

Denise was surprised that some of the pools of water on the rocks were much smaller than they were the last time we visited. These pools are no where near where the tide reaches. I've always wondered where the water comes from if it's not the ocean. Or... maybe it is, maybe sometimes the tide is really, really high.

It was a good Schoodic wander.

We stopped for a quick bite to eat, then headed back into the park on the eastern side of Mount Desert Island. We walked a little, wandering down some short trails, then checking the water that lives behind Sand Beach. It was a quiet wandering day for us, a good day.

--- Rover

clouds, rocks, and water, at the tip of the Schoodic Peninsula

upside down

Oh! When we returned to our room after wandering today my teddy bear friend was hanging out upside down. I thought that was funny so I borrowed Denise's phone to grab a picture of him. Then Denise took a picture of the two of us right side up.

--- Rover

viola sororia

I love being surprised by the flowers of spring. Tiny blooms seem to spring up overnight, sometimes living in a garden, sometimes spreading across a field of grass.

The Viola sororia is a favorite of mine, small and delicate.

soon...

I think I've finally convinced Denise she needs a couple of slow (or no) exercise days. After all we are heading to Acadia soon and I think she should be well rested so she can enjoy bouncing around the park. Her feet kept moving and moving over the weekend - she walked 8 miles on Saturday and 9 on Sunday. I think that's a lot, don't you? Today was just a 3-mile day; if I have any influence tomorrow should be a shorter day too. We'll see.

I volunteered to write our blog entries during our quick wander in Maine. I always intend to jump in with guest posts on Denise's blog when we're not traveling but somehow that doesn't seem to happen. As long as I can be the official author during our travels I'm happy!

This will be an early season long weekend trip with cool-ish temperatures predicted along with the possibility of some water falling from the sky. Acadia is beautiful in any weather, and Denise really likes interesting clouds - no matter what the weather wizard brings I'm sure she'll be happy.

We're going to stay at Evin's Holland Inn. I'm always happy to stay there; breakfasts are wonderful and all of the rooms have a resident being (like me) so we can gossip and catch up on interesting places to wander.

Soon...

--- Rover

me and my friend Blue
on the rocks of the Schoodic Peninsula

a mystery flower

I was walking today in the late day light when this wonderful flower caught my eye.

I would love to know its name; can you tell me what it is?

Many thanks to +mandy nunn for identifying these flowers. They wear the name fritillaria.

periwinkle pops

This time of year it's important to direct your eyes to the ground to catch emerging color. I love the pop of periwinkle, small lavender flowers contrasting with shiny dark green leaves.

open

After seeing some tulips making an early entrance yesterday I decided to walk to Stevens-Coolidge Place this morning to check the gardens. My last visit two weeks ago showed me a carpet of crocus with tips of green starting to show in some of the flower beds.

Today I found some tulips in bloom. There were clumps of tulips wearing flowers, others wearing buds. More color will emerge in the coming days.

daffodils

I received an email from Tower Hill Botanic Garden a few days ago with a message that the daffodil field is in full bloom. That was a signal to me that it was time for a visit.

A big field full of different varieties of daffodils is pretty amazing to see.

There was twine strung along the edge of the field with occasional signs warning of poison ivy and ticks in the daffodils. I wonder if the signed dangers are real or if it was just a way to keep people from tramping through the flowers.

I stood and looked over the field of flowers.
I sat on the ground at flower level, getting a little closer.
I enjoyed the daffodils!

The Tower Hill web site includes this description of the marvelous field of daffodils:

Tower Hill is home to numerous collections of plants, but with the return of spring, the flowering bulbs are among the most loved. Over the years, volunteers and staff members have continually added daffodil bulbs to a large field to the east of the Systematic Garden, and overlooking the Wildlife Refuge Pond. When this field of more than 25,000 daffodils comes into bloom in late April, it is a dramatic sight to behold, and many flock to the garden to experience this "field of gold" and take photographs.

early tulip

The two flowers I associate with spring (and smiles!) are tulips and iris. It's still a bit early here in the northeast for these beauties, but sometimes their color will emerge a little earlier than expected.

Today I saw a few early blooming tulips.

taste treat

I often select sorbet when I feel a need for a sweet taste treat. When I saw Ciao Bella's Blueberry Passion Fruit Sorbetto in Whole Foods recently I thought it was worth a try.

From the press release announcing this new flavor (available only at Whole Foods):

Blueberry Passion Fruit Sorbetto offers a delectable combination of tangy blueberries, swirled with the exceptionally sweet-tart taste of passion fruit...

I like it! The flavor combination works well.