"Oh look! Apples!"

After a busy day on Saturday, we were uncertain of what to do on Sunday. As it turned out, we worked some more.
We started out by getting the stuff out of the attic and throwing it in the dumpster. Then we took the last window in the attic out so we could scrape it down and repaint it. Once we got a coat of primer on and one coat of paint, we thought we would head out to run to Lowe's. We also decided to head to Apple Hills to do a little apple picking.
It was a beautiful morning and Apple Hills was crowded. I had called earlier to see what apples were ready for picking so we knew Honeycrisps were waiting for us.
We picked some Honeycrisps, a couple Galas, and a couple Ginger Golds. Satisfied, we headed down to the main building where we got ourselves an apple cider doughnut (donie). : ) It was quite tasty.
From there we headed toward Lowe's but stopped at the Subaru dealership to browse cars for a few minutes. It's so nice to be able to look without being hassled by salesmen. We made it to Lowe's and got what we needed then went to the car wash to vacuum my car out. It was so dirty! Poor thing! After a vacuum and a wash, it was back home to get back to work.
We first had some lunch of fresh apple, peanut butter, cheddar cheese and crackers, yum! We put the last coat of paint on the window and sill, then I headed outside to clean the inside of my car. Paul worked on some roofing on one side of the house and when I finished, I gathered up some yard waste to put to the curb.
By the end of the day, we were tired but felt like we'd accomplished a lot over the weekend. I was glad we decided to stay home after all. And with a bucket of apples still waiting for me, I think maybe tomorrow I'll bake a pie. Mmmmmmm. : )

What a Dump.....ster!

For a long time now, Paul and I have been talking about getting a dumpster in here to get rid of a bunch of junk in the shed and basement. While we originally talked about heading to Richmond, VA for the NASCAR race, we decided instead to stay home and get the dumpster. Finally!
The guys brought the dumpster in early Friday morning and when Paul got home Friday night we headed outside to get started.
We began in the shed--after all, that's where the biggest mess was. It was full of old wood, metal, you name it. You can only place certain items in the dumpster--most of what we had could go, with the exception of the metal. We'll have to take the metal to a recycler or else see if they send anyone out to pick up what metal we have. I'll make some phone calls this week to see about that.
We didn't spend too much time outside because it was getting dark, looked like it might rain at any second, and Paul still needed to do his workout. We still were able to make a big dent in the pile.
We slept in Saturday morning. We couldn't get an early start since we would have made a racket dumping stuff in the metal dumpster. We worked all day and got the entire shed emptied of its junk, raked/swept, and organized. The stuff that was staying was put back in and when we finished, everything was neat and easy to get to. We also cleaned up the basement and got the junk out of there. Any metal that was in there went into the shed to await transport to the recycler another day. The basement hasn't looked this good ever!
We got everything cleaned up and mostly picked up when it started to rain. We came inside and had planned on going to get the stuff out of the attic, but decided we'd call it a night. We'll leave the attic for Sunday since there isn't that much up there.
The funny thing is that when we looked at the empty dumpster yesterday, we both felt it was too big. Now, the dumpster is nearly full and we're not thinking it's too big anymore!
It feels good to get junk out of here and to get things cleaned up. It really makes a difference!

Acadia National Park or How We Ate Too Much

Paul and I obsessed about what we were going to do for Labor Day weekend. It's not often we get 3 days to play with. We talked of our options and seriously procrastinated on this one.

Finally we decided to go to Maine. Acadia National Park on Mt. Desert Island specifically. : )

We left Saturday morning and dropped Moab off at Paul's parents' house. It was a long drive up to Bar Harbor, but we were able to take our time and enjoy the trip. We got to the park just before 5 on Saturday. We popped into the visitor center and purchased our entrance pass. We decided to do the 27 mile park loop drive to see what we could before dark. Then, we'd know what we wanted to go back to see on Sunday.

It was a nice time to drive because there wasn't much traffic. We both were surprised there weren't more people since it was a 3 day weekend. Our first stop was The Precipice. It's a steep, exposed hike to the top of Champlain mountain. It was only about .9 mile long, but narrow and very exposed. There are cables in place for handholds if that gives you an idea. We know this because of the sign at the trail head. They don't want just anyone attempting this hike. I knew I probably wouldn't feel comfortable and I told Paul that. I was fine waiting for him while he climbed it if he wanted, but we weren't sure we had time that evening. We looked up and could see people on the route above us. Looked scary to me. Looked fun to Paul. Go figure!

From there were drove to Sand Beach. There were quite a few people on the beach even though the temperature was starting to drop as the sun dipped lower in the sky. We actually saw people in the water too! Brrrr! We walked around on the beach for a bit before returning to the car to continue on our drive. We made a few stops at some look-out spots for photo opportunities. We hiked down some rocks to look into tide pools. We saw mussels and plant life. We stopped at the stables and petted some horses. We found a great spot to watch the fabulous sunset and then headed into Bar Harbor to have dinner.

The town of Bar Harbor is quaint. It's very tourist oriented with many shops, eateries, etc. We ate dinner in a restaurant called Geddy's. Paul had a burger and I had a veggie burger. Their fries were fantastic! Full, we decided to walk around and look through some of the shops.

Many were closing soon, so we put gas in the car, found a place to park, and went to sleep for the night.

The alarm went off early the next morning because we planned on heading to the summit of Cadillac Mountain to watch the sun rise. The peak is first point in the United States to see the sunrise between Oct 7 and Mar 6 each year. Sadly, we just missed that time frame, but still, it's one of the first places to see the sun rise. It was VERY chilly that morning and by the time the sun came up, Paul and I were frozen! It was a gorgeous site though and one we're very glad we did. It was worth freezing for.

Back in the car for some heat and a cereal bar and we watched the summit go from very crowded to empty in a matter of minutes. Once we were warm, we walked around the summit a little bit. The views from the top were beautiful. Oh and yes, we drove to the summit. We didn't hike. I know that will surprise and disappoint some of you, sorry--but that's not what this trip was about. : )

It was just after 6 am so it was too early to head into town for breakfast. We decided to drive out to the Southwest Harbor area of Mount Desert Island. It was a nice drive because there was little traffic. The day was sunny and beautiful. We made stops at certain viewpoints and took many photos. We visited a lighthouse and soaked up every bit of sun we could.

By then, we were hungry and decided to head into Bar Harbor for breakfast. We had seen an ad for a restaurant in a travel magazine the day before so we headed to Jeannie's to check out what they had to offer. And in fact, we had seen the restaurant the night before while shopping, so we knew where it was located.

It was packed when we got there and people were waiting. They said it would only be twenty minutes, so we decided to wait. It was sunny and warm, so standing outside was enjoyable. The time passed quickly and we sat down in a brightly colored, cheerful feeling dining room. Old time photos lined the walls. One that I liked consisted of two men in a small boat with a live bear standing in the front of the boat. Nice!

Paul ordered the pancake sandwich--pancakes, eggs, bacon, and home fries and I ordered the Maine blueberry pancakes. With juice for Paul and coffee for me, we both finished our meal and were stuffed to the gills! The pancakes were some of the best I've had in a while. Yum!

Full AGAIN, we decided to walk off some of our meal. I saw a shop the night before that I wanted to visit, but it was closed at the time. We decided to try again. When we got there, there was a sign that said, "Back in 10 minutes". Ok. Maybe it was a sign. It had to be, right? Besides, through the window I saw a price tag of one of the items and it was way more expensive than I imagined. Scratch that! So, we went into Bar Harbor Brewing Company instead to see what they offered. The girl there offered us a free tasting of beer, but it was only 10:15 in the morning and we were stuffed! They allow you to customize a 6 pack--picking from all the beers they make. We split it and Paul chose 3 and I chose 3. They don't even charge you more for doing so. Cool!

We walked back to the car and decided to head back to the park.

By then, I think I had talked Paul into hiking The Precipice without me. I honestly was content to sit in the car and read or to watch from the bottom. And with all the carbs in me, I was sleepy, so a nap wouldn't have been out of the question. Once we got to the parking area though, he quickly changed his mind. The parking area was full and the remaining cars spilled onto the roadway, with cars lined up almost as far as the eye could see. Paul wasn't interested in dealing with all the people, so instead of stopping, we continued on. I felt bad because I knew he wanted to make the hike.

We drove down to Thunder Hole which is a small inlet in the rock. It's been washed away by the ocean for many, many years. Just before high tide when water rushes in, air and water are forced out causing a big splash and a big "boom" sort of like thunder. We didn't stop at Thunder Hole Saturday night because it was low tide. We knew high tide was at about 11:30 on Sunday, so we tried to time things right, but I think we got there a little too late. Thunder Hole was still cool, but definitely not at its peak. Still worth seeing though.

Maybe the most exciting thing happened while at Thunder Hole though. When we first arrived, we heard people making quite a commotion, pointing and "oohing" and "aahhhing". Then we heard "whale". We walked down some steps and out onto some rocks and sure enough, way in the distance, we could see activity in the water. It was hard to see definition, but I'm pretty sure we both at least one whale tail breech. It had to have been a pod of whales traveling because there was quite a bit of activity, but at least once both Paul and I think the shape of a tail was spotted. That was a joy to see! It's too hard to say what type whale they were, as there are at least 15 different types of whales in the area (according to Frommer's Guide).

We found a nice spot on a rock and stayed there for a little while then decided we'd move onto to find a more secluded and quiet spot. We drove to Otter Point which we'd visited Saturday night. While there, we'd seen several people lounging on the rocks, enjoying the sun and solitude. We thought that was a perfect idea, so we brought our stuff and found a nice area to spread out and lounge. Paul brought a book and we sprawled out onto the rock in the sun like two lizards. The day was perfect. The sun was shining, the sky was blue and cloudless, the ocean was crashing on the rocks below. It just doesn't get any better than that. We basked in the sun for nearly two hours before we decided to pack it up and move along. It was incredibly relaxing though and hard to leave our little spot of perfection.

We drove down and explored another area we missed on Saturday and thought we might try to see what Bubble Pond was all about. It would be a little walk to get there. When we arrived at the parking area, it was completely full! There was nowhere else to park, as parking on the road was not allowed there. Oh well! We both asked one another if we'd had our fill. Had we seen all we wanted to see? The truth was that we could have spent TONS of time in the park, but we didn't have tons of time. For the time we did have, we really did a lot and saw much of the park. It was a wonderful trip, albeit too short!

We made our way out of the park and started on the long drive home. We decided to drive part of the way just to make Monday's drive a little easier. We followed some back roads for a while that took us on a more direct route into Augusta, ME. We stopped for dinner at Panera Bread and had an interesting experience there. We both ordered soup and a grilled cheese sandwich with Swiss cheese. When the guy put the food on the counter, he said, "Wait, that's not right. This is American and it was supposed to be Swiss". Neither Paul or I cared that much, so we told him not to worry about it and he apologized. No big deal! We sat down and began to eat and out of nowhere he came over with a plate with another sandwich with Swiss cheese and said to enjoy. Paul and I were dumbfounded. Who does nice things like that anymore? That being said, we were hard pressed to finish all our food! And, once again, were stuffed when we left!
We piled ourselves back into the Element and continued on our journey south. We made the decision to at least make it to the Mass Turnpike before calling it a night. We stopped at a rest stop just outside Worcester and prepared Hotel Element for our stay. We'd made a big dent in our mileage and felt good about our decision to head home when we did.
Up the next morning and on our way again. We stopped for gas in Rotterdam and Paul mentioned that we should stop at Altamont Orchards for some cider doughnuts. I pulled the number up on the GPS and called to see if they would even be open. The lady said they opened at 9:30 and I asked about cider doughnuts and she said she was making them right then! Score!
But, it was just before 9. So, we had a little while to wait. We drove to the orchard and got out to admire the potted mums and aster they had for sale. Before long, it was 9:30 and we ran in to check out what they had to offer. We picked up a half gallon of cider and some yummy cider doughnuts (donies). These are probably the best cider donies I've ever had.
It was a quick 10 minute drive from there to pick up Moab and we visited with Paul's parents briefly before hitting the road for our final leg home. It was a long time to be in the car, but it was such a lovely weekend that it was well worth it.


Acadia National Park-Sep 09

Paul Sr.

Most of you know I'm a big fan of motorcycles and I am also a fan of the TLC television show American Chopper. I've been watching the show for years. Back in 2006 while on my way to NYC, my friend and I stopped by their retail store in Newburgh, NY. It's a little over 2 hours from here. We looked at the show bikes, took a few photos, and headed on our way.
A couple of weeks ago I found out that Orange County Choppers was going to be hosting a car show and gathering Paul Sr. was going to be at their shop in Newburgh. This is the new shop and retail store combination. Anyway, when I heard that Paul Sr was going to be signing autographs, I was stoked! If there was anyone from the show I wanted to meet it was him!
I figured that it would be crowded and most likely I wouldn't be able to meet him --after all, he was only signing for one hour! I was hesitant to make a decision about going down there.
The weather was lousy when we woke up and Paul and I procrastinated (as usual) about what to do. We decided we'd go for it and hit the road.
When we got there, the parking lot was crowded, but it wasn't as packed as I'd anticipated. The autograph session had already started (we did REALLY procrastinate that morning) so we headed inside to see what the line situation was. Believe it or not, the line was not that long. I was so excited because I knew I was going to get an autograph! I know this might seem silly to some people, but I'm a big Paul Sr. fan. I have a lot of respect for him. He may be cranky and argumentative on the show, but he has overcome a lot of adversity in his life and has become successful against the odds. He has built an empire out of very little. Maybe he argues too much, maybe this, maybe that, but he's still a cool dude to me.
The closer the line got, the more nervous I became. It was weird. He's just a normal guy. I bought a print for him to sign and when I walked up to him, I didn't know what to say! I said hello and he asked how I was and I said, "Good". LOL Wow, exciting! He signed my print and I thanked him. I asked to take a photo and Paulie took our photo. He told us to have a good time and that was it! I was excited to have met him, but I felt like an idiot for not at least saying something else. I didn't even shake his hand! Sheesh! Oh well. What can you do?! : )
We walked around the store, saw the shop through a viewing area, took photos of show bikes, and hit the road. It was a quick stop there, but well worth it. The photo of me & Paul Sr. takes the cake. : )
We stopped at Panera Bread for lunch and then headed into Jersey to visit a few stores that we don't have near us. We figured since we were that far, we may as well incorporate as much as possible into our day.
Our first stop was IKEA. The store was packed with people and we did our best to browse and dodge shopping carts. We wound up buying new dishes and new bedding, yay! It's always fun to make small changes around the house. The best part is that IKEA is very affordable so you can make the changes without breaking the bank.
From IKEA we went to Campmor, a camping gear store of course. Paul was looking for a fleece jacket for his upcoming trip (hopefully) to Argentina. We took some time browsing there as well and he decided to purchase a fleece pullover which is just slightly different from what he was originally looking for.
There were several other places I would have loved to stop in, but it was getting late and we had to get home to let Moab out. We began the drive home and stopped for dinner at Olive Garden. We had a gift certificate to use so we figured it was the perfect time to do so. After dinner it was back in the car for our drive home after an exciting day. : )


Orange County Choppers

Brunch and Ice Cream

Paul and I invited Walt (our biggest fan) over to brunch a couple weekends ago. His wife Brenda is currently in Hawaii taking care of three grandchildren while the kids' parents are deployed overseas. Walt is staying here until he retires in October, then he'll join Brenda in Hawaii until sometime next year.
We made Dutch Babies and Paul cooked eggs for himself and Walt. It was a tasty meal. We visited over brunch and then Walt wanted to take us into PA to show us a stone viaduct he and Brenda had visited before.
We drove down to Susquehanna, PA and found the Starrucca Viaduct nestled in a small residential neighborhood. Its stone work is quite impressive and is a naturally beautiful structure. It was constructed by the New York and Erie Railroad and was completed in 1848. It was then thought to be the most expensive railway bridge in the world. It was made mostly of locally quarried ashlar bluestone with the exception of some concrete. It's possible that this was the first structural use of concrete in American bridge construction (this is all according to Wikipedia.org). It stands about 100 feet high and is just over 1,000 feet long. It is still in use today.
Walt and Paul decided that they wanted to try to get up on top of the structure, so they found what looked to be a way up and bushwhacked the short climb to the top. I opted to stay at the bottom because my foot was still bothering me.
After checking it out and taking some photos, they came back down, took some more photos, and we headed back toward the highway, stopping at a local ice cream parlor before heading home. : ) Mmmmm, sherbert!
It was a neat little side trip that often reminds you of how many interesting things may be just outside your doorstep!

I look pretty small!

Rail Up Top

Walt & Paul