Random Hallmark Moments: Donut Day

 Blueberry donut handlebar moustache! Thanks, Olivia!!!

Penobscot Mountain

   Penobscot had some fun, narrow "staircases" of granite that snaked around the edge of the mountain & forced some tight squeezes and a little climbing:

The trail had plenty of cairns to keep me on the right track:

Not sure what they call these formations, but they look like giant cat paws to me!

   The view wasn't much on this particular day, but the fog added some mystique. And after a fast, strenuous climb, the misty air at the top was exhilarating!

   Hiking down the trail that lead from Penobscot to Sargent turned out to be a real treat for the senses. As soon as I hit the treeline, magical foliage surrounded me. The colors gleamed and everything dripped with dew from the fog. The Manor House's great breakfast was supplemented with wild blueberries by the handful. The trails were lined with them!

Rainbow Unicorn Blueberry Tigers

フレッドのめいごの「レインボーユニコーンブルーベリータイガーズ」というサッカのチームがいい名前だから、私はこの絵を書きました。タイガもユニコーンも書くのが大好きです。Here's a logo I sketched up simply because the subject matter was irresistible. Fred's 5-year-old niece is playing soccer, and the little girls named their team together. And they landed on "Rainbow Unicorn Blueberry Tigers." Genius!

The conquest of Mt. Cadillac

the "sweep panorama" mode on my new camera ROCKS!

Having been unsuccessful in procuring flashlights in Bar Harbor last night (it's a small town & stores close early), we were unable to go with our plan of getting up at 3 am to hike up Mt. Cadillac to watch the sun rise. So...we got up at 4:15 am and were on the mountain shortly after 5 am, when it was already light enough to ensure that we wouldn't lose the trail or fall to our deaths. The journey to the top took us through some interesting terrain: steep granite steps, lush deciduous forests teeming with ferns & wildflowers, pine forests carpeted in soft reddish needles, and small streams. The trip took approximately 1 hour up, and nearly an hour down. (It would have been easier if we had not hiked TWO mountains yesterday...my knees were begging for mercy on the way down. It reminded me a lot of coming down Mt. Fuji in that respect.) But once we were back at the Inn, had a home-cooked breakfast & showered, we were definitely glad to have made the trek. It's a great feeling to get up early, get invigorated with some exercise, finish at 8 am & still have the whole day ahead of you!
Jen tip of the day: A guaranteed way to get me to climb a mountain is to have the WHOLE trail lined with wild blueberry bushes!!! 

Go Cadillac mountain!!! I ♥ Maine!

Battle for blueberries

you laugh, but I'm pretty sure I could take a bear on in this situation...

Blueberry bandit

and a couple of fun Maine-related logos I discovered on the 'net: