A Fall Weekend with Friends

Moose

This past weekend our longtime friends Doug and Ellen Guidry came to visit us and check out the Bethel area.  It was Ellen’s birthday on Saturday and her wish was to see a moose.   As you can see by the picture above we were able to deliver her birthday wish.  We saw this Bullwinkle in Grafton Notch State Park after we had checked out Screw Auger Falls.  It was off to the side in the woods when I spotted it so I pulled over and shut off the engine.  Instead of going further into the woods like I expected it would, it walked up the embankment into the middle of the road, stopped and posed for us while we took this photo.   We continued on our leaf peeping journey working our way into the center of Andover, ME where we stopped for an ice cream cone at the Andover General Store and Diner on what was likely the last day for this season to get one according to the nice young girl who was working this day. We then showed Ellen and Doug the swimming hole at the Andover Lovejoy Covered Bridge which Ellen told me reminds me her so much of the swimming hole of her childhood in Pennsylvania.

 

Saturday night Lauren cooked up a fabulous dinner of Baked Haddock, Sunshine Squash, and Roasted Red Beets.   The beets and squash were locally grown in Bethel while the Haddock came from our lobsterman Tucker C. Jordan of Cape Elizabeth who sells it here at the local farmers market.

On Sunday before Doug and Ellen left to head back to Gloucester, MA we all stopped at the Swain Farm Stand to buy some squash and take pictures. This is the first year I ever ate Sunshine Squash and it is now, officially my favorite squash of all time.  It is a deep red orange color when cooked and is sooo…Delicious.  If you have never tried it before please do and then tell me what you think. 

All weekends must come to an end and the Gids eventually had to go. Thanks for coming to visit us Doug and Ellen. We really enjoyed your company and having you visit helps the house feel more like a home. 

The Pace of Life on Main Street in Bethel, Maine

Ruth is #1

We had our first visitor to Bethel from San Diego (not counting our daughter) last week and it was Ruth who worked with Lauren at the Braille Institute. Ruth has some long time friends she came to visit who live on Clemons Pond in Hiram, Maine which is a little more than an hour’s drive from here. So on her second day in Maine Ruth and her friend Dolly came up for a visit. First there was lunch at the house and then Lauren took them to see the town. Unfortunately it was a short visit because Ruth had a busy agenda planned where she was going to a concert that night at Stone Mountain Arts Center in Brownfield, Maine http://www.stonemountainartscenter.com/ArtsCenter/ We also had a lot to talk about with her friend Dolly because her daughter now lives in Gloucester, Mass and married a fisherman.

I trust you enjoyed your vacation in Maine Ruth. You picked a great week for the weather. Thanks for being our first San Diego visitor. Now who’s going to be the next visitor from Braille? Joy, Debbie, Jay, Vint, Rick, Louise, Julie…..? Come visit us under The Dome. :)