Rockland...

Things have been just a tad rocky since I've been home. Nothing major, just trying to get back in the groove. Orchestrating events around 10 people is complicated when you do it every day, but when you take a week and a half off- and then plop yourself back in the middle of it... well, it's a tad confusing. Like trying to get your land legs back under you after being at sea! I can't find anything and I'm not sure what's on the agenda. So when I forget something, you'll just have to pardon me until I am back on track.

I had a great time and it was worth every confusing moment I've had since my return. This picture is of the Rockland Light. It is on a very long breakwater- nearly a mile. We stayed at a hotel on Rockport point that ran up to the breakwater, so we got to walk out there before dinner. It was a weird experience. You have to keep your head down and your eyes on the rocks as they are kinda uneven(nothing like Springpoint- I'll post a picture of that, soon.) So, you've got your head down and you're concentrating on not twisting an ankle... you walk for what seems a real long time, take a break and look up... the lighthouse seems further away than when you started! So you walk some more and still, no closer! Of course the house is just further away than it looks because it is such a straight stretch. But worth the walk, I think. It was a really lovely spot. Completely surrounded by water and I could just imagine how unsettling a bad storm could have been- but look at that gorgeous blue sky! A two mile walk before dinner sure whipped up my appetite and I had some of the best seafood ever. I only ate beef, once, the entire trip. And OK, every evening I had dessert- whatever was chocolate on the menu. (Except for the time I had blueberry pie!) I figured Aunt Dottie would want her money's worth, right?

We stayed at a different hotel, each night. That was always an adventure- to see a new area of Maine and test out a new bed. Didn't have an uncomfortable bed the entire time. We would have to get up early and were on the road by 8am, most mornings, so a bed of those rocks might have seemed pretty comfy. We would drive to several lighthouses each day- there are over 60 lighthouses in Maine. Most of the lighthouses are not open to the public, but they rolled out the red carpet and we got to climb a whole lot of them. That was my favorite part- the views were gorgeous, and it was just so cool to see what someone else saw- a couple hundred years ago, ya know? Our lunches were mostly boxed lunches prepared by the hotel where we stayed the previous night and we had a few very pleasant picnics. We had to eat on the bus, once, due to rain.

And Aunt Dottie was right, every lighthouse was different. I think the surroundings were the most varied. Some were on islands- I took a whole lot of boat rides. Some were on rocky points. Some were surrounded by balsam trees- oh, the smell was wonderful! Some were very remote and others were smack-dab in the middle of a subdivision. But they were all beautiful and had a lot of history in them.

I was with a small group of 13 people- and that included the bus driver and the tour guide. They were such fun. Two married couples(each married for 43 years!) and the guide and driver were guys, but the rest were gals and we all got along great! There wasn't a single stinker among them! In such a small group, one bad apple could have made the trip less than pleasant, but everyone was so sweet and just wonderful. Not a grumpy word said. I think everybody was just determined to have a great time. We could have sat at different tables at dinner, but we all liked each other so much, the tour guide just started reserving one big table. We had so many hilarious moments over dinner. I have all of their addresses and plan on making a some lighthouse postcards to send to them. I've already gathered up some nice seaside fabrics at work, yesterday. But first... I need clear a path- both physically and mentally. Now where did I put that clothes washer?