Birds, Celebrate, Nature

Dee’s Birthday: Once More to Wolfe’s Neck

61 Comments

The last week of October—a vacation week for us—was rainy, and much of it was spent playing a board game (Reign of Cthulhu) and watching movies and television series. (For sheer fun, Free Guy is hard to beat, and if you want a series that is scary, character driven, and philosophical, Midnight Mass is the one for you.)

Fortunately, the weather gods were with us on Friday, Dee’s actual birthday. It was one of those beautiful golden October days I like to gush about. Therefore, off to Freeport we went, back to Wolfe’s Neck State Park, which has become a favorite. It takes about an hour for us to get there, and if we lived closer, we’d go more often.

The air was crisp but not uncomfortably cold. While Dee and Clif went on the trails, I did my usual pottering. Before we left home, Dee had asked, “Will you be bored by yourself?”

“No,” I had answered. “I am never bored on my own.”

I think this is true for most of us who like to write, read, and take pictures, for those of us who are content to just sit and be. There is always something to absorb our attention.

The last time we visited Wolfe’s Neck, I had turned left on the Casco Bay Trail. This time I went right, to the lookout where the osprey nest can be spotted across the water on an island. The ospreys, having raised their family, are long gone, but they will be back next spring to begin again.

I carefully went down these stone steps

and came to a small cove that captures the essence of the Maine coast.that

After taking pictures, I went back to the trail and sat on the edge of a small bridge overlooking the sparkling bay. I smelled spicy balsam—which reminds me of Christmas—mingled with the salty scent of the ocean. Beside me, water from a small stream trickled into the bay. All around me was the dry rustle of falling leaves.

After Clif and Dee were finished with their walk, they joined me at a picnic table in the sun. I had brought a thermos of tea and a pack of Pepperidge Farm cookies, and we chatted as we ate and drank.

Another fine day filled with sweet simple pleasures. Yet again, I am grateful that we are a family who cherishes simple pleasures, not expensive, not fancy, but ever so satisfying.

 

 

61 thoughts on “Dee’s Birthday: Once More to Wolfe’s Neck”

  2. Beautiful photographs of what is obviously a lovely place to visit – and I am pleased you could be together for Dee’s birthday!

  5. Happy birthday to Dee! What a pretty place this is for a “sit a spell” or a nice hike. Love the water photos, especially the one with that island-thing in the middle.

  8. Your photos really show the beauty of where you live and I can almost smell that lovely autumn smell from Australia! Lovely to celebrate your daughter’s birthday this way, the simple pleasures are the best..🌿🌞😁

  10. The sounds and fragrance of dried leaves are one of my favorite “simple pleasures” from fall. Thanks for the images and words that evoked them here!

  14. Simple gifts are the best. A beautiful day spent in a beautiful place, with beloved family, and tea and cookies? Doesn’t get much better than that! ❤

  15. What a beautiful area you live in! I loved especially the rugged bay pictures. Loved your comment about boredom: I would just add gardening and music to all the things you listed, and my day is made. Glad you had a good visit.
    Julie

  20. Happy Birthday to Dee! What a good excuse to go somewhere beautiful. How lovely to be able to explore slowly and savour the scenery. Thank you for sharing that scenery with us – I doubt if I will ever visit America and the images on TV are hardly typical (I hope!)

    1. Many thanks! The U.S. is a big country with a great diversity of landscapes. Even Maine, just one state, is varied in its landscape. Not sure what images are shown on TV. Strife, I suppose, because that’s what catches attention. I won’t deny that there is plenty of strife here, but there is also quiet beauty and jaw-dropping scenery. Even when we are at our worst, the landscape is there for us.

      1. Most of what I see is urban America not the beautiful countryside or the rural ways of life. I imagine you get a pretty distorted picture of life in the UK too. Hopefully our blogs correct those impressions a bit.

      2. Not surprising, I guess. We have some big urban centers in the U.S.—New York, Chicago, L.A., to name a few. But there is also lots of countryside in the U.S., and the variety is breathtaking. Truly, the U. S. is a beautiful country. I wish we would cherish it more and take better care of it. And, yes, I hope the blogs give another view of what it’s like to live in our countries.

  21. It all looks and sounds like a delightful way to experience what fall has to offer and celebrate your daughter’s special day.

  24. I’m glad it was a beautiful October day. It’s a blessing not to be bored in our own company. I feel the same as you, but my mother is not, to my sadness. She prefers to be around other people and that’s not always possible. I would much rather mooch and snout around somewhere too rather than walk quickly by.

  25. I’m with you Laurie – I am never lonely. When I am with people – I talk and interact and enjoy them. When I am alone – I think and plan and exist.

    Great photos! Exciting to see the nest. Such a wonderful time you have had with Dee! Happy birthday to her.

  26. Beautiful celebration of simple pleasures and Dee’s birthday! Wonderful photos, especially of the cove!! I’ve wondered about Free Guy and will be adding it to the weekend watchlist.🙂

  28. Such a beautiful collection of photos and looks like it was a wonderful day. I’m never bored when alone, so definitely get what you mean.

  29. “I am never bored on my own”
    Love this statement. It says so much. I concur.
    Thank you for sharing the fruit of your time: the views, the smells, the sounds.

    And of course, the Pepperidge Farm cookies. Which did you have? I used to love the Milanos.

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