John Clark sharing highlights from our week on the ocean in Perry. This was our third time renting Seawall Cottage, part of a group that are collectively known as Cobscook Bay Cottages.(http://www.cobscookbaycottages.com/) We like it because it’s comfortable, secluded and almost on the beach. All of the cottages have gas lights, hot water, refrigerator and stove. There’s no electricity and It’s nice to be cut off from technology once in a while.

Nothing better than a child discovering something new

Instead of Facebook, we had starfish, sea urchins, seals, loons, eagles and rabbits on the lawn. We also saw several deer including a fawn that couldn’t have been more than a couple weeks old. Beth gloried in all the trails she could hike while I collected interesting rocks and read 11 books.

One reason we like this vacation spot is because it’s central to many things we like to revisit. This time, daughter Sara, son-in-law Russ and granddaughter Piper stayed with us from Saturday through Tuesday morning. We spent most of Sunday enjoying Lubec, starting with the library book sale (I always get good stuff at their sale), then helping Piper find sea glass and shells before heading to Frank’s Dockside Restaurant for lunch. Their deck overlooks the channel between Lubec and Campobello Island and we saw several seals while enjoying lunch.

Can you imagine Reed or Popham this deserted on a July day?

Eastport on the 4^th of July was packed, so much so that they brought in a nice bus from the International Park on Campobello to shuttle people from the airport to the waterfront. There were several airplanes to admire while waiting for a ride. Piper got a kick out of a two person ultralight. Russ got a bigger kick out of the antique cars on display on Main Street while Piper and I went out on the pier to watch the greased pole competition and tried to spot a whale. After a quick browse through the books at the Peavey Library sale, we had ice cream while enjoying the bike and carriage parade before returning to our vehicles. We had a picnic at Shackford Head Park, mindful of the fire ants which have taken over much of the wooded area there. On the way back, we stopped at a beach just before entering Sipayik to look for beach glass. We found plenty, but few pieces worth keeping.

Beth with an entire cove to herself

The area near Seawall Cottage was perfect for viewing fireworks. In addition to a clear view of the Eastport display, we could see two private shows to our south as well as a very loud and vivid one at a nearby home across a small inlet. That one, however, failed to deter a very hungry cloud of mosquitoes.

After Sara, Russ and Piper left, Beth and I headed for Campobello. Our favorite beach for finding sea glass and pottery is there and we’ve never been disappointed. If anything, we find too much and then have to spend considerable time triaging after getting home. We also had lunch at the island golf course before walking on the very long beach at Herring Cove where we took lots of photos, trying to capture waves and interesting rocks. We made one last stop on the boardwalk trails opposite FDR’s home before stopping in Lubec for more ice cream.

I love the reflection here. This was in Moosehorn.

Wednesday was a hiking day. We walked numerous trails through the southern part of Moosehorn Wildlife Refuge. While we didn’t see a lot of wildlife, only an eagle, we got to enjoy a couple kinds of ripe berries as well as lament the sad fate of several dozen turtle eggs that had been dug up and devoured by predators.

Thursday was very rainy and a perfect day to hole up and read while sitting by a wood fire. Friday tried to be a down day, too, but we kayaked with a seal while finding really interesting rock shapes. I used driftwood to create a loose frame that I filled with odd rocks just to see how it would look. I’ll let you judge whether it’s art or foolishness. In the process, I found a half dozen rocks that resemble designer shoes as well as one that looks like a basilica with a cross on top and am planning on using them for some sort of display.

Art, you say?

It was fun to eat good food, sleep with waves in the background and not think about what was happening in the ‘real’ world. If you’ve never been to this part of Maine, I encourage you to do so. I’d live there if I could.

I wonder if it will get worse if the marijuana referendum passes.