Down south

Our last stop was St. Augustine, a town I have always wanted to see, but somehow always missed. Since I seldom miss a fort, wherever we go, we remained true to form and arrived at Castillo De San Marcos for the morning opening. Unlike many forts that are built but never see action this one has a bloody past. It traded hands several times over the past several hundred years.

The moat was used as a livestock pen during peaceful times, but could be flooded when under attack.

We strolled the old town and passed through the city gates.

Down at the yacht club children were preparing for sailing class.

At last ...... A moose!

We paused our trip south for another short visit with Tristan. We visited the Smithsonian Museum Sunday which seemed to be a popular choice with thousands of others. 

De Anne, despondent from a lack of moose sightings in Canada and Maine, finally spotted one in the museum. Her enthusiasm was muted due the stuffed nature of the moose.

it was great that De Anne has Tristan who can keep up with her long, quick hiking step. Lucky for me they were both frequently distracted and stopped by interesting exhibits allowing me opportunity to catch up.

 

Echo lake

It has been a peaceful week in an idyllic setting. Ribeye steaks on the grill, cocktail in hand, and the sun setting behind the mountain. I couldn't ask for more.

De Anne has gotten her hikes in, without me, on the trails in the park across the lake. I have accompanied her on several exploratory canoe trips around the lake, then called my exercise done for the day and retired to the deck with a book.

Tomorrow we begin the long, slow journey back to the lands that require air conditioning. I say slow only because a couple more short stops are planned.

Back to America

Our summer tour is winding down, but first a week in the northeast corner of Maine. We have a cabin on Echo Lake, a spring fed gem, next to Aroostook state park a few miles south of Presque Isle. Back to America where things are cheap ...... for now at least.

De Anne is unhappy that she has not seen a moose yet. She out at this moment searching the shores of the lake in a canoe looking for the great beast. I have gone with her a couple times, but lack the ardor she brings to the search.

Our cabin.

De Anne returning from moose patrol.

A month gone by

It is our last day in Parrsboro so we had to visit Partridge Island which we have stared at from the porch for the last 29 days.

The shore in the distance is where we have stayed the past month.

The driftwood shows where the highest tides reach.

While enjoying cocktail hour bay-side this para glider coasted past. He hovered over us and spoke to De Anne while I scurried inside for the camera.

Note the broken trees in the picture below. Everyone with a chain saw has been busy this week.

We will visit St. John NB tomorrow, then back to America - barely.... We have a week scheduled on Echo Lake near the northern tip of Maine.

Fun and games

Hurricane Arthur spent Saturday with us. Of course he had been down graded to a tropical storm at 2:00 am Saturday morning about 100 miles south of us, but we did not feel we missed much.

The morning was spent watching the power and fury snug in our sea-side cabin. The tide was out and it seemed comparable to a Florida thunderstorm without the heavy downpour. Just after lunch, with the tide returning, a brief pause with some sun appeared. I realized it was the eye of the storm passing right over us.

Then the backside hit. It was a real punch. The power flickered a while and went out. The real fun and games had started. The cabin started shaking. It was like we were riding in a train - that steady movement with random bounces. Surprisingly, the power came back on an hour later and lasted 2 more hours before going out again, this time for 2 hours. Third time was the charm. It was Sunday morning before power was back.

Still photos don't do justice but notice the bent trees in the first picture and the steep, close waves in the second. Those waves were formed with less than a mile of fetch.

Calm before the storm

Knowing that Hurricane Arthur was going to put a damper on things Saturday we took a stroll on the beach during the falling tide. We reached the town dock and found a couple sail boats tucked away for the storm. 

On the way home I got the bright idea to cut across the flats. I see people out on the flats every day walking around. This may be because of that singularly important item called "local knowledge". I on the other hand discovered a mud bank and promptly sank several inches. My shoes were trapped and I had to step out of them and yank them out of the suction of the mud, then head for rocky high ground. De Anne, who had declined to accompany me through the flats, was quite amused. Lucky for me I was near an ice cold mountain stream and standing in the frigid water I was able clean myself and my shoes.

The Parrsboro dock an hour before low tide

The force of the tide is not evident unless flowing over an obstacle.

OK, I will NOT be testing the validity of this warning notice on the log. "DANGER QUICKSAND"

Victoria Park

Victoria park is located in Turo about an hour and a half drive east of Parrsboro. This town of less than 10,000 people has a park in the middle of town of 1,000 acres. Not only is it bigger than New York's Central Park, but much prettier, and much safer. Even the dogs we encountered were polite.

While De Anne changed her shoes and checked out the facilities I studied the map on display in the parking lot and noted one long trail with a warning about how steep and rugged it was. Good information! I determined our path which did not include the aforementioned evil trail. 

An hour later I let my attention slip and before I realized my error De Anne was nonchalantly climbing a steep trail with me gasping along behind her. Returning to the civilized part of the park I found a bench on which to recover and enjoy a waterfall.

Several of the more refined paths in the park have rough stairs for an easier way to traverse the steep hills.