Portland Head Lighthouse

It was only mid-afternoon when we left the "B" family. The weather was not that great, but I wanted very much to see the ocean before we left. Brian, always the wonderful husband that he is, readily agreed to stop someplace. We plugged in "Portland Head Lighthouse" into the GPS and headed out.

What a tremendous treat for me. The ocean was wild from the stormy weather. It was cold, snowing and windy, but my intrepid family ventured out in the elements. We had a grand time walking along the paths, exploring all the junk that had washed up onto the rocks and soaking up God's creation at it's finest (at least in my mind).

We were cautious about letting the children get too far out or close to the water as there were some very large waves coming in. I think Bess was the only one that got her feet wet and that was because her boots leaked.


Thankfully, we had brought along boots, hats and gloves. What a great group of children to tolerate and even enjoy their momma's need for crazy stops in all kind of weather.

I was one happy traveler.

This stop was the whipped cream on the dessert of a very full and fun weekend.

9/30/08 - Ocean Point

Our last full day in Maine. The sun was once again shining brightly and the day promised to be a beautiful one.

A vote was taken and we headed out to Ocean Point. The kids wanted to play in the water and search for shells and beach glass and Brian and I just love watching the sea.

Bessie, Gabe and Dan decided to brave the frigid water again. The tide was heading out which made for some great waves.

I love this picture of Bess. I'm not sure why it is so appealing to me, but it seems to capture her loveliness and her adventurous spirit back dropped against the sea, rugged rocks and trees.

Gabe has so much fun and is fun to watch as he experiences life so fully. He sat on this rock as wave after wave crashed on him.

Hannah and Rachel choose to stay a dry land. Rachel especially gets terribly cold very easily. They searched for beach glass and special shells. Don't you just love Hannah's hat? That hat just says, "Hannah".

Of course, Gracie would not be left on shore. She quickly made her way to the waves. Brian kept the leash on as we were afraid she might swim out too far and get caught in the heavy current.

After a change of clothes for the water babies, we had lunch on the rocks.

Every time we go camping or hiking or exploring, I daydream about being able to sketch some of the scenes or creatures we see. Taking pictures is great, but there is something about drawing what you see.

This year I was determined to give it a try. I got a few books from the library on keeping nature journals, bought a blank sketch book and did not allow my perfectionist tendencies to get in the way. I actually did some sketching. I am not ready to share them with the world, but each one was a bit better. I am hopeful to continue at home and improve my drawing skills, but whether they improve much or not, I am pleased to be finally keeping a nature journal.


A couple came by and offered to take a family photo for us. Wasn't that nice of them? We had a nice chat. They were from Arkansas. We meet the nicest people on our travels.

9/29/08 - Pemaquid Point Lighthouse

The weather finally broke and the sun came out. There were still some clouds, but the sky was mostly clear.

We all have our favorite places to visit when we go to Maine and one that everyone agrees upon is Pemaquid Point Lighthouse. It is a perfect example of the rocky Maine coast. There are tidal pools, great rocks to climb on and a glorious view of the open ocean. I could spend my whole vacation at Pemaquid and not tire of watching the waves come in and out.

Lobster boats making the rounds of their traps

It seems to be a common theme of our trips...picnicking. What a great setting for this meal.

Rachel explores a pool

Sea Urchin

Hermit Crab

Star Fish

Gracie loves the water and always wants to take a dip no matter how cold the water. Of course, some of the kids are the same way. As you can see, Gabe is already quite wet.

Look at that sky and sea. They seem to mirror each other.

Gabe wanted to venture out further and further towards the surf, but the waves were very wild, so we made him stay behind the first line of rocks.

No matter how many pictures I took, I couldn't capture the wildness of the sea this day. The storm off the coast was causing the sea to churn and crash.

Me and my now trademark red hat

Pemaquid Lighthouse

It was a fantastic day. I felt refreshed and recharged.

9/27/08 - Fort Popham

It rained all night and was threatening to do so all day, but we were not to be deterred from our adventures.

We got twisted around in our directions and ended up on some wonderful dirt roads which meandered through forests and swamps. I had thoughts of De'Etta and her "Me and my Ford" posts. It didn't get quite as bad as the road they drove on with their van as this terrain was quite level, but we wondered where we would end up. We finally found our way back to civilization and paved roads and drove to Fort Popham.

The four younger children took a snooze during the drive.

It was drizzling, gray and cool, but the children still headed right to a little patch of beach and rocks next to the Fort. The surf was a bit wild and the tide looked dangerous, so we did not let them go too far out. Bessie was disappointed as she loves to swim in the ocean, but after she saw Gracie the dog struggling with the current, she was glad we had put restrictions on the swimming.

Gabe was the only one who put on his swim suit. The rest just got soaked in their clothes. I'm sure glad we always have a change of clothes for everyone in the van.

After everyone was dried off and into clean, dry clothes, we ventured into the fort.

It is a beautiful structure, with many arched ceilings and lovely block work.

The room below was in total darkness. We did not have a flashlight, so I aimed the camera in and took a flash picture so the kids could see what was there. There were many of these dark chambers which I suppose would have been rooms of one sort or another. I can imagine that this would be a very spooky place at night.

Brian explains to Gabe how the turret windows worked. The canons are no longer there but you could see grooves in the stone floor made by the heavy wheels on the canon mounts rolling back and forth over many years.

A view from the second floor. I'm not sure what would have been across all these openings when the fort was in use.

A wonderful spiral stone staircase led up to the upper floors.

The original plan called for a moat around the fort, but it was never completed. Construction on Fort Popham was started in 1862 and was used during the Civil War, the Spanish American War and World War I.

Field Trip - The Zoo

Hmmm, I am finding that our family enjoys doing the same things more than once. This is a lot of fun, but makes blogging about these activities more of a challenge. I don't want to get repetitious, but it gives us pleasure to visit places we have enjoyed more than once and our lives tend to have events and activities that do repeat.

So, since this blog is about our lives, I will endeavor to capture our life moments, even if they are "reruns".

Right after our official school year started, we took a "field trip" to the Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse, NY. Our homeschooling family takes almost all of our field trips as a family. It is great to have Brian join us on outings. It provides wonderful opportunities for learning and family sharing.

The zoo was not crowded at all and except for several families with very small children and some grandparents enjoying a day at the zoo with the grands, we had the place to ourselves.

The aviary is one of my favorite areas. As an amateur birdwatcher, it is thrilling to be able to see so many beautiful birds up close and personal. The birds fly freely through the aviary and roost in hereby trees and bushes, or splash in the little pools.

Last time we visited the zoo, they were working on the lion habitat and we did not get to see the lions. Everything was finished and the lions were once again back in their home. Ah, the life. This guy looks really stressed out, doesn't he?


These habitat displays are set up along each area. You can push the buttons and see who would be living in what type of environment.


We enjoyed lunch before we headed out to the animal trail that meanders through the zoo. The weather was sunny and very pleasant, allowing us to enjoy our lunch outside.


The many gardens around the zoo where beautiful. So many colors and textures. Many of the areas are kept by local garden clubs. All this color so late in the summer is reminding me that I want to plant more annuals next year. They hold their color long after most of my perennials have peaked and gone.


The kids had a great time "milking" the wooden cow. After a bit of instruction and a few tries, they did remarkably well.


Now, what sort of wild creatures do these look like?

A happy troop of zoo goers.


The area around the animal trial is beautiful. There are so many trees, shrubs and flowers. I would enjoy the trail for the flora alone, but you don't have to settle for just plants, there are so many animals to see.


We had a splendid day; a great family outing. Gabe did mention that maybe we could try a new spot next time, so maybe we will take a break from visiting the zoo and try a new spot soon. We have heard there is a large aquarium in CT.


The large pond was our last stop, Flamingos wade around with ducks, geese and swans.


If you live anywhere near a zoo, consider making a visit. We have visited several zoos and have never gone away disappointed.