Bar Harbor

Can't be in Maine without eating at least one lobsta roll.  Did a short walk around but decided being on the ship was more fun.

Portland to Boston........... and D'Amelio's Off the Boat Restaurant

Our trip from Portland to Boston went smoothly but it was a full day of dragging luggage, waiting for flights, waiting for a weather delay and all the frustrations of travel - but - we still enjoyed every minute.  We're staying at a great hotel near the airport and we're only six miles from the port.

Last night we had a great dining experience.  We went to an Italian "hole in the wall" kind of cafe that clearly does not cater to tourists (our favorite kind).  It's a neighborhood place where it seemed that everyone knew each other so conversations were shouted between tables.  There are only about 20 tables and most seat just two people.

In a few minutes we're calling a cab to take us to the port so it will be nice to unpack and relax.  Tomorrow we'll be in Bar Harbor (but I'm practicing my accent so I can say it properly - "Bah Habah".  

From the Balcony....................

The Portland Symphony playing the William Tell Overture with Fireworks down by the river .........................  The news says there are about 15,000 people there so we decided that being three blocks away wasn't so bad.

A perfect send-off to our vacation.

Bella + Birthday + Vacation Time

Poor little Bella had a hard day yesterday.  She had her teeth cleaned and also had surgery to remove a mole from her back.  She will be on pain medication for several more days, along with antibiotics.  About an hour ago, she finally started behaving like her usual self so it looks like the affects of the anesthesia have finally worn off.  Fortunately, Alicia will be taking care of Bella and house sitting so I know that Bella will get 5***** treatment while she's convalescing. 

I'm looking forward to celebrating my birthday at a Boston restaurant, "D/Amelio's Off the Boat Italian & Seafood Restaurant" and then the festivities will continue on the Holland America's Maasdam that will sail from Boston to Montreal.  We leave for the airport at 4:30 a.m. tomorrow so today we're trying to be ultra organized and packed so we can just clean up and run out the door in the morning.

We're visiting places that neither of us have been to so it will be a great chance to explore the eastern part of Canada.  I hear there's a hurricane that is working its way up the eastern seaboard so I ran to Walgreens and bought a nice big box of motion sickness pills.  Fingers are crossed that we won't need them.

We have friends in Montreal so we'll have time to visit them for a few days before returning home.  They live near both the port and the airport so it will be nice to have local transportation and "tour guides".

I have international phone service so I'll be able to communicate by text, email and phone but mainly only when we're in port.

Looking forward to a new Bon Voyage................................................

Another look at Duffy............

Today I had fun putting my recent photoshop lessons into practice.  Duffy makes a great subject for my projects.  Play time is over now as we're getting ready for a trip to Canada.  I'm looking forward to taking lots of beautiful photos that I can work with through the rainy and cold winter.  We leave on Friday so now it's time for me to get organized and think about packing.

Thought For Today...............

Finally................ a project that I did all by myself without Aurora coaching me.  I think that I'm actually going to learn how to enhance my photos.  I'm already thinking that in another month or two, I'll laugh at how simple this looks but - hey............ it's a start!

Saturday - In The Park

Don't you love that song?  (This is addressed to all of my fellow oldsters who may remember "Chicago" and this great song).  When Allison and I get together it's always a celebration.  We love to talk and love to eat and we also love taking our "little" ones out, too.  Today we had a long lunch at McCormick's and Schmick's at the RiverFront and afterwards it was time to take some pictures.  Duffy is still a puppy (six months old) and he is still in "training".  He's mastered "out to lunch" beautifully.  When we were seated he laid down and behaved beautifully.  Of course the little "princess" (Bella) had a chair seat so she was able to get some pets and attention, too.

Duffy is still a little confused about Bella.  He thinks that she may also be a dog but he's not quite sure.  They, however, are calm around each other and our goal is to get them comfortable when they're together even though there's a great contrast in size.

Allison is working hard to train him and he's doing a great job. 

Wacom Pen and Touch Pad

I want to share information about this new "toy" that I'm learning to use.  It's a substitute for a "mouse".  When you touch the pad with the pen, it allows better control of the cursor and it's especially useful if you are using any photo editing software.  The pad emulates the screen on your monitor so if you want the cursor in the top left corner, that's where you put the tip of the pen.  Your left click is a small button on the pen and you right click on the right top corner of the pad.  It's a new skill that will take some practice but I'm quickly learning to master it.

Sunday Breakfast Fresh Berry Dutch Babies

Roger looks forward to weekend breakfasts because I like to fix something special.  Today we had a "German Pancake" or "Dutch Baby", known by both names.

I want to share the recipe because it is so EASY and so delicious.






The ingredients are:
1 cup flour
4 eggs
1 cup milk (I added a couple of tablespoons of cream)
dash of salt

Using a hand mixer, beat everything together until frothy.  Meanwhile heat your oven to 400 degrees and put two pie plates in the oven (empty).  After about 10 minutes, pull out the hot pans and put about 2 tablespoons of butter in each.  As soon as the butter melts, pour half of the mixture into each pan.  Any fresh fruit can be used.  Today we had some fresh ripe blackberries so I put a hand full over the egg mixture and then sprinkled just a little granulated sugar and some cinnamon on the top.  Bake in the oven about 20 minutes and eat with powdered sugar and maple or agave syrup.  

What's neat about this recipe is that different fruit makes it a brand new dish.  Examples are thin sliced apples with some raisins, fresh sliced peaches and/or apricots, blueberries with lemon zest or sauteed and sugared rhubarb.  The possibilities are endless.

My mother often said "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach".  I think that she had the right idea.....................

(This basic recipe is from Martha Stewart but I've added my own little "twist")

I Phone Camera With Macro Lens

This afternoon Callie and I and Bella walked down to River Front for a duel birthday celebration since we're both August birthday girls.  After lunch at the marina, we walked through the beautiful landscaping nearby to take pictures and I found this unusual stem of very tiny flowers, shaped very much like a bloom of hyacinth.  Each stem has at least fifty or more tiny flowers.  I was able to capture this close view by using my IPhone camera with my new macro lens.  The camera was positioned about 1/2 inch from the flowers so it's an amazing view of nature's majesty.  No Photoshop here - this is the real thing........

Doctor - Doctor -

We've dedicated the last week in August and the first part of September to "body improvement" time.  We're even including Bella who is scheduled for a dental cleaning and minor surgery to remove a mole.  Then it's my turn for a general physical followed with a meeting with a nutritionist and hearing tests for both of us.  This will be finished with Roger's eye appointment, teeth cleaning and his quarterly chemo.  Thank goodness for health insurance. 

Now we're wishing we had medical insurance for Bella, too.

Cheeseburgers and VooDoo

My cousin, Julie Wall, and her friend, Judy, are in Portland for a few days attending a quilting convention.  Tonight was their only free evening so I picked them up at their hotel and we went down to RiverFront for burgers and a walk along the marina.  While giving them a quick tour of the downtown area we got close to VooDoo and when I mentioned it they were both really excited to go.  It's still 75 degrees outside so it was perfect weather to wait in line and people watch.

I got lucky and found a parking space right in front (illegally parked) but there were two police cars nearby so I asked permission.  While waiting, I noticed a darling little girl with her family eating donuts with their box sitting on the police car's trunk.  It turns out that she wants to be a police officer when she's grown (note the police badge on her shirt) and I couldn't resist asking for a photo.  Her name is Ella and she's eating a fruit loops donut (yes, she ate the whole thing).  The policemen were pretty mallow tonight so we had a great time just hanging out.  Both Judy and Julie came out with a large box of donuts so they'll likely make lots of friends tomorrow at the conference.

Scenes From RiverFront

It's beginning to look like Fall in Portland

Happy Kind of Tired.............

It has been a whirlwind weekend trying to fit as much activity as possible in just a couple of days.  Yesterday, after breakfast at "Gravy", Roger dropped me and Helia off in the Pearl and we hit the fabulous shops.  Helia found her favorites at "Splendid" where she loved everything in the shop.  As you can see, several items came home with her.

Today was family day with Brian, Carolyn and Rachael joining us for a lunch so they could visit with Helia before she left for the airport this afternoon.

I'll admit that we oldsters are pretty tired but it's a happy kind of tired after enjoying time with family and eating lots of good food.  

  Splendid" truly describes our beautiful Helia.

Pictured here are Brian, Helia and Rachael.

Party Time Again................

Roger's daughter, Helia, is visiting for a few days so, after leaving the airport yesterday, we introduced her to Zells for breakfast and the river front for "happy hour".  Bella got to join us for a walk down to "Thirst" where we enjoyed an outdoor table in the shade that overlooks the downtown marina.

Now it's time for a new adventure starting with a late breakfast at Gravy in the Mississippi District and then some shopping downtown.

We're enjoying weather in the low 80s so it's a real joy to be outside soaking up some sunshine

More Photoshop..............

Annual Iranian Festival in the Park Blocks

The first Saturday in August is the Iranian Festival down on the Park Blocks, next to the Farmer's Market.  That meant that while Roger was setting up our little "nest" with chairs and beverages, I could take a quick sweep through the market to buy fresh eggs and produce.

This year was the best, ever, with live Iranian music in the classic style and in the "pop" style.  The lovely young lady shown here is an accomplished singer and I loved her costume.  Roger tells me that she is wearing a Kurdish outfit.  Iran has many different settlements, such as Caspian, Kurdish, and other regional cultures; each with a different way of speaking and a different way of dressing. 

Persian restaurants have food booths so there's lots of authentic Iranian food to choose from.

It was 90 degrees today in Portland, but sitting in the shade of the huge trees in the park, it was a perfect way to spend a Saturday afternoon.