Ocean Park, Maine September 2009

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Hooray! I have been wishing to go to OP for so long! It was really a big deal for me to finally get to spend a few days there, and show Moe how wonderful it is. The weather was perfect, cool in the mornings and evenings, and warm and clear during the day. Gorgeous September weather!

The boat Cricket is still in Oriental, NC, but always in our hearts. We hope to get down there again soon. We recently heard that our friend Ray's dog Shadow passed away. She was a white German Shepherd, about 14 years old. The first time we pulled the boat into the town dock in Oriental, Shadow was there to greet us. At first it seemed we were being greeted by a polar bear! Shadow and Ray were the first to make us feel really welcome in Oriental and we'll miss her. Ray is away for the winter... but Ray, we'll see you in the Spring, right?

Friday we headed up to Portland, Maine. Here we are at Portland Head Light. A couple years ago we saw this from the other side,when we passed by in the boat.

























Portland was fun. Lots of people, neat little shops, great food. There was a huge cruise ship there, and lots of tourists walking and riding around in busses. We stayed at the Clarion, where they provided free shuttles back and forth to downtown.

Saturday we arrived in Ocean Park. For years and years I stayed in my Great Aunt's cottages. She had a brown one and a gray one side by side, two blocks from the beautiful seven mile beach. The brown cottage used to look like this.


















Our brown cottage is gone now, and somebody has built this ridiculously gigantic place in the same spot. It doesn't fit in, it's so much bigger than everything else around it. This is one of the very few changes at Ocean Park in my lifetime.


















Here is the gray cottage. It has a new owner, who's fixed it up pretty well, but it looks really plain and doesn't show the presonality that it used to. Lots of memories here!



















We stayed right up the street from the gray cottage, next to the ocean in a bed and breakfast called Nautilus by the Sea It was nice, clean and quiet. The beach was literally steps away, up the little boardwalk and over the dune. We walked a lot, to a creek a little way down the beach. Low tide was around 6:30 am, so we had some nice sunrise walks.


















There aren't a lot of people out that early in the morning, but the seagulls were there to keep us company. Brrr, Saturday morning was so cold we could hardly feel our toes by the time our walk was over! But it was fun, we found some shells and sand dollars, and enjoyed watching the birds and their reflections in the wet sand.

















The Nautilus is the big gray place on the left hand side of the picture.
















It looks cold, doesn't it?
















It was so chilly mist was rising up off of the water down by the creek.
















At low tide, the seagulls hang out where the creek runs into the ocean. Here are a couple that are looking for their breakfast.
















I love this picture, except for the red ghost. What IS that?

















Here is Moe coming to meet me at the creek, and a seagull who seems to be looking at his own reflection.

















These geese are getting an early start...
















...flying south.
















The seagulls weren't too worried about us getting close to them. They were picking up small crabs and fish left on the sand by the retreating tide.
















I rescued a fish from a seagull, who ran up to me within a few feet, thinking he would get the fish before I did. The fish burrowed quickly down into the sand and got away from both of us.

















I remember big waves when we used to come here while I was growing up. There were virtually no waves this weekend, even at high tide. Sunday was warm enough to go for a swim. Yes, a swim. No, not in a heated pool. Yes, in the Atlantic Ocean. I was the only one in the water as far as we could see in either direction. After the first second of shock, the water felt really good! I've been wanting to do that for a long time. :-)
















We took the scenic route home along the coast, and stopped to walk along some wildlife conservation land trails in Biddeford Pool. We walked along the shore for a while, enjoyed a beautiful day.
















On our walk, we saw birds and butterflies, a few snakes sunning themselves, old apple trees with apples underneath that we were sure the wildlife must love. We walked along the rocky shoreline and saw a woman writing in her journal, and a couple getting married. It was a gorgeous, perfect day!

We had a really good weekend, and although it felt too short, it was nice to get home again.

Into the Field of Dreams

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(click on the photos to see them full-size)

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May 24-29, 2009


Back at the Oriental Old Town Hall, much warmer this time! We arrived Sunday, May 24 at about 2 in the afternoon, after about 8 hours of travel.



Moe's found a nice spot on our upstairs deck. The weather is warm and muggy. We're looking forward to seeing Ray, Happy, Flora & Jeff, and of course Eric and June at the Bean.


There are a lot of bunnies and bunny families nibbling on clover, all over!


Something bad happened to the shrimp boat Ocean Gem. This has been in the harbor for a while. It burned, and now is sitting on a mud bank.


A new development. Although we didn't see them, we're told snakes cross the boardwalk and scare tourists. Ha. good. We don't feel like tourists any more, this place is definitely in our hearts.


Leaving Clancy's Marina, May 27. We loved it here, great place and great people! The marina was named after a dog (so you know it's gotta be good!).


The boat's been in the water too long, over two years, Although Moe had a diver clean off the bottom of the boat last year, it's time for some preventative cleaning and maintenance.


Moe, Ray and Jason are moving the boat to a nearby marina, where it'll be pulled out of the water and then transported to another place.


On the way in to Sailcraft Marina.

We met Ray the first time we arrived in Oriental. His white German Shepherd Shadow greeted us at the Town Dock.


Ray, Moe and Jason, preparing to pull the boat into a tiny tiny space, to be lifted out of the water. Thanks so much for your help, both of you!



Almost there. Jason is getting ready to throw ropes to folks waiting on shore. We met Jason on our last trip. He lives on his sailboat at Clancy's with his dog Chico, and helps Greg with the marina.


Sliding in to a very tight spot. Slings are being lowered under the front of the boat. The giant machine that will lift the boat out of the water and move it is called a Travel Lift.


The operator backs the Travel Lift over the boat, lowering the slings at the same time. Other men help him keep the boat straight so it doesn't hit the sides.


Yikes! There isn't much room to spare! These people really have to know what they're doing.


The slings have been properly placed under the boat, and it starts to lift out of the water.


The TraveLift operator has to re-adjust the slings. The boat is very heavy in the back and he needs to make sure it's balanced well before he picks it up too high.


With everything balanced properly, he lifts the boat out and away from the water.


There are barnacles and oysters on the bottom of the boat, and crabs and fish living in the nooks and crannies. The boat needs a good cleaning.


They look puzzled, studying the marine life and wondering where to begin. One of them mutters something about "seafood salad".


A big tarp is placed under the boat to collect everything that gets scraped off. A little crab jumped off by himself and scrambled over the edge back into the water.


Scraping off the barnacles was a lot of work. The boat looked very out of balance on the slings, but it was ok. They couldn't put them any farther back because the propellors and shafts where there.


After the barnacles and everything else had been removed, a man in a white plastic suit with a hood and a mask power-washed the boat really well.


Carefully backing the tractor trailer under the boat.


The trailer had hydraulic arms with cushioned pads on them that reached up to support the boat from below, like a big cradle.


Preparing to lower the boat onto the trailer.


Almost ready to take the slings off, and let the boat's full weight sit on the trailer.


This is unusual... because the boat is so tall, the TraveLift can't back over it, so it must be driven over the top of the tractor trailer.


The TraveLift has to drive a bit further up the street so the truck can get out.


Now everyone is ready to get the boat set up for the trip down the road. The humidity and heat have changed into rain. It's pouring out!


Nobody seems to notice the rain, as they all work hard to get the boat tied down and set up so they can deflect low branches and wires that cross the roads.


Moe takes a quick run up the ladder onto the boat to get his rain gear. It's pouring. The men up above are working on putting up the pvc arches.


They are using plastic chairs from the sundeck to help hold the arches in place. The boat is almost ready to be moved.


A quick stop to brush off some large branches that looked like they would get tangled up with the solar panels. It looks a little top-heavy on that trailer.


With the help of the arches and a few people, they got unstuck pretty quickly and moved on. You can't see Moe's face, but I bet he looks worried.


Taking up two lanes to take a sharp corner onto highway 55. We are holding up a little traffic.


Taking up two lanes on the highway. The arches are still intact and are working well to keep overhead wires from getting hooked. Luckily we're almost to our destination.


The corner is too sharp for the truck and trailer to turn, so the driver has to pull up and back down the fork to the left. More wires are hooked, and a streetlight.



The guys have more long pvc pipes shaped like the letter Y, and they catch the wires in the end of the Y, and lift them up and over the top.


Backing into our new spot, where preventative maintenance, bottom painting etc. will take place over the next few months.





That's Craig up on top. He likes snakes and raises chickens, but not together.

While looking at a large black snake cruising across the lawn in front of us the next day, Craig said to Lin: "That's either a black racer or a water moccasin, you better not pick that one up." Sounds like good advice to me!


Parked and safe at Triton Yachts. Here, the guys are taking down the arches and putting things back together.







When a boat is on land, the locals call it the "Field of Dreams", because now we have to wait, and dream about when it'll be in the water again.
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