August 30, 2018 - A birding day with Kathy

I emailed my friend Kathy whom I met originally in Australia.  We have since met up a couple of times in Florida in the winter for several days of birding.  Well Kathy responded and came up today to bird the Ogunquit area for the day and is staying with us tonight and will return home tomorrow.  It was great to catch up with non-birding stuff, we both have three grown children and newly arrived grandkids except Kathy has one more than I do.    I asked the kids here and Norm is they minded if I birded for a day, no worries.  They went off to the Marginal Walk and the beach today and the little ones had a good afternoon nap today.  I arrived home to make supper for everyone.  Kathy brought some cucumbers and tomatoes and some patty pan squash for supper and with some splash, thank you!

Kathy drove up from Massachusetts this morning and I met her at the corner of Meadow as it is a tight quick corner and I did not want her to miss the turn.  We first headed out to Mount Agamenticus which is a lookout spot and a recommended excellent spot to see the sunset.  It was also a good spot to look at birds.  Eastern Bluebirds, Chipping Sparrows, Eastern Phoebe abound.  In addition there was a striking bright yellow warbler that was all yellow on the breast and rump with a distinctive facial pattern that we could not identify it right away and we could not get a photo of it all.  The best we can come up with .... we think it was a Prairie Warbler.  It was quite striking.  The views from this mountain (at 600 odd feet about sea level) are amazing.  There are excellent east, north and south markings along with the mountain scapes and one can see Mountain Washington from here.  It is very impressive and I plan to go back wth the kids for the sunset before we leave here.

Then we headed north on Highway 1 to the Wells Preserve at Laudholm.  Here we did the Barrier Beach Trail through the salt marshes to the ocean where we had fantastic close up views of Semi-palmated Plovers, Semi-palmated Sandpipers and Sanderlings.   About a group of several hundred.

We have spent the evening checking our photos for any other species that we may have missed and it looks like we had only these three species.

We walked the beach here and saw seals in the water and then a big headed type of seal.  To end the day went to the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Preserve which looked to be a very good spot but we were almost out of time and we left at 6 pm. In the parking lot we were looking at a motor home and met the couple who just bought it two months ago and it was made in Ontario in Kitchener Waterloo by coincidence.  We chatted with them for a bit.  Then hit a boardwalk trail that overlooked some salt marshes.  Not too many birds but Great Blue Heron, Canada Geese and Greater Yellow
Yellow Legs.  The biting mosquitoes or flies or whatever were very annoying evening with bug stuff on.  WE headed home from here and it would have been good to visit here longer but we just ran out of time.  We got home and I had asked the kids to pick up fresh fish and we had fresh Baked Haddock
Kathy's tomatoes and cucumbers in the salad, pan fried patty pan squash, fresh asparagus which was the best I have ever tasted and a rice dish.  Everyone enjoyed it all.  Then dessert was two bite brownies with Moose Tracks ice cream.

Kathy and I are looking at out photos while Norm and the kids are at the table playing crib.
A busy day and a good birding day.  Thank you Kathy!

August 29, 2018 - Trolley tour and the Beach

Another hot day here and it was over 30 degrees.  Where else to spend it but at the beach.  This morning we decided to take a trolley tour through town.   One can't just park anywhere here.  I don't think there is too much street parking and there are too many people here to start with.  We saw these open air trolleys (powered by gas) and thought that would be fun.  What we did not know was that at the central station one could go south on a trolley and get off and then get on another (blue and beige one) and go north, far, far north.

So we all get on the first one and the tour is fun, about 20 minutes.  WE and the little ones are unrestrained.  There are no seat belts, baby seats or toddler seats.  there are no windows and we are driving down the main drag with all the traffic with the brisk breeze in the heat.  The kids love it and I am thinking, if a car were to hit us, we are missiles into the heavy traffic.  We are not going fast but 35 miles an hour or 25 miles an hour, it was fast enough.  It was fun.  Then we get on the north trolley.  This ride was no 20 minute route but almost an hour and some places we went by twice.  We went along the ocean drive to a little beach town with a little beach that probably disappears at high tide.  We went by a college and near the Amtrack station and back and forth to various spots.  Every time we came to Highway 1 (the main drag) we thought the driver was to turn south and head back and every time he turned right and further north.  It was hilarious.  We were about to ask him if it was all going to end soon.  By this time Cal was held by J and Avery was asleep on Ashley's lap.  We were all tired of the trolley that just kept going and going and never coming back to the station.  It was hot, we were done. 

Finally hours later we are back to our car and somehow, the passenger door was wide open in the almost empty parking lot.  Lucky for us.  The van was open but fine.  We loaded the kids up and headed home.  The Neverending Trolley Ride is how we will remember this outing!

We had a delicious pizza for lunch at the vacation house and some quiet time and then we headed off to Moore Beach which we prefer.  It is off Bourn Road and along Ocean Drive where I would buyu the beach house that is for sale when I win tonight's Powerball Lottery.  I bought a ticket.  It is a huge house and right on the beach. 

From here we went back to Mike's Seafood  for Haddock friend in a light batter and so tender.  WE are loved it and Avery like it too.  She did a good job of supper.  By 7:45 pm we were home and tired and sweaty and covered in salt water and sunscreen a really good mess.  I took a shower yesterday in the same shape and I finished the shower and I still have sunscreen crud between my fingers.  The stuff just does not wash off, it is like paint.  So it must do the job, no one has burned.  Norm wears a hat at the beach and that goes with his long jeans and hikers.  No beach fly is going to bite him.

So now with the kiddies all washed and fed and read to, they are sleeping and we are just chillin with some splash.

No birding today but I did see birds on the salt marshes we flew by on the Neverending Trolley.

So those were today's adventures.

 Tomorrow is a birding day!!

Tues August 28 - A day on the beach

I went out birding by myself this morning at 6:30 am and ended up at the ocean in the cliffs area, not the beach.  I was hoping to see some birds and a goal was to view a Common Eider duck.  This is an area of Ogunquit where one goes up a steep road and the paved foot path along the edge of the cliff is aptly named Marginal Way.  I had my choice of parking spots until 9 am and I parked by the lighthouse-type light.  One is up high on a cliff edge with a path  along the cliff edge overlooking rocky shores with a great view of the ocean.

I brought my scope with me and it was hot already at 6:30am.  There were lots of people on the path; running, strolling, and only myself with binoculars.  I looked for Common Eider.  Well there were rafts of them along with Common Loons, Double-crested Cormorants, Black-backed Gulls (pink legs and no yellow legs viewed so no Lesser Black-backed Gull).  There were Gray Catbirds, Song Sparrows and American Goldfinches in the bushes along the path.  The path is generally paved and there are benches along the way.  I spent about two hours along this mile long path. I looked along the rocky shore hoping for shorebirds but did not see any.

After this I drove on to Wells Pond (not really a pond but the next town along  Hwy 1) where the cliffs are not as high and while there are beaches there are rocky shores also.  The same variety of birds were viewed.  Then I checked for some birding spots for tomorrow morning`s birding.  I was home by 10 am and we left for the main Ogunquit beach at 10:30 am as we all wanted to spend the day at the main beach and the $30 a day parking lot fills up really quick.  We had three folding beach chairs, a bucket full of toys.  A sun tent for Cal, two umbrellas for us, a cooler, two beach bags, a two year old and a two month old.  So the whole plan was to park in a lot closest to the beach so we could all carry all this in one trip.

The kids were very well organized and planned all this.  Cal could sleep in the tent and was out of the sun.  He is too young for sunscreen.  Avery has a bathing suit that covers her arms so she needs sunscreen on her face and her legs.  We all had bathing suits on.  We had plenty of water, booze in cans (no liquor allowed) and we ate a beach restaurant food for lunch and ended the day with ice cream at the beach strip.  We had a good spot for the tent.  We were fairly early for the beach but it was packed already!!  Gosh I saw people set up their chairs at 6:30 am when I was out birding.   We saw the tide come in very close to us and then start to go out.

The water was bone chilling leg-cramping cold but after a few minutes one got used to the cold and the water was fine.  I would not want to swim in it for any length of time.  It a very hot day and was over 30 degrees today.  We kept an eye on Cal and he managed fine and he even got his feet wet and he had an all body swim suit on.  If one got hot sitting after 1/2 an hour, one simply went into the water for 15 minutes and that was enough to cool off for the next 30 to 45 minutes. 

We ate lunch at the beach today.  Ashley and I and the kids went to the beach restaurant - it was air conditioned for lunch and the guys had takeout from the same place.  It was good and tasty and it was good to cool down a bit.  Then we went back to the beach, the high tide was now receding and it was moving towards a low tide.  So back to the water and the beach and the surf and playing.  There were kites up in the air and lots of people of little boards and some people on larger boards out further.  So we did the into the water, then wading, then playing, then warming up on the sand more or less all day.  Avery dug a couple of beach mounds.  We packed up at 4 pm and Avery and all of us had a great time in the surf, in the waves coming in and going out.  The sand was everywhere.

There were thousands of people there today on the beach.  The view was hundreds of gaily coloured umbrellas, including ours.  There is no way one could sit there without an umbrella.  I think it was 32 degrees today with a gentle breeze all day.  Everyone was tired and we got home and everyone took a shower to get all the sand, suncreen and sweat off from our bodies.  Then some drinks and we made a simple supper with the sausages I made in Ottawa the day before we left.  Ashley made delicious eggplant and we had broccoli rice. 

For dessert Norm had to have his Key Lime Pie and it was very sweet and everyone loved it.  Now Ashley and Jason are putting Cal and Avery to bed and Norm and I are watching CNN.  A very good day and we did manage a whole day at the beach.  We wanted to do this once and on a perfect beach day.  After this we will try other beaches for part of the day.  No one got sunburn and seems to be fine.  We are all tired this evening. 

Mon August 27 - our first day in Ogunquit - the beach!

Our first day in Ogunquit
After the drive to Ogunquit from Ottawa yesterday, we all slept great last night.  The beds were comfortable and we were all tired.  So it was a lazy morning.  Norm and I went out this morning walking around the neighbourhood which is about a mile from the Main Street of Ogunquit.  It is a bit too far to walk to the main tourist drag - Highway 1, as a portion of the roadway - Berwick St,  has no sidewalks and no extra pavement to walk and ditches with no spot to get around.  Then suddenly as one gets closer to downtown a sidewalk appears.  Norm spotted some birds on our street and they were Tufted Titmice in a group foraging around trees and they responded to my phishing.

With the kids and babies still sleeping, Norm and I then got into the van to drive around and find that ocean and beach.  We did find a wonderful beach but since we absconded with the van without telling the kids we did not want to be gone long.  We drove around and tried to figure out where the other end of the beach was.  We then turned around on Highway 1 before the I95 turnpike and came back and everybody was up.

In the afternoon we went to Moore Beach and enjoyed the water and surf, the building of mud castles, looking for the perfect shells and exploring.   The beach is lovely with dry sand at the dry end and hard packed sand right at the shore.  The water is clear and cold!  The tide was going out so all kinds of crustaceans were left behind in the sand water.  Avery collected an assortment of shells and rocks and stuff.  The day was hot but very comfortable when we were there.  After 6 pm, the wind suddenly turned a bit cool.  It is the end of August after all.  It was still very comfortable but the wind got a bit brisk and it was just enough to get chilled.  We wrapped up Cal in a muslin blanket and he was toasty warm.  When Avery came in from the water she was cold and once she was in dry clothes she was fine.

I thought of my birding friend Kathy from Massachusetts this evening and I had no idea where exactly she lived in that state.  I emailed Kathy that I was here and she replied and offered to come up to bird and I said yes and since we usually bird all day and are tired, I suggested  to come and spend the night, we had extra beds.  We agreed that Thursday would be a birding day.  Norm and the kids were fine with the plan.  So nowI had to look around and see where the birding spots were.  Turns out there were several interesting spots besides the beach and the Marginal Way rockery coast. The plan for Thursday was set.

After the beach, we decided to have a seafood supper.  We were at the coast.  Generally we ate out at either lunch or supper.  It was a once a day choice.  We had a great supper from Mike's Seafood restaurant in Wells.  We got take-out as we were all so tired and salt/sand/sunscreen-covered.  We all ordered Jumbo Lobster Rolls and fries, except for one who ordered haddock and chips.  There was 7.5 ounces of lobster in each with an artisan bun and no condiments with it.  Just lobster.  Avery ate her lobster and she liked it.  So on this note, I end this very excellent day!  The little kiddies have had their baths and are asleep, I have showered and Jason and Norm are working on a 500 piece puzzle.

Ashley is still organizing stuff and has put in a load in the laundry.   I cleaned up the kitchen.  So we will chill soon.  Did I mention we ladies had splash at supper.  The guys are sticking to their many beer choices in the fridge.

Sunday August 26, 2018 - travels day with the kids

We all headed out;  all seat-belted into our seats and a toddler car seat and a baby seat.  Thank goodness there were no dogs allowed on this trip as there would not have room for humans!  Also having a family van allowed 6 of us to travel comfortably for 11 hours from Ottawa, Ontario to Ogunquit, Maine.  The weather was perfect for travel almost the whole way.   It was mostly overcast with some sun in the afternoon.  Except for a torrential downpour in, of course, Montreal.  And we were on the jammed Autoroute when it was particularly full of puddles.  Spectacular sprays of water from the water on the road, like a Niagara Falls.

We made frequent stops for Cal's feeds and pit stops for us.  Unfortunately the world was trying to cross the Quebec to Vermont border and it took us an hour to get across the border.  The lineup was phenomenal but we made it.   Ashley had made sandwiches and potato salad for the trip and we picnicked our way to Maine.  We had lots of junk food to munch along the way too.  I am not sure how many packages of red licorice we scoffed down during the day, but it was the munch of the day.

Jason did the bulk of the driving and I did the last three hours through New Hampshire to Ogunquit.  We missed a lot of the scenery driving in the dark,  but we will see it on the return trip.  There were signs for Moose Crossings, Bear Crossing and Deer Crossings and we only saw a couple of deer. 

The vacation house is huge and lovely and there are even two beds in two other rooms that we don't need to use so this place could easily take another couple and a child.

There is a huge great room that consists of a living/dining/kitchen area that could easily hold 30 people or more.  Avery has lots of room to skip around.  Really it is the way to stay with kids a hotel room would be tiny.  There is a big deck outside also and a front yard.  It looks like the neighbourhood road is all half acre lots at least.  We can't see the neighbours and each house fronts the road on its own.  There is mature bush with lots of huge trees, some coniferous and deciduous and everyone's place is nicely landscaped.  A very nice place with maybe 9 houses on a long winding roadway.

So a good trip down.  We made it!!  The kids were good and we stopped often.  Maybe just a couple of meltdowns.