Camden

     This is going to be a different attempt at a blog.  Almost by definition a blog is a written account.  Mine have always emphasized pictures, and in this one I've tried to include eight of them.  That is a lot, but I took several dozen and did several things.  The saga really started Monday when Durelle got up early to watch the Ryder Cup from Wales.  The pre-sunrise eastern sky, I'm told, was a spectacular blend of magenta, lavender and rose.  She almost got me out of bed to take some pictures.  So I decided to get up yesterday morning at six.  I took a bunch of nice pictures, but as the old fisherman said,"You shoulda been here yesterday!"  The first picture was early...note the gull, and the second was later as the sun was about to break through.
     The next item of business was a trip up Mount Battie to take some classic fall foliage pictures.  Alas, the color is not quite this far south yet.  I did include a shot of the Camden harbor that shows the rather subdued colors.  The light wasn't just right either.  We will probably make another try over the weekend.  We are leaving Tuesday, so it will be then or "wait 'til next year." 
     Next we paid a visit to the Merryspring Gardens in Camden.  The gardens are very attractive, but just as we were early for the foliage colors, we were late for the peak garden colors.  Timing is everything.  There is a picture of Durelle admiring the flowers.  Then I did find a splash of color (nasturtiums, I think) and took a closeup.
     From there we went to the Waterfront Restaurant in Camden for lunch.  It is one of our favorite restaurants, and it was warm enough to use one of the outside tables.  I had a half dozen local (Damariscotta) oysters.  They are from the same source that Jim Baker uses at Papa J's.  They are truly exceptional oysters.  For the entre I had a bowl of soup, but what a bowl it was.  Check the picture.  They called it a Tuscan Fish Chowder, but it is a close cousin to Bouillabaisse.  And that's a nice glass of Pinot Grigio next to my plate.  The next picture shows Durelle contemplating the activities of the Camden harbor and digesting a sandwich of crabmeat, bacon and avocado on sourdough bread.
    We still weren't done with our day.  On the way back north we made a stop at the Camden Hills State Park and took the walk down to the shore.  The last picture was taken there and shows a sailboat heading in toward shore. So we had a rather full day, and you can see why I had so many different pictures.  It remains to be see how well this format works for a longer blog with eight pictures.