[Just re-discovered this post, which I wrote a few weeks ago on another device and then promptly forgot. So it’s out of order, but we thought it would be fun to share these photos.]

We’ve been staying in Northeast Harbor for a few days to do laundry, re-provision, and a hike a bit in Acadia National Park. While here we reconnected with an artist Drew met last winter, Dan Falk. He’s a woodcarver who makes whimsical (and occasionally freaky) animal sculptures at his studio here in town. A number of them are right in his front yard, surfing and playing badminton:

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We’re nearly out of Maine. Today we sailed south from Kennebunk to the Isles of Shoals. Lots of wind and swells pushed us from behind so we made great time. By “we” I mean Drew, Soren, Elsa and me — plus at least 100 flies that hitched a ride in our cockpit to get out of the wind. SO GROSS. I even saw two pairs mating this afternoon behind the steering wheel. That’s all we need. Why does no one ever tell you about these things?

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Drew is threatenting to get a haircut here in Thomaston, which makes me realize that many of you haven’t seen him lately — or more specifically, seen his hair. So just in case he decides to cut it short, let me share some pictures. Behold the salty sea captain:

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We’re headed back to Thomaston as I write this, nearly done with the Maine portion of our trip. The plan is to have a few things fixed at Lyman-Morse and then continue south to Boston. We almost made it to Canada, turning around just 22 nautical miles south of the border. Soren was lobbying hard to head up there so we could hoist a Canadian courtesy flag and sing “O, Canada” and then turn around, but in the end we decided to skip that bit and take advantage of the good weather. We had a fabulous sail yesterday — flat seas, 15-knot winds, close-hauled on one tack for 3 hours.

Anyway, we can’t leave Maine without telling you about lobster traps. I am really ready to be rid of lobster traps. Thickets of them spread across the water here — in rivers, wide open bays, even in deeper water on the Atlantic coast (when you think you might finally be rid of them).

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The weather has been changing constantly these last few weeks. Unlike home, where it’s sunny and in the mid-70s for weeks or months at a time, here in Maine things never stay the same for long. Heavy fog will hang around for days and leave everything soggy, then it might be hot and humid, and then sometimes the exciting bit: thunderstorms.

The California drought has probably made us overly enthusiastic for rain, but every time there’s been a thunderstorm Soren and Elsa have greeted it with cheers. Last night it poured rain, lightning flashed, thunder rumbled in from the ocean, the boat rocked steeply from side to side — and the kids were thrilled. They were even disappointed when we decided to leave our anchorage at Roque Island this morning for a more protected cove out of the wind.

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