Birthday Blog

On April 19, 2022 at 2:35 pm, the exact time of my birth 68 years later, I was at my very favorite place, Pemaquid Lighthouse! It worked out perfectly; I had planned on photographing sunrise, but it was raining so I went later in the day. 

THIS is 68!

I left on my solo secret birthday road trip on Monday April 18th. I made a pit stop at the Yarmouth Information Center to pick up some brochures. A guy in the parking lot saw my CELTS-6 license plate and Celtics hat and started talking about how great Sunday’s game was! :-)

Once a year, I always like to go somewhere I haven’t been before. I took a side trip to Land’s End on Bailey Island. Just sorry I never made it there before my friend, Dan Millar, passed away. I want to go back for photos of The Giant Stairs, Lookout Point, Cribstone Bridge and the little lobster shack in Mackerel Cove when it’s a little warmer.  When I lived in Maine I would go to Tortola in April. Now I go from NH to Maine!  LoL

  

I arrived at Sheepscot Harbour Village Resort in Edgecomb, Maine a couple of hours before check-in, but my room was ready so I checked in to Room 214 (a great recommendation by Tessie & Dave Leach) and had high hopes for a smoky sunset.  I enjoyed a shrimp cocktail snack on the balcony and walked the property and went out on the pier. also walked about halfway across the Wiscasset Bridge.

 

 

 For dinner I got a delicious char-grilled burger from Sarah’s and a piece of chocolate cream pie (also recommended by Tess) along with an eclair disguised as a Cream puff! The sunset wasn’t great, but I had fun taking some night shots from the deck.

 

    

I watched NBA basketball very late, but knew it would be raining in the morning so I wouldn’t be getting up for sunrise. My original plan was to photograph sunrise at Pemaquid Lighthouse on my birthday. Hotel Pemaquid isn’t open for the season yet so I chose Sheepscot Harbour Village resort for easy access to Rte. 1 plus the sunset view! Brought leftover kielbasa and hard boiled eggs for breakfast. Had my eclair for Round 2 of my birthday breakfast! They give you a voucher for a drink and pastry from the market/cafe across the street, but I passed with the wind and rain. I hung out until just before noon and decided to go to Rockland since I’d never photographed Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse although I’d been to the Samoset Resort several times for the Maine State Physical Education conferences,

 

 

 

It was still raining a little in Rockland when I arrived, but the wind was the real issue!  It was high tide and there was no way I was getting close to the breakwater with waves crashing over it.  Not sure if these are seals in the water and on the breakwater. Will need to look at my camera photos. 

I left Rockland with my ETA at Pemaquid falling at 2:24, just 11 minutes before the time I was born 68 years ago.  Couldn’t have worked out better. My most FAVORITE lighthouse in the whole wide world. I always say that Pemaquid gives me the Monhegan feel without leaving the mainland! I even stayed in the Monhegan Bungalow at Hotel Pemaquid one year.

The energy when I arrived at Pemaquid was both INVIGORATING & EXHILARATING! You had to be there. The tide had just turned and was starting to go out. There was NO WAY that you could go down on the rocks where I normally take my reflection photos. Way too dangerous. I stayed by the sign that said “DANGER, Keep off rocks!” My face was salty from the spray that was reaching me and it appeared that the waves had crashed up to the picnic area at high tide. AhhhhhhhMaZing!

After visiting Pemaquid I headed to Moody’s Diner to get take out. I couldn’t post my blueberry pie because it would have given away my secret location! I had a birthday lobster roll and wild Mane blueberry pie ala mode.  I asked for matches for my birthday candle. They didn’t have any, but the server gave me a little lighter!  😀 I got a pretty decent birthday sunset, too!

 

  

 

It wasn’t looking like a great sunrise so I stayed in bed. Took a few morning shots from the deck and hit the road back to Hampton to see my tulip and narcissus babies! It was too early in the day for my 2 favorite ice cream places to be open so I settled for 3rd place with the #1 view❣

 

And that’s a wrap, folks! Excited to see what this next trip around the sun brings me❣

Let’s GO CELTICS!