Hiking, Whales, Mandolins and Lobsters

Day 29, Tuesday 7-8-14

it turned out to be a beautiful day in Lubec, Mane. it started out with a weather advisory for fog. We woke up hearing the foghorn sounding at regular intervals. Now THAT's a sound we didn't hear in the middle of Texas! What fun to look out over the Bay of Fundy and barely see a lighthouse in the distance through the fog.

After another hearty breakfast at the Inn's restaurant, Curt and I both attended a SummerKeys music lecture that was open to the general public. The presenter, Roberto Pace, is an incredibly knowledgeable and skilled musician who has the gift of being able to take complicated pieces of classical music and explain it in the simplest terms so all of us who haven't studied classical music can begin to understand it and really enjoy it. He plays the pieces at the piano beautifully, with such expression, and totally from memory. He brings in songs from other genres to illustrate what he's explaining...we've caught strains of pop tunes, rock tunes, blues, and even Deep in the Heart of Texas!

These lectures go on every morning this week, and we plan to make them all.

 

Then Curt and I split up for our daily activities....me to attend music lessons, classes and workshops, and Curt to take a strenuous 5-mile hike and then hop on the whale watching boat. Here's Curt to tell you about his adventures... and then I'll return.

I began with a great 5 mile hike along the coast and cliffs at West Quoddy State Park and the easternmost spot in the US. Amazing views from the quite rugged trail and soaring cliffs over the ocean below. 

I finished with a detour to see a peat bog, the predecessor of a coal deposit.. A spongy area of plants and humus which is 90 percent moisture and 10 percent organic matter. Then I raced to get to the worlds best hot dog stand, in Lubec, where I made it just in time to consume 2 chili dogs with cheese and onions! Oh Boy! The chili is just like Texas chill, just meat and seasoning. No self respecting Texan would put beans in his chili!  Ha 

In late afternoon I went on a whale watch cruise for several hours. We saw seals, lots of birds, some great sea coasts and one of the worlds biggest whirlpools, and loads of dolphins. And finally, tonight's lobster dinner! A great day!

OK, it's Karen again. We decided,that tonight was the night for our big Maine Lobster dinner. Oh, man...was it ever delicious! Our waitress tonight at the Inn's restaurant looked very familiar...she reminded us of the two different waitresses we had for breakfast yesterday and today. Turns out they're all sisters! So here's Christa getting Curt ready for the big lobster feed...

And here is the "Before" shot...where everything looks so tidy!

See those boats through the window behind us? That's where these lobsters were caught.

And here's the aftermath...kind of looks like the hurricane hit here as well as the surrounding countryside! But boy, was it worth the mess!

Tomorrow we music students have the afternoon free, so Curt plans to show me some of the great places he has visited while I've been playing mandolin. Can't wait to play tourist a bit.

And Curt has really fallen in love with Lubec, so after my music week is over, we plan to find a nice campground nearby and extend our stay by a week or two. That will be quite the Maine experience!

Goodnight to all...we'll check in with you again soon!