OUR COMMON HOURS

Kelli Ann Wilson August 21, 2013

lubec // fireweed

Fireweed, otherwise known as Chamerion angustifolium, grows everywhere in Washington County. You can see it on the sides of the road, and along the edge of the shore. The house we rent in Lubec has a huge patch of it growing on the side of the lawn facing the channel. The hummingbirds love this stuff, and you can hear their little wings beating furiously if you’re standing close enough. One evening I was lucky enough to have some time to photograph this beautiful plant during that special “golden hour” just before sunset. Of course, I had to act quickly because (as you can see in a couple of the photos) there was a thick, white fog rolling in from the southwest which obliterated everything within a few minutes of my finishing the shoot.

Kelli Ann Wilson August 20, 2013

first haircut

In honor of his upcoming birthday (he’s turning 2 on Friday *sob*) we decided it was time for Zane to get an “official” haircut. I’ve been trimming his hair for all of his, albeit short, life. But, it takes me forever because I’m not a very confident, or trained, hairstylist.

Before — very cute, but a bit wild.

After — I barely recognize my little Zane! Who knew there was such a handsome boy hiding under all of that hair?

He’s a dead ringer for his dad in this last photo. Okay, I’m going to go distract myself so I don’t start crying. How could he be so big already?…

Kelli Ann Wilson August 19, 2013

lubec // day three

On our third day of vacation we took a boat ride out into the Bay of Fundy. We were really fortunate to be able to charter the Lorna Doone (Downeast Charter Boat Tours), which is a small boat so we didn’t have to share it with anyone. We’re all introverts so we’re always going to choose the option that doesn’t involve interacting with strangers, if possible. Our captain’s name was Ralph and I’m guessing he was an introvert too because he was pretty quiet (which was great — there’s nothing worse than being stuck on a boat for several hours with some wise-cracking weirdo…my worst nightmare).

Taking a boat tour is a fantastic way to see the area without having to spend hours in the car. There are many beautiful islands to see, all with the quintessential “bold coasts” of the Downeast area. There’s also an abundance of unique wildlife. We got to see a bald eagle, some porpoises, and even a whale! One of the coolest parts of the trip was seeing the “Old Sow,” which is the “largest tidal whirlpool in the Western Hemisphere.” Photos and video can’t really capture how dramatic it is in real life. It is located in an area with a confluence of currents which causes the water to be alternately glassy or choppy, depending on where you look. I must say that it’s pretty eerie to pass through those areas of smooth water out in the middle of the ocean. At the end of this post I’ve included a short video of the Old Sow. Other than a brief period of seasickness for Lillia I think that everyone really enjoyed the boat ride, and I highly recommend the Lorna Doone if you’re ever in the area.

The Old Sow, Eastport, Maine from Kelli Wilson on Vimeo.

Kelli Ann Wilson August 17, 2013

lubec // around the house

Every year that I’ve gone to Lubec with my in-laws we have stayed in the same house. In fact, it feels like a second home at this point. The house is located on the West Quoddy Head peninsula, just a mile or so from the Easternmost point in the US — the closest one can get to Europe while still standing on land owned by one of the fifty states. The state park at the West Quoddy Head Light is one of my favorite places in Lubec (I’ll post photos of it later in the week). The rental house is an older home, with the owner’s photos and trinkets covering every wall and surface. Even though the original owner has since passed away, her daughter has left it mostly in the same condition that her mother did while she was living there. There are two large windows facing the water and at night you can see the lights of the town of Lubec sparkling on the other side of the channel. I thought it might be nice to post some photos from around the house and yard so others can get a sense of the place we enjoy so much — the starting point of all of our adventures.

Kelli Ann Wilson August 16, 2013

lubec // day two

The second day of our trip brought quite the adventure. We decided that we would try to walk out to the Lubec Channel Lighthouse (a.k.a. the Sparkplug). My father-in-law originally became interested in Lubec because he saw this lighthouse listed for sale (it was eventually purchased by someone else). Lubec has some extreme tides, up to 22 feet, and much of the seafloor is exposed during low tide making it possible to walk quite far into the channel.

We started out okay, but soon realized that our footwear was grossly (pun intended) inadequate. The sand looked solid enough from the shore, but as we walked further and further into the channel our feet sank deeper and deeper into what can only be described as “muck.” I am not a “muck” sort of person, and there were points when I thought I was going to scream and/or pass out from the sheer horror of walking (barefoot, out of necessity) through the very soft seafloor mud. It didn’t help that I knew just inches, maybe even centimeters, beneath my feet there were clams, worms, and any number of weird sea creatures that could bite me or, worse!, get stuck between my toes! Yuck!

The lighthouse is actually farther away than it looks and even at low tide there isn’t enough exposed sand to make walking all the way there possible, though we did get pretty close. Along the way we found all sorts of treasures: an abandoned clam rake; sand dollars; an old glass bottle; and a baby crab hiding inside a crab shell. Zane actually slept through most of the chaos, and I have to hand it to the makers of this stroller because it made it out there and back without getting too badly stuck (though there was a bit of a quicksand moment during the return trip). Now we have a story we will be talking about for years to come — and next time we’ll be bringing waders!