The 15 Minute Workout: Fonda That!

Jane Fonda be damned. Julian and I found a much better 15 minute workout than anything Ms.Fonda ever offered. Here's how it happened...

Julian and I decided to hike up Beehive with Wendy opting for a walk on Sand Beach instead. Julian said to Wendy 'how long do you think it will take us to hike up Beehive'?

Wendy said 'thirty minutes'.

Thirty minutes seemed reasonable, but we knew we could do it faster. Starting from the trailhead marker by the Park Loop Road, the 'boy' and I were able to reach the summit of Beehive (520 ft) in exactly 15 minutes. Our hearts were racing as we sprinted up the hill. The ladder sections have to be taken carefully so we'd be hard pressed to do it in less time. It was very satisfying for both Julian and me. I suspect we'll try it again next time we visit. Maybe we could shave one minute off our time. Maybe. I'll be at least 50 before we make it back to Acadia National Park, so perhaps I'll be a minute slower. Ha! Not likely. 

Hiking With 'The Kids'

Hiking up or around mountains peaks can be a dangerous business, one which I take very seriously.
This video was taken on the summit of Cadillac Mountain on Mount Desert Island. It's the tallest mountain on the eastern seaboard north of Rio, or so they say.

The Trailer Park Boy

Julian and Bubbles?

Here's an image of Julian standing atop the North Bubble, overlooking Jordan Pond (home of the delicious popovers which we didn't buy because they're too expensive).

After hiking the North Bubble, we crossed a small valley and then summited South Bubble. South Bubble is home to Bubble Rock (a glacial eratic).

The entire hike was Bubblicious. Our two days here on Mount Desert Island were just maaaaarrrrrrvelous.

Oh...Bee Hive!

I've seen a number of different bee hives on Mount Desert Island over the years but none more impressive than the one that overlooks Sand Beach. It's a small rocky outcropping of a hill that provides a thrilling hike. It has ladders, cliffs and there's always just a hint of danger. We didn't hike it yesterday, instead we chose a gentler hike on the Great Head trail which provided us with this excellent vantage point of the beach and the hive.

It's so great to be back here. The air is delicious and the rocks rock. I never take them for granite, though they are.

Har Barbor 2013

I'll bet you dollars to donuts that we'll be visiting the Colonel's Bakery in Northeast Harbor this week (if we have any money).

This historical image was from 2009. I suspect that donut did not last long, even under the watchful eye of me Mootha.

Thunderstorms And God Swill

Wendy and I were playing cards yesterday afternoon when we noticed the sky darkening. Within two minutes it was clear that a doozy of a thunderstorm was about to hit. Remembering that I had opened a few windows in the MacMann cottage, I hurried up there to shut everything.

Good timing. The skies opened up and a wild amount of rain and wind whipped the neighbourhood. I watched it unfold from the MacMann's back porch. I've never seen more rain fall in five minutes in Cambridge-Narrows. I could have

almost kayaked down the driveway. A large maple fell in the MacMann woods. Our lawn temporarily flooded.

The pictures don't do our mini-storm justice because they were taken after the fact, but you do get a sense for why I labeled this storm a Class 4 doozy. Mind you, this isn't the U.S. mid-west. It could have been much worse..or better, depending upon how you view it. It could have carried 'Toto Beers' off to Kansas. Wishful thinking.

Kayak Klown

There's Something About Mary. That's a movie.

There's Something About Wendy (in a kayak). That's a reality.

It seems that every time Wendy gets in a kayak, she becomes...hmmmm, how to phrase this eloquently? Goofy!

Perhaps kayaking is the ultimate antidote to a stressful career as an opera singer. Perhaps one is not truly free until sitting in a boat that is four inches above the water and constantly threatening to spin 180 degrees (vertically, I might add).

Or, perhaps Wendy is just a goof. Lord knows, she lives with an inspirational role model.

Well, I'd love to write more but I have to go bake some Skittle infused raspberry-rhubarb  muffins in my Easy Bake oven. Kidding! I'm goofy too, but not a freak.