Let's Go To The Beach

It was so nice today that we took Tessa to the beach for the first time.  Well, technically, we don't know for sure that it was her first time, she did come from So. Carolina.  It was her first time to the beach in Maine. 

Her first footprints in the sand at Drakes Island.

She did get her feet wet but she's definitely not a water dog.  She was kind of like...whatever.

We walked a half mile down the beach, then back.  She was great meeting other dogs and couldn't resist saying "hi" to everyone she met.

Who would think there would be a beach day in November?

Thanks for stopping by...

;o)

It's Acadia Time...Day Four

Up at 8:30, sunny and windy enough to create whitecaps on the water.  

Only 55* and windy.  We both slept well but got cold overnight, having left some of the windows open. Although I always prefer having my coffee on the deck, it was just too darn cold, so I sat inside instead.  We had bagels for breakfast and moved at a snail's pace getting ready for the day.  We didn't leave until 11:41...61* sunny & windy.  

We arrived in  SW Harbor at 12:03 and found a parking space without any hassle.  We wandered through town; Bill bought a really nice print from J.K.Putnam, a photographer I've been following on FB and IG and we bought some Christmas gifts.

We ate lunch at Eat-a-Pita/Cafe 2, sitting in the outside patio, enjoying the sun.  The temperature had climbed to 64*.  Bill had a portabello panini and I had the caprese panini, which was very heavy on spinach.  I forgot the usual food photo...

We left there at 1:56 and drove to Seawall, arriving only ten minutes later.  We parked along the rocky shore, took a short walk to the end of the path, walked back and got our chairs out of the car.  We picked a fairly flat spot, sat and read for an hour. It was perfect when the wind wasn't blowing and tolerable when it was.  64* winds at 20mph

High tide but the wind was blowing out keeping the water at bay

We only discovered this area a couple of years ago but it has become one of our favorite places outside the park.

We left at 3:35, drove into downtown Bar Harbor and scored another parking place (4:15) across from the Village Green.  We were able to walk to Acadia Perks and get iced coffees and a whoopee pie.  Beedandy has some specialty soaps here, which we spotted on one of the shelves and now I wish I had taken a photo ;o(. The problem now was finding a place in the sun, out of the wind, to enjoy our afternoon snacks.  The Ivy Manor has a courtyard, live entertainment and a sign that says "public welcome", so we took a seat in the sun, started enjoying the music and eating our shared whoopee pie.  

Although the public is welcome, outside beverages are not.  While we weren't technically asked to leave, we were told our iced coffees had to go.  So we left, stood on the sidewalk and ate our pie.  

We checked out Bark Harbor, wanting to bring something back for Tessa.  We decided on a moose shaped treat.  

We spent another half hour or so browsing in and out of the various stores, including looking for sock liners at Cadillac Mtn Sports. No luck.  

Reached the car just as our paid parking expired and drove to Pat's Pizza, where we had a thin crust, sausage, pepperoni and bacon pizza.  Got back to Edgewater at 6:52.  The temperature had dropped to 57* and the wind had died down some.

I worked on the blog and we watched "Major League".

Thanks for stopping by...

;o)

Taking Proper Pandemic Precautions at the Beach

Beautiful day today so we headed to Two Lights State Park and hoped the bathroom facilities were available, which they were!  That is always a concern for us more mature adults ;o)

Never fear, we made sure to abide by proper social distancing protocols and I wore my mask!

Thanks for stopping by...
;o)

Finally...

Well...it took several weeks too many but I finally got a pedicure and we finally got a really nice day at the beach!

My nails are blue today to match the water and the sky ;o)

haha just kidding, they'll be blue until my next overdue pedicure.

Thanks for stopping by...
;o)

The View at Lunch...1/3/2019

Charlotte Harbor Beach Park...the earliest we have ever made it to the beach.

 Picture perfect day - 81* with a light breeze ;o)

High tide is still an hour away...think we will have to move?  I told Bill yes...he said he didn't think so.  He wins!

This is one of the reasons we spend 29 hours in the car - the beach, in January, in our swim suits!

Thanks for stopping by...
;o)

The Perfect Beach Day

Since our last day at the beach sucked, we tried it again today.  The weather was absolutely perfect...hi 70's, light wind, not a cloud in the sky!

We grabbed lunch at Subway and ate at Port Charlotte Beach Park.  The parking is still FREE but it was limited because apparently there is a regatta this weekend, not today, but this weekend.  Go figure...

We found a great spot in front of the boardwalk and had it all to ourselves, all afternoon.  The water was nice and warm and even when the tide came in, we still had plenty of beach.  

There was evidence of the upcoming regatta when three racing catamarans came around the end of the pier and "docked" on the beach.  They didn't technically dock, there were two people on each one, they stopped close to the beach, one of the people got a set of tires with an axle, brought them into the water and placed them under the catamaran, then they wheeled them out of the water and onto the sand.  It was very interesting to watch.

Thanks for stopping by...

Ahhhhhhh...

It wasn't a perfect day but we headed to the beach after lunch.  It was cloudy but warm with a light breeze.  The beach was pretty quiet and best of all...it was FREE!!!  They are changing the pay booths, so for now they aren't charging the usual 75 cents an hour.  I told Bill they are probably changing them so they can charge more.  

The sun danced in and out of the clouds and it was HOT so we were thankful for the clouds.  We stayed a couple of hours and by the time we left, there was more sun to the right but it looked pretty dark the other direction, although there is no rain in the forecast.

No feet in these pictures because I still haven't gotten a pedicure.

Thanks for stopping by...

Beach Time

I can't remember the last time I was at Drakes Island, although a visit there with Wendy in the past couple of years nibbles at the corners of my mind.

This is the reason I don't go to the beach in Southern Maine during the summer and love being at the beach in Port Charlotte during the winter...

Because the parking fees are outrageous and I refuse to pay $16 to spend a couple of hours  at the beach!!!

Wells:  $16 any time before noon.  What do you get for your $16?  Lifeguards and bathrooms

Port Charlotte:  75 cents/hour.  What do you get?  Bathrooms, fishing pier, kayak rentals available, horseshoe pits, bocce ball, playground, tennis courts, basketball courts, picnic tables under cover and a swimming pool.  The pool has lifeguards, the beach does not.  

Today, however, since it's before Memorial Day, the parking was free, so I took advantage of it and the beautiful weather.  Bill was in the clinic so I headed there alone.

The tide was out...way out when I arrived around 11:00.

By the time I left, around 1:00, the tide was coming in, along with the people and their dogs.

The soft sand was surprisingly full of rocks.  I literally could not take a step without rocks under my feet.

I'm wondering if the town will come through with some sort of raking machine and scoop up all the rocks before the holiday.

It was really a perfect beach day and I'm glad I took the time to enjoy it for a couple of hours.

Thanks for stopping by...
;o) 

Time at the Beach

A perfect day...75*, not a cloud in the sky and a nice off shore breeze.  We picked up sandwiches at Subway and headed to Port Charlotte Beach Park for a couple of hours.  

Seriously, it doesn't get any better than this!

We bought iced coffees at McDonalds on the way home.  Between visiting Dunkin Donuts and McDonalds today, Bill was called "Baby", "Sweetheart" and "Honey" (4 times) and none of them were by me!  haha

Thanks for stopping by...
;o)

Ahhhhhh, Finally!

It took us 16 days to get nice enough weather to hit the beach; however, today was the perfect beach day!  The temp was 77*, there was a slight breeze, almost no clouds and there weren't a lot of people on the beach.  It was heaven!

I know, I need a pedicure.  I'll get around to it...one of these days!

Thanks for stopping by...
;o)