A Few Random Pictures

 Here are some pics from the past few days. Ma & Dad came out for dinner the other night - I think my mother is looking pretty good as of late. M-S made eggplant lasagna:

 It was really good. How about a couple of nature shots. We saw these two big moths doin' the nasty in one of our gardens:

 It made me blush. And the Korean lilac is in bloom, so the yellow monarchs are back:

 The bush is very close to one of the living room windows, so we can always see 2-5 of them flying around, and we can smell it all the time. Finally, here is tonight's supper:

Its  BIG salad that featured two kinds of lettuce, lots of veggies, jalapeno cheese, and Maine shrimp cooked in Old Bay seasoning. The black olive bread is from Black Crow bakery via Barrels and the dipping sauce is olive oil with Cuban seasoning. Great eats!
~MET

Owen 1999-2012

 So long to a really good cat. I took Owen back to the vet today as his condition seemed to be getting worse, and there was more to the story than we thought, and it seems that he would not be improving. I did not see the sense in allowing him to suffer as he continued to struggle to breathe.

 As most of you know, I got him while I was single and he has been a good friend to me ever since.

 I've always felt quite special in that he absolutely went out of his way to show the world that I was his favorite person.

 He was named after Owen Meany - the title character from John Irving's novel. He had a wonderful personality. As a kitten he loved to knock things off shelves, liked to play with Chris and Sarah a lot, and was never shy about waking me up in the middle of the night if was bored.

If I went away for a few days he wold greet me at the door, and then would follow me around the house purring and biting my ankles. I also liked how he would come put of hiding whenever we had company. He would come out and greet people, curl up with them, and purr loudly.

 I really like this picture of he and Burt:

Two pets that I'll always remember. I don't think I'll ever get another cat. One pet is enough...and I think any cat now would pale by comparison to Owen.
~MET

The Big Loop Up & Over Tumbledown

 Its fitting that I did this hike on Memorial Day - it was a memorable walk. Be sure to click on any picture to make it bigger. I've hiked up Tumbledown many times, but always taking the Brook Trail. Today I decided to finally do the Loop Trail. I started up it a few years ago in April, but there was too much ice and I had to abort. This sign says it all about the Loop Trail:

 It was an awesome hike, but very strenuous. The Loop is famous for two things. Number 1 = the Tumbledown Boulder:

 Its...well...big. The boulder is about a mile in, and after that the climb becomes steep - and stays steep - for the rest of the hike. I was reminded of something I read recently by someone who had done the whole AT. He said that "Maine does not do switchbacks." And that's very true. On many trails in NH a climber zig-zags back and forth up steep sections. Not in Maine. Mile long slide of big rocks? Put the trail right up the heart of it! It was a very rugged climb. I saw this guy under my feet on a very steep section at around 2500 feet:

 I wonder how different his life is compared to a toad in my backyard? After a while the trail brings you out onto a ridge and you get to see what you have left to do:

 But you also get some views. This is not a good picture because I blew it up too much, but I think its 3 of the giant windmills on Redington Mountain:

 The 2nd famous thing on this trail is "Fat Man's Misery." You can see the trail marker on the bottom rock. The trail takes you into the middle of a giant pile of rocks.

 Once inside you have to climb straight up through a small hole at the top of the pile:

 There are rocks all around, water dripping, and its very tight quarters.

 In fact, I had to take my pack off and heave it up through the last opening. I think anyone one inch taller or five pounds heavier than me might find this impossible.  But, when you get all the way through this view greets you:

 After that it was about 20 minutes to the top:

 Webb Lake and Mt. Blue State Park:

 Tumbledown Pond just below the peak:

 Flora at 3100 feet:

 I walked down to the pond - there were little brookies rising for bugs:

 I decided to go down the much less steep (though steep at times) Brook Trail. But that put me 1.5 miles from my car when I reached the road. I'd have to walk uphill along the lonely Byron Notch Road:

 Its a long dirt road that connects Weld and Byron...two busy Maine cities. I was hoping that a car would come along and I'd hitch a ride - and about 15 minutes later two ladies in their 70's who were going to fly-fish the Swift River in Byron allowed me to sit in the back of their truck up to the trail head:

 I like how you can't even see them. When I got home M-S was just finishing the planting of a new tree:

I think the Japanese maple will be a great addition to the lawn just off the front deck. I had a fantastic time today, and I'm listening to the Nats, sitting with Owen, and loving how much my legs ache.
~MET

The Alewives are Running

 We began the day with a walk with Baxter - the weather was amazing. At 10am we met Linda and Mark at the Liberal Cup for brunch. Then it was off Damariscotta for the Alewife Festival.

 Its amazing to see these thousands and thousands of fish work their way up the fish ladder going up from pool to pool. Each of the many pools were filled with fish:

 There were also games for kids, food, and stuff for sale.

 We went to an art show at the home of a local artist. She has converted an old church into her house/studio.

Its a pretty neat place. We ended the day with a beer at King Eider's Pub, and some shopping in downtown Damariscotta. Good times.
~MET

Recipes for the next Two Weeks

 One of my favorite activities is searching for, and then preparing the seven meals that I'm responsible for during every two-week cycle. I went shopping today after deciding on the menus. I had this for lunch:

Its not one of my meals - I just like the way sushi looks. My seven meals this time include:

• Lentil Herder's Pie - Shepherd's pie without the meat
• Big Crazy Shrimp Salad - fresh Maine shrimp, spicy cheese and lots of veggies
• Hoppin' John, Seasoned Collards, and Corn Bread - HJ = black eyed peas with jalapeno and tomatoes. I'm looking forward to this Southern meal
• Salsa Fry-Up - black beans, corn, rice, spicy stuff, etc
• Veggie Burgers, Sweet Potato Fries & Brussels Sprouts - simple and delicious
• Coconut Chickpea Curry - this sounds like an awesome Indian dish

And number 7 is tonight's meal: Cabbage & Noodles - the cabbage is stir-fried with onions, carrots, and apple and then mixed with white beans and chopped spicy olives, and then served over egg noodles and topped with shredded cheese. Looking forward to making and especially eating all of these.
~MET

Owen is Not Feeling Well

I got up at 5am this morning to head to Tumbledown Mountain for a hike, and found Owen laboring to breathe. He sounded very congested and there were spots of blood on the kitchen floor. So I took him to the emergency room in Lewiston and the good news is that he came home with me. He has a sinus infection and will be on meds for a week or so. He is still wheezy, and is snoring right now as he sleeps. he was awesome at the vet's and Baxter seems to know something is up and is being very nice to him. Owen is around 13 years old but is a tough old puma.
~MET

This Summer is Going to be Filled With Work...

 ...but I have a planning meeting today to start thinking about some backpacking. Good friend and fellow MEA delegate Jesse Hargrove is stopping by to talk ultralight hiking. I want to section hike the AT through Maine, one trip a month in June, July, August, and September each year. By my calculations it should take about five years. I'm still going to do day hikes (Tumbledown this weekend), but I want to get out and camp on the AT. And I'm having a ball trying to cut pack-weight so my 49 year old body can have fun. Some of the gear is above. I will be able to do this one-four nights at a time with minimal weight. I will discuss gear on posts after we get out there, but I did want to talk sleep systems today. No tent for me. I'm going to use an ultralight hammock: 

 This one packs up to nothing and weighs less than a pound:

If you are worried about rain I have two solutions for that - which I will explain after some trip that it rains. I will be able to do this in a regular day pack...including meals, light, water, etc. I'm VERY pumped up and can't wait to get out there. We are planning to start at the NH border right after school gets out to do the first section. Two nights in the wilderness including some of the most difficult terrain on the entire AT - I am Spartacus!
~MET