10
Mar 2010
We are off on a new adventure. We left on on the 6th and headed for Pennsylvania for a short visit with family and now we are on the way to Florida to take possesion of our new “toy”.
The new toy is a 42′ motor yacht. Those of you that follow this blog know that we have been looking for a boat for about a year. We found this 
one last fall and after some negotiations, we finally finished the deal. The boat is ours!! Her name is going to be “Misty Moose” and we are heading south to start moving her north. If all goes well, we will proably do the Great American Loop but for now we will learn to run the boat and head up to the Carolina’s.
Retirement is great and we are looking forward to our travels. We hope that you will travel with us!
01
Mar 2010
It has been a wild and wacky winter for much of the United States. Places that are usually warm were cold and had snow, places that are usually cold and snowy—well, not so much.
Our son and his wife, live in 
Maryland, close to Washington DC. I don’t need to tell you that they have had one of the snowiest winters on record. For a while there, every time the TV was on, we would see photo’s of the snow piling up around our nations capital. These kind of storms are really tough because most folks don’t have the snow removing equipment that we have up north. Check out this photo of our son after the second storm that hit the DC area. He didn’t have a plow truck or a snow blower to clear the driveway. He described the shovels that were left in the house by the landlord as about the size of a postage stamp. Brings a smile to my face every time I think of him digging out that much snow with a teeny, tiny shovel. Our daughter-in-law is from Guam and the last place they lived before moving to DC was Hawaii. Talk about a shock to the senses! I’m happy to report that they made it through the storms and just think of the memories that they will have when they grow old. They can talk about surviving one of the worst winters in DC while they rock in their rocking chairs, probably in a warmer place. 
We up here in Maine, fall into the latter category. We usually have LOTS of snow and cold but comparing this year to most, I would have to say that the weather here has been almost balmy! Last winter (and most winters up here), we couldn’t see out of the downstairs windows because of deep snow. The plow guy ran out of places to put the snow so the hubby was constantly on the tractor trying to push the snow back further to make room for vehicles to get through the driveway. Oh yeah, did I mention the cold that we had in previous years to go along with that snow?!
This year has been a whole other story. The last time that we had to have our driveway plowed was January 20. Since that time we have only had light amounts of snow that melted without the help of shovels or the plow guy. Some of Maine had more snow than we did but in our area, we had a measly 3″ of snow for the ENTIRE month of February. While the folks down south are getting cold temps, ice and snow in places like Texas, Florida and Alabama—we have had rain and temps in the 40’s during the day for a good part of the month of February. This winter has been a disappointment to the snowmobilers, cross-country skiers, and those that love winter sports but to many of us, this has been a GRAND winter. We just ended February with a rain and wind storm and tons of bare ground and ice melting faster on the lakes than ice fishermen would hope. The annual ice fishing derby on Sebago Lake had to be canceled after seven people and a number of automobiles, ATVs and snowmobiles went through the ice. The day before that a game warden went through the ice on that same lake. Click HERE for the full article in the Bangor Daily News.
On that same weekend at Nicatous Lake (further north from Sebago), this young lady found a sandy beach to tickle her toes while her mom is resting from ice skating. Like the young lady’s dad said when he sent the photo— “Only in Maine”. Thanks to these folks for sharing their photo. We hope that all of you had a great winter no matter where you live. Spring is almost here!!
09
Feb 2010
Here in Maine, that could be the Great Dooryard Bird Count — but we will save the dooryard for another post. 
The Great Backyard Bird Count is coming soon. The next count will be February 12 — 15, 2010.
What is the Great Backyard Bird Count? The website of the same name, tells us that it is an annual four-day event that engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of where the birds are across the continent. Anyone can participate, from beginning bird watchers to experts. It takes as little as 15 minutes on one day, or you can count for as long as you like each day of the event. It’s free, fun, and easy—and it helps the birds. We’ll be adding updated GBBC materials for the next count as they become available.
Last year was my first year at this count and I found it enjoyable. Coppertop, my friend at My Maine Backyard Treasures, suggested that I might enjoy it and she was right!! I get quite a few birds around here but not a lot of different kinds but they are still fun to watch. This year, I have a new camera and hopefully will get some good photo’s.
The GBBC website has all the information that you will need to become a counter. They also have buttons for your web sites, a printable poster, a kids page, and a photo contest.
What do you need to do? Click HERE to go directly to the “How Do You Participate” page for instruction. Then get out your binoculars and get ready to count. Get the whole family involved. This is a wonderful way to interest the kids in birding. Have fun and happy counting!!
one last fall and after some negotiations, we finally finished the deal. The boat is ours!! Her name is going to be “Misty Moose” and we are heading south to start moving her north. If all goes well, we will proably do the Great American Loop but for now we will learn to run the boat and head up to the Carolina’s.
