We are having a stretch of absolutely gorgeous weather. Today the temperature got into the 70's - unseasonal, but enjoyable. Fred and I have been taking advantage of the nice weather to get some wrapping up done before snow flies. Fred did some work on the pontoon boat at camp, getting it ready for winter storage, and I tried to finish the stonework I've been doing in my front flower garden - but I didn't quite make it, so I'm hoping for at least a couple more days like today. Hopefully, I can get the stone steps finished and cut back the rest of the flowers and get them mulched. Then I'll work on the vegetable garden. It's always a nice feeling when everything is mulched, staked and ready for winter.

Lots of you knew we went to Maine with Bill and Diane Rossi for a few days - a mini vacation. The weather there was great, too, but windy and a bit chilly out on the water, but we were dressed for it. We took the harbor cruise out of Portsmouth, N.H. Bill and Diane had sailed in that area some time ago, and Fred and I had taken the Isles of Shoals cruise, but none of us had done the harbor tour. Diane took this picture of Fred, Bill and me as we waited for the boat to load for the harbor cruise. The boat wasn't crowded at all - there were perhaps 20 or 25 people aboard. We took lots of pictures, and I've put some of them into a slide show you'll see further down the blog.

We left Joe's Pond on Wednesday morning in the rain, but by the time we got through the mountains, the weather was perfect. Not much foliage color out that way - it was much better here at home, but the summer-like temperatures and very few tourists wherever we went, made it a perfect time to go to the coast. Diane and I took a short walk before dinner.

On Thursday morning, Diane was up early and watched the sun rise from the porch outside their room. This is what she saw: Sunrise.

We had breakfast at a favorite spot Fred and I discovered one time when Elizabeth and Louise were with us. Then we poked around Cape Neddick, Ogunquit, and Wells, and also showed them some of York - the village, harbor and beach area, and of course, Nubble Light. We had lunch at Mike's Clam Shack - which is actually a very large and very nice restaurant, and by then it was time to head to Portsmouth for our harbor cruise. We had time to visit some of the shops in the harbor area - always fun to do. Here are the pictures we took, starting on Wednesday: Maine Mini Vacation

Diane sent me some of the pictures she'd taken, too. We all enjoyed sitting out on the porch for a glass of wine before dinner each evening. It was a little chilly, but we didn't mind. The view was great and the company good. On one of the pictures I've put an arrow to indicate which room and balcony Bill and Diane had; our room was just down the hall and our view was the beach and the village - the same room we've had on other trips there. Here are Diane's pictures: Slide Show

We stopped in Laconia and had lunch with Fred's brother and his wife at a T-Bones Restaurant, and then went on to the Weirs Beach area and on up the lake (Winnipesaukee) past the Squam Lakes to Route 93.

Woody was awfully glad to see us. He has often ignored us in the past when we've left him for a few days, but this time he seemed genuinely glad to see us, and has demanded lots of attention all weekend. Marie looked after him while we were gone and she said he was "very lovey" whenever she came in, so she stayed with him to keep him company for a little while each time. He normally can get out and back into the house through his kitty door, but this time we decided to keep him in for safety's sake. I'm sure he really missed getting outside, especially since the weather was pretty mild, but we felt better knowing he was inside and safe.

It's good to be home, but we had a very nice trip, even though it wasn't very long. We have too much to do, especially this time of year, to be gone for an extended period of time. As it is, we're just beginning to get caught up with computer stuff, and I have a pile of mail and newspapers to go through still. We'll get it done.