Very happy to be back in my New Hampshire forest home with my daughter, son in law and pets. We even had the Los Angeles contingent come out for 10 days to experience the expanse of verdant green and sooo many rivers, ponds, streams and lakes. Glorious except for the insects and humidity. Oh yeah – and winter but that’s when I go back to L.A.
We did a short trip up to Acadia National Park in Maine enjoying the Atlantic coastline and loop road around the park. I took some photos of this place:
A pleasant level stroll through the native plant sections including bogs, ponds, fern and birch forest and native woodland grasses. They had a fun game for the kids with search and find activities. We went on July 2 and the native wildflowers and grasses were blooming- Lilies do especially well in the North East both native and ornamental. Nice stop if you are visiting the park and its free to enter the garden. There is a small museum too of native American artifacts but it was closed when we visited.
The Maine coast is so interesting with thousands of small islands near the shore and an incredible number of bays, inlets and estuaries. If the convoluted shore was pulled tight it would stretch all the way to Malibu, California. We saw Seals churning up schools of fish as they hunted while overhead Osprey, Bald Eagles, Terns and Gulls glided on the air currents. Maine is a vacation spot for the summer crowd but is for the most part is quiet and serene. The pleasure of toodling along the country roads enjoying the big leaves of the Deciduous Eastern Oaks, Maples and Elms without the traffic of the city and the heat of all the concrete is truly calming.
Here are a few more pics of the Wild Gardens of Acadia
On our way back to New Hampshire my daughter and I made a stop at the incredible Coastal Maine Botanical Garden. She had heard about the trolls there and the extensive ground and wanted me to see it. We had a short time slot available so I need to go back and see more of the garden but it was so impressive from the entrance onward! The trolls are huge wooden sculptures and have a whole fairy story connected to them. Great addition to the beauty and whimsy of the gardens.
The garden also has one of the best Children’s area that I have seen with multiple interactive areas, tree houses, tunnels and caves, music instruments, water play, sweet little play houses and lots or trails. Plus the trolls!
I was very impressed by the welcome center and cafe which offered a lovely respite from the heat that day. Maine has a real jewel in this educational and family friendly garden.
