Lord, we thank you!

Friday, September 28, 2012

Lord, we thank you!

When I heard Tom go out the door this morning I looked at the clock which was telling me that it was 6:18. Oh, I thought, I can stay here until 6:30. The next thing I know it was 6:40! I quickly got up, took care of my needs and started to make the bed in preparation for loading it with the things we put on the sofa over night. So goes life in a small room. Soon Tom came back, and both of us prepared ourselves for the day.

Before breakfast Tom went out to check the mouse traps. We had caught TWO hitch-hikers. After we ate Tom emptied the traps and reset them again. Tomorrow we shall see how many we catch.
Breakfast was a simple matter of oatmeal and then we started packing the things we would need for our trip to “the Island.” Acadia National Park is part of Mt. Desert Island in the Downeast region of Maine. The land for Acadia was once owned by some very rich people. They decided that they wanted to do something to preserve the environment so they donated it to an agency which became the National Park Service. We realized that our heavier coats were in the van at the dealership. But we decided to go anyway. We wanted to take the loop and visit Sand Beach, Thunder Hole and climb Cadillac Mountain among other sights.

Just at the end of our preparations there was a knock at our door. It was Lincoln, the man who drove us to the dealership to pick up the loaner car. He told us that the van was ready. It was just about 9am and it was ready for us! We were expecting to have to field a phone call mid afternoon and drive back to the dealership to get it. So we loaded the Impala, stopped at the office to mail a card and headed off to Darling’s Chevrolet Dealership. We saw the van parked in the front lot so Tom pulled up beside it and, at my suggestion, left me to transfer our belongings to the van. He came out to me just as I was finishing my job. We were ready to go to the island without any strings.

By 9:30 we were pulling out of Darling’s lot and were headed for the island. We stopped at the Information Center and got a hang tag for the van. We headed onto the one way loop around the park and soon met up with the people who wanted us to pay for the privilege to drive around the park. Tom showed the man our senior pass and his driver’s license and in we went, for free. That Senior Pass has already saved us more than we paid for it and it is good for ever.

We stopped to see Sand Beach and so did a lot of other people. Parking was at a premium. But the second time through the lot we found a place. We headed for the beach. It didn’t take me long to decide that this was the day that I was going to fulfill my dream. If I couldn’t swim in the ocean I was going to get my feet wet. Oh, I guess I could have gone swimming but I wasn’t willing to get down to next to nothing to swim in cold water and come out in high 60 degree weather. So Tom went back to the van for my sandals while I took of my shoes and socks and rolled up the legs of my jeans. I went into the shallow water. I was not satisfied. I wanted to go in deeper. I rolled up my jeans a little higher and went out a little further. I was looking for a wave that was coming in a little high and with some force to it. I got it. Truly. It hit the front of my legs and splashed up my legs covering my jeans where I had rolled them up. I was more surprised that I was so wet than at it being cold. It wasn’t really that cold. I wasn’t worried. I knew they would dry. When I was able to tear myself away from the water I put on my sandals. I’d rather the sand dry off my feet in the sandals than in my sneakers. Oh, by the way. I wasn’t the only one who was getting their feet wet either.

I heard a voice while I was putting the sandals on and continued a conversation with “the voice.” We talked about the rain that was supposed to be coming in at 2pm. But how could it? The sky was so blue and the sun was out so perfectly. When I looked up I found that I was talking to a Park Ranger. She was really sure that the rains were coming this afternoon. It was then about noon.
We decided that we would snack carefully on what we had and then stop at the Trenton Bridge Lobster Pound for our Lobster dinner. Yum!

We stopped at the Thunder Hole. It’s a configuration of the granite rocks that when the waves at high tide come into the “hole” (space between the rocks) it makes a loud thundering sound. We were past high tide so they only splashed upon the rocks. Still no rain.

We drove up Cadillac Mountain. At 1535 ft it is, at least, the highest point on the east coast of the United States. It was 53 degrees in the sunshine. It afforded a wonderful view of the water on both sides of the mountain. This was about 3pm. The skies were gray but still no rain.

Tom was very interested in seeing a lighthouse. The only one that visitors to the park could see was at the southernmost tip of Acadia National Park. We decided that this was doable. So off we went again. We had to go north before we could go south to the lighthouse. There weren’t many cars in the parking lot when we arrived but there were more when we left and more coming. We traveled a path down to the steps that led to rock on which one could walk to the lighthouse to take pictures. I stopped at the stairs. They were very steep. I told Tom to go. He knew that I wasn’t going to make it. I had a nice conversation with a woman who wouldn’t go down them either. I did get to see the top of the lighthouse while standing at the side of the parking lot. 3:40 and not rain. Not a sign.

Off to dinner. The Trenton Bridge is so named because it is set at the Trenton side of the Trenton Bridge. We picked our lobsters from the cooler, they were weighed and cooked. We found some place to sit and wait for our number to be called. When it was we went for them. They were in a rectangular pan with some reasonable sides to it. Our tools were a nut cracker and a seafood pick. We sat at the table and devoured two lobsters. When we left the restaurant at about 5:20 it was raining.
We were soon back at the trailer where the inside temperature was 59 degrees and the outside temperature was 53 agrees. The heater was put on. We did the dishes and settled down for a relaxing evening. We could hear the rain on the roof of the trailer sometimes but not always. It’s supposed to get a little more serious later on.

This afternoon Tom said something like “What a welcomed change in fortunes.” I agree.