Hoisting Anchor in Colorado, Heading for Maine

Tomorrow morning I hop a flight to Boston, and then drive up to Bass Harbor, Maine.

The flight is about four hours. The car trip is about five and a half hours. This trip, Jackie's staying home, tending to the sheep, goats, and dogs. Someday soon, we hope to spend some extended time in the magical, beautiful area on and around Mount Desert Island.

Our plan was, you see, to spend four or five months a year 'in residence' in Maine. That's why we bought our little place. We had expectations of sparkling Maine summers poking around near the shore, sailing on the ocean, and hiking the lush trails of New England. And we looked forward to sharing brilliant autumn days in Maine.

We appreciate the falls in New England not only for their beauty, which can be beyond comparison, but because the transition from Summer to Winter is so gentle and soft and extended. Fall in Colorado can be spectacular, but the season tends to be 'abrupt'. Fall in Colorado is very localized and usually lasts about a week in any given location. Then the aspens lose their leaves and it snows.

However, rather than spending 'quality time' together enjoying friends, family, and each other (as we had hoped), our Maine time tends to be busy with 'tending to things'. Everything from maintenance on our place to Annual Meetings of the HOA, to getting the place prepared for some seasonal rentals (so that we can afford to keep the place).

For the most part, we've only stolen a week here and a couple of weeks there. Last fall, we did manage nearly a month and it was wonderful.

Someday, we're going to figure out our lives, set our priorities, and work to achieve a slightly simpler, and less scattered life.