July 9- 11                   Southwest Harbor, Maine

Miller continues to work on the boat (we have decided we may be his retirement plan) repairing this and that and painting the stripe at the top of the hull damaged two years ago when the boat was dropped as it was removed from storage.  Meticulous and adept, he spends considerable time in preparation before beginning the painting process.  The results are amazing!  The only other person I know who rivals his skill in painting is our son, Dave, who just completed restoration of his own sailboat after several years of intensive labor. It is finally in the water in Malibu, California. (see bottom photo)

Jill and Jerry, friends from past summers in Maine, came for drinks and snacks on Sunday evening.  They are a delightful couple from Boston whose condo faces the harbor. They celebrated the Fourth by watching the fabulous Tall Ships parade just off their balconies.  Very familiar with Maine, they gave us considerable information about our area and its many attractions and amenities.    We loved learning about their recent trip to Europe and their genealogical searches in Romania and Russia.  Phil and Linda Hardberger suddenly appeared on the dock having just returned from a three-week trip to South Africa.  Too tired to join us, they promised to see us later.

After several days of rest, the Hardbergers invited us to their beautiful boat and we were delighted to view pictures of their wonderful trip to wildlife preserves near Cape Town as well as their journey to Victoria Falls.  With excellent guides, they observed many kinds of animals in their natural environments whose lives were relatively uninterrupted by humans.  Nature’s rules prevailed and if an animal was wounded or attacked by another, no one interfered.  We loved hearing about their adventures.

Despite the foggy evening, we drove to Bass Harbor for dinner at the charming Seafood Ketch. The mussels in a Dijon mustard sauce and clam chowder were great.  Immersed in conversation, we were oblivious to the exiting of other patrons and finally realized the employees were cleaning around us in preparation for closing.  A delightful evening and a fun reunion with good friends!