Chock-Full Visits, Clouds, Rain, Salamander, and More

So, we had the lovely visit with two friends from Vermont last week, They left on Saturday, from Shep Brown's Boat Basin, which happens to be the changeover point for folks coming and leaving Three-Mile Island, the AMC camp. So, when we arrived at Shep's, we met some new "week 8" campers arrive for Three Mile. One was a man who had ridden his bike 74 miles with a kayak in tow, and then, after relieving himself of the bike, he jumped into the kayak to ride the couple of miles to Three Mile Island Camp. Talk about fossil fuel free living. Saying goodbye to our VT friends was sad, and right then, it started to rain pretty hard. We had intended to take a side trip in the pedal kayak while "gassing" up some sunshine at the dock, but we decided to wait out the rain in the house, eating lunch, and staying dry. Then we took our side trip (see photos of the Loon Island dock) and then back to the boat. When we arrived back at Bear Island, some friends picked us up on a motor boat to go out for a lovely dinner at Lavinia's in Center Harbor. The trip there was lovely and the company and food was also lovely. When we finished the meal, we saw a lot of lightening and rain, so we decided to take a ride with the dinner companions who had arrived by car, and went to Gilmanton to spend the night there. The next morning, Claude and I took a walk down a dirt dead-end road, and saw salamanders. I had not seen a salamander in years.

Claude had left his phone back on Bear Island the night before, so he hadn't known another friend from MA was trying to reach him that next morning after our dinner in Center Harbor, Sunday. Finally that friend decided to call their mutual friend, who happened to be our friends from Gilmanton. So, through this strange coincidence, (that we were driving in the car with the mutual friendat the same time that our friend from MA called him, trying to reach Claude) the friend from MA made contact with Claude in this way, to let us know he was at Shep Brown's with this kayak and was heading over. So we had a surprise visit from our kayaking friend and had a lovely afternoon eating, swimming, and boating.

What a few full days of visitors. The next morning, I saw two ducks on the transom of the single pedal kayak. So, I had a photoshoot with one of these ducks as well.

Finally, we have had a sandwich of hot days, and then a front blew through today. Lots of wind. Some cool photos when I was out on the Kayak.

Mr. Salamander Poses for our Photo Shoot 

Friend with his Homemade Kayak

Clouds and Claude

Gilmanton Friends in Center Harbor Rain

Food at Lavinia's in Center Harbor

A Park in Moultonboro with Fruit on the Tree

I Dreamed Two Men were Swimming Outside my Bedroom Window

The Dock at Loon Island

Wake with the Sun, Docked at Shep Brown's 

Photo Shoot with a Duck and a Kayak

Sunrise, Monday August 15

Clouds, our Afternoon Excursion

Deer, Caught in the Act, Fleeing the Scene

Wake with the Sun, at Dock

Sunrise, Before a Stormy Evening

Morning Clouds before that Stormy Evening

Photographer and her Shadow

Evening Storm from the East

Windy Day Sunrise and Wind on the Lake

Kayaking out in the 2 Footers