Vacation for Real!

Ah...Fall...so...well...dazzling!  It is a pleasure to live in the country and lift your head from ones work and find beauty all around.  But, a body needs a rest now and again, beyond those moments of head lifting.  If you know us or follow this blog regularly you have probably become aware of the fact that DH & I, just, might be workaholics.  I am not a real fan of that term but, I will admit that we need a bit more R & R in our lives (Rest & Relaxation for my foreign friends)  Just as we scheme the latest project we also scheme for ways to have more fun.  Three or four years ago we had a very wet year and the gardens drowned.  I gave in and called it a bust year for vegetables.  It turned out to be one of the most fun summers ever.  We started going out in on our canoe almost every weekend!  At the time we had an 18 foot lake tracking trekking canoe.  Before we had our son (& gardens) taking week long canoe trips was a big part of our summers but those days seem to have passed.  So we got the bright idea of selling our big canoe and downsizing thinking that it would be much simpler to transport a smaller canoe in our truck for a quick day trip.  Well, we got the smaller canoe, an Old Town 13 footer.  But the next couple years were busy garden and building years.  Last year we never went out once and this year it nearly didn't happen.  We analyzed the problem.  The conclusion was at the end of a day or even the second half of the weekend were just plain pooped.  Solution::: small, quiet, electric motor!

We bought ourselves a Minn Kota Motor for vacation instead of a camping trip.  The maiden voyage was in our own pond.  DH loves it!  I stood and watched him go around and around as long as I could take it.  I had canning to do..... 

A few days later we went to a local lake that is only 15 minutes from our home, Branch Pond.  Maine is blessed with many lakes.  There are quite a few we can explore with in 45 minute drive from our home.  I made a sandwich and grabbed a couple of water bottles and away we went.  Branch Pond is long, narrow, and shallow.  It has only a few homes and camps on it's shores.  It is beautiful and quiet.  Lots of wildlife around.  We saw and Osprey this day.  I didn't get a photo of the Osprey but, here is some of the autumnal splendor we experienced on this day.

Love those hipster sunglasses!  Matching the life jacket was NOT by design! ;)

This is the old mill at the end of the pond.  It was a, totally, lovely ride!  We paddled a bit but, mostly, we let the Minn Kota do the driving for us.  Definitely, a relaxing afternoon.  Packed the canoe away for the winter now.  But next year things should be different!  DH is even threatening to get a fishing license!  This could be a whole new chapter in our lives!

Yes, we have matching hats...too cute!  

Mine is the original..after years of hat envy he got himself one too!