Long slog today and Sophie and I were more than ready to get off the road. Lots of trucks and 25-30 mph winds blowing us all over the road.
33 chilly degrees this morning and I had ice on my windshield.

Got through the Carolinas and Georgia and into Florida today and pulled into the Welcome Center to take off my shoes. 77 degrees. Yeah!

Lots of time to think when you're behind the wheel for so many hours and tired to boot. I found myself starting with those feelings of deep resentment and utter sadness, thinking about how hard it was to make the trip, why I was doing it alone, etc. etc. Back into that victimization state of mind that I'm so good at. Seriously. Like he rates even 5 minutes of my time? Not. Nipped that train of thought in the ass and enjoyed the scenery for the rest of the ride. I am woman. Hear me drive. And play the harmonica. (Yup, that's what I do when I get sleepy, and Sophie hums (moans really) along from the back.) haha

travel update

Sophie and I have had an easy trip so far. Smart thinking to get through Connecticut on the weekend, thank you very much. We cruised through Mass, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and landed at a La Quinta in Harrisburg, PA and hello? Nicest La Quinta I ever stayed at. Make sure it's the Harrisburg/Hershey, NOT the airport one. An unexpected surprise and so grateful for THAT. Today, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina. What am I leaving out? Feel like I'm leaving one out. Anyhoo, tonight we've landed at our fave place in North Carolina. OMG, we have learned our lesson after the many crack houses and sewers we've had to stay at in the South. ick. So, I bite the bullet and pay . . . gulp . . . $50 extra for Miss Sophie. And yes, she is worth it. Just look at that sweet little face.

LOVE!

Ah Pumpkinfest. Just when you were enjoying the peace and quiet after a busy summer, the town fills up with leaf peepers and you can't get out of the grocery store in under 30 minutes again. And forget about finding a parking space in town.
Ann and I went out for breakfast early and took a walk around town to see the latest great pumpkins. Here are a few, starting with this one in honor of Columbus Day. Or shall I say, Indigenous Peoples Day.

love this

I particularly admire the ones that are carved rather than painted. SO talented. And bear in mind, these pumpkins are gynormous!

sunflowers

This next one was my fave - seen outside the book store. So creative and it was just as detailed around the sides and back. 

lobstah

And having said that, look at this beautiful painted tiger face outside Reny's.

Ann mugs with a kinda creepy pumpkin

cute chickadee

And here I am looking shaggy; look at him looking at me. Yikes lady, get away!

So, no Pumpkinfest would be complete without the pumpkin drop and this year did not disappoint. I got a picture of the crane the morning of. That thing is HUGE. They shook things up by having not only a car and a truck but this time a full swimming pool. Check them out with their killer pumpkins below. Oh, and I should say the winning pumpkin this year was over 1700 pounds. A record for Pumpkinfest and a record for Maine. Woot Woot!

Biggest crowd yet and all three very satisfying splats and the water in the pool flew skyward and the smack down seemed just as loud as the smushed vehicles. I drove by a little later and here was the aftermath.

the pool pretty much disentegrated

* * * 

And, it's that time of year. Time to pack the car to the gills, load up Miss Sophie and head south. Supposed to be snow flurries in the north tomorrow. Sophie has been glued to my hip for the past two days of packing the car, not wanting to be left behind. And as usual, my best laid plans of leaving the passenger seat empty were for naught. Maybe next time.  

Tonight, we've landed happily in Lexington, Mass, had wonderful Indian take-out with my sis and Tom, bedding down at my favorite hotel and will head for points south in the morning. Sweet dreams.

I had planned to be on my way south by now but I'm so glad I stayed. The colors are just about at peak and the days are crisp, the nights chilly. I've had the heater on for two weeks now and a fire in the fireplace most nights. I love Maine in October.  Here is a picture of my road looking golden. And below is what it looks like at my house this morning. Lots of reds and yellows among the evergreens across the Lake.

My friend, Ann, and I went to Beth's for the corn maze (oh I just had a thought: it should be the maize maze, right? As Bart Simpson famously said, The Indians called it maize. ha) Here's Ann in the hay wagon.

And the start to the maze.

This is us channeling Children of the Corn. Ann looked particularly creepy with her green sweatshirt. Good thing no little kids came by when she was lurking.

Next up:  Pumpkinfest!

My affirmation today says: Life is an exciting surprise. I awaken in the morning looking for positive experiences, and I find them in the most unexpected places.

So this is what it looked like out my window when I got home from work yesterday. Water on the rise.

And here is how it looked this morning after a wild and windy night. Basically, we got a summer's worth of rain in one day. As you can see, the boards in my dock have come up, my flag is gone and, what's that? Did Barbie Dreamboat have a guest during the night? Yes, that is a boat moored in front of my cottage. Must have dragged it's mooring from up the Lake to the north. Nice jet boat too. Woohoo! Free boat for me!

One of my kayaks is in the creek so I've got to go and drag it out.

 And here is a sweet little thing I noticed this morning. The rain brought out a few little blossoms on Lucy's Lilac.

 I also wanted to share this. The first is a picture I recently found. It is the cottage when we first bought it. It was a pale green with white trim.

 And here is my cottage now. Somewhat changed I would say and most definitely a labor of love.