The Two L's.....Lobster and Lighthouses

Buying a lobster roll in Maine will cost you about $10-$12.  Not sure how much they are at McDonald's but I wouldn't be caught dead buying one there.  The lobster probably is not from Maine and I am a snob when it comes to lobster and yarn.......so there!!!

Cousin Willie purchased 1/2 lb. of "Lazy Man's Lobster" (already out of the shell) which sells for $40/lb. (I've seen it for as much as $45/lb....ouch either way!)

I chopped it up fine.....

along with the celery, onion and added a little salt, pepper (prefer white pepper) and mayonnaise.  Sorry, Willie, this would not have been my choice of mayonnaise but it was fine.  Off brands of mayo can sometimes be like margarine and butter.  Com'On!!!!  Cholestorol city or not, give me the real thing.......BUTTER!!! to go with my lobster.

1/2 lb. of lobster meat will yield three very large lobster rolls...much larger than purchased ones.  So.............we packed a picnic lunch and headed to

where I could enjoy the fruits of my labor!!!

notice the ocean in the background.  Wish you could smell the salt air....sorry!

Owl's Head Lighthouse  <--click

You can't see all the stairs that I climbed with my bad leg but I sure paid the price the following day!  It was worth it!  The view was fantastic.

Who needs a GPS system with signs like this one!

I did manage to squeeze in a little knitting on Easter morning!

And the star of the weekend was little Kaileigh!  She is 23 months old and a little chatterbox.  She's quite a few branches away from me on the genealogy tree but much closer in heart.

Happy Knitting ...Happy whatever your day brings!

Magical Maine

Bug Lighthouse - Portland, Maine

The weather was unusually warm and beautiful for this time of year in the State of Maine.  A trip was preplanned to visit lighthouses as is my normal thing to do when I visit family.  Never before have I seen such beautiful sunshine with a stream of fog dancing in and out of view sometimes allowing me to see more of the tall buildings in the background.  It was a game of "hide and seek".

Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse - Portland, Maine

The fog kept drifting in and out as if following the rhythm of the tide.  This park bench invited me to sit, unwind, enjoy the ocean breeze and the view it presented.

So, I obliged!

My "Delicato Mitts" came in very handy!

I felt as free as this kite, a popular thing to do by the breezy ocean!

Even the ocean rocks were majical!

My PIC (partner in crime) for lighthouse runs is Willie.  I was matron of honor at his wedding many years ago.  His beloved wife, and my cousin who was like a sister, passed away in 2006 at the young age of 49.  Diane is always in our hearts on these trips.

The icing on the cake was when I stopped at a store and the music was from the era of my high school days.  It was a trip down memory lane. 

I love my home state.  The people are so friendly and a hello to a stranger will most likely evolve into a 20-minute conversation. 

Maine Lighthouses

My favorite place to relax with my knitting or cross-stitching is at:

Portland Head Light - Cape Elizabeth, Maine

(April -2009)

This lighthouse was commissioned by George Washington and is one of the oldest (if not the oldest) one in the country. Longfellow used to come here and write his poems.

Can you see what appears to be a white board behind the light at the top? Local residents, about 20 years ago, complained that the light was too bright at night for their neighborhood. The lighthouse was there at least 150 years before they developed that area. Now really!!!! I miss seeing the light from the front of the lighthouse.

An aerial view for you. Not shown in the picture is a very large park with picnic tables and a favorite spot for kite flying.

Two Lights - Cape Elizabeth, Maine

(April -2009)

The second light, about 1/8 mile away, is located on private property so I did not take a picture.

Spring Point Lighthouse, So. Portland, Maine

(April - 2009)

It was downright frigid when I visited this lighthouse last Saturday but still worth the trip. The detail on the lighthouse, in spite of the rust, is much more beautiful in person.

My cousin, Willie, loaned me his Nikon digital/SLR while I was visiting. What a treat that was.

Alison recommended Tess Designer Yarns located in Portland, Maine. Ironically, it is almost across the street from the law firm I worked at back in the early '90's.

The yarn is absolutely gorgeous. I did buy a skein of "Baby Bunny" sock yarn. The silk blend that I liked so much was $60/skein so I did not shock my pocketbook.

Kaileigh - Age 10 1/2 months

I was able to get my "baby fix" while visiting family. Kaileigh has been walking on steady feet for about 3 weeks. Kaileigh's great, great grandmother is the aunt who raised me. We are many branches apart on the genealogy tree but much closer in heart. I knitted Kaileigh's mother her wedding shawl a couple of years ago.

Back to my knitting blog tomorrow!!! I hope you have enjoyed my visit with me to my home state.

Happy Knitting!

In Full Bloom!!!

I love the term "Bloom Where You Are Planted"!! I was in full bloom this past weekend as I visited my Maine family for the Easter holiday.

I had a "light fare" lunch at my favorite restaurant in New Hampshire while anticipating my arrival at some of my favorite Maine ocean getaways. What more could a gal with ocean water in her veins ask for? The only place I like calamari is at this restaurant. Notice the knitting....a clue on what I am currently knitting and more on that in a few days. It's getting better....seafood and knitting! They tried to distract me from my knitting by bringing me a basket of warm rolls........not!!! I wanted the whole experience.

You know you are near the ocean when you start seeing something like this!

I had to hold true to my blog name and "knit by the ocean" on the only close to warm day of the long weekend! I always feel so serene when near a lighthouse. This one is called "Spring Point" in So. Portland, Maine. Billy Joel owns a home just about 1/8 of a mile from this scene....oceanfront property, of course.

I love walking into a fresh seafood market. The boats in the harbor behind the market guarantee the day's catch.

I passed on the littleneck clams on this trip in favor of the fresh haddock which was only $3.99/lb.

I spent time parked at this location. It is now a "spiritual retreat" but was formally a boarding high school in my home town. I attended the boarding grammar school just down the road, now overtaken by a university. The vastness of this building is unbelievable.

More tomorrow...........I'm delightfully exhausted!