Sunday, September 02, 2012

Maine Day 7: Penobscot and Moose Point

Day 7 found us on our way out of Acadia and back down south... the first leg of our long journey's home. We had learned a bit on this trip, deciding to take a more direct route home that allowed us time for just a few more restful stops along the way. We had seen the Penobscot Narrows Bridge on our way into Acadia. A quick stop before crossing. Suddenly taken in by the beauty of the bridge. Cathy pulling out her camera, rolling down the window, and trying to capture the effect. Luckily there was only one car behind us at the time as we inched across the bridge! On the way back, we turned off before crossing to take a few more scenic pictures...
To be honest, whenever I hear the word "Penobscot," I immediately think of the television show MASH. Major Houlihan was, of course, married to Donald Penobscot, most likely of the Maine Penobscots... quite an upper crust family, if I remember correctly! Which reminds me of evenings sitting around the coffee table in the family room eating dinner and watching television with the family... for some reason MASH and Hogan's Heroes are what I remember best. Mixed memories... a love of television and classic tv, shared family experiences, time with Dad combined with memories of passive meals spent watching rather than talking or sharing together. I suppose most memories are mixed... even this vacation will have mixed memories associated with it. There are very few moments in life that are pure joy... or pure sorrow. I realize that with travel and vacation I am so much more likely to filter out the bad, to just remember the good. I don't think it is a false way of remembering, unless of course you completely romanticize the experience! I think sometimes it is a choice, a choice to see the good, to see the positive, to see what built one up rather than pulled one down. If only I could apply my travel filter to the rest of my life... to my childhood, my family, my years in junior and senior high... To see the gifts in each moment rather than focusing on what was missed or lost. Of course, we couldn't complete the drive home without stopping at at least one park to do a bit of rock hopping along the shore. Moose Point (no moose, unfortunately) was a quiet little park with amazing rocks along the shore that looked like petrified wood.
An amazingly friendly park employee kept us entertained with his stories and background. He loved what he did and his joy was contagious. Do I ever talk about my work like that? What a privilege to work... what a privilege to love what one does... And then... the long drive home. Well, home to my parents for one more night of looking at pictures, blogging, and relaxing in front the television... yes, some things never change in my family! But now they are a joy, shared interests with extended family that keep us connected through the generations. And one last stop... a coffee roasting factory just a few miles from my parents called Carpe Diem. Fair Trade. Locally processed. We walked in and found a stack of coffee bean burlap sacks stacked on the floor by the door. We asked how much they cost and the woman behind the counter looked at us as if we were crazy! They were trying to get rid of them... would we be willing to take some??? One persons trash is, as always, another persons treasure... and so we found one's with the names of our favorite countries: Peru, Costa Rica, Kenya... one more item to drag home. Is it strange that something not at all connected with Maine or Acadia may be one of my favorite finds along the journey? As always, it is the unexpected that often brings me the most joy... so why do I keep trying to plan to much! O Lord, help me to continue to make space for the serendipitous moments you bring into our lives. Give me the eyes to see!