Huntington Beach State Park SC - A Moonlit Night

It was 8 p.m. and dark.  A cloudy night with just a clear ring around the half moon.  We were walking along the beach and as high waves came in, they bask, momentarily at their height, in the glow of moonlight.  From the shore, it looked like a shiny monster was rising from the sea, and then the waves would swoosh upon the beach.   It was eerie and wonderful all at the same time.  We were alone on this expansive beach to hear the crashing of the waves as they rose to their heights and the soft roll of waves as they came upon the beach.

Near the horizon, we could see the lights of commercial fishing boats heading out to sea.  They looked so small compared to this massive ocean  as they made their way slowly into the dark sea to find their catch. 

tg

Fryeburg, Maine Country Fair

Your old fashion country fair where animals and agriculture are the main event. Of course there is fair food galore, but rides and games are a more minor part of this fair.

We went day one of the fair and got there at 7:30 a.m. as we knew it was going to get crowded, and we might have a harder time find a parking space for our dually truck. Residents lining the way to the fair are charging same price as the fairgrounds to park your vehicles. We stopped at one of the homes and the couple was so very nice and made sure we were parked in a way that we would be able to easily get out later.

We were not alone at 7:30 in the morning. The fair was already a-buzz.

First stop was the 4-H horse show. Youngster were giving their horses a final groom, then getting themselves into their riding outfits. It was great to see these youngster manager this rather large animals, and they did a fine job.

Next, we saw Sheep herding trials, and this was so interesting. The breed of dogs at this trial was the Border Collie, and the precision of teamwork between the handler and the dog was so good. The dog at times is quite a distance away from the handler and through various whistle sounds will perform the necessary activity to get the herd to where they should be.

Apparently, separating one sheep from the herd is extremely difficult, but with timing between handler and dog. The dog is able to separate the desired sheep.

Horse pulling. Contestants came from all over New England, and the winning team of two, pulled 9,700 pounds 17 feet. The trickiest part is after getting the horses in front of the weight to be pulled and getting the harness connect to the sleigh. As soon as the horses are in position, they want to take off, and if they are not connected, they take off pulling the four men behind them. The men have to get the horses to stop as soon as possible under this condition, because they have a limited time to get the pull done.

The people at these events were quite different. At the horse show, they seemed financially well off and dressed very stylishly for the event.

The sheep herding handlers seem like your average person in jeans and tee shirts, but with a single focus with their dogs. These dogs need a good deal of training and only have a few years where they are fast enough to manage the sheep. You can see the enormous love these folks feel for the dog. Even when a dog did a horrible job, the owner/handler never yelled at and was very affectionate toward the dog after their trial.

The folks watching the horse pull seemed to be farmers and locals for the most part. They look like they have had a hard life, worn out and looking older than they probably are. Nice, hard working people who love the land and respect the animals they tend to.

If your spouse eats a bloom” in onion, you will remember it for days! TG

Camping Lac Frontier - Quebec Canada

This was an over night stop, the last camping in Canada for us, and what was amazing about this stop was the people we met.

 

We happened upon a group of retired folks from Montreal who were folk music lovers and were meeting for a long weekend to play music together.  As we were setting up camp, several of them came over to meet us.  In hindsight, I think they thought we were part of their group, but when they realized we were not, and we were only staying the night, they did not care, they just pulled us into their fold.

 

After we were set up, several came by to tell us they were getting together for a practice session to play some folk music with fiddle and guitars and would we like to join them.  We did and we had the most memorable evening.  We are out in the middle of no-where, a sky full of stars and a near full moon.  The air was crisp and about a dozen of us gathered around the players to hear great music.  The owner of the campground had donated wood for a campfire, and the folks whose campsite we were all at, passed around cheese and crackers. 

 

The warmth and friendship we felt with these folks were amazing considering we had only know each other for a few hours.  It was so cozy under the stars, hearing geese from the nearby lake competing with our music under thousands of stars. 

 

The night ended too soon.  As we were preparing to leave, many of the folks stopped by to wish us well, and we drove away, several were waving good-bye to us.  TG

Animals

In Quebec City, we saw, for the first time ever a black squirrel.  They are as deep a black as you can imagine and larger than the gray squirrel.  We were with a couple from Quebec, and they told us that these black squirrels are very aggressive towards the gray squirrels. 

 

Driving along the scenic highways of New Hampshire, we spotted a moose drinking from a water hole along a swamp area.  We stopped to get a better look, and it is amazing how massive these animals are.  Their leg diameter is at least 10 times that of your average deer, and their shoulder mass is impressive.  The moose kept drinking even though there were a number of folks stopped to watch it.  Eventually it went into the woods.  One thing for sure, you do not want to have a collision between your vehicle and the moose because whether you hit the moose or it hits your vehicle, it is going to be bad for you!

 

Yesterday as we were driving out of the campground, there in the middle of the road stood a red fox.  This road is a country road that only goes to and from the campground and is surrounded by woods.  We stopped the truck to watch as the fox crossed the road and then turned around to watch us!  This is a magnificent animal.  It is golden red with a plumy, fluffy tail, medium long coat, and the most beautiful head and intense eyes.  TG

 

On October 18, we were driving along one of the mountain roads, and a young male moose with full set of antler s ran out of woods and along side our truck for about 30 seconds.  What a sight, this massive animal striding with us, but thankfully we were able to stay out in front and he didn't try to run into us.