Sea-mist and Woodsmoke

It's getting chipper out, and a bit darker. The earlier nights make coming home cozier, more comforting. Walking through rows of Christmas trees stacked outside the grocer I don't pretend I'm in a forest, but I do take a deep breath of fir. I pass the new general store decked with felt ornaments and handmade goods, and smile I'm home (or almost there). I almost always walk the longer way to pass the shops lit and alive.

When I'm in Maine, I have the same familiar contentment, and I don't even need to pretend I'm in a forest, because at all times I am either smelling the forest floor, or the ocean mist, or the woodsmoke of the lobster pounds.

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Walk and I spent our first week-long vacation alone together in peaceful Maine, and I meant to fill you in more last month, but a hurricane tousled our plans up a bit. So here is a walk through peace. I am taking a deep breath with you as I take in these scenes again.

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After years of sardining vacation plans in, this time we didn't really plan a single thing. Except the lobstah boat tour, which was hilarious/smelly/a blast.

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We drove through nearly every town on the island, and I insisted on every scenic walk, including Cadillac Mountain at sunset (which turns out to be in a different place than in the summer).

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The bliss of revisiting places you love is you notice nuances more, you become more attune to smell and color variations. This year it was the leaves. I felt like I had walked into a kids' book written in the 1920's about walking through the woods.

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We spent our days climbing and climbing, and chattering and stopping to breathe that piney, moss and dry leaf combo.

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I discovered that living in a city has made me less afraid of thes birds, so clean compared to pigeons.

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Although probably my 30th trip to Maine, this was my first in the fall. The vibrance of gusts and waves paired with the bright leaves was completely invigorating.

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Brooklyn's a bit soggy today, so I am bottling the essence of Maine here and letting it waft over our apartment.

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Happy December, and a peaceful weekend to you!