a string of well-spent days

some things are beautiful. and some things aren't. which is which really depends on where and how and when one looks at them. and who the one is.

friend Sherri today mentioned the existence of wooden bow ties. for the most part, I find them pretty ridiculous-looking. but maybe--somewhere in all the surprisingly extensive mass of so much crafted hipster neckwear--there are a few that look kind of lovely. like maybe this one.

depending on when and where and who you are, you may have seen the state of Maine. maybe through smudgy car windows. maybe from the slopes of mountains or ocean shores or city intersections.

I went there last week for the first time and saw it from all these points.

it is more than kind of lovely this time of year. I dare you to disagree.

friend Sam and I hiked a bunch. first, three (and a half ish?) trails in Acadia National Park. the Great Head Trail out around one of the park's peninsulas, then the way-too-crowded Beehive Trail, some of the Bowl Trail to skirt around a shiny inland lake, and most of the Gorham Mountain Trail. it was the most gorgeous October day. why did we have to quit hiking?

well, that afternoon we had to meet Eric in Bar Harbor. he spent the day climbing a bunch of ocean cliffs. and right after that we had to find Stephen King's house and eat lobster and drive north.

but I want to go back someday. let's pause fall-time, and life, for longer than a two-day break. I could spend way more time breathing in the ocean and blue and green and moss and forest.

after Acadia, we went up to Baxter State Park. we camped outside a town called Millinocket. where the highways are haunted.  

we hiked some more. clambering over rocks, trying to avoid the mud.

another gorgeous October day of course, drifting clouds, gentle sun.

it was nothing less than magical. the wind was wild. the world was wrapped up in colors, streaked with brilliance.

my shoes got muddy, my arms and legs collected some scratches, and all my muscles are still a tiny bit sore.

all this awesome hiking in Maine was sandwiched with nigh-insufferable amounts of driving and driving and driving. along our way, we stopped to visit genius brother John and his family. we took a moment to see Walden Pond in Massachussetts, where I stole a few acorns. nearer to home we veered off to see Kirtland, Ohio.

many miles covered, beauties appreciated, and memories made.