Friday Foto Friends: More Vacation Beauties

Good Morning Friday Foto Friends! I missed you all last Friday, but I've tried to make up for it this past week with more photos than you probably ever wanted to see from our trip to Maine...but alas...there are more!

Our very first afternoon at our motel, as I was out wandering around exploring our "neighborhood", guess what was the first thing I saw?

This mother duck with her ducklings in tow, headed straight for the busy road in front of the motel.  

She was quite determined to take those ducklings straight across the road, traffic or not, so I literally stood there and waved at the cars headed in that direction to stop! Thankfully they were all able to stop in time to watch this duckling parade safely cross over to the other side. I was so glad my camera was working...and that I wasn't a witness to a tragedy!

So then I turned around to go sit down on the swing in the yard and relax a bit and catch my breath...

And out hops this Robin Red Breast, who had just caught a nice fat, juicy worm for her lunch!!

This soon became my favorite spot to sit and read and enjoy the fresh, cool morning and evening air, while I listened to the birds singing,

 Enjoyed the beauty of the flowers all around... Daylilies

 Beautiful Rhododendrons...

 And listened to the soothing sounds of the babbling brook into the little fish pond...(I also heard a few bullfrogs, but never could locate one to get his picture)

This is also where I enjoyed a cup of tea and muffin while reading morning devotions...

Psalm 92:2

The mug I'm using was the only souvenir purchased on this trip out of necessity. Our motel room provided a nice coffee pot and styrofoam cups for coffee, a microwave, and a refrigerator. But there were no tea bags or ceramic mugs to heat water in the microwave...so I found this "catch of the day" chowder/soup mug at a little gift shop we visited at the beach, and decided it would do very nicely to make my cup of tea.  (Thankfully I carried some tea bags with me in my purse...a habit I learned many years ago while traveling....)

 These Rosa Rugosa "Beach Roses" were blooming nearby as well...

Now switching gears for a moment...remember the story I told you the other day about Ocean Park at Old Orchard Beach?  As we stood upon the beach that day I could just barely see what appeared to be a lighthouse far across the water...(I think this is the Saco Bay)

This was as good as I could zoom in on it, and yes, indeed it was a lighthouse...

I just found this map...and this is the "Woods Island Lighthouse".  The area where we were on the beach was Ocean Park, at the end of Temple Avenue.  Our motel was about 2 miles back toward Route 1.

These benches were along the beach, and I found each of them to be so interesting...each in memory of someone who loved coming to this beach...

 "Memories made at the beach last a lifetime"

 This one reads:

"Come here to the end of the land;

Feel the wind, water and sand,

and as you make your life's run,

Cherish your days in the sun."

This one says "She loved her family and Ocean Park for 70 years"

If you look back up at that map you will also see where there is the pier at Old Orchard Beach.

We did make a special trip there one evening with our grandson and his mama. 

It was quite interesting to say the least!

Here's some more of those Rosa Rugosa Beach roses, which grow like weeds in the sand dunes up there.

The sunset is being reflected on the sky, sand and water, as this faces east, but the sun was setting behind us in the west...

That is that same island where the Woods Island Lighthouse is:

This is the Pier at Old Orchard Beach:

There is also an amusement park there...Here Grandpa and Noah are enjoying some good conversations...

This is Grandpa (my hubby), Noah, and his Mama, and the pier is in the background. There are shops all along the pier.

And here is Grandpa, Noah, and Grandma (yours truly).

 And this is a very old church there next to all of the amusement park, pier, and shops.

I found this old postcard (on the internet)  of that same church. Apparently it is St. Margaret's Church, which is a Catholic Church.

We truly were blessed with good weather and a marvelous time with our dear family. God opened the way for us to share some very special moments together, hopefully moments that our Grandson will cherish as much as we did.


As Psalm 92 (that I was reading above) reads:

1.  "It is good to give thanks to the Lord,

and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;

2.  To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning,

and Your faithfulness every night,

3.  On an instrument of ten strings, 

on the lute,

and on the harp,

with harmonious sound.

4.  For You, Lord, have made me glad through Your work;

I will triumph in the works of Your hands."

(one of the grand pianos in those old church buildings back at Ocean Park)

Amen.

Now let us scoot over to Deb's Place at Breathing in Grace and see what our other Friday Foto Friends have been up to this week.  God bless you all, and have a marvelous day!