Wish you were here...

I know everyone has a loyalty to home, but man I just couldn't live anywhere but here.   This is the waterfall at Screw Auger Falls in Gulf Hagas, about an hour from my house.  It's knock-you-on-your-butt pretty.  I could have just sat there for hours but then some idiot decided it would be a nice idea to walk out on that rock just above the falls---with a baby in his arms.    Deep breaths.  This is not Disney Land, this is a real waterfall on real slippery rocks in the middle of real freakin' nowhere.  Respect it.  You real dumb-ass. 

To get to the hiking trails you first need to cross this stream.  I learned today that all men have sissy feet.  You should have seen the guys prancing and wincing as they crossed this.  Mine included---sorry dear.  The girls and I walked across without so much as a stumble and I had a puppy in my arms.

Speaking of puppies, I also learned that evidently no one has ever seen a puppy before.  I mean it took us an extra hour to hike the trail because of all the puppy love.  Even people who had their own dogs had to stop and pat the puppy.  "LOOK AT THE PUPPY!  A DOG, THAT IS LITTLE!  A LITTLE DOG!  IS THAT A PUPPY!"  Holy crap dude, really? 

But look at my little puppy, isn't he a little shmooopsie...I WUV WOOO-WIDDLE PUPPY PANTS..I do, I really do....  Um, ahh, yea, sorry about that.  I think the world would be a better place if everyone had a puppy.  How could you hate someone with a puppy?  There, I just figured out world peace.  You can thank me later. 

I frequently find fungus fascinating.

Then we came to this place in the trail where you had to hug the side of a freakin' mountain and pray and cry and hold the hands of small teenage girls.  Scary is what I'm saying.  This is NOT what I signed up for is what I'm saying.  I was promised that beyond this point was a place where we could swim, but I was doubting the price for that at this point.   But we survived, we triumphed and this is what was at the end of the trail... 

 

This cliff, and at the bottom of the cliff was this...

If we were dogs we would be labs.  Big fan of water.  This water was cold.  No, I don't think you understand.  COLD.  Very very very cold.  But, awesome.  The stream of water from the falls carries you down the stream and it may have pushed a slightly out of shape pretty close to being 40 year old mother into a crevice where she had to ask for help to remove herself from.  Or so I've heard. 

So there is a story in the following pictures.  A certain teenage girl is prone to injury.  We had just hiked 2 1/2 miles with no visible signs of blood.  Some pus from a blister, but no blood.  Then this was captured on film or disc or magic camera stuff, whatever...

Teenage girl is convinced to put on bathing suit and get in water.  I am pointing, she is swimming, little teenage girl is sitting.  All is well. 

Big teenage girl has bumped her knee and is assessing damage.

Wound is deemed to warrant further inspection.

Are you ok? 

I'm bleeeeeding. 

Jeesh. 

Then we threw the puppy off the cliff.

I'M KIDDING.  The puppy was tired.  The puppy swam.  The puppy ran.  The puppy slept on the warm rocks for an hour. 

We could have gone further, there are more falls and stuff.  Momma couldn't do it.  Momma and puppy wanted to go get an ice cream and go home and cuddle on sofa and watch Pride and Predjudice and ask little teenage girl what was happening now as she dozed off.  So we did.  But the Maine woods isn't going anywhere soon.  We'll be back.  With bandaids. 

Smiles from the farm,

Lisa