st kitts part 2 - caribelle batik

since we had been to st kitts so many times before
we tried to find some new things to do
so we headed to the caribelle batik and historic romney manor

where they practice the ancient art of batik

whereby they hand-paint wax onto fabric

and then dye the fabric

over and over until they have the most beautiful result

of course we had to pick up some new "hawaiian shirts" for sean
and a dress and bag for me! :)

the batik shop also sits on a historic site
that apparently was once owned by an ancestor of thomas jefferson
and used to be a sugar plantation
other than the building for the batik shop
this station where the owner would watch the workers is the only thing that remains

it also houses the oldest tree on the island
over 350 years old!

and btw...the ride to get to the batik was just as exciting as the batik itself!

birthday weekend celebration

my actual birthday fell on a friday this year
so sean planned a weekend getaway for us
so we hopped into the jeep

and headed for the balanced rock inn in bar harbor, maine

where there was a surprise awaiting me to start the weekend off right

and there was even a little something for duke

my birthday dinner was at the jordan pond house

who is famous for popovers

which duke loved!

i had the scallops

while sean opted for lobster (of course)

after dinner we went for a quick walk to the pond

on saturday we finally got a chance to go to bar island

bar island is an island that is accessible via a sand bar during low tide

it's a great little hike with resting spots

with great views of bar harbor

someone used to actually live on the island
which the remnants of the buildings still remain

we also did a lot of walking around going to the little shops
having beverages
eating ice cream
and catching up with a friend we hadn't seen yet since we had been back
it was really fun not having to make the drive back home
and just hanging out and enjoying this fabulous tourist town!
sean didn't do too bad!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++
in case you are ever planning to enjoy bar harbor with your 4 legged friend
we highly recommend the balance rock inn
extremely pet friendly
and a fabulous inn

day trippin'

it was kinda icky over the weekend
so sean and i decided to take a day trip

to castine

a quaint little coastal maine town

and what good would a coastal town be
without a lighthouse, right?

and a very steep path down to the ocean

we highly recommend the golf cart tour of the city

you will learn all sorts of things
and get insider knowledge about the surrounding area
and the locals

they have famous writers and playwrights and award winners and such
and perhaps you can help the local blacksmith

and queue the sailboat...

and because you just never know what you'll see on the side of the road in maine...

birthday month - week 3

day 15 - slept in!
day 16 - went paddle boarding (likely for the last time this summer BOO!)
day 17 - wine tasting
day 18 - road trip!
day 19 - pig roast
day 20 - visit some friend's new house and seeing parts of Maine I hadn't before - next left, new hampshire!
day 21 - actually cooked dinner!

sailing the bay - the ship and crew

wanted to show you around the ship
and introduce you to the crew
meet the mary day

all meals were made on a wood-burning stove
and consumed in this room

here's sean in our room - that's about all there was to it! :)

but here's where we spent the majority of our time

some of my favorite shots of the sails

and other parts of the ship

now let me introduce you to the crew
this is captain

and his all female crew

with the exception of the chef
who also helped out when we needed a little extra muscle

and this is the crew performing their acrobatics for us