Ahhhhh, Acadia

What is is that's so mesmerizing about the ocean? I can't identify if it's the massive ocean hitting the jagged cliffs in a rhythmic pattern or the majesty of  the cliffs jutting up from the ocean dressed in evergreens. Whatever it is, Acadia National Park in Maine is both spellbinding and breathtaking!  I don't believe the Mendenhall clan had originally planned to drive the extra miles to Acadia but for me it was well worth it.

Acadia was set apart as a national park in 1916 and was the first national park east of the Mississippi River.  In the park's protected acreage are ocean vistas, meadows with horse-drawn carriage rides, a gathering place that still serves high tea and, I believe, the tallest mountain in the east, Mount Cadillac.

Imagine our surprise to learn the Obama's vacationed in Acadia. The news noted places we also visited just a week before. 

 

The visitors guide states the park "evokes an attitude of reverence and stewardship".  We found that statement true and couldn't help but pause and say a silent prayer thanking Heavenly Father for allowing us the blessing of seeing another of His creations that is truly amazing.

It's hard to see but from one of the first lookouts we visited you can see the Egg Rock Lighthouse. 

Thunder Hole is noted for the peculiar wave activity during high tide.  The waves will come up crashing past where Doc is standing.

Here are the Mendenhalls just getting ready to visit Thunder Hole.

Boston Baked . . . .

We we delighted to welcome the Marshall Mendenhall Family to New England.  They were gracious to let us tag along with them and see some of the sights including Boston. This picture was taken in front of the Paul Revere statue.  It's hard to see but in the back is a steeple.  That's the Old North Church, which is still in use today for Sunday services.

The good part of visiting Boston is we walked the Freedom Trail and got to see for ourselves places that are steeped in American history.  The bad news is we walked in 103 degree weather with high humidity.  We drank a lot of water and stopped often but it was still way too HOT!

Nathaniel Palmer Mansion in Stonington

When we visited Stonington, I took a few more pictures and thought you might enjoy seeing some of the other sites besides the lighthouse. 

Part of our admission fee to the lighthouse included admission to the Nathaniel Palmer mansion.  It's located at  the other end of the city and built on a hill with a magnificent view of the city and ocean. This 16-room Victorian mansion was built in 1852 by two brothers, Captains Nathaniel Brown Palmer and Alexander Smith Palmer. It was common for family members to share the same household. Their sisters also lived in the home with their families too. From its octagonal cupola, the family could identify ships arriving from distant ports.

Our tour guide explained the home was sold along with the belongings when times were tough. Fortunately, the home was eventually purchased by the Stonington Historical Society and is being restored.

Just as a little background, Nathaniel Palmer was born in 1799. He and his younger brother Alexander went to sea at an early age. Nathaniel became a ship's master before his 19th birthday as did Alexander by the time he was 21. They were young men who ventured into the most desolate regions of the world in search of profits from sealing and whaling. During a voyage to the South Atlantic in search for new seal habitats, Nathaniel sighted "land not yet laid down on my chart." He had discovered a place which would later become known as Palmer Land on the continent of Antarctica. This was before Admiral Byrd.

Look at all the fine china in the literal china closet off of the main dining room.

We were impressed with the ornate crown molding.

The day we visited Stonington, the hydrangeas were in glorious, full bloom. Ah, a late spring piece of eye candy! Look how large the blooms are.

A Hike to Heublein Tower

The most prominent landmark in our area is Heublein (pronounced Hiblen) Tower. It's visible from almost every road.  It was built on Talcott mountain by Gilbert F. Heublein, a celebrated German-born hotelier and restaurateur in Hartford, Connecticut. He also worked in the American gourmet food and liquor industry. A1 sauce is one of his creations. He also was responsible for working with Mr. Smirnoff and importing vodka.

Heublein built the Tower in 1914 as a summer retreat for his family and for the entertainment of weekend guests. It was designed to resist wind pressures of 100 mph and never fall over. It is a six-storied structure that sits in the midpoint of 350 acres.

Many famous people have been guests at the tower, where the Republican Party asked General Dwight Eisenhower to run for president. The blue leather chair Eisenhower was sitting in is still on display. They also built a huge BBQ pit for the occasion. This same party was also attended by Prescott Bush, father of George H. W. Bush. Ronald Regan also visited the tower in the 1950s while he was president of the Screen Actors Guild. To the list of visitors, we can also add Elder and Sister Mendenhall!

To access the tower, one must hike 2.5 miles.  The first mile feels like it's straight up. The tower is open Thursday through Sunday during the summer. In the fall, it's open daily. I can just imagine how beautiful the fall foliage is from this vantage point.

The grounds are well kept.

Here are a few views from the top.

I'm not sure if you can see the details of the dining room replication. Most of the living quarters are not on public view but it's still fun to imagine what life was like for those who lived and the guests that visited Heublein Tower in its heyday.  Some of the displays are devoted to the wokers who staffed the tower.

Just "Chicken" In

Hi Dear Family and Friends,

Thought you might enjoy this picture of Elder Mendenhall  by two 7' chickens.  Now that's something you don't see everyday! On our way home from Stonington, we stopped at an eclectic farm stand.  They had the most unusual yard art.  They were getting ready for a tag sale on the 4th of July weekend.  They had the most adorable antique miniature and full-size soda chairs and tables that were rusted.  If I could have thought of a way to get them home, I would have tried to get them to sell them to me early.  I also paid 65cents a piece for corn on the cobb; but oh my, was it ever good.

Tweetie Birds

Okay, okay, I admit it.  I love animals, birds, etc.  My children tease me that given enough time, I can do a pedigree chart on most animals I watch for a while, like the stray cats at the West Mountain house. 

Our office looks out to a courtyard full of trees, which also means lots of birds.  We have watched cardinals, blue jays (which happen to be rather big), robins, doves and small finches.

To explain the photo, we have assigned parking in carports close by our apartment.  A small bird family decided to build a nest and raise a family in the light right by our parking space.  I watched the parents come and go as I got into or out of the car. The birds are smaller than sparrows so I think they must be a finch variety.

Elder Mendenhall noticed they barely make it to the rim of the nest before they relieve themselves. 

Just last week I pulled into the parking space and noticed the new little ones testing their wings for the first time.  Ah what adventures they'll have as they leave the nest.  True for us too! 

"I Love To See The Temple"

The Boston Massachusetts Temple is the closest one to us. It's about two hours away in one of Boston's suburbs. We learned Elder Mendenhall's phone will not pick up the signal in our meeting house so attending church is limited since he really needs to be accessible 24/7. We decided to visit the temple grounds. Even though it was a Sunday and we had the temple grounds all to ourselves, the Spirit was ever present and we felt privileged to walk on sacred ground. 

 

Like all the temples, the grounds are landscaped exquisitely.

White lillies greet patrons by the entrances.

We used our Garmin GPS to locate the temple. Excited to see the sign that says "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints", I turned at the first opportunity.  We ended up at a meeting house.  At the end of the parking lot was this sign.  I thought it a little funny the temple parking lot was so small and patrons had to hike to get to the temple.  The sad thing is we were on the back side.  If I had driven just a little further we would have been to the entrance and main parking lot that is like most of the other temples--large and well landscaped.  I guess I just didn't know what to expect here in the Northeast.   

A Stroll Through the Roses

One of the great parts of serving a mission away from home is exploring new places.  We were told we just had to visit Elizabeth Park.  It's located close--maybe 10 minutes away.  What a delight!  The roses were in full bloom the end of June. Elizabeth Park is our new exercise destination.

The park has about 6 rows (like a wheel) of climbing rose arches. The center is a large gazebo covered with creeping jenny. In June the arches were covered with pink florabunda climbing tea roses.  Between the arches are fragrant areas of larger rose bushes.

Look at these gorgeous, delicate roses.

Here we are seated in the gazebo.

Adjacent to the rose arches is another two groomed areas. This is a picture of the perennial garden with iris and climbing clamata by another gazebo.

The park has a large pond with bridges and a pool filled with foot-long goldfish. It really is a little spot of nature heaven in Connecticut.  Another nice part of the park is the paved walkways that are good jogging paths.  Included in the park are two tennis court areas too.  We've noticed most people just love to stroll through the flowers and sit and meditate on the benches.  So do we! 

The Lighthouse at Stonington, Connecticut

Synonymous with New England is lighthouses.  When we learned we were going to serve in Connecticut, I hoped we'd get the opportunity to visit some lighthouses.  Here's our first one.  I was surprised it was so small.  This one is found right next to the Atlantic Ocean in Stonington, CT. The town was established in the 1600s and has restored a part of the original borough.

Here is a replica of one of the lights that was used to illuminate.  They also have posted pictures and locations of lighthouses in New York, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut.

We were able to climb to the small (and I mean small) cubicle at the top where the light would have been situated.  The view of the Atlantic is spectacular.  I'm mesmerized by the ocean anyway.

Part of the display includes old artifacts used in the lighthouse.  This one is a medical satchel.  They also had on display all sorts of medical instruments too.

Shhh, don't tell anyone. I just had to wiggle my toes in the Atlantic.

Father's Day & Birthday in the Mission Field

Holidays can be tough in the mission field.  The best part of celebrating holidays in Utah is being surrounded by family and friends.  Like Elder Mendenhall said at our Mission Farewell Sacrament Meeting, being in the presence of family and friends is what heaven must be like. 

Here's a picture of Doc on Father's Day. It started with a few presents (check out the homemade wrapping paper), followed by a breakfast of raspberry-stuffed crepes and ham. Then it was off to church. We invited the other senior couple, Elder and Sister Worthington over for lunch. It was her birthday too.  We had fresh snow crab, cheesy potatoes, and the rest of the trimmings. A good time was had by all.

Elder Mendenhall's birthday fell on a Monday--the mission's official P-day. Breakfast started the day with German Pancakes topped with fresh strawberries and Morning Star Sausages.  He opened a few more gifts including a cool, multi-functional bike tool he'd been eyeing at the local bike shop. Elder Mendenhall relaxed while I baked his favorite dessert, pumpkin pie. Then it was off to Penwood Park for a long hike. 

After the hike we had lunch at a pizzaria. The pizza tasted similar to Brick Oven - yum.

That evening we invited the Worthingtons to enjoy dinner with us.  We had all of Doc's favorites, BBQ ribs, potato salad, fresh fruit, fresh asparagas and of course, pumpkin pie.

Happy 74th Birthday, Elder Mendenhall

Here's Wishing You A Sparkling 4th of July

I love America!  Driving across America three times has made me appreciate this promised land even more.  I love the spirit that lives here.  We are so blessed.

I thought you might enjoy a bit of Americana pictures we've taken while serving this time.  This photo was taken at Stonington, CT.  It's a seaport that was founded in the early 1600s. We visited there this past week.  I just had to get a picture by this great fence gate.

Move over Lady Liberty, I'm vying for your job.  Instead of a street lamp or liberty's torch, I think I'll lift the light of the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. (Sorry for the cheesy narrative.)

One last flag.  This one is at the gate to Windsor Locks State Park.  The bike path is 4.5 miles long. One side has the Connecticut River and the other side is the lock.

Happy, Happy 4th of July!