Moosehead Lake

For the Columbus Day long weekend, Derrick and I decided to head up to Moosehead Lake in northern Maine (only a short distance from the border of Canada). The leaves were at their peak in that area at that time and--most importantly--we were so close to Canada that they had Tim Horton's doughnut shops (yay! I haven't had a sour cream glaze since my mission!). We stayed at the Evergreen Lodge. The owners, Janice and Hank, were very nice. However, the last day we were there they opened up to us about their life philosophies: they thought all educated people were idiots, that Harvard was the "Kremlin on the Charles", that all lawyers were parasitical jerks, that its a waste to send your children off to school because they turn into liberals, and also a diatribe against black people. Needless to say, we were happy to leave (no pun intended). Despite the slightly interesting bed and breakfast hosts, we loved our stay and really enjoyed seeing all of the wildlife and the beautiful surroundings. :) The picture, above, is a shot of some moose that were in the bog near the bed and breakfast where we stayed (the ratio of moose to people is 3:1 in this area--pretty amazing!)


This is Derrick on our hike on Big Moose mountain. The leaves were so amazing!


Here I am looking at a leaf. :)


Yep--more leaves!


This is a bridge on the river feeding out of the lake. There were a lot of people fly fishing as well.

In the Navy . . .

This is a bit belated, but at the beginning of this month, Derrick (and I) signed our lives away to the Navy for the next 8 years. We are participating in the Navy Scholarship program. Derrick is now an Ensign (officer), so you'll have to salute him the next time you see him. (Ha! :)) They will be paying for Derrick's school and then he will work on a base for 4 years after school. It will be an exciting adventure for us to find out where we are going to be stationed! For now, we'll be livin' it up in Boston. :) Here's a great video about what it's like to be in the navy for your viewing pleasure: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InBXu-iY7cw

Applefest Half Marathon

This past week we had my friends Natalie, Anne, and KJ come stay with us. They are doing an "epic" tri-city trip. Boston was the first stop, then New York, then D.C. I'm glad I got to spend some time with them! We did the Applefest Half Marathon up in Hollis, New Hampshire. It was a beautiful course through rolling country and the leaves were changing. I think my favorite part of the race was the apple crisp at the end! Yummy.