Autumn Leaves in Maine

The falling leaves drift by my window
The falling leaves of red and gold
I see your lips the summer kisses
The sunburned hands I used to hold

Since you went away the days grow long
And soon I’ll hear old winter’s song
But I miss you most of all my darling
When autumn leaves start to fall

The melodious chord sang by Frank Sinatra tugged to the core of my heart. Always a romantic at heart, the Autumn Leaves song had been playing in my mind ever since I planned the revisit to Maine. I knew all along that I would be revisiting the place after almost 20 years. Recalling Maine and what struck to my mind was the rustic red and yellow maple leaves falling and spreading out on the ground. The vision was captured by me as shown in the pictures.

Three missions for me to be accomplished in Maine. First, to meet my extended family by marriage, that is my SIL David’s family. Second, to re-visit Acadia National Park, which I had been before. And, third, a short stay in a quaint town of Bar Harbor.

RECONNECTING FAMILIES

David’s family lives in a town called China. You heard it right. It is called China, but located in Maine.

A new discovery for me because I learned that most of the towns in Maine were named after foreign countries. Besides China, Maine has its own Peru, Sweden, Egypt, Holland, Paris, Denmark, Rome and Belfast. Interestingly, the name Malaysia is not in sight. Not yet.

David has a wonderful  family. David’s mother, Patricia Wilson, clicked with me the minute we met. We got so much to talk about, especially our grandson, Rodney Rayyan Wilson. She simply adores the baby boy and kept giving kisses and warm hugs for him. The rest of the family, including David’s older sister, Sara and hubby, Ray, are simply loving. Their children, Jack and Samuel, are smart and talkative and all were entertaining the Noharuddin’s family.

We talked and talked and had a good laugh on almost everything. We had our dinner together at the family’s place. You guess it right! It was lobsters and more lobster rolls for dinner.

The hubby and I ventured out to explore the nature surrounding their house. It’s a house by the lake that has lots of nature to offer. The foliages are gradually showing the rustic colours of autumn. The lake was like a painting on a canvas. This place is simply heaven for nature lovers.

Jack and Samuel even made it a point for us to visit their collection of frogs. According to Jack, they got 37 frogs in the pond, but surprisingly, none came out to greet us. Jack said that the frogs were not comfortable with too many visitors. Oopss…

NATURE PREVAILS – ACADIA NATIONAL PARK

Acadia National Park is located nearby Bar Harbor, Maine. It is an American national park with many of its nature elements still being preserved excellently by the authorities. The park had actually undergone name changes from Sieur de Monts National Monument (1916) and later renamed Lafayette National Park in 1919. Again, it underwent another name changed to Acadia National Park in 1929. Last year alone, 3.5 million visitors came to Acadia National Park.

Marketing its nature is where the revenue is made in Maine. Tourists come in droves to experience the elements of nature such as the lakes, mountains and the greenery surroundings. They come in all seasons – summer, fall, winter and spring. The annual four seasons have a lot to offer the visitors throughout the year. Nature and eco-tourism are the attractions for post-materialism tourists. The hard cold bricks of buildings do not attract them anymore. They want to be where the conservation of planet takes place. They want to ensure that the future generations can experience and enjoy the beauty of natural surroundings which are intact or unpolluted.

During the short hiking trip at Acadia National Park, I saw signages that elaborated on the importance of preserving nature. One of the signages that I came across was as shown in the picture below.

LEAVE NO TRACE

Your footsteps damage fragile plants and soil. Please:

• Stay on established trails
• Or step on bedrock

This effort might be considered a small one, but it has huge impacts on creating awareness to the people and future generations on the importance of doing small things that can save the planet. Creating awareness is crucial if we want to ensure that the world that the future generations live in is being taken care of.

The weather at Acadia National Park was soothing and I could feel the clouds moisture whisking away through my face. It was so relaxing and refreshing to be among the many different foliages. The different blend of colours too have encaptured the whole ambience of fall season.

A QUAINT TOWN CALLED BAR HARBOR

Bar Harbor is a small quaint town in Maine. The set-up of this town is beautiful because it is by the lake. The activities of tourists are centered around the lake.  Its conservative architectural shophouses reflects the legacies of the yesteryears.  Lobsters were served everywhere and it was a totally lobster days for us here in Bar Harbor. Cruise ships make a stop to bring in more visitors for Bar Harbor.

Okay, now I am off to another exciting adventure.