And The Band Played On

We have arrived in Bar Harbor, Maine. It was an adventure, my niece and brother got lost coming to my house in New Hampshire. They did not get in until 3:30 AM. We were on the road for Maine by 8:00 AM the same morning. Hard vacationers that we all are, as I write this post, they are now riding their bicycles to the top of Cadillac Mountain. It is 6:00 AM. We each, in our own unique way, know how to relax.

We were happy that the weather held out yesterday afternoon and evening. We were able to do a short bike ride, thirteen miles, on the carriage trails. The rain hit as the band sounded its last note in the evening.

The carriage roads which lace through the mountains and valleys of Acadia National Park are an engineering feet. Not, perhaps, in the same line as the pyramids of Egypt, but these roads had to be designed to hold up in the wet weather of Maine – not an easy task. Originally designed by John D. Rockefeller so that he could travel to the interior of Mount Desert Island via horse and carriage, these roads today provide an excellent avenue on which to explore Acadia by auto, horseback, bicycle or on foot.

During the last two to three million years, 20 to 30 ice sheets intermittently covered most of New England. Eventually, after the ice melted, some deepened valleys became water basins. These water-filled hollows became Eagle Lake and Echo Lake, in Acadia National Park. In one instance, the glacier cut a trough that resulted from an ice-sculpting "binge," so deep that it filled with sea water. This formed a fjord now called Somes SoundWe will miss you Cheryl as we eat our blueberry pancakes, and later our lobsters and hot dogs up in Bar Harbor Maine. Some of us suffer for our sport. Good luck, hope you bring home some gold.

My Sister-in-law is rowing in a regatta in Philadelphia this weekend. Up until 1957 it was called The People's Regatta. Probably, because of the cold war influences and the Socialist ring to the title, the name was changed to The Independence Regatta. The event is held on the Schuylkill River, the largest tributary in the Delaware River Basin which accounts for about one third of the Delaware's total flow. Philadelphia has a rich rowing history. There are 8 universities and 31 high schools (with more every year!) in the Philadelphia area with rowing programs. Most row out of clubs on Boathouse Row.

We will miss you Cheryl as we eat our blueberry pancakes, and later our lobsters and hot dogs up in Bar Harbor Maine. Some of us suffer for our sport. Good luck, hope you bring home some gold

The Silver Surfer (Norrin Radd) is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero created by Jack Kirby. The character first appears in the comic book Fantastic Four #48 (March 1966), the first of a three-issue arc fans and historians call "The Galactus Trilogy".

Originally a young astronomer of the planet Zenn-La, in order to save his home-world from destruction by a fearsome cosmic entity known as Galactus, Norrin Radd made a bargain with the being, pledging himself to serve as his herald. Imbued in return with a tiny portion of Galactus' Power Cosmic, Radd acquired great powers and a silvery appearance. Galactus also created for Radd a surfboard-like craft — modeled after a childhood fantasy of his — on which he would travel at speeds beyond that of light. Known from then on as the Silver Surfer, Radd began to roam the cosmos searching for new planets for Galactus to consume. When his travels finally took him to Earth, the Surfer came face-to-face with the Fantastic Four, a team of powerful superheroes that helped him to rediscover his nobility of spirit. Betraying Galactus, the Surfer saved Earth but was punished in return with everlasting exile there.

Stan Lee enjoyed the character and decided to feature him in his own individual title in 1968. John Buscema was penciller for the first 17 issues of the series, with Kirby returning for the eighteenth and final issue. The first seven issues, which included anthological "Tales of the Watcher" backup stories, were 72-page (with advertising), 25-cent "giants", as opposed to typical 36-page, 12-cent comics of the time. Thematically, the stories dealt with the Surfer's exile on Earth and the inhumanity of man as observed by this noble yet fallen hero. The Silver Surfer comic book series became known as one of Lee's most thoughtful and introspective works. Englehart writes that Buscema and Lee were "pouring their souls into the series".

Waldo County, situated in mid-coast Maine along scenic Penobscot Bay, has genuine New England character evidenced by working port towns and quaint rural villages. Visitors are awed by the area's unspoiled beauty. From striking coastal views to sweeping mountain vistas, dramatic natural settings abound. In addition great care has been taken to preserve and refurbish numerous historic landmarks, homes and buildings. Consequently, the Maine of yesteryear is still found here.