North

There's something kind of disconcerting about heading up to Northern Maine. I've been making the trip my entire life, and I still get creeped out. During the summer months, where there is an influx of traffic that seems to get worse every year in most of the state, but as soon as you get above Bangor, the highway and streets are eerily empty. No cars, no towns, no people. Just woods. The kind of woods that if you walked 10 feet into them, you could manage to get lost and never be heard from again.

True story: when I was 6, my aunt told me their were dinosaurs living out back in the woods. Even though I knew they were all long dead and fossilized and I wasn't a particularly gullible kid, I totally believed her. They are the kind of woods that can hold a secret.

It's the kind of place where you stop to help the turtles across the road.

Also, rather terrifyingly, moose abound.

Moose are fearless. Their only natural predator are wolves, and there are few of those even in these woods. They do not bat an eye when you stumble upon one, and unlike deer, they will stand their ground and even charge if they think you are a threat. They are also too stupid to be afraid of cars, and they frequently congregate on the sides of the road to lick off rock salt leftover from the winter.

This is why moose hunting is not a sport.

They are quite tasty though. The biggest challenge being to drag something that huge out of the woods, but those who do have a nice freezer full of meat for the winter.

I've only been able to take pictures of the ass ends of deer as they are running away, but you could sit in front of a moose and take pictures until you are bored. They stare at you placidly and stupidly and go about their day.

Oh, and in this part of Maine, you can get on a list with the local game wardens. If someone hits and kills a deer with their car, the warden will call you up to come fetch your roadkill.

So, the creepy factor continues. The town of Millinocket is still desolate and economically depressed. There are more empty houses and full, and it's just quiet in a way it shouldn't be.

Want to buy a house here? 3 bedrooms start at $25,000. You can pay your downpayment with whatever you find under your sofa cushions. You will probably have to commute to work 60 miles each way to Bangor, meaning your gas will cost more than your mortgage.

It's just odd to walk around and encounter almost no one. Despite their being sidewalks, no one actually seems to use them.

Hence the need to leave town and head to the lake, where it's okay that no one else is around.

FO: The Scent of Lavender Socks

While I was in the states, I had beaucoup gifts to distribute to friends and family. All this knitwear...

....gets gifted. My personal wardrobe is saturated with knitwear. I knit socks faster than I wear them out, I've made myself enough sweaters over the years to have a storage issue with them, and despite my efforts at population control, hats tend to multiply like rabbits. I feel like I will never have a chance to be cold again.

These are called The Scent of Lavender, a fun meandering leafy lace pattern inspired by Provence by Stephanie van der Linden. I started these while traveling around Turkey, and finished them up in no time. The lace pattern was easy, but I couldn't quite memorize it as it changes every row, so I had to have the chart in front of me the whole time.

The yarn is a skein of Sanguine Gryphon Bugga. I'm not sure of the colorway, Shelob maybe? I lost the tag at some point. No matter, the yarn has been discontinued in this incarnation. It's a little thick for socks you want to wear with shoes, but it's very warm and cushy and comforting and good for house socks.

Anyway. I love them, and there seems to be a delightful chill in the air lately.

Life. It's a Beach.

Some more sunshiny beachy scenes from Maine...

But the thing I get most excited about is the access to a grill.

There are no fires allowed in Paris...even if you have a backyard, you wouldn't be allowed to grill and must go make friends with people who live in the 'burbs. I hoard up grill-centric recipes all year and then go a bit crazy when I finally get there. Two things I was really happy with: Sambal Chicken Skewers from Wit and Vinegar. Don't let the fact that the marinade contains more than a half cup of hot sauce and a quarter cup of fish sauce scare you off. These were excellent. Because I was on a kebap kick, Turkish-style kebaps with a Pomegranate relish were a hit. I had a bit of trouble finding tahini paste and pomegranates in Maine, but it was worth the trouble in the end. Plus, all the good corn on the cob and veggies and I was happy to stand out in the mosquitoes while everything perfectly caramelized.

Vacationland

I'm not going to lie.

Maine, in summer, is heaven. It's the most perfect place on earth. Warm sunny days, cool nights. I can forgive the occasional sticky days (hey! It beats being in NYC!) and sometimes it will rain like it does in Paris, without break for days. I continue to return.

Everyone always asks me what I miss the most about living abroad. I can't honestly answer until I'm back in the states to see what I've been missing, at which point I can barely contain my enthusiasm for all things American...except for this cardboard substance they call "bread" that dares to grace my plate (alas, a lobster roll on a baguette seems just wrong. Sorry Frenchie!) I miss friends, I miss family. I miss good mexican food. I miss trying wines that aren't made in France...French wines are fantastic, but I know nothing about what lies beyond at this point as you can barely get a Barolo on a good day, never mind anything from Napa. Bourbon and cocktails that don't taste like sugar water. I miss friendly, and above all, helpful service. I miss how inventive food can be. I miss bitter greens.

But, while home, I miss about France: bread and pastries, real cheese that runs and smells and is full of bacteria and flavor, and the casual attitude surrounding alcohol and drinking in parks. What do you mean I can't sit outside and drink a glass of wine? I miss the amazing peaches and melons and plums that I can't stop eating in summer that you don't get that far north.

Anyway. Maine. Summer. It's perfect.

I generally split my time between the Southern Coast around Portland, and then the ancestral homeland in the far desolate reaches of the North woods. A perfect balance.

I don't have so many pictures of my Southern Maine adventure as a great deal of time was spent out on the kayak or on the beach and I don't have a waterproof casing for my camera...so therefore, the bald eagles go undocumented, along with dozens of other beautiful bucolic scenes. I did spy a happy whale cloud though:

Maine is the kind of place where I'll say, "oh, what a cute old building!" and upon closer inspection it will probably be a yarn/spinning/used bookstore of sorts.

I was pretty spoiled for wool this trip. A trip to the Swan Island showroom was delightful.

There were many, many blankets and soft merino yarns coveted that day. If you are going to live someplace that is inhospitable from October to May, you might as well have at least one of these thousand dollar merino blankets to see you through.

I was just so happy catching up with old friends and nibbling on the simple summer pleasures: corn on the cob, lobster rolls, clams, crabcakes, lovely wild blueberries. I have to keep reminding myself of January just to keep it real.

Sceaux

Well, hello again! I have returned to Paris after a long break. This means I can sit down and organize my thoughts somewhat coherently after adventures abroad and many late nights imbibing and thriving.

I must admit, although I was not in Paris for all of August, the weather this entire summer has been gorgeous. It's totally made up for the swampy wet misery endured last year, and it's reformed my opinions about the place. Yes, you can wear flirty summer frocks here without wool tights, really! Picnics and long evenings and lazing about in the park has been the norm, and my umbrella was forgivingly useless for once.

It's been a good summer for exploring, and I've taken quite a few daytrips (and continue to do so as September is also being kind to me).

One rather sweltering afternoon, I took a trip out to Domaine du Sceaux.

It's a small Chateaux with expansive gardens right on the RER B line, just outside of Paris. It's a stop I've passed going out to Orly without much of a thought for it. Alas, this is the year of André Le Nôtre, and the tourism board is pushing all of his landscaping efforts for your wandering pleasure. Gladly.

I mean, they really are something. Huge, sweeping grounds with lawns, orderly rows of trees, ambitious canals and water elements, with plenty of hidden nooks and winding paths to explore along the way. It's very regal.

While the midday sun is hard to shoot in, I sometimes can't help the time I'm in a place.

I usually try to wait out the more attractive late afternoon light, but oftimes I just have to shoot away as I go.

The chateau, while lovely, was small and devoid of visitors.

It wasn't Versailles, but it would have been a very comfortable place to settle regardless. Nothing to be ashamed of.

There wasn't anyone visiting it either, so it was nice to meander around. Truthfully, they didn't have much except some old furniture and paintings of long-dead aristocrats, but, eh. It was a nice break from the sun.

Outside was where the action was, as the whole town uses this park as their backyard. All but a few brave souls were clustered in the shade of the orderly box trees or the tall plane trees along the Grand Canal.

Is it worth the trip out? Sure, if you have the time for it. I always tell people visiting on a limited time frame that if they see one grand Chateau, go right for the jugular and spend a day at Versailles. Once that's been seen, it's nice to visit some of the smaller places with no or little crowds to have to battle with. Plus, some of the chateaus get snippy about picnics on their lawns, but this one didn't. Pack a nice lunch and watch the swans glide down the canal.

Hello!

I have abandoned ye. Alas, I have been traveling for a spell and I don't really have the habits to blog on the road. I will be back in Paris, along with the thousands of pictures I've been taking next week. But I live, and I'm happy and having fun and getting into as much trouble as possible. Cheers, and have a fantastic last few days of summer!