Category: Recreation

Artascope Studios | Saltwater Etching for Copper Class

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My daughter will go to art school in the fall and I am both extremely proud and extremely jealous. She will be living her art dream, while I will remain a closet artist who refers to myself as a crafter and keeps my skills in the hobby realm.

I’m actually okay with it. I’m happy that she found her passion young, and I like to think my genetics helped even if only in a small way. Certainly having a craft room and access to endless craft supplies had to have fed her artistic talents at some point along the way.

My creative outlet may be different than her path, but my love of art classes is intense and if it’s a class on something I have never tried before I am even more intrigued. When I saw that Artascope Studios was offering a Saltwater Etching for Copper class as one of their Sunday One-Day Workshops, I couldn’t sign up fast enough. I mean that literally. I think I was the first person who registered for the class.

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Maine Hikes | Fort Williams Park, Cape Elizabeth

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For this hike, we went a little urban, and full on traditional Maine. Since we had the girls with us, we were looking for a more casual, leisurely pace. We ended up heading to Fort Williams Park in Cape Elizabeth to check out the Bite into Maine Food Truck and discovered that it was also a perfect spot for our hike.

I had only been to this park one other time as a chaperone for a long ago school field trip. I only vaguely remembered the park, which is more a statement on my memory than on the beauty of the location. But, like so many other people, I have seen the iconic pictures of Portland Head Light which so perfectly advertises the look and feel of Maine.

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Maine Hikes | Douglas Mountain, Sebago

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Now that we’ve been hiking a bit more regularly, we figured why not skip ahead to a more challenging destination. After a bit of research we decided to head to Douglas Mountain in Sebago. Why bother with all that pesky gradual increase in intensity from hike to hike. Let’s just jump right in. In fairness, it wasn’t that extreme a leap, it just felt like it on a few of the steeper inclines.

It was probably the first hike we have taken this spring that really did fall more into the hiking side of things rather than the walking one. There are a few trails that you can take to the summit but, not really knowing a lot about the options, we headed out on the first one we came to after parking in the lot, which was the Eagle Scout Trail.

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Maine Hikes | Little River Preserve Gorham, Maine

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We were looking for something a little more strenuous when picking out next hike but also having limited time needed to stay somewhat local. So, we headed to Gorham and the Little River Preserve . Still being new to hiking, finding the trail entrance is often a struggle for us. They can be somewhat hidden.

This trail was even harder to find than usual for us. It’s located on Route 202 on the eastbound side right before Little River Drive, but we drove by it a few times before finally seeing the entrance. Once we found it, we realized there was also a small parking area by the trail entrance. Continue reading →

Maine Hikes | Riverton Trolley Park in Portland, Maine

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This hike caught my attention when I learned that there used to be a Trolley Park in the area that was a destination for people during the turn of the century. They would take the trolley out from Portland and enjoy various activities.

According to the City of Portland Website, “Riverton Trolley Park was established in 1896. At the turn of the century, the Park was one of Portland’s premier attractions. It was established in 1896 and operated until 1929. The park, which was served by a trolley that departed from Square, contained a casino, an amphitheater, dance hall, and a wildlife petting zoo.“

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