August 30, 2006

Dreaming of Maine

Everyone has a "happy place" right? This is mine. :O)

Have you ever been to Maine? If yes then you must know how I feel. It's the only place I long to go back to ... again and again.

The first time I ever *saw* Maine (in the early 90s), it was love at first sight! And it's definitely one of those rare cases of love. You know ... the ones that last a lifetime? :O)

So ... every year when possible, I try to come back to Maine. Not only is it my *happy place*, it's also my *zen place*. They don't call Maine "the vacation state" and that Maine is "the way life should be" for no reason!

If you ever find yourself in that corner of the world, here's a few of the charming seaside Maine towns you must visit (in no particular order):

  1. Wells

  2. Ogunquit (my favorite!)

  3. Kennebunkport

  4. Bar Harbor (you can go hiking in the Acadia National Park)

  5. Rockland (where the Maine Lobster Festival is held each August)

  6. York

  7. Portland (for a small seaside town, Portland is quite urban & trendy and is oh so charming!)

  8. Freeport (not by the sea, but with the LLBean Flagship Store & some of the best outlets in the country there, it's definitely a must place to visit too!)
I'm sure there are more to be added to this list so if you have some to share, I'd love to hear all about them!

And now ... on with the dreaming ... of Maine. :O) My *happy place*!

August 29, 2006

In the Land of Lilliput

Sometimes, we are so busy looking ahead that we forget to look down as we travel through life. I'm so glad I remember to glance downward once in a while. You never know what beautiful things are waiting to be discovered!

These baby daisies are so tiny, I had to ask my friend to lend her hand to show how small they really are. Though like "Lilliputians" in stature, these little daisies are strong and resilient and can stand up to most any fancy weather and foot trampling coming their way.

Just like us humans, see?!

By the way, if you're wondering where this Land of Lilliput is, it's on Mackinac Island. You may want to join Gulliver on his travels sometimes! :O)

August 27, 2006

An Owl Butterfly By Any Other Name

I must say it was a bit disconcerting staring at this huge butterfly. It was as big as my hand, literally. The large eye spots on its wings resemble owl eyes - hence its interesting name. These fake eyes help keep predators from attacking the butterflies since large eyes give the impression that they also accompany an equally large body. Interestingly, many owl butterflies found in the wild sometimes have a piece of their back wing missing. Most likely because the birds are fooled into attacking the butterflies there instead of on their body which is definitely the more vital part.

Owl butterflies like to eat bananas and fruits. Aren't they so healthy?! We humans should learn something them!

By the way, this was taken at the amazing Butterfly Conservatory of Mackinac Island. To read more about our visit at the conservatory, check out this post. Hope you'll get a chance to visit this magical place!

August 26, 2006

10 Tips for the New Digital SLR Photographer

If you're a new digital SLR photographer, you will find these 10 tips from Thomas Hawk very useful! They range from upping the ISO (for low lighting situations) to getting a serious tripod and joining Flickr!

I love shooting digital photography! It allows me to experiment in ways I couldn't before when I was shooting with film. I've only had my DSLR camera for a year, but oh ... what a year it's been!

August 25, 2006

Wings of Mackinac

I've heard so much about the Butterfly Conservatory of Mackinac Island, so when we had a chance last June to visit it, I was on cloud nine! There were over 2000 butterflies and anywhere between 60-90 species.

It was magical just being there!

This beautiful black & white butterfly is a "rice paper butterfly," while the one with soft green wings here is a "malachite butterfly." Aren't they gorgeous?!

Switching From TypePad

I've come to a cross road. It's time to make an executive decision. I've been blogging on TypePad for a few months now ... but lately my frugal side has taken over. Why pay $8.95 a month for something that Blogger is providing for free?! So ... here I am, blogging anew on Blogger. Crossing my fingers and hope that this will be a long-lasting friendship. :O)

Talk about "cross roads" ... we were hiking to the Plume Gorge (New Hampshire) when we came upon this one. Fall in New England always makes my heart sing!

August 15, 2006

3 Great Family Movies All In One Summer

What's summer without a few favorite family movies?!!! But hands down, I like Little Miss Sunshine best! Cars and Ant Bully however are special because my 4-y.o. nephew and I watched them together in two weekends back-to-back! We're both crazy about the movies!