#arnold arboretum – The Adventures of Shadow and Wilma

Today, Wilma, Gus, and I spent the day in Maine. Our main adventures included the towns of: Cape Elizabeth, Augusta, Norway, Woodstock, and York. We began our day at one of my favorite parks, Fort Williams. This is a gorgeous coastal park, that includes: a lighthouse, gardens, ruins, a beach, and little trails throughout. We spent the majority of our day at this fabulous location. We arrived bright and early so had some peaceful moments before the crowd rolled in. Wilma and Gus loved lounging in the grass, digging in the sand and taking in the coastal Fall smells. Although there is an off-leash area, people actually follow the leash rule in the rest of the park, making it perfect for all. This park never disappoints!

We then headed over to Augusta to photograph and relax at the State House. This was our second visit to the State House. It is pristine, and surrounded by the brightest green, soft grass. I found a couple trees which were taking on the colors of Fall, just perfect! Wilma especially loved lounging in the grass, in the Fall sun. We walked around a bit and relaxed. As I am trying to balance what is best for Wilma I decided not to head to the park across the street, but just to let her lounge as she pleased. Gus did not mind joining in, such a lovely day to soak in the sun!

Our next stop brought us to the Norway/Paris Soft Serve, of which I also did a separate blog. I was pleased to find ice cream in September. Upon arrival we were the only ones there. I adored the window boxes as I ordered myself some pumpkin/pecan ice cream, and the pups a gourmet “pup cup”. Although Gus did not end up eating his ice cream, Wilma and I appreciated this treat, Wilma lucky to have seconds. Gus did eventually devour the treat that had been soaking on the “pup cup”. This was the perfect Fall snacks before heading on our journey.

From there we headed to check-out the largest phone in the world – an Atlas Obscura special (haha!) I have been curious about this phone for a bit, and today was the right day to add this to our Adventure. The phone commemorates the last “crank” call occurring in 1983. The sculpture was unveiled in 2008. I am not sure if Wilma and Gus were thrilled by this part of the adventure, but I was glad to add a random sculpture to the day.

Our last adventure was to York, Maine. We wandered around Old York, mostly to stretch our legs, but searched for flowers, signs of falls, and appreciated some of the historic buildings. I was disappointed not to find some of the pumpkins, and pumpkin sales I often locate in the area, but really it is early in the season. I think the spectacular weather made me forget it is just mid-September.

These were our main locations today, although there were also a couple other quick stops, but figured I would describe the highlights above. So glad to get out on a day trip on this gorgeous Fall weather. Hope the weather continues to be just right (This blog will not be rated.)

Walking on the Beach:

Beautiful Coastal Maine scenery:

Some digging from Wilma:

Today Shadow, Wilma and I Adventured to the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, in the area of Boston, Massachusetts. The Arnold Arboretum was established in 1872, and encompasses 281 acres of land. The Arboretum maintains a record system of which all plants on the ground are tracked, while research is ongoing. The Arboretum is free and open to the public, offering outreach enrichment to people of all ages.

We had a splendid Adventure to the Arnold Arboretum. So fun to find a local Arboretum that both allows and welcomes dogs. We spent about three hours exploring the trails, paths, and roads throughout the park. The gates were closed to cars, which was a huge plus. We begin our journey heading toward the Fog x Hill, containing a “fog sculpture” made up of pure water vapor. Little did I know at the time that this was a man made feature, so quite magical at fog appeared to have taken over the trail. I tried to capture this on film, but we arrived close to the location when the fog was almost dispersed. Still a fun and unique “show” that captivated our attention.

Next we headed toward the Leventritt Shrub and Vine Garden, walking along a trail through the woods, along a scenic wooden fence. On arrival to this Garden the area opened up and we headed toward the Garden. Our ear was drawn to peaceful Asian music and the dance of two performing their cultural art. The music was relaxing, calm, and appealing to the ear. We watched the couple perform for a bit, snapped a quick video and headed on through the scenic garden. Most of the flowers were past their bloom, but I was able to catch a couple beautiful buds on film.

After leaving the Shrub and Vine Garden we traversed various trails and areas throughout the park, including: the beautiful Conifer trail, The Bradley Rosaceous Collection, the ponds, and many additional pathways. Although it was definitely off season for this beautiful park, there were still gorgeous scenery throughout. Most of the time you could not even tell you were in the city, instead feeling one with nature. We definitely will have to come back to the Arnold Arboretum in the high season seasons of bloom. So glad we were able to enjoy the Arnold Arboretum today (Rating: 4).