Learning A New Trade...

The rain stayed with us for most of the night and when we woke this morning it was still pretty overcast.  And, still when we headed out at around 8:30, I questions the

skies.  But, by the time we arrived in

Bar Harbor, the day was looking promising.  We shopped  in this

cute store where we found some shirts we couldn't live without.  After making our purchases, it was time for us to meet up with our

tour group.

After we all boarded the

LuLu,

Captain Mike

gave us a little background about lobstering.  He said every lobsterman has his own registered buoy colors.  That is a good thing because when out in the middle

of all these buoys, it would be hard to know which trap was yours.

Most lobsterman have as many as 800 traps in both the 3 mile range and the international waters.

When we find our buoy, it is

hauled in using this winch.  Soon, we have the

trap on the side of the boat.  Time to inspect our

catch.

After a brief lobster lesson on anatomy, molting, and conservation, it was time to

measure this little guy to see if he was not too small or too large.

This one is a keeper.  He is about one and a half pounds, and it took him 7 years to get this big.

Time to

add more bait and

drop the trap back in the water.

This trap won't be checked for another 2 to 3 days.

Most lobsterman will catch 3 - 5 lobsters per trap.  The state of Maine will net about 90 million lobsters per year.

After our lobster run, Captain Mike took us to see the

Egg Rock lighthouse.

This is where the

harbor seals hang out.  These guys were all sleeping.

We did have the added bonus of seeing

this Bald Eagle perched on the rocks.

I always love watching the

waves crash against the rocks.

Other than a little

rain on our way back in, we had a great trip.   It was very interesting learning about the life of the lobster and the men who catch them.

Soon we were back to the

dock and ready for lunch.  Today, we chose the West Cafe.  We had dinner salads, shared some fried clams, and a piece of blueberry pie.  Yummy!

We spent the rest of the afternoon walking around Bar Harbor looking at the

old homes and all the

beautiful flowers.

We finished our walk out on the

sand bar.  You can walk all the way across...just be sure to return before the tide comes in!

On our way home, we stopped and purchased

10 pounds of blueberries which are now tucked away in the freezer.

All I can say is what an awesome day!