Time with Chris at the Darling Marine Center

Chris recently spent three weeks in a graduate program at the Darling Marine Center near Boothbay Harbor checking out how marine worms move through the mud by putting them through jello.

He found lots of cool things in his travels..

We went up after his second week to spend the weekend with him.
Checking out Chris's teeny-tiny room.....

The above was one of Chris' few neighbors. Mia has named him Alvadore.
We got to check out the touch tanks at the Marine Center. Lots of really cool stuff.

We got to see the most amazingly large starfish!!!


Even Scientists have a sense of humor:

Next we went to the Pemiquid Point Lighthouse. First we went into the lighthouse museum.

The lobster behind me was real...at one point in time. They figured him to be over 80 years old when he died.

Gotta love the self-timer...we actually got to get a family picture..so cute...

We headed down on the rocks to check things out while waiting for the lighthouse to open.

We got to see a lobsterman hauling traps....super-cool....

Finally, the lighthouse opened and we got to go up. Up the 36 (or so) steps up the circular staircase, then up the 7 steps on the ladder. The view was amazing!!

It was a very small space...

Finally down, we just had to go to the gift shop next door. I think that seeing the ocean from way up high made us a little giddy, and we could not help but take some silly pictures...

We went to Pemiquid State Beach before dinner to romp and play in the sand. Chris wanted to show us the moon jellyfish. We sure got to see them...they were all over the beach!

Mia found one....by stepping on it!!!! Luckily they are totally harmless!

Chris searching for sea glass for me...

This was the cute little cabin we stayed in..."Little" being the operative word.

The next day we headed to Jason and Hallie's, with a quick stop in Damarascotta to see the running of the Alewives. There was a whole festival going on around this. Here are some pictures of the really neat fish ladder that allows them to head from the ocean into fresh water.