We said goodbye to South Branch Pond and drove 20 miles per hour, for two hours, down a dirt road inside Baxter State Park, to our lean-to beside the incessantly thunderous, rushing, Katahdin Stream. We were two sites away from the end of the Appalachian Trail. We were here so our daughter could climb Mount Katahdin. I’d paint the river, while she climbed the heights where this cold, clear water came from.

But before that, we played a good game of  Bananagrams, while we waited for the big day. We give extra points for great words (quintessence won the day here), and by our house rules you can’t go out on a two letter word, which makes it a bit harder.

Our whole first day at this site, that butterfly followed us everywhere, perching either on us or close by. It felt like the rainbow, another text from God saying all was well, even though we could get no human news. Turns out, as I learned later, of course wonderful things were happening.

Meanwhile, oh the SOUND of this water!