Seal Watch
(Click on the pictures below for a larger view)

No trip to Maine would be complete without taking a tour bout out to the water.   We had planned on going out on a Whale Watch, but honestly, going out in the rough Atlantic Ocean didn't sit well with my stomach.  I feared too many of us (kids and adults alike) might get sea sick, and therefore not have a good time.  So, we discovered another tour that limited the trip to inside the harbor - thus not so rough waters.  For this adventure, they cruised the Frenchman Bay, retrieved several lobster traps. and then took us out to an island inhabited by seals.  The guide went into great detail as to how a lobster was caught, what the restrictions were for keeping them, and other such wonderful information.  It truly was a learning experience for all.  The kids really enjoyed holding many of the creatures that were retrieved from the lobster traps - including starfish, sea urchins, various crabs, and of course, the lobsters.

While we were cruising out into the bay, we passed this beautiful house.	Anna makes friends with a Starfish	The guide (with a real thick Maine accent) describes how this lobster might have lost, then regrew, its' claw	Another great house on the point.  Boat captain reported this one is owned by the president of Campbell Soup company.
Yet another nice summer cottage	Michael handles a spider crab	Next, it's Brian's turn	Using a power winch to haul the trap up from the deep waters
Samantha with a spider crab	Ashley with lobster	Samantha's turn with the lobster	Here's the seal inhabited island.   Unfortunately, it was a very cloudy day, so visibility was kind of poor.
Another shot of the seal island	Danny handles a Sea Cucumber	The girls having a taste	Ummm ... so good, Samantha went back for seconds
	Here, Ashley cradles the Sea Cucumber	"Quick!  Take the picture.   It's slipping out of my hands!"