Armchair Adventurer

Even though the first day of summer is still a few days away….

The University is blissfully in its off season and my less scattered thoughts are now firmly focused on a summer by the sea.  

Unfortunately, my pocketbook isn't as cooperative and I will be spending most of my summer land locked in the city that boats being a mile higher than sea level.

Despite my physical location I've found that I can embark on just about any adventure from the comfort of my own armchair.  Now I recognize that armchair traveling~ especially through books~ isn't exactly a new idea…however I cannot help but be amazed at how limitless and freeing and wonderfully vivid the human imagination can be.  

So while my body is here deep in the wild, wild west…my spirit and the current infatuation of my imagination is here

I have always been drawn to the rugged stone coast of the Atlantic and Maine has been a particular draw because its climate is so much less humid than its seasonal competitors to the south.  

Two summers ago, J- and I had the great fortune of traveling through coastal Maine.  We started in Camden and worked our way down to Boothbay Harbor and Kennebunkport.  We did not quite make it up as far north as Bar Harbor -I would like to someday.  

Handsome but fuzzy J- in Camden Harbor

Me and J- in a sea canoe in front of  Curtis Island Lighthouse 

Like J. Courtney Sullivan~the author of Maine~ I am in love with the idea of artist colony gatherings, beach picnics and moonlit ancestral story telling. I am just a bit of a romantic-can you tell?  

So I am going to spend my summer evenings emblazoned in a book~ frolicking in the Maine moonlight~dipping my toes in the cold Atlantic waves~laughing at stories of summers long past and decorating the summerhouse of my soul.  

If you too are an armchair traveler-you may want to check this out.  If Maine isn't the summer destination of your dreams-this book will tell you which novel will take you on an armchair adventure more suited to your likes.  


Also-did you know that Google Earth has an add on feature called  Google Books?  The Google Books layer in Google Earth offers users a new way to explore the world of books. By turning on the Google Books layer, users can fly from place to place, reading as they go, or they can search for a specific place name and browse a selection of references to that place name in both fiction and non-fiction texts.  For more information go here.  

Perfect chair for traveling found at evadesigns.com

Happy travels :-)

Cristine