Small Point, Maine

A day of restorative calm thanks to some fab Samaritans who let us wash away the blood and singed bits, do Domino runs with G&Ts, then share lunch at the Small Point Club and finally left us for an afternoon on the beach. Watched the tide come in, with M body-surfing the biggest waves...

NB: Boogie board on the festive wish list.

Bowline Knot Site No. 10, Hermit Island, Maine

It's good to have little bit of elevation on a dappled sunlit site to ensure the neighbours are surveyed and encouraged to say Hi.

Sand Dollar Beach, Hermit Island, Maine

A completely still and beautiful second day at the far end of the peninsula, racing Hermit Crabs - Bianco, Geoffrey, Tabitha and a forgotten 4th. Turbo had nothing on this lot. Met lots of familiar faces and as the gentle rain sprinkled on us the beach cleared and we were left with the place to ourselves. Home for a nap before accident no. 2.

The hypothetically phrased, 'If it was lit you wouldn't add more mentholated spirits/denatured alcohol?' actually should have been, 'It is lit, don't create a fireball that will set me aflame, have me lying flat-out on the grass to extinguish myself and then spend 15 minutes by the nearest tap/spigot having icy cold water poured over me by a complete stranger, with a growing audience, before a long, burning trip to the primary care facility, which we'll fail to find for a very long while'.

In fact the pain subsided after a few hours and the verdict - second degree burns on the thigh and an odd, skin-wrinkling discolouration on the forearm & wrist and very frizzy hair

 Next stop pasta and gin.

Sand Dune Beach, Hermit Island, Maine

Day 1 on the island of 1960s dreams... early morning crabbing and late morning paddling, before some cycling down steep sandy hills/hwulls. J forgot to back pedal and tumbled into a heap and so the accident open-season began.

Kind first aid support from a nearby caravan and beach backups, then a half hour drive to the ER holding an ice pack and singing soothing songs before a forty minute procedure of some brutality that brought front and back of chin together with two layers of stitches, only relieved by Sponge Bob on a carefully positioned monitor and lots of supportive singing of, 'I threw a wish in the well...'.

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Mildred's Lane, Pennsylvania

A brief moment at Mildred's Lane in all its sunlit, stylish glory and artistic intensity - more next time, perhaps...

Narrowsburg, New York State

We just loved Narrowsburg, NY State. The anti-fracking capital of the USA. Lunch got very voluble as tables across The Heron's riverside patio filled with folk sharing tales of the latest victory in the battle to prevent the process continuing in the surrounding hills.

There was a fabulous metal bridge across the Delaware, Big Eddy - a glacial whirlpool - and a boat ramp for catching tiddlers and watching the big boys reel in even bigger fish or just float by on rubber rings as the sun set.

I can't resist a Post Office either.

Smokey Belles, Catskills, New York State

So the summer road trip began in the woods along Ten Mile River in the Catskills. Outdoor showering with no baby bear, roaring river pottering with a baby snake and communal living with a huge dose of style...

Smokey Belles was unusual and lovely.