Bar Harbor, Maine

• Hike of Discovery
(Sun. Aug. 12, 1:00pm-4:30pm)
On the Sunday afternoon of registration we will organize a discovery hike to provide you with a quick notion of the beauty and variety of the Island. This will be a mostly level walk along the Ocean Drive, with a chance to see the Sand Beach, Thunder Hole and Otter Cliffs, and wonder at the beauty of Atlantic waves breaking against the rocks with lobster boats plying their trade offshore, and gulls flying overhead. Several of the staff do a walk along the shore path that focuses on the natural and cultural history of Acadia, including the influence of artists on MDI. The walk will be easy, sturdy shoes, water, layer clothing

• Windjammer Cruise
(Sun. Aug. 12, 1:00pm-4:30pm)
The other choice for this afternoon will be a sail on the 151' four-masted Schooner "Margaret Todd" around Frenchmen's Bay and the Cranberry Islands. There should be sea birds galore, and harbor seals to spot. Bill Townsend describes it as a "nice, pleasant trip".

• Whale Watch
(Wed. Aug 15, 12:30pm-5:00pm)
This is a four-hour trip to the deep ocean, led by a professional naturalist. They guarantee whales to watch (mostly minkies or humpbacks) or your money back. This is a fairly rigorous outing. You will need to cover up from both the wind and cold, and from the sun. And, if you're sensitive, bring seasick pills along with binoculars and camera. Puffins are often seen on these voyages.

Bar Harbor, Maine

• Geology of Mt. Desert
(Wed. Aug. 15, 8:00am-11:00am)
Acadia is one of the few places in the eastern United States where you can actually see the face of the land. A Ranger will lead us on a hike and point out the fascinating formations: bare granite summits and sheer cliffs undercut by the persistent power of the sea, a revealing testimony to the changes wrought over geologic time. This vigorous hike will be a little more challenging than the Sunday afternoon walk. Wear good hiking shoes or sneaks, and a hat, and bring drinking water and a light windbreaker, just in case.

• Rockefeller Gardens
(Thurs. Aug. 16, 8:00am-11:30am)
The Rockefeller Garden in Seal Harbor is open to the public on this day. Merri Nelson will lead this trip to encourage your sketching potential. I am hopeful that someone from the garden staff will assist us with the horticultural aspects. These are the formal Chinese style gardens of Abby Rockefeller that have truly spectacular borders with perennials and annuals in breathtaking bloom. One of the special qualities of this climate is the crowding together of the blooming times. Flowers that bloom in spring and early summer will likely be in full bloom along with plants that bloom in late summer and early fall in other parts. If for some reason this doesn't happen, the Thuja Gardens will be a satisfying substitute. They overlook Northeast Harbor and have borders and an interesting original cottage/library. The walk is along level, well tended easy paths. We will have a materials list for those who sign up.

Bar Harbor, Maine

• Tidal Pools
(Thurs. Aug. 16, 1:00pm-5:00pm)
Competing with the trip to Jordan Pond House this afternoon is another, very different, sketching opportunity. Gretchen Halpert and a Park Ranger will take you down on the rocks at low tide, for a half day of talk and sketching; focusing on the tidal pools, and their fascinating denizens. Gretchen will again be there to hone your sketching skills while the Ranger will describe the scientific end. The Tidal pool walk is at a place called Ship Harbor- there is a walk through woods before you get to the shore- it is basically level, no mountains to climb, but it is a walk through woods- on good paths but one needs to watch where you are going- once on the rocks there is that to consider, there are great granite boulders, not difficult, but you have to watch your step. Hats, drinking water, and shoes able to scramble on the rocks will be useful. We will have a materials list for the sketchers.

• Sketching Flora - Wild Gardens of Acadia
(Fri. Aug, 17th, 8:00am-12:00pm)
In the National Park there is a native plant garden, maintained by the Garden Club of Bar Harbor. I have spoken to the powers that be, and we will have a knowledgeable botanical guide to lead us through the various habitats of the Wild Gardens of Acadia: forest, meadow, bog, wetlands, pine woods, and tundra. Merri Nelson will act as our sketching coach, with an emphasis on how one sees and records. The plants here are well labeled, and the plantings give accurate, though miniaturized, glimpses of the relationship between the species. The walk is along level, well tended easy paths. A materials list (Merri claims a very simple one) will be sent.

• Weekend Sketching Workshop
(Sat. and Sun. 9:00am-5:00pm)
This extension of the meeting (a la Sagres) is being planned for after the main part of the conference is over. I am working to have Jenny Keller lead this, as she did in Richland and Portugal. Those signing up will be able to stay at the College, but meals will be on your own. There are more restaurants than you can shake a stick at all over the Island, with places in Bar Harbor near enough to walk for breakfast, or to grab sandwiches to take for lunch. I will keep a van available. The places to sketch range from the natural; rocky coast, woodland trails, open meadows, to the man-made; fishing villages, Victorian houses and busy harbors. An adjunct to this is the afternoon workshop (Thursday, August 16, 1:30 - 5 pm) devoted to the special materials and methods that Jenny has evolved over the years for creating a truly personal and memorable Journal/Sketchbook.

The trips I have planned are only a taste of what the Island has to offer. If you can take some extra time to explore on your own, I'm certain you will be more than rewarded. Check the article in the Newsletter on "playing hooky" for some of my favorite haunts (See teh Newsletter, March 2001, page 5).

Dick Rauh