At last, the birthday boat ride

Yes, today everything came together perfectly and we took my birthday boat ride. This was our last chance for this year, as the Casco Bay Lines ends this particular run on Labor Day. A few of the things we saw:
The boat has just come under the Cribstone Bridge. This is the only bridge of its kind in the world, made of granite blocks with no mortar and spaces to let the tide flow through -- plus the larger space for small boats and ice floes.
Here comes the ferry, the Island Romance. Passengers from Portland mostly get off here on Bailey Island for lunch, and we get on.
This is the really special one. It was such a clear day that you could see all the way to New Hampshire -- Mt. Washington, 90 miles away. You have to look closely at the righthand third of the photo, and you may have to click to make it bigger. But it's there! Really!
And last but not least (I took 40 photos but I'm sparing you), here is the marker/lighthouse on Little Mark Island. The story is that if a vessel was in trouble, and could make it to Little Mark Island, there would always be supplies there enough to keep a crew of 15-20 men for up to a month until they could be rescued. The black stripes on the marker, which you may see if you enlarge the photo, are to keep seabirds from flying into the marker on foggy days.
So, is my birthday finally over? I don't think so. For one thing, Sisterfilms has promised me a package in a week or so. Certain other offspring may profit from her example. Still, I feel very fortunate that today turned out to be such a beautiful day. Looking at this, it's hard to believe that some of my blogging friends in the Gulf Coast area are battening down the hatches for Gustav. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.