Puffins!

One of the best things about our trip to Maine was that my friends Miles and Hall (who used to live in Manhattan but deserted me to run this incredible lodge) were there, too! They were on the tail end of their winter break (they live in New Zealand), and were spending their last few days in the States in Kennebunkport.

Louisa and I met them in Boothbay, where, surrounded by children smeared in sunscreen and a host of surprisingly avid birdwatchers, we boarded a puffin-watching cruise. Turns out we'd come at just the right time; puffins can be hard to find, but they mate and nest during the first few weeks of July - we'd inadvertently chosen the absolute best week to see as many puffins as we could wish for.

The cruise out to Eastern Egg Rock, a bird sanctuary just outside of Boothbay Harbor, was gorgeous. Lighthouses, craggy, rocky islands (Iconic Maine, hello!) - and harbor porpoise and seals, too! We had delightfully calm seas and a strong, bright sun - not to mention a strong breeze. (Puffin watching is a sweater-mandatory activity, folks.)

And then, there were puffins. So many puffins! Puffins are pretty little (no more than ten inches tall when fully grown), so it was hard to get a good shot of them. The ones here are taking off after spending some time bobbing around in the water. When puffins fly, their wings work so hard that they almost look like they're windmilling them around.

Also, baby puffins? Are called pufflings. I KNOW.

The thing in the front? A buoy. The little white and black dude beyond it? A puffin! A ridiculously cute, adorable, totally worth the time and money puffin.