"Trips and Paddles"
Arriving with gloves on their hands, a brave group of Gold LEAF members met to carpool to Farmington Falls. We assembled at the Sandy River in mid-October, and there was some trepidation among the participants as the temperatures had dipped to near freezing overnight! But good luck held: the river was high enough for paddling from the prior week's rains, and the temperatures rose steadily that morning, with no wind to combat. The sun even popped out. As did the eagles, known to hang out around the river's bends. 

The kayak and canoe trip was guided by Ray Stillman, a member of the GLI Curriculum Committee. He is very thorough in his "scoping out" of safe and enjoyable events, including up-to-the-minute reviews of such things as the river water level and hour by hour weather predictions. He even clears the walkways and staircases of fallen leaves so that water craft can be safely carried down to the river's edge. 

Alpacas 101: A Farm Tour 

Gold LEAFers also visited Northern Solstice Alpaca Farm in Unity, Maine to take their "Alpacas 101: A Farm Tour". The presenters gave a full introduction on raising alpacas, their qualities and the products. They also discussed the benefits for Alzheimer's patients who come to visit the animals. In addition, the farm offers opportunities to "invest" in an alpaca and then reap the benefits of your investment as offspring are born and sold. The trip coordinator was Emma Gierczak. 
 

The Curriculum Committee at GLI is very fortunate to have such a great team, with members like Ray and Emma. Our next Gold LEAF Curriculum Committee meeting is to be held on November 12 at 1 p.m. and welcomes ideas for classes and trips. Contact: goldleaf@maine.edu

Members of Acadia Senior College take a field trip to Frenchboro, Maine

Take a moment to visit the blog post "Sunbeam Trip to Frenchboro, Maine" by photographer George Soules. George gives Acadia Senior College a great mention and you can see the beautiful photographs he took on his recent ASC field trip.