Sunday

No breakfast this morning--as we were a bit late leaving the house. Instead of going to Bar Harbor today, as we intended, after seeing so much traffic on Rte 1, we decided to go to Ellsworth.

Our first was the tidal falls. It was a beautiful area--an eddy with some rapids and a nice picnic area. Heath was especially intrigued by a green crab in the rocks. Bob tried to retrieve it, but it was tenacious and stayed in the rocks.

After driving to Ellsworth, we stopped at Finn's for lunch. Our favorite pub, I guess. We had a sampler appetizer plate: deviled egg, mozzarella sticks, lime potato salad, deep fried haddock, deep fried artichoke. We also had an order of Irish nachos--fried potato chips, covered with Irish bacon, salsa fresca, sour cream. We were just getting started: Bob had blackened chicken sandwich with fries. Antoinette had deep-fried crab wraps with a jalapeno tartar sauce. I had a roasted veggie wrap with potato salad. Heath had a burger and fries.
Lunch was at Finn's--YUMMY! We did some shopping in two shops and we were ready to move on.

Most of the time when Bob and I explore a side road, it's always the seaward side, so this time we picked the opposite side of Rte 1. We drove miles of country road through small towns like Franklin. Though we saw the Shalom winery, but it looked scary, so we decided not to go, We found our way to Tunk Lake, finally.  It was beautiful--Bob and I must go kayaking here. It was huge and surrounded by lush forests. We even saw an old, small house that advertised "Indian Food here"--no Thank You!

Home dinner was sausage, peppers, potatoes and onions and pizza. For dessert, pazooki (chocolate cookie--warm, with vanilla ice cream, chocolate and caramel sauce, topped with Cool Whip).
Another night of rain so we couldn't have a fire--AGAIN.

Saturday

This morning, Bob, in order to redeem himself, awoke early to cook breakfast for us--his specialty--sausage gravy and biscuits. The man is a marvel--we had no cream, so he used the fat-free half and half that I use in my coffee. It wasn't thickening well, so he used Bisquick mix. It was wonderful. We had a hot pepper mix so it was spicy. Our entertainment during breakfast was the relating of the many events of Bob's "adventure" boating yesterday. He's such a good sport. After a fast cleanup and our bellies full, we were out on the first day of our adventure.

Our first stop was the Bartlett winery. We had a tasting, with very cheap pours (though what can I expect for free), we walked out with four bottles each. Lots of fun still ahead, obviously.

We drove to Schoodac Peninsula and saw double-crested cormorants, eider ducks (male and female)--it was a warm day, but we managed to get out of the car a few times and do some rock descents and wildlife watching. We watched the regatta races.

The Nautica Pub called to us as we were on the way home, so we stopped in to have a pint. The idiot bartender, who was very nice, forgot to order Heath's pizza and by the time he remembered, we were ready to leave, so it was canceled. Each of us had a beer and I had a piece of blueberry pie--great crust but cinnamon in the blueberries? Really?

Across the street from the pub, we saw a beautiful MGA--black convertible with a wicker picnic basket on the trunk. It was beautiful and I wanted to steal it. I wanted to sit in it, but I didn't have the nerve to ask the owners when they came out.

We sat around outside just looking at the water and drinking. It was so relaxing and beautiful.

Home again, home again. We had a delicious dinner of ziti, meatballs (Antoinette's) and sausages with ciabatta garlic bread, and tomato caprese salad. For dessert, we had strawberry shortcake (pound cake, ice cream, strawberries in sugar, and Cool Whip).

A game of Trivial Pursuit showed, once again, how much Bob knows and how much I don't. Antoinette and Bob's team won 21-18 over me and Heath. UGH! and I thought we were catching up.

Jenn and Tom's Sleepover

Yesterday, we drove to Jenn and Tom McCowan's house in Winslow (near Waterville) Maine. The trip was longer than I remembered, but it was certainly worth it.

Jenn was a teacher at Apollo. I went to Jenn's wedding shower and Jenn and Tom's rehearsal dinner and wedding in Prescott. Jenn is now teaching Drama and English at Winslow High School in Maine. Tom is an attorney. They have two beautiful daughters, Hannah and Kathleen (Kate). I should add that they are both talented, smart, and just full of that youthful exuberance and potential. They play musical instruments and dance--Hannah is also taking Driver's Ed. I cannot believe how mature they have become in just three years (the last time I saw them).

 One of the many dwellers of the McCowan pond.

 Wish you could see the McCowan gardens--beautiful!

 "I'm ready for my close up."

 Hannah and cat

 Right outside the window--and there were more and more and more birds visiting

 Just one of the many flowers grown by the green thumb of Jenn McCowan.

 Another visitor--and there were so many.

 A view of the flowers from the dining room window.

 The pond at McCowan Park.

The house looked beautiful--Jenn certainly has a green thumb--her flower garden was spectacular--we, and many birds, certainly enjoyed it. Tom had put in a small pond where we also observed frogs, tadpoles, and Bob thinks he saw one toad as well. In addition, we watched red squirrels and chipmunks scamper about on their front patio and through the garden. The house has been renovated and there is a spacious living room and dining area. In addition (no pun intended), the girls now have larger rooms and there is a larger master suite with its own bathroom. We stayed in the guest room.

Jenn had prepared a few hors d'oevres which we munched away on until Tom came home. Tom took Hannah to driver's ed while Bob began cooking his CIA Risotto-like Pasta dish. It's one of my favorites, but since it is so different from regular Italian food, it was a gamble taking it someone's home. Tom, Jenn, and Kate are real foodies, though, and while Bob cooked, he and Tom discussed everything from critters to the historical buildings in Waterville. Tom and Jenn are so much fun because they are interested in so many different things. Tom is very actively involved in the history of Winslow and Waterville (they live in Winslow, but Waterville is practically right next door). Jenn and Tom are also amazing parents--these girls are sure to be successful--they are mature, well-behaved, talented, and beautiful. I can't wait to see where they will be in another 10 years. Kate is going into 7th grade and Hanna will be a sophomore this coming school year. Jenn has managed to grow the drama program and is lucky to have a principal who will help her do so.

We had a wonderful time talking all night about so many different topics--both are well-read so part of the discussion ended up being book reviews and recommendations. We were drinking some pretty good hard cider first, then Pinot Grigio, then Bob and I introduced Jenn and Tom to Chocovine and Chocvine with raspberry. These wines are delicious and 14% alcohol. It doesn't seem like chocolate wine would be good, but it is delicious and I think we made two converts last night. With dinner, Jenn had made a nice salad and for dessert, she made tiramisu--which was delicious--that we had with the Chocovine. After a wonderful evening with these friends that live much too far away, we went to bed--we stayed the night because of the long drive back and because Jenn wanted to take us to one of her favorite places for breakfast.

The next morning was very embarrassing for me. Bob and I had set the alarm clock, but right before it went off, Bob (thank goodness) had to use the bathroom. When he did so, he saw Tom who was looking for his wallet and sunglasses. Thinking that perhaps when we were cleaning up we might have seen them, he asked Bob. Bob came into the bedroom and I immediately remembered picking up a wallet that I thought was Bob's and sunglasses that I thought were mine. UGH! They had been looking for I don't know how long, not knowing that their kleptomaniac guest had picked them up and put them into her purse. Poor Jenn! Poor Tom! Stupid me.

Breakfast was at a cute place run by a little old lady named Roberta (I think). I had Eggs Benedict, Bob and Jennn had eggs as well, but with sausage links that were delicious. The home fries were also yummy. Then we went on a short trip into Waterville and I was reminded that Bob and I had gone into the shops the last time we had visited the McCowans in 2009. Because we had to get back and get ready for Antoinette (my cousin) and Heath (her sweetie) who are coming tomorrow night, our shopping trip was short. We returned to Jenn's house and left for our cottage--but not before not being able to find our GPS. After rummaging through the van, I called Jenn and, lo and behold, she had found it. We returned one more time, got some water, used the facilities and we were on our way (again!)

It's unfortunate that we live so far from each other because, despite the age difference of 20 years, we could have many adventures and interesting discussions with this couple. Again, we had a wonderful time visiting them.

On our way home, one more grocery visit--boy we have a lot of food--too much especially since I know we'll be so busy during the day that we'll end up eating out and I don't know what we're going to do with all this food. UGH! Why do I overdo this food experience stuff EVERY  SINGLE time? I was going to make potato salad and chicken salad but I realized I have no room to put it in the frig. Tomorrow AM we'll be doing some rearranging and cleaning up, but probably no cooking since we have no room.

So our next adventure begins when Antoinette and Heath gets here and so does my anxiety about making sure they have a good time. Can't I just look forward to something without worrying about it? I guess the answer to that is NO!

On the Treadmill of the Sea

When we woke up this morning, it took me about an hour and a half to convince Bob that he can, indeed, dye my roots. After a lot of hemming and hawing on his part, I mixed up the hair dye. We went outside so we wouldn't make a mess in the cottage and he began parting my hair, coloring, parting my hair coloring. I stopped him a few times reminding him that if he got any on my skin (face, neck, ears) he should wipe it off immediately. He complained about the plastic gloves being too small for a man and proceeded to put them on, ripping both of them. I think that during the entire process, he was holding his breath. I stayed outside while he put the timer on inside. When it was almost time for me to rinse, I came in and noticed that he had gotten almost as much on my face and ears as he had in my hair. Oh well. Taking care to make sure not to stain the shower curtains, walls, or anything in the rental, I turned toward the shower wall and rinsed. After drying, I discovered that most of my roots, with the exception of some gray hairs around my hairline, were covered. Thanks, Bob.

Then Bob took some time finalizing our plans to take the rubber boat on its Maine trip 2 maiden voyage. One utterance, "I don't like the way that battery is charging" gave me pause, but I trust my man. Once he had carried the heavy battery, the motor, the seats, the oars down to the boat which he had already taken down to the water yesterday, he called that he was ready. The wind had whipped up, but he seemed confident. There were some whitecaps on the water, but, after all, we had a motor and we weren't paddling.

After a few false starts because of rocks on the shore and seaweed, we were off--it was a very slow takeoff, but the motor was working.

  Oh Captain, my Captain!

 Despite fighting the waves head-on (I was in the bow), we were on our way. I spied something in the distance and it dove. We kept our eye in the area and saw as he surfaced two harbor seals (Phoca vitulina). One had seen us which meant he would not surface close by again. We saw them later, but they were further away.


Bob tried to get us back to shore because the winds were getting worse (we found out there were gusts of 18 mph --which is a lot for a boat like ours). However, we weren't making much headway. Yesterday, while kayaking, I observed the phenomenon that had me believing, if I looked ahead while paddling, that I was making no progress. When one is kayaking, or doing any kind of boating (especially when one expends great efforts and progress is important), one should always look to the side, to see how objects on the side are passed rather than looking ahead at the goal. If one looks ahead, it seems that no progress is being made; when one looks to the side, it is obvious that things onshore are being passed. However, Bob realized we were making very little progress and decided the battery was dead. Well, that's why we had paddles. As hard and fast and deep as we paddled, the wind and the outgoing tide kept pushing us out. Now, understand that we could always wait until tide when in and then we could wade through the mud back to the cottage shore, but we were getting sunburned and we had already been out for two hours (paddling for at least one of those hours). Both of us were exhausted and no closer to the cottage. We argued strategies and finally, we both agreed to try to paddle or let the tide move us to shore, even if that shore was down the bay quite a bit from our destination--our cottage. I would say we paddled for for two and a half hours, but we were stuck on the treadmill of the sea. Even looking sideways, that one white house seemed to stay in the same place (which meant so were we). Finally, we did let the sea take us toward the shore though far from our destination.

At this point, Bob decided that he would get out of the boat and pull me and the boat along the shore.

This was a very difficult feat because Bob could not tell the depth of the water. A few times, he fell off the continental shelf and into the water (55 degrees by the way), but he insisted that I stay in the boat. There were some perilous sections (rocks) and we were trying to save the boat from gashes from the rocks. Bob often broke out in song--the Volga boatsman (Yo Heave Ho) song and an old camp song, "Our paddles clean and bright, flashing like silver. Swift as the wild goose flights..." in his rich bass voice (forced, of course).

 At times, I felt like Cleopatra on her royal barge, especially when i was yelling out instructions to him. Eventually (FOUR AND ONE HALF HOURS LATER), we reached the cottage. Thanks, Bob.

I rewarded Bob by allowing him to take an extra long nap, without interruption. I went outside and watched General Hospital via Slingbox for only the second time in two weeks.

We were awaiting word from our housesitters about our singing (screaming) air conditioner. We have two of them (one for upstairs and one for downstairs). The upstairs one was screaming (Kayla sent us a recording of what it sounded like) and was probably driving all of our neighbors to call the HOA to complain. So, this morning we called our service company. They couldn't make it out until tonight and, of course, they didn't have the part. So, our poor housesitters have to sleep downstairs and keep the upstairs air conditioner off. The repairman is hoping to have the part tomorrow or the next day. UGH! Why does this always happen when we're gone--cause we're always gone?

Tomorrow, shopping for our company arriving on Friday. Wednesday dinner with the McCowans (and a sleepover so Jenn can take us to one of her favorite quirky breakfast places). Then home Thursday for cooking for company arriving Friday.

That's all folks.

Just one of the many faces we miss--our beautiful Ana Isabella Furlong!

More Exploring

On this day, we got out as soon as we could at high tide. In fact, the tide was still coming in when we launched our kayaks. The tide here is a 12-foot tide, so we would be stuck in mud and sand if we didn't go out at high tide. Of course this gives us about a four-hour window (two hours before high tide and two hours after), unless we want to get stuck out there with no waterway back. So on this day we were out for about two and a half hours exploring the nearby islands and peninsulas. This bay has very little motorized boat use, so it's usually just us kayakers and canoeists. The water can get choppy on a windy day, but it can also be as placid as a lake. On this trip, a few exciting things happened. Bob, for some reason, never wants to stay close to me (no jokes here, friends and family members), and because of the ridiculous life vests we are wearing, and the fact that the kayak could tip over, it's difficult for me to look behind me (and that's usually where he is). I can never hear him paddling because he's usually that far behind (Bob likes to rest and observe nature; I, on the other hand, always have a goal and that pretty much sums us up, and our relationship. Hahaha!)

So, while I'm heading one way around the island, Bob (behind me) heads the other way, though I don't know it. This next part will not be a surprise to anyone who knows me. So I turn my entire kayak around so I can wait for him, and there is no "him." At first, I think he's further behind and I just can't see him, but as I scan the water, I don't see a living thing, or kayak. I'm calm for about five minutes. He has a life jacket on, even if he had a heart attack, I'd see his body floating in the water. And--the kayak would be floating, even if he fell out of it. Now, I'm sweating and, of course, while I'm going around the island, he is going around the island--you get the picture of the dog chasing its tail. I'm not ready to jump out and swim underwater to look for his body quite yet, and I finally catch up to him. He's observing four short-billed dowitchers (shorebirds) resting at the end of the rocks that jut out to the sea. Actually, they are beautiful, and they let him get pretty close. Unfortunately, on these trips, Bob doesn't bring his good camera, so here is a picture from the Internet of what they  look like.

Because we were pretty far out by this time and we realized that as far away as we were from the cottage that's how long it would take us to get back and my arms and back were getting pretty tired. As we started back, a huge thundercloud was forming almost directly over our heads. So our paddling suddenly became much more efficient. As we passed the summer cottages along the way, people waved--it is part of the Maine experience, I guess, because all drivers coming from the opposite direction on the road into the cottage also wave, even if the license plate is an Arizona one.

Yesterday was a day of rest for me (well, I stayed home and cleaned the cottage floors, bathroom, kitchen, refrigerator), while Bob did the clothes at the laundromat and bought some supplies at the grocery store (next door to the laundromat). We are cooking dinner at a friend's house in Waterville, Maine. She cooked the last time and I'm dying to see the renovations that are now done (they were ready to get started in 2009 when we were there last). When Bob came home, we put everything away and had a hot links dinner. Although we went to bed early, we were both awakened by an amazing lightning storm. The sky lit up and it was almost constant. Not only were we watching streaks of lightening, but the light show was like nothing I had seen before. The thunder crackled like it was across the street and the moon was full, so the water was lit constantly. Mother Nature (besides scaring me--I'm afraid of lightning and have been since I was a child) certainly provided us with a wonderful light show. It poured as well and by the time it was over, we were lulled back to sleep by the "rhythm of the pouring rain."

picture credit: cmc56789 on Google

Today, we woke early (lawn mowing day for the owner) and drove into Ellsworth. Ellsworth is the nearest city of any size and depending on traffic (which is very light on Rte. 1) it can take about 45 minutes to an hour. Our plan was to find a fire pit for upcoming company and a frying pan big enough for the meal Bob was making at the McCowans on Wednesday night. My plan was to eat at a restaurant. We did some shopping at the cute little shops and bought a few things at the farmer's market which was held in the lot next to the organic market, and decided that since it was past noon, we were hungry. It seems that wherever we may roam, there's always an Irish pub. 

Finn's  was the name of this one. Very cute. Great waitress, Tess. Great menu--hard to decide what to order.

Most of the time, Irish pubs serve good bar food and a bunch of good Irish dishes. This one had that and more. We started out with Irish nachos (a take on Mexican nachos, but with potato chips freshly fried, thickly cut, covered with corned beef hash, tomatoes, jalapenos, sour cream). YUM! I ordered the roasted veggie sandwich and Bob had bangers and mash. My sandwich was perfect: roasted eggplant, zucchini, red onions, garlic, with marinated artichokes and feta cheese in a crispy, crusty Italian sub roll. Bob's banger was delicious. Bob had a local IPA and I had a Harp.

By the way (Mary and Doug Soule), guess what music was playing the entire time we were at Finn's---Mumford and Sons--yup, our waitress loves them and plays it over and over while she's working.

Note to self: every time you eat too much, you get nauseous and we have to go home. Stop it. Eat half of whatever you order and take the rest home. 

We went across the street and did some antiquing; Bob bought a model ship for himself and a church supper cookbook (there are signs every weekend along the road advertising church suppers here), and a blue Ball canning jar (I started collecting them when I picked turquoise/aqua as one of my new decorating colors in our home). We had come into town to go to Rooster Brother, a kitchen store that I loved in 2009, but couldn't afford anything. I wasn't feeling great, but remember, I'm that goal-oriented person, so, of course, I had to go. I was a bit disappointed--it was like a small Sur la Table which we have at home. I could afford anything this time but didn't see anything interesting. Figures.

Rooster Brother

There's a place in Maine called Reny's . It's kind of like our Big Lots, but no furniture is sold here and most of the stuff is seasonal. I am dying to make a driftwood wreath, so we went in and bought a string of small driftwood. I saw a wreath in Santa Fe a couple of years ago with driftwood angels on a grapevine wreath and have wanted to copy it--so now I can. We also bought two very inexpensive Adirondack chairs (turquoise) which i wish we could fit in the van and take home with us, but we can't. I've been wanting some comfortable chairs to sit in in the late afternoon by the water, so there are perfect. I started feeling better (shopping--aha! now I know something that is better than gingerale in soothing a nauseous stomach, and much more fun). There is a large TJ Maxx and I thought there might be some fun beachy things there--besides, the girl who never wears shorts (that would be me) needed more shorts since that's what she wears when she's kayaking now. As soon as we walked in, I saw a cheap fire pit--my cousin is enamored with fires at night, so I thought I would ask the cottage owner if it was allowed. Of course the cottage owner did not respond in time, but, since I could return the fire pit (still in the box) if I don't use it, I thought we'd take it back to the cottage and I could call the cottage owner. When we got back to the cottage, there was a fire pit exactly like the one we had just bought sitting on the lawn. However, I could tell by the tone of a subsequent email that the owner was afraid of fire damage to his lawn (which is very green) or the woods nearby. We will make sure that a fire is allowed by checking in at the town office. So far, at least lately, though, it hasn't really been that cool at night that by a fire is where I'd want to be. it usually cools off while we are sleeping (on the few days it's been over 80 degrees). So, I guess we will be returning the fire pit we bought. That's fine.

Lamoine Beach

 

Marlboro Beach (view of Cadillac Mountain)

picture credit: cmc56789 on Google

On our way back, we took a "road not taken" before. We'd often seen signs for Lamoine State Park  and we'd always say, "We should check this out sometime." Since it was pretty warm (which meant our closed up cottage would be pretty warm), we set out exploring yet another side road. The state park was small, but very pretty and if ever we should camp, this would make a nice stop (who am I kidding here--if we should ever camp, we'll bring the camp trailer--not a tent). We also saw a sign for a town beach. The picture above is Lamoine town beach. The "beach" is gravel rather than sand, but there are picnic tables and a sign saying "Swim at your own risk -- no lifeguards." After further exploring, we found an even nicer beach called Marlborough beach and that was very nice, secluded, and there were very few people there. 

Sand Beach is THE beach at Acadia National Park. We've been there before--it's a real sand beach surrounded by bluffs covered with pine trees. For us Easterners, it's a very incongruous sight, but I've seen similar beaches in northern California and Oregon. The problem is the parking is crazy. There's a small parking lot so most of the times people park on the side of the road leading to the admission gates. I love this beach when I'm there but getting there is a bit of a bother. This beach is also the infamous beach where I wave-jumped for over two hours, emerged with a very sore knee, and have had knee trouble ever since (2009).

On the way home, I mentioned to Bob that we had already been in Maine for three weeks and all I've had were lobster rolls. Within 15 minutes, he was screeching into this place--The Galley. This is owned by two teachers. The husband is a high school history teacher during the school months and a lobster fisherman and cook during the summer. His wife just retired from her position as Special Education director. They served up a boiled dinner (with French fries, though) of corn, a one-pound soft-shell lobster, a roll, and cole slaw. That was my dinner. Bob, my gourmand, ate chili out of the can--cold! I'll never understand him. By the way, my dinner was delicious. Happy Lobstah Day!

Happy Fourth of July! Today, at the cottage, it is pretty cool, damp, foggy and rainy--in other words, PERFECT! Bob is making a surprise dinner in the crockpot and I am playing the keyboard and reading magazines.

Yesterday, we spent the early morning straightening up because the cottage is for sale and the realtor was coming by to show it. She was very nice and said, "Don't clean up--no problem" informing me that we, as renters, had a right to refuse her request to show the cottage. "No problem," said I, until I looked around at all our STUFF! Four or more plastic boxes filled with art stuff, camping stuff, water stuff, and about four or five canvas bags filled with tools, electronics, books, magazines--etc. and that was just in the front room. The bedrooms had their own collections of junk which I attempted to cover up with quilts, towels, blankets. Oh well.

We were able to leave around 10:00 AM. Destination, Bangor, a city we had not yet visited. The traffic was much heavier than usual, but we were in no hurry, so that didn't matter. Because of the traffic, it took longer to get there, so by the time we arrived (after passing many things of interest), we were hungry. I had found a microbrewery called the Sea Dog Brewery, right over the bridge and on the Damariscotta River. Since we wanted a table on the outside deck on the river, we waited at the bar for the next available space. While there, I tasted a brew called Sunfish, with a peaches taste and Bob had a brown IPA, Summer Brown. Both of us liked our beers a lot and knew that our stay would be longer than a quick lunch. We were seated and licked our chops while viewing the very extensive menu. I ended up ordering a crab-salad and havarti sandwich with a side of Caesar salad and Bob had --you guessed it--A Sea Dog bar cheeseburger (pickle, lettuce, and fried pork bellies). He had very delicious sweet potato fries with that. I ordered a raspberry ale (also delicious) and he had their regular IPA. It was a long wait (we were in no hurry and the view was pretty) and our poor waitress, Abby, kept apologizing even though we kept reminding her that we were in no rush and we didn't care how long it took. Everything was delicious. We ordered dessert, even Bob did. He had a chocolate terrine with chocolate and raspberry sauce and I had a very delicious creme brulee.

 Bangor Municipal building.

 Damariscotta River

 Bridge over the Damariscotta River

 One of our neighborly red squirrels that has managed to steal almost every bird feeding device Bob has put out for the birds.

 Another view of the Damariscotta River.

 You all know Bob loves trains, so this is a picture of one as it traveled through town.

A view of the river from our place on the deck of the Sea Dog Brewery (from which we bought a few t-shirts).


We drove around the city and went into a number of shops on Main Street. There were quite a few cool restaurants, but it looks like their downtown area had suffered from the newly installed shopping malls a little bit outside of the city. That's too bad as it was another quaint, though small, downtown. I ended up buying some things at a kitchen shop (food items for company coming next week) and spending some time at a little boutique and a darling antiques shop. However, there was not much to see in Bangor, sad to say. There was a children's museum we would have loved to have visited with Ana, though.

At night, we played some music. Bob made grilled cheese sandwiches. I drank some wine and read and we were visited, once again, by Stinky, the baby striped skunk. Bob kept getting closer and closer in order to take a picture. I was sure there was a night in a bathtub full of tomato juice in his future, but he got away unscathed this time.

Three Mini-trips

I haven't written in a while because, except for two days, we've stuck pretty close to home. However, some fun has occurred and if I don't write about it now, I'll forget.

This breaching whale is made from driftwood and will be displayed prominently on our coffee table when we return to Phoenix. We bought it in Mystic Seaport, Connecticut.

 This is Leary's Landing Irish Pub in Bar Harbor, Maine. It's a touristy town, but the ride there is fun and so are some of the shops, bars, and restaurants.

 This is Cleonice, a tapas bar in Ellsworth, Maine. This is the closest city to where we are staying. It has a Walmart, a huge T J Maxx, and a great Beverage Center. It also has Reny's, well-known throughout Maine for its bargains.

 Bob, loon watching on Schoodick Peninsula.

 Bob getting some exercise in one of our kayaks, launched right from the cottage. We both kayaked two miles that morning (had to get back before tide went out).

We have a small family of these on the property. I saw a young one last night.

Let's talk about the three excursions.

First excursion, Bar Harbor. Bar Harbor is a bit touristy with many tourist shops filled with interesting and not so interesting souvenirs. Since this was not our first visit, we knew most of the places and had already hit (and bought at) the tourist shops. I did some clothes shopping, but the prices were ridiculous, even if they were one-of-a-kind creations. Isn't it funny that when one doesn't have money, one desires almost everything in a store's window, but when one does have money and can afford anything in the store's window, he or she doesn't think it's worth the price? Well, that's how it was. There is an art shop there, however, that we always love. It began to pour and the poor shopkeeper could not close the skylight, vent. Bob, of course, stepped up, closed it for her and she was so grateful, that she gave us a print of Bar Harbor as a gift. Bob saw a print that he loved of a schooner wreck that we had seen often on the way up the coast. Gee, we're running out of wall space at home and we sure had plenty of it when we bought that house 23 years ago.
We thought about taking the brewery tour, but there was a better one outside of Bar Harbor, so we'll wait until Antoinette and Heath get here to do that.
A very ironic thing happened, though, in Bar Harbor. I mentioned before that it began to rain, but I should have used the word "pour." Tourists were stationed in doorways and under store awnings, but these two Arizonans just walked on by under our umbrellas. I guess you had to be there.
We had a delicious lunch at the Irish pub shown above--prime rib sandwiches. Everything here comes with kettle chips. I enjoyed a locally made blueberry beer and Bob had Guinness (a couple of them). A couple of hours later, we arrived at the end of the long shopping street and we stopped into a restaurant called Testa's. The bartender, Debbie, was an ace. My knee was bothering me a bit, so it was time for "medication." Bob had a Shipyard, a favorite of his on this trip, brewed in Portland, Maine. I had one of my favorite drinks, the Caipirinha.

Caipirinha (pronounced kie-purr-REEN-yah) roughly translates to "country bumpkin". It is made with cachaça, an intensely sweet Brazillian style of rum made from sugarcane juice. The Caipirinha is the national drink of Brazil, where it originated, and is a common Carnavale drink. Although it is more difficult to find, it's important to choose a premium cachaça for this cocktail in particular because the drink is not heavily flavored and a cheaper brand can ruin an otherwise perfect Caipirinha. You may also like the neater Caipirini.

Ingredients:

• 1 lime, quartered
• 2 tsp fine sugar
• 2 oz cachaca

Preparation:

1. Place the lime wedges and sugar into an old-fashioned glass.
2. Muddle well to create a paste.
3. Fill the glass with ice cubes.
4. Pour in the cachaca.
5. Stir well.

Note: Keep the sugar mixed in the drink by stirring often.
Not all bartenders know what this drink is, so when Debbie did--I ordered one. We met another couple who were drinking mint juleps. They were from New Hampshire. They had been renting a cottage outside of Bar Harbor every summer for the last 6 years, so they recommended a restaurant to take Antoinette and Heath to. It is called Jack Russell's and it's supposed to have great steaks. So, that will be our destination on one of the days we are with them.

Another foray was to Ellsworth. We had one visit in mind and that was to try out the Mediterranean restaurant, Cleonice. http://www.cleonice.com/HOME.html However, when we arrived at 3:00 PM, we were between servings, so we had to kill two hours before eating (we hadn't eaten all day). A few of my favorite shops, thankfully, were still there. I love the Grasshopper shop (kitchen goods and women's wear). I bought a one-size-fits-all bra. Never heard of such a thing, so I had to have it of course (Post note: it fits, it's comfortable, but it does not do a great job holding up the girls--good for sleepovers!). I used to really love another shop called J & B Atlantic http://www.jbatlantic.com/. It's changed a bit, but still has many charming goods--part of it is now an antique store.

Across the street is a new antiques place called the Dreamcatcher. By the time we finished in the organic food coop,John Edwards http://www.johnedwardsmarket.com/ it was time to eat, Rooster Brothers http://www.roosterbrother.com/ and the Dreamcatcher will have to wait until the next time we come in with Antoinette and Heath. Hope he doesn't mind shopping a little.

Cleonice's menu, though small, is quite ambitious. This place was reservations only, but we managed to come in-between times and snagged a booth. Bob had tapas and I had a four course dinner in honor of their 3rd anniversary (they weren't open the last time we were here). I started with a glass of prosecco, followed by a course of tapas (blue cheese filled figs, chicken wings with a Tunisian rub, and I forgot?), I had paella (it was just okay). Bob shared his tapas with me. For dessert, I had a vanilla-bean flan--it was very good. I also had wine with dinner.

On Saturday, we drove to Cherryfield, did some antiquing, had breakfast (that's another story), and went for a wine-tasting at a brand new winery called, Catherine Hill Winery. The luncheonette, in an old gas station, was a one-woman operation. There were a bunch of old-timers who were sitting waiting for their orders, and a few people came in to pick up called in orders. The television was playing Law and Order SVU (the first television we watched in two weeks) and although Bob ordered pancakes and I ordered bacon and eggs, it was about an hour wait. That was okay because we got to see another side of Maine. Here were some pretty poor people. I was agitated and sad, again. I feel guilty and so grateful that Bob and I are in a position to do this, but these poor people. There is a huge movement underway to revitalize this small town (and, I'm sure, other small towns throughout the state). We first heard about it from one of the antique dealers and heard about it again from the vintner at Catherine Hill winery. There was a very cute shop on the river called Riverlily https://www.facebook.com/riverlilycherryfield. The owner is from Florida and said she always dreamed of moving somewhere cooler and opening a shop. The shop had jewelry, hippy-type purses, mermaid themed things, rugs, children's homemade apparel. It was darling.
The winery's owner was from Westchester County and Florida. He was previously a technician for Verizon, but he ended up taking the bonus retirement after 20 years and with it, he started this winery. Right now, they buy the grapes and juices and ferment and process the wine, but they are beginning to grow grapes. The owner was very entertaining, friendly, helpful, and certainly knowledgeable about wines. We bought four bottles. That brings our total to 8 that we have at the cottage. I've taken a liking to chocolate wine and have a glass at night before going to bed.

I've not talked at all about the glorious kayaking. The first time we went out, I was so ecstatic that I didn't want to come in. However, because there are 12-foot tides, and I had to go in as low tide was near (unless I wanted to pull the kayak through mud and sand for quite a distance). This morning as soon as we had some coffee, we were out trying to get to the waters between the islands. This turned out to be much farther than we had surmised, but it was so much fun. We probably kayaked around 2 miles and I can feel it in my arms. It was a little warm when we returned to the cottage, but the breezes have kicked up again, the norm for this spot, and it's absolutely wonderful.
Our time in the cottage has been spent napping, guitar playing, reading (books and magazines--I'm on book #4), and when I'm done here, I'm doing some piano work on my keyboard. This has been heavenly and it's wonderful to know we'll be here just long enough.  Adventures are still ahead even when we leave this place, so we are happy. Wish our kids could be here too, though. Miss them a lot.