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More photos from one of the best oceanside strolls in Maine.
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And when you reach the end of the Marginal Way cliff walk at Perkins Cove?
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You have lunch on the water.
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Which, for my husband was a fabulous seafood pasta chock full of lobster, shrimp and scallops.
When T. wanted a taste?
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My spouse was less than generous.
🤣
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Because the world is a ridiculous place.
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Have you seen who’s running for office these days?
I think it’s pretty obvious.
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Call me crazy, but a military prison usually isn’t at the top of my vacation wish list.
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We encountered nude beaches in France. They’re nothing like you imagine… trust me on this.
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When you need coffee? You need coffee.
No matter your age.
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Which is what one does when they can’t find a 28 foot tall fire hydrant.
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For day five of our sightseeing tour we chose Ogunquit.
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And my very favorite place to stroll…
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The Marginal Way cliff walk.
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Words aren’t really necessary…
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Just enjoy the views.
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A Tik Tok video was being made here.
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Here?
I think the husband is trying to speak seagull.
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The waterfront “cottages” along the way are pretty sweet.
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To be continued…
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Our final stop on the Island was an old friend’s farm.
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We got the grand tour and enjoyed hearing his vision for a self sustaining future going forward.
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This is a Katahdin sheep.
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They don’t require sheering and shed their own coats.
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During the long days of lockdown my friend built a Covid Cab…
Boredom is a terrible thing.
🤣
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We’re examining bees here.
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After meeting the scarecrow it was off to the barn…
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Built entirely from wood, the old fashioned way.
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The $200k price tag made me gasp, but it was the contents that made my husband’s dreams come true.
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I knew the minute we walked in we’d be missing the 4:00 boat.
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It’s a tool museum you see…
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And my husband was in rusty metal heaven.
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He and my old friend have a lot in common.
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Did they talk?
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Did they ever.
😊
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My husband would have been happy to spend all night there, but we had a boat to catch.
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⛴️
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After our walk on the beach, G.’s pants were wet so she changed into shorts. This left us trying to dry her clothing in the sun on the roof of the golf cart while we had lunch…. and that required a readying hand.
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The only lunch available this time of year was at the Inn.
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It’s a grand old building…
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That seems to have new management every time we visit.
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We were the only people in the dining room which didn’t bode well.
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Kelp burger?
Hmm… no.
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Tiny flavorless rubber mussels, brightly colored but mediocre cocktails and disappointing sandwiches left us unsatisfied …
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But the view was nice.
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Another shoreline walk on Hamilton Beach…
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And then we drove by my old home.
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Old is the proper adjective because the original section of house on the right was built in 1842.
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And while the old girl still has good bones, I admit to being disappointed by the crumbling stone wall…
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The untrimmed shrubbery, overgrown lawn…
And general feeling of lackadaisical upkeep.
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When we lived here everything was neat as a pin and my father had glorious rows of red roses on the inside of the front wall. I lived here from age 14 to 20 and the place is full of memories, not to mention ghosts of those I’ve loved and lost.
They say you can’t go home again.
I guess they’re right.
😰
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Swinging around the bend from Chandlers Wharf, we visited Chandlers Beach.
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One of the largest sandy stretches on the Island and the site of many alcohol laden parties when I was young.
Walking along its shores, I was very glad sand can’t talk.
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G. seemed to be enjoying herself.
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A photo of the wharf from the beach…
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With the Casco Bay boat docked.
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Lunch?
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It’s hard to take a bad picture on the Island.
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Even when you’re 11 and a little leery of what’s being handed to you.
No worries, it was just beach glass.
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Back in our Rolls Royce touring sedan… T. was loving the Island experience and reiterating his desire to move to Maine.
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Which is when we drove by the only affordable fixer upper piece of real estate there.
🤣
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On the fourth day of our favorite people’s visit we headed over to the Island where I spent my adolescence.
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There’s no bridge, so a $20 round trip per person boat ticket and a $20 a day parking pass must be purchased. It’s pretty, but no one said it was cheap.
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Waiting on the mainland dock I ducked into the freight shack to check if the initials I carved on the bench in my (misspent) youth were still there.
They were, as was this.
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Russel gets around.
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On the Island we landed at the Stone Pier and rented a golf cart for the day.
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At $330 I almost choked, but walking wasn’t an option.
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Our first stop was the west end where my husband’s mother and stepfather used to live.
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He was a lobsterman and walked right across the road to work.
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You can’t beat that for a short commute.
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This sculpture wasn’t there in my day, but it’s interesting.
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Chandlers Wharf. A pier on the opposite end of the island from where we arrived. The larger Casco Bay ferry from Portland stops here.
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The Island is beautiful.
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Home to roughly 350 year round residents, the population swells to 1,600 in the summer.
Boo to that.
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At 3 1/2 miles long and 1 1/2 miles wide, you definitely feel the difference.
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To be continued….
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I usually don’t do these things, but what the hell.
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Run a marathon?
Skydiving?
Please.
It’s like they don’t know me at all.
My answer is 9.
How about you?
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Remember our old… I’m estimating 50 years… front door?
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The one we have to replace before my husband can finish the stone siding on the front porch?
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The one that was impossible to replace in that particular configuration.
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The one for which we ordered a replacement but have been waiting forever for it to arrive?
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It arrived.
And Holy Macaroni Batman! The thing weighs a ton. It took three delivery men 20 minutes to manhandle it 10 feet.
I was afraid they’d damaged it but when my husband removed the packaging it looked fine.
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Yes, it came with handles.
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Though the ones on the right were put on the wrong way.
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I’m not looking forward to my husband installing this door. Careful and precise are not his favorite words and it may require a lot more finesse than he’s capable of delivering.
Sigh.
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And on the third day, River took them to Boothbay.
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First up was our very favorite drive along the shore in East Boothbay.
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Rocky beaches, the Atlantic ocean, stunning waterfront homes …
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And the private stone chapel we’ve always admired was open to visitors.
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We’d never been inside so we had to take a peek.
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Religious places aren’t really my thing, but this one was unique.
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And you can’t beat the view out the front door.
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D.’s husband T. fell in love with Maine right after this family picture was taken.
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I believe his exact words were, “North Carolina can suck it, I’m moving to Maine.”
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It’s not hard to understand the sentiment.
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The Maine coast is pretty damn amazing if I do say so myself.
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We spent the morning leisurely strolling and took lots of photos.
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Then headed for a fabulous seafood lunch down at the harbor.
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A little shopping followed.
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A walk across the footbridge…
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More pictures.
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And I was beginning to wonder if D. would be able to get her husband back on the plane at the end of the week.
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A flight of beer for the adults at a local brewery.
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And a flight of ice cream for the peanut at a local creamery.
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A quick stop at the Revolutionary War Fort Edgecomb…
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Where G. really wanted to go in but couldn’t.
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And then we called it a day.
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River's world..... 