I was born in New Jersey. And while we moved to Maine when I was 15, there’s still a part of me that identifies as a Jersey Girl. I say dawg and cawfee, love a good bagel, speak rapidly and have big hair.
What can I say?
Some things stick like glue…
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My hometown?
Thinks it’s New York.
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Ugh.
Say what you want about NJ, they know real Italian food.
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Isn’t that what it means?
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Definitely.
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In our case it was a baboon. An ostrich chased our station wagon as well…pecking at the windows the whole time.
After drinking our fill of beer at the off the beaten path brewery it was time for food, so we took the scenic route back through Westport Island.
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It’s a lovely place… and I even spotted a Kingfisher on a power line.
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Heading inland you can tell fall is right around the corner.
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The blueberry barrens are starting to turn red.
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Our destination was the old Jameson Tavern in Freeport which is now the Kings Head pub.
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We settled at the bar where I had a fabulous and quite potent blood orange margarita.
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The menu was small and I knew the husband would grumble, but I started with a plate of decent garlic Parmesan wings.
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So far so good for me, but my spouse is picky when it comes to restaurants. He said his shrimp cocktail was tough and chewy…and when he asked for some vinaigrette for the accompanying greens, the waitress brought a teeny tiny finger full and that was all it took.
Unfortunately this is an easy question to answer these days as almost everything is ridiculously overpriced.
I could say owning a home – as real estate prices are astronomical.
I could say eating out – as food prices continue to skyrocket.
I could say a new cell phone – because I just checked the price on the new version of mine and it was $1,399.
But I’m going with watching television.
I’m old y’all… and remember when we only got three channels. Four if you were willing to put tin foil on your rabbit ear antennas and wiggle them into just the right position.
The plethora of choices today is overwhelming, but so is the price. We live in the country where there’s no cable and internet speed is abysmally slow. Our only real choice is satellite and they don’t give that away. Add a few premium channels to the line up and our monthly bill is almost $300.
To. Watch. Television.
Honestly I’d be happy to pull the plug and just stream the few things I watch on my phone, but my husband is old school and could never live without it. He’s a channel surfer from way back.
How about you?
What’s almost too expensive for you to bear these days…
Still at the fair, and still admiring old farm equipment.
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Well, one of us was.
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While he was doing that I wandered over to meet some geese.
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With strict instructions not to feed or pet, I stood and photographed.
Next up was the youth calf competition.
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If you’ve never seen one of these, you really should.
Taking care and responsibility for livestock is a full time job and these youngsters were doing their best to show off their accomplishments.
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If you’re showing momma?
Better bring baby along.
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Such sweet faces!
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I do love cows.
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After the show we wandered a few barns.
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Always my favorite part of the fair.
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These are Belted Galloways, but we call them Oreo cows… for obvious reasons.
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At the end of our cattle tour, the husband stopped to talk to one of the owners and her daughter.
Husband likes to talk.
Husband was raised on a dairy farm.
Husband talked for over an hour.
Husband talked to so many people for so long we didn’t see the other half of the fair, I didn’t buy a fried dough and when he finally stopped chatting…. it was time to go.
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Back over the bridge of flowers to a small town seafood restaurant we always try to visit when we’re in the area.
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It doesn’t look like much.
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And the atmosphere is more family style diner than anything….
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But the clam chowder is to die for. Thick, rich, creamy and chock full of clams … it’s almost a meal in itself. (deckhand lemonade with Tito’s, because yes… they serve alcohol)
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The meals are always amazing, and their fresh seafood is cooked to perfection. I had a massive platter of fantail fried shrimp with baked potato and cole slaw, husband had a garlic butter broiled haddock with butternut squash and a bowl of cottage cheese. Neither of us went away hungry.
Two soups, a cocktail, a beer and two more than ample seafood dinners for $82. In our neck of the woods that amount barely gets you past appetizers.
River's world..... 