.
Along with our extremely dry, drought ravished lawn?
.
.
A pair of young bucks.
.
.
They’ve been coming for a nightly nosh since they were born and are now sprouting their first sets of velveted horns.
.
.
Adolescent male deer will stay together until they’re ready to rut.
.
.
Then it’s every deer for himself.
.
.
Our last Boothbay Harbor stop was the Boathouse Bistro as seen on the left.
.
.
It’s a rustic three story restaurant with three floors that are usually packed with summer tourists as it has the best food in town.
.
.
We always land here, on the glassed in second floor.
But along with the first, it was closed… and empty. The same disturbing trend we’d seen all day.
.
.
Three places that are always bursting with tourists… weren’t. Tariffs and bad blood with Canada may not be affecting you… but they’re certainly hurting this area.
.
.
Granted…. the top floor had a crowd, but the bar was empty and the bottom two levels were deserted.
.
.
A shocking loss of prime season business.
.
.
Saving the best for last, along with my pomegranate margarita I had blackened jumbo shrimp with fried balls of chorizo grits and smoky tomato sauce while the husband went with pan-seared scallops and crispy cornbread with an apple gastrique (apple cider, sugar, apple cider vinegar, calvados,thyme, chicken stock).
.
.
Both tapas were excellent, and came with a view.
❤️
.
.
In a time when our country is becoming more and more divided, let me drive the wedge down a little bit deeper.
.
.
The first pet I remember as a child was Hector.
.
.
He was followed by Herman and Henry.
.
.
And Hiram and Hortense.
.
.
Then Hubert and Horace and Harold…
.
,
As well as Herbert.
My parents had a thing for the letter H, what can I say?
When I married my husband he thought he was a dog person, but it didn’t take him long to switch allegiance to Team Cat.
We had Frank.
.
.
And Mr.White.
.
.
And Huffington.
.
.
Who looked very much like Frank but wasn’t.
There was Duchess and Theodore and Pooter ( don’t ask) .
.
.
And Bubba.
.
.
And Sam and a long list of others we’ve loved and lost, ending with our current ruling monarch…
.
.
Lord Dudley Mountcatten.
While there have been occasional dogs at Casa River, I think it’s safe to say my heart is firmly planted in feline soil.
Where do you stand…
Cat or dog?
.
.
Our second stop on the toddies and tapas tour of Boothbay Harbor was McSeagulls, just to the left of our first… Mine Oyster.
.
.
Unassuming places from the front…
.
.
Lovely waterfront spots in the back.
.
.
Can you guess which glass of craft beer I raised?
.
.
Once again we found a popular summer tourist restaurant/bar nowhere near capacity. It was a shock… this area is usually jam packed.
.
.
A bowl of creamy tomato bisque for the husband…
.
.
Some calamari for moi.
.
.
And a groan worthy fish pun for the rest of you.
😉
.
.
Our lawn has turned brown from the troubling lack of rain, but that doesn’t stop our nightly critter visitors.
.
.
Skunks and raccoons are usually not a good mix…
.
.
But these guys make it work.
.
.
There are five trash pandas here…
.
.
And this family has been coming since they were babies.
.
.
I rarely get photos because they arrive after dark but here’s a quick clip to give you an idea.
.
.
💕
.
.
While we usually avoid the Boothbay Harbor region like the plague in the summer due to the high concentration of tourists and traffic, we threw caution to the wind and drove up for an afternoon of bar/restaurant hopping last week since the weather was beyond perfect for a blueberry mojito on the ocean.
.
.
Our first stop was Mine Oyster, which has the best outdoor seating on the harbor. We always elect to sit on the second floor deck but discovered it closed. And empty.
In the summer.
In Boothbay Harbor, Maine.
We were stunned. And as we made our way out back to the first floor deck…
.
.
We were equally as stunned to find only a few people enjoying the view.
.
.
This is a prime spot. A tourist Mecca. A restaurant that offers lobster 20 different ways.
.
.
And it was virtually empty.
.
.
Good for us as we had our pick of seats, but not good for the local economy. We’ve been hearing the tariffs and American relations with Canada had been taking a toll on visitation from our northern neighbors, but this was proof.
.
.
They just weren’t here.
.
.
Lobster stuffed mushrooms for the husband.
.
.
But troubling lack of tourists aside, it’s hard to beat the scenery.
❤️
.
.
There’s a restaurant on Route 1 called The Taste of Maine. It’s large, family owned for 47 years, on the water and a tourist favorite.
.
.
It also has a giant lobster on its roof which is hard to miss.
.
.
With all the bad news swirling around us these days, let me drop this feel good piece right here.
.
.
Proof there are still good people out there.
.
.
❤️
.
.
And we’re back…
.
.
Good grief, how wrong could it possibly go?
.
.
It was only a matter of time.
🥴
.
.
I imagine it looks just like a fresh one.
.
.
Probably tastes like one as well.
.
.
We review everything else, why not dates?
“He arrived on time and brought flowers, but constantly talked about his ex and picked his nose when he thought I wasn’t looking. ”
One star.
⭐️
.
.
Yowza!
.
.
We have a man down the road who raises peacocks, should I be worried….?
.
.
Skunks are not always black with a white stripe.
.
.
Sometime they’re white with a black one.
.
.
Our little family is proof of that.
.
.
Diversity.
.
.
Ya gotta love it.
.
.
One of our favorite restaurants is an unassuming little spot housed in an old building in the once deserted but now having a mini renaissance, downtown area of Augusta, Maine’s capitol.
.
.
Otto’s by the River isn’t on the river per se, and the only way you’re able to see the water is if you sit on their side deck and swivel your head.
.
.
But the interior is amusing enough for us.
.
.
And we usually sit at the bar.
.
.
On this particular day peach Crown Royal slushies were on special and they were so delicious my beer loving husband actually joined me.
.
.
Otto’s makes the best crab dip I’ve ever had… so I stuff myself with that and have to give up a big meal for a chicken Caesar salad.
.
.
Husband’s pan seared scallop Alfredo was decadently rich.
.
.
So if you’re ever hungry in Augusta? Give Otto’s a try.
😊
.
River's world..... 