Tag Archives: coastal

Mine Oyster

June 18, 2024 Rivergirl 14 Comments

Mine Oyster is an oceanfront restaurant in Boothbay Harbor, Maine.

It’s large, two storied with multiple dining rooms, a raw bar and a dance floor. …

There are three outdoor seating areas. If you’ve been here before, you know to walk upstairs, take a right, and find the door behind the bar.

It’s rustic, but has the best views in the harbor.

Ahhh…

Summer, on the coast of Maine.

It doesn’t get much better than this.

We hadn’t been to the Oyster for a while so we were thrilled to see the new, improved and much enlarged menu(s).

Blueberry mojito?

Don’t mind if I do.

Mine Oyster’s food used to be alright, but nothing rave worthy. Thankfully that’s changed.

Our appetizers of herb butter basted grilled scallops on saffron creamed corn with crispy prosciutto as well as the jerk shrimp with hot honey were… in a word… amazing.

Tequila sunrise? Why not.

Along with the stunning views…

Came my husband’s lobster with saffron cream and fresh basil over fettuccini. Ooh la la! Rich, decadent and divine.

For me? A right regular fry up done to perfection. Clams and jumbo shrimp with batter as light and crisp as the ocean air.

If you’re ever in the area… make a beeline here.

👍

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Fisherman’s Walk… part three.

June 29, 2023 Rivergirl 1 Comment

The Wiggly Bridge is correctly named. Though I might add wobbly, swaying and creaking to the title.

Once you cross it, you’re on the protected side of a preserve.

Quiet, peaceful and quintessentially Maine.

So we walked.

Into the woods.

It was basically just a small loop trail that skirted the coast in sections.

And before long we were back at the beginning.

Wiggling and wobbling.

A closer look at the motion.

Even my husband enjoyed it enough to take pictures.

So ended our day of confused hiking. We may not have started at the right spots for either walk but we thoroughly enjoyed them both.

I did have to laugh as we departed the bridge. Walking up the road to our car…with the wiggly wobbler behind us and to the left … we finally saw a sign directing us to it.

The fact that it’s pointing in the opposite direction did not surprise me one bit.

🤣

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Fisherman’s Walk… part two. The Wiggly Bridge

June 28, 2023 Rivergirl 12 Comments

If you remember… my husband and I started our coastal trek searching for Fisherman’s Walk which I thought was entirely too short. As we finished the York Cliff Walk and headed back to our car we realized the walk was too short because we’d literally started in the middle of it.

These trails are not well marked and it wouldn’t surprise me to find locals sitting on their porches laughing at the tourist’s confusion. Winters are long, we have to get our jollies somewhere.

Onward…

Not knowing what to expect around the next corner we almost missed the path as it goes right in front of someone’s house.

Around the bend, a boardwalk.

And past that a causeway.

That leads to a nature preserve.

It was a lovely section.

And we really picked a perfect day to do it. Clear blue skies and temperatures in the low 70’s.

At the end of the causeway was a locally famous bridge.

A famous, and as it turns out aptly named bridge.

To be continued….

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Stonington, part four.

October 29, 2022 Rivergirl 22 Comments

Our last stop in Stonington wasn’t planned, and we just happened to drive by… but it was a lovely end to the day.

Random public access to beaches is common in Maine. They’re not marked, they’re not named, they just are.

And sometimes they have a fabulous rock that looks like a sleeping walrus.

Ah, Maine…

This float had been pulled up for the season.

And if you know anything about the coast of Maine, you know sand is at a premium.

Mostly it’s rocks, which my ever intrepid husband continues to climb…

Not always gracefully.

😉

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Sebasco Resort, Phippsburg, Maine

September 10, 2021 Rivergirl 21 Comments

Consisting of 450 oceanfront acres , there are ample opportunities for strolling.

The resort itself spreads out in various areas with various types of buildings… and gives you a feeling of stepping back in time.

Individual cottages straight out the 1950’s are across the road from modern condos.

And everywhere you look there’s something photo worthy.

The rugged Maine coast is on full display. No wide sandy beaches in this neck of the woods.

The resort has their own cruise boat and offers scenic tours of the area.

And naturally my husband had to strike up an hour long conversation with the boat’s captain.

Ever spent the night in a lighthouse inspired suite? You can here.

And it’s right across from a moonlit dancing lobster. What more could you want?

Low tide.

Another cottage.

The cove.

Ahhh…. Maine.

It never fails to lower my blood pressure.

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When it’s a beautiful day in Maine…

September 9, 2021 Rivergirl 23 Comments

You head for lunch on the coast.

And this time we picked Sebasco Resort in Phippsburg.

There are two restaurants on site, but unfortunately the nicer one with the full menu was closed due to Covid era short staffing.

So we made do with The Ledges pub.

The outdoor patio area was filled with tourists so we had to sit inside… but the views were just as nice.

As were the cocktails. Two basil refreshers later, it was time to order.

We both started with the clam chowder which was good, but I’m a Mainer and quite picky about giving two thumbs up to chowder.

Husband had a perfectly prepared baked haddock with white wine and butter…

But my fried scallops were less than satisfactory. The batter was thick and way too crunchy… and Holy Hell, dripping in enough grease to lube two cars and a pick up truck. Blech.

If I’d been able to open the window I would have fed them to this fellow.

Thankfully the pub redeemed itself with a nice wild Maine blueberry pie a la mode.

After our meal we attempted to walk off the pounds.

To be continued….

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Operation dinner out.

August 25, 2021 Rivergirl 34 Comments

We took a drive out to Harpswell for a waterfront meal the other night.

To a great restaurant at one of our favorite locations.

Dolphin Marina.

It’s an out of the way place…

With wrap around coastal scenery.

Unfortunately it was Saturday night, the tourists were thick and the wait for an outdoor or water view table was over an hour. And if you’ve ever gone out to dinner with my husband, you know that means forgoing the views and eating at the bar.

I was disappointed, but a few Honey Gin Slippers later?

Life was good.

Dolphin is famous for their epic blueberry muffins which are served with every meal.

Luckily my other half didn’t eat his and I had it for breakfast the next morning.

Dinner started with garlic and white wine mussels for hubby.

And a lovely lemony Caesar salad for me.

The husbands Parmesan crusted haddock was tasty but surprisingly thin.

But my pan seared scallops with basil cream sauce and asparagus on homemade pasta was stellar.

So if you’re ever in the area, drop in.

But go off season…. when you can get decent seating and enjoy a better view than the bartender and a row of empty bottles.

(Extra points for anyone who can name the movie from which I pilfered my post title.)

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The Cribstone Bridge

July 13, 2021 Rivergirl 13 Comments

When it’s a beautiful summer evening in Maine? You head to the coast for dinner… and since we hadn’t been there in a few years, we drove to Cooks Lobster and Ale House.

In order to get to the Island where it’s located, you drive over the world famous Cribstone Bridge.

Why do I say world famous? Because it’s literally the only one in the world.

Built in 1927 of stacked granite blocks held together by gravity alone, the unique design allows high tides and rough seas to pass through freely.

It’s a marvel of engineering and has had only minor repairs since it’s construction nearly a century ago.

We tend to take it for granted in these parts but it’s actually a major tourist attraction.

Of course the beautiful coast of Harpswell and Orrs Island don’t hurt either.

Quintessential Maine fishing villages. Small, rugged and built to last.

Onward to the restaurant… past stacks and stacks of lobster traps.

To be continued.

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Camp Ellis

May 28, 2021 Rivergirl 14 Comments

We took a scenic drive down south the other day and ended up at Camp Ellis. A tiny spit of the Maine coast that suffers greatly during storms and high seas.

So much so that their beach front is now mostly rock and concrete.

Erosion is threatening homes and drastic measures are being employed. Because when your front lawn looks like this?

You know something has to be done.

I constantly wonder why people even bother. The sea will come, and nothing man can do will stop it.

Waterfront living is wonderful, but water in your living room… not so much.

https://downeast.com/our-towns/sweet-fleeting-season/

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Still showing a girl a good time.

November 22, 2020 Rivergirl 24 Comments

My husband, the king of romance.

Since we haven’t done any traveling this year due to the global plague, my wonderful spouse suggested we take a ride up the coast one warm afternoon last week. I readily agreed and dressed appropriately.

I was a little surprised to hear him pulling the truck out of the garage instead of the Beemer, but he loves that old thing and I figured he wanted to run her for a spell.

I should have known.

Where did my thoughtful husband take me on our relaxing ride up the coast?