I realize I haven’t posted many photos of our fall foliage this year.
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The reason being it hasn’t been a very good leaf peeping season.
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Oh, there’s color…
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But by Maine standards it’s been very muted this autumn.
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Too much rain late in the summer and an early mini cold snap that forced the trees to turn too soon could be the reason.
Anyway…
After running a few errands down south, we realized we’d skipped lunch and headed to a very popular Wells restaurant for an early dinner.
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Off season, on a Thursday… and there was a line half an hour before they opened. We weren’t going to wait, but.
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It’s a steakhouse and my husband loves a good steak.
When the doors opened and the mad rush for upstairs dining was in full force, we took the road less traveled and headed for the bar on the first floor.
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This place is impossible to get in during the summer, jam packed every night so we were expecting amazing things.
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My appetizer was not one of them.
Shrimp and crab stuffed mushrooms. Dry uninteresting balls of stuffing they must have waved a crab over and called it good.
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Two overly sweetened cocktails in, my salad was basically a bowl of iceberg lettuce drenched in bottled blue cheese.
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We both ordered the filet mignons, which were decent enough… though nothing to gush over.
Places like this always make me wonder why people are willing to stand on line for basically nothing special.
No real reason for the next one, it just made me laugh.
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Fall in Maine means apples and pumpkins and above all… turning leaves.
This is our backyard, complete with deer.
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I suffered a major loss recently when I discovered my absolutely favorite cocktail bar had gone belly up. The Blind Pig… with their amazing 10 page menu of creative alcoholic delights… has morphed into an Italian restaurant. Same owners, yes.
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The decor is similar…
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But the cocktail list pales in comparison.
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The food was good…
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The atmosphere pleasant…
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But even the funky silver fish wine decanter can’t make up the loss of my beloved artisan cocktails.
😫
Speaking of food, I’m including this crab cake recipe so I don’t lose it.
On the last full day with our company, we honored their request. No more road trips, no more sightseeing…. just a relaxing day at home.
Or more specifically, the man cave/Barn Mahal.
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T. was like most men who cross its doorstep, instantly smitten and a wee bit jealous. I believe he mentioned wanting one, but I don’t think his wife was on board.
The day was spent playing Name That Crap..
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(Early vacuum cleaner)
Playing pool…
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With some interesting techniques…
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Shucking corn..
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And introducing our southern family to fresh Maine lobster.
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G. was a little leery at first.
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But ended up making friends.
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Never having cooked a live one before, T. was fascinated.
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And after some quality time with the bugs…
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Made his own friend.
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And then dropped him in the pot.
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Unfortunately it was at that exact moment our grill ran out of gas and things had to be moved indoors.
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Finally…
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We had a happy southerner.
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Back in the man cave, cracking instructions were given.
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And everyone enjoyed lobster.
Except me of course. I came up allergic to the succulent crustacean about 9 years ago and am unable to eat it without becoming violently ill.
Boo to that.
😫
The night ended with cocktails and a birthday cake that elicited a good bit of laughter.
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T.’s late father was a career Marine who, when done talking to his children would bark, “Dismissed!”
And since it was our company’s last night in Maine..
On a beautiful afternoon in Maine there’s nothing I’d rather do than be surrounded by cheese.
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So we headed north to Pittsfield to attend the annual cheese festival.
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Upon entry… and paying the ridiculous fee of $27 per person…we each received a map and a bag.
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The bag was a clever idea. It was insulated and contained a freezer pack, a cold bottle of water and free cheese.
Let the shopping begin!
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And the tasting.
It’s all about the tasting…
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I’m not sure we sampled $54 worth, the pieces were small…. but there were some fantastic varieties.
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Cow!
Or rather, calf.
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This stall was by far the most popular. Every time we walked by the line was insane.
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My husband is not a fan of standing in line.
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After making our way through the cheese, I spotted a beer garden. Upon entry we were carded, given wrist bands to prove we were over 21 and I paid the ridiculous price of $14 for a few tickets.
I say ridiculous because the sample pour cups were like shot glasses.
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That’s $3.50 worth of blueberry ale right there.
😡
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The cups were so small you can hardly see my husbands.
Boo to that.
And btw? The beer garden contained one brewer who had two beers. The rest was hard cider and wine. Talk about false advertising.
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The setting was pretty, right alongside a river.
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And since we had tried everything else, we decided to brave the line for the Fuzzy Udder before we left.
We’ve been having some beautiful weather lately so we headed for lunch at the coast.
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Hobbs Harborside in Wells to be precise. A large seafood restaurant with stellar views.
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Shame the food wasn’t as beautiful.
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I ordered a fried shrimp appetizer, which in most places is five or six lightly battered fresh jumbo shrimp. Here? There were probably 30 medium shrimp and they tasted frozen. Blech.
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The husband had lobster stew, which was basically a bowl of meat in a thin, milky broth. It was a lot of lobster, but at $24 per bowl it should be.
Our fish entrees were equally unappetizing and not close to photo worthy. Mine was so dry they had to comp the meal. As you can guess, we’re not in any hurry to rush back to that restaurant.
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But a stroll along the harbor is always worth the trip. That’s the shellfish laboratory.
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Wells is a southern Maine town…
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And with one of the longest stretches of sandy beach in the state, a very popular tourist destination.
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The harbor is on the opposite end and one we prefer.
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It’s a working harbor, with fisherman unloading their catch as well as sightseers.
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The flowering pots of mandevilla are a nice touch.
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And kayakers enjoy the calmer waters near the shore.
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Not sure what this is, but it’s fun.
😊
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Where there's only one step from the sublime to the ridiculous.
River's world..... 