A beautiful summer day in Maine requires a trip to the coast.
.
.
And one of our favorites places is Boothbay Harbor.
.
.
It retains its quaint old fishing village vibe despite being over run with tourists during the season.
.
.
Parking is a nightmare.
.
.
But the scenery divine.
.
.
A walk across the footbridge is a must.
.
.
As it has its very own house.
.
.
Talk about waterfront property.
.
.
It’s been many different things over the years.
.
.
Right now I think someone’s summer home.
Not much in the way of privacy, but to each their own.
.
.
Since we had friends coming up from Connecticut that week we decided to give a restaurant near the bridge a test run.
.
.
Everyone wants to eat on the water when they visit so we sampled the Harborside 1901 Bar and Grille.
.
.
I’d heard great things…
.
.
And the craft cocktails didn’t disappoint.
The Man-Go Mojito – rum, lime, mango puree, mint, sugar, soda was fabulous. Light, minty, and bursting with fresh, ripe mango.
.
.
The teriyaki dumplings app? Overcooked, dry and pretty tasteless. Husband’s lobster bisque? Puréed, with no discernible meaty bits.
Boo to that.
.
.
As for Harborside… technically it was. But your immediate view is a parking lot which stretches the “waterfront” marketing.
.
.
Cocktail #2?
The Strawberry Elderflower – vodka, St. Germain, lemon, strawberry, prosecco
Floral and fruity, perfect for summer.
.
.
Since we weren’t overly impressed with the appetizers, we opted for salads. Which to be honest were nothing special.
.
.
They looked better than they tasted with the husbands apple and pistachio having little to no dressing and my Caesar positively drowning in it. The grilled chicken on both was over cooked and tough.
Nice drinks aside, we’re crossing this place off our list.
.
.
But not before I helped myself to a Grateful Dead coaster for the man cave/Barn Mahal collection.
Every spring Maine has a pollen problem. The trees explode with new growth and yellow powder covers everything. And since winter hung on a little longer this year? The pollen season has stretched into summer.
.
.
This was I-295 southbound a week ago.
Not fog. Not smog….
.
.
Pollen. Choking the air.
Makes me glad I don’t have allergies.
.
.
It’s rare, but woodchucks do climb trees. As evidenced by this photo I took of a youngster checking out our apple tree branch.
Even rarer?
.
.
Capturing a picture of the young woodchuck kamikaze diving off said branch.
He was fine and wandered off shortly after the drop.
😳
Warning – little bit of grossness ahead.
.
.
I bought a rotisserie chicken for a chicken and dumpling casserole recipe the other day. But as I started carving it?
Eewww …
.
.
I can honestly say I’ve never seen whatever the hell this was before.
.
.
A big blood spot on the breast and something disgusting that looked like pumpernickel bread in the meat.
What the hell!
Was it an infection? A tumor?
.
.
Either way, it was disgusting and completely off putting.
I’m a tail end boomer and remember every one of these questionable gastronomic delights. My mother didn’t allow them in our house because she was determined her only child would eat healthy food. Which is one of the reasons I enjoyed spending time at my friends, whose parents weren’t nearly as vigilant.
.
.
A taco shaped artificially flavored banana sponge cake with overly sugared cream filling. A heavenly treat for my 7 year old self.
.
.
Cheese in a can! This was the height of cool when I was young. The fact I’m still alive after consuming it all those years ago is a testament to its high level of preservatives.
.
.
Required lunch box dessert when I was growing up.
.
.
The pungent aroma hit you as you walked past Spencer’s gifts and Sam Goody’s… half a mile away. And it was guaranteed someone in your family would receive a gift box filled with inedible sausage for Christmas.
.
.
My parents never ate a frozen dinner in their life but when they went to the city for the evening and I had a babysitter? Swanson fried chicken with that horrible little apple cobbler was my consolation for having to stay home .
.
.
I remember eating the vanilla version of these when I was a teenager. God only knows what they were made of. We questioned nothing back then.
.
.
And finally, the only product I might still eat today. I remember them being quite tasty.
Do any of these items bring back nostalgic food memories for you?
And if not, what were some of your favorite childhood horrors?
.
Where there's only one step from the sublime to the ridiculous.
