Saturday we had tickets to an afternoon festival promoting local beer and food. It was called The Taste of Summer and was being held on the old Navy base. The band were friends of friends and we were looking forward to it. Until the heavens opened up on the way over….
It was raining, thunder was booming and people were standing on line wearing trash bags.
We sat in the car for a while, thinking it would pass… which is when it started to hail and festival goers ran for cover.
Seeing that trash bags aren’t a good look for me, and I generally prefer to do my drinking while dry…. we left and headed for Boothbay Harbor.
Which is always a good idea.
Boothbay is one of our favorite places to walk…
To sight see…
To eat…
And yes, to drink.
(Don’t be shocked, it’s been know to happen on occasion.)
First stop… The Boathouse Bistro.
Best damn food in Boothbay Harbor.
Appetizers were Coconut Lime Ginger Mussels for the husband and my friend.
Those babies were huge!
Cajun Shrimp and Cheesy Grits for me.
I hate grits. I love these.
Enough said…
A Harborside Lemonade and a Summer Bliss later, I dove into Pan Seared Scallops on Parmesan Mushroom Risotto with Citrus Wilted Arugula. You could have killed me right then and there… and I’d have died happy.
Husband had a deconstructed Beef Wellington with split lobster tail and goat cheese mushroom compote.
Girlfriend had 2 rum punches and a Bourbon Brown Sugar Glazed Ribeye with rosemary fingerling potatoes and broccolini.
We were happy campers.
But onward.
Technically it already had, we were two cocktails in… but the bar hopping portion of our afternoon/evening will now commence.
Trust me when I say a good time was had by all.
Second stop… The World is Mine Oyster. A bit of a dive, but keep walking… through the hallway, up the winding stairs, thru the restaurant and out on the deck?
One of the best views of the harbor.
And 2 sea green margaritas.
Life is good.
Third stop… The Harborside Tavern.
This was a place we’d never been before and though we sat at the bar instead of enjoying the view….
One extremely strong bourbon filled Perfect Storm later?
I didn’t much care. The bartender was so heavy handed she either loved us.. or hated us. I still don’t know which.
Fourth and final stop…. The Boothbay Harbor Inn, where things got interesting.
Needless to say we were feeling no pain by then.
This is across the harbor from where we started and has a beautiful view as well.
Our bartender was an adorable little exchange student from Romania named Meihi.
With whom my soon to be divorced friend was instantly smitten.
Of course Happy Hour Blueberry Mules may have had something to do with that.
At this point it started to pour again….
So what else could we do but stay and drink?
We drank. And made friends with a group that was staying at the inn.
We drank. And watched the cute bartender play bar games.
We drank. Until the sun started to set and I figured we shouldn’t drink anymore.
For this…
My cheeky friend flipped me off.
Sunset.
In Boothbay Harbor…
Is a beautiful thing.
My girlfriend trying to pole dance on the parking meter?
Not so much.
Clearly some of us had a better time than others….
Apologies for the tardiness, but there’s just too much crazy out there for a girl to keep up.
A.S.M.R.
Autonomous sensory meridian response.
Definition:
The feeling of well-being combined with a tingling sensation in the scalp and down the back of the neck, as experienced by some people in response to a specific gentle stimulus, often a particular sound.
ASMR is triggered by things like whispering voices, paper tearing, and scalp massage.
Oh, yes.
This is for real.
And lots of people swear by it.
It’s used for relaxation as well as a sleep aid, and is meant to give the viewer a relaxing tingle at the back of their head.
Upon researching, I discovered there’s pretty much an A.S.M.R. video of everything.
I was at Wal Mart the other day and decided to cruise down the clearance aisle. I don’t often shop there, but clearance racks are like thrift stores. You never know what you’ll find.
I found this:
I chuckled. I photographed it. I came home, started to write a blog and thought….. come on.
How often does corn need to wear a coat?
Fair enough… if not slightly disturbing.
Proof positive there’s a Google Image for everything.
And then I saw –
Which is definitely disturbing.
Corn porn?
WTH!
And of course that got me thinking of that damned corn on the cob dildo I found on Amazon a while back, which lead me to –
Make of that what you will.
Google Images has a mind of it’s own.
But thinking about disturbing corn also made my mind go here –
Maybe it’s supposed to be ironic, this former corn field, sprouting 109 people-sized ears of concrete corn in a large oddball art display. But it’s also a salute to Sam Frantz, an inventor of hybrid corns, and a very weird sight along the highway.
Frantz farmed this site from 1935 to 1963, using it as as a study field for tasty mutant strains. Frantz was “well known for his development of hybrid corn seeds,” and worked with Ohio State University on hybridization projects. He donated this land, now named Sam and Eulalia Frantz Park, after its farming days were over.
The artist brought in by the Dublin Arts Council to create the environment of corn, Malcolm Cochran, completed the field in 1994.
Intended by the Arts Council to remind residents of the area’s long-gone agricultural heritage, the Field of Corn instantly became a joke — giant inedible food — paid for with tax dollars, and surrounded by a sprawl of corporate offices, bland businesses and suburban neighborhoods.
And now, I totally want to go and take a corn selfie.
(Admit it… you do too.)
But if that isn’t enough corn cuteness for you?
Here’s a capybara.
In a pool.
Eating corn.
Just because I can.
From Wal Mart’s clearance aisle to giant rodents eating corn.
A Japanese restaurant with an interesting…. although slightly disturbing, statue out front.
A giant (think full sized pick up truck) red sumo wrestler.
Okaaay….
Inside, the decor was modern and lit with neon colors.
As were the cocktails.
Blue Hawaiian Martini? I have no earthly idea what was in it… but highly recommend two. Or three.
There was a Hibachi Room, as well as a sushi bar.
And I had to laugh at the healthy purple rice announcement.
It’s coming…
We just don’t know when.
(Sorry, I had to.)
And yes, I’m that annoying person in your party who has to point out all the grammatical errors on the menu.
Slamon ?
Not once, but twice.
And I think tarta meant the tuna was raw, not slutty….
But I could be wrong.
Google’s Slutty Fish Halloween costume proves it.
Our appetizer plate of tempura treats was tasty.
Though I’m not sure how or why their shrimp looked like Italy.
Every meal came with miso soup and salad.
Not being a seaweed and bean curd fan, I passed on the soup…. with basically tasted like hot salt water anyway.
But can someone please explain to me why they’re serving salad at a Japanese restaurant? It was awful. Hard as a rock iceberg lettuce with a hulled out chunk of unripened tomato. Blech!
Nothing remotely Asian about that.
The chicken Yaki Soba entree was good, and plentiful enough for me to eat as lunch the next day.
The grilled seafood plate was also quite nice with lobster, scallops, shrimp and assorted veggies.
I often cruise our timeshare site looking for deals. Someplace we’ve never been, some lovely resort where we’d like to stay.
Then the other day I read an article that made me rethink my aversion to Airbnb.
Yes.
We could rent a potato.
No joke.
Apparently this particular spud toured the US for six years on the back of a truck, and no one knew what to do with it afterward.
While my first thought wouldn’t have been, ‘Hey, let’s throw a queen size Serta in there and rent that baby out!’
Clearly I lack vision.
A giant (fake) potato has been turned into a home that you can rent on Airbnb.
The Big Idaho Potato Hotel is a 6-ton potato structure that was created to promote spuds across the US.
A small-home developer turned it into an incredibly stylish rental property.
It costs $200 a night.
It’s a real hotel room, of sorts.
The potato sleeps two, with one queen bed, and there’s a small bathroom, a kitchenette, a fireplace, and air-conditioning too. With millennial-pink accents and house plants aplenty, it’s as Instagrammable inside as out.
Measuring 28 feet long, 12 feet wide, and 11.5 feet tall, the giant potato was created by the Idaho Potato Commission to promote the noble vegetable.
Granted the landscaping leaves a little to be desired.
And the views?
Well, it isIdaho.
Which is probably why there are no windows.But still.. it’s a giant tater!!
We’ve all dreamed about living inside a potato, with hash browns for cushions, fries as shelves, and a giant bowl of fluffy mash to snuggle into at night.
So if spuds are your one true love, you’re probably going to want to book a night in the Big Idaho Potato Hotel, which has been listed on Airbnb.
And there you have it…
The perfect vacation getaway.
You’re welcome.
And just in case you didn’t think I could tie Game of Thrones into this post?
Did you know the reason we call annoying and repetitive messages sent online ‘Spam’ is due to the 1970 Monty Python sketch that poked fun at the infamous mystery meat?
And while I can’t abide that gelatinous pink brick either…
My WordPress Spam never fails to disappoint.
Take Will for example –
may you be rich and continue to help others. I am sure this post has touched all the internet viewers, its really really fastidious article.
Thank you Will.
I pride myself on making my posts as sparkling clean as possible.
And then there’s Katie who read my blog about Ding Dongs and said –
This post actually made my day. You can not imagine just how much time I had spent for this information! Thanks!
Clearly the poor woman had been searching high and low for junk food enlightenment . So glad I was able to help…
Kevin is definitely a fan –
I want the actual valuable material you provide in your articles.
Thank you Kevin. I shall continue to provide the superior quality posts you’ve come to know and love.
Roger asks –
Where can i give apart my used handicap scooter?
I’m not sure why he thought I would know, as I’m hoping it will be many years before I need one.
And finally, the Pretty Guinea Pig made another appearance with –
Which is probably why there are no windows.But still.. it’s a giant tater!!
River's world..... 