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People laugh when I talk about Maine having slightly different seasons than other states … summer, fall, winter and mud.
But it’s true.
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See?
Proof.
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This explains a lot.
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Our nightly skunks are back.
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And looking very well fed.
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Fascinating stuff.
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Photo… because sometimes you simply need pie.
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How awesome is that!
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After a nice lunch and waterfront stroll it was back to the trenches..
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To an even bigger though slightly nicer antique mall.
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I swear my husband’s eyes lit up the moment we stepped inside.
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It’s times like these I’m glad he’s a cheapskate when it comes to purchases. The man wants a bargain and there weren’t many to be had here.
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That frog was about five grand.
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I thought about this for the man cave.
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And wouldn’t have minded having this, but it was badly cracked.
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More wooden yardsticks.
For the love of God… why?
🥴
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Interesting, but a hard pass.
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Giant clam anyone?
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Just looking at these shoes hurt my feet.
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You know that was risqué for its day.
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Yes, he bought the yardsticks.
Sigh.
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I was really tempted to buy this vintage cocktail shaker and glasses for the man cave. It was even aviation themed which was my husband’s career field.
Coulda, shoulda.
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This place went on forever and long story short we were there until it closed.
I purchased this.
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A $500 Confederate bond from the Civil War. When we lived down south I used to pick up Confederate currency now and then but I didn’t have one of these. It still has four coupons attached, though I think my chances of cashing them in are slim.
😉
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On the way out of New Bedford, Massachusetts?
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Underpass fish.
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After endless hours following my husband around the antique mall, I needed sustenance.
And a drink.
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The Black Whale on the New Bedford waterfront seemed to be the place.
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They must have been understaffed because we walked by an entirely empty room …
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And were pointed to the last two seats available in the main dining room…
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Which happened to be at the bar, so you know my husband was happy. My spring sangria was crisp and lovely… sorry I can’t remember what was in it.
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And my crab cakes with Cajun remoulade were heavenly.
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Husbands’s clam chowder was a rich creamy meal in itself so we opted to split an entree.
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Of fried scallops, garlic mashed potatoes and roasted broccolini.
Yum.
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After eating we took a little stroll along the waterfront.
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No pleasure craft here.
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Just fishing boats.
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Long haulers, draggers…
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If you wonder where your seafood comes from, it’s here.
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I spent my adolescence surrounded by fisherman and believe me when I say they are hardworking people.
Salt of the earth.
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Or the sea, in this case.
😊
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Not useful, but hopefully humorous.
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Me thinks the bar is pretty low for that particular award.
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This implies the people of Arklow, Ireland have been swimming with floaters for quite some time.
A subject which does not bear thinking about.
🤢
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The way America is currently being run? I fervently hope so… where do I unplug?
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Most excellent.
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This is the very epitome of useless news.
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She’s married to J.D.
How could she not?
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On our last full day of vacation I threw the husband a bone and let him choose our destination and activities.
Big mistake.
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Naturally he picked a giant antique mall in the neighboring state of Massachusetts.
It was a ratty looking old place and after an hours drive, we hit the rest rooms upon arrival.
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I was not impressed.
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But the husband was in treasure heaven.
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He adores these places and examines every item fully.
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There were a few interesting dealers and pieces.
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But after the first three hours?
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I was ready to drop the plunger on that detonator.
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And out of all the items in this massive space?
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My guy picked out old wooden yard sticks.
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Jesus wept.
He shopped, and shopped.
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And shopped….
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And I seriously regretted throwing him that bone.
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I don’t mind looking at vintage things. For a while. But antique shopping with my husband is a marathon event.
To pass the time I usually end up flipping through albums.
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This caught my eye.
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And this made me chuckle.
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And then I lost the husband to a clearance sale booth.
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After 4 hours, he wasn’t ready to go but I insisted on a lunch break.
He bought yard sticks, a giant glass water bottle, old advertising wooden hangers and some military ephemera.
I walked out with one thing.
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Jefferson Airplane’s last album with the original lineup, 1969.
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Controversial in its day for anti war lyrics and political content, Jerry Garcia made a guest appearance.
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A classic counter culture piece of vinyl history to add to my collection. .
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As we were walking along the harbor that early evening, my husband spied a bar he’d heard about from some locals.
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The Quencher is what some might call a dive.
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But I grew up in New Jersey and then the working waterfront of Portland, Maine in the late 70’s and early 80’s (before gentrification of the Old Port). Trust me, I know dives… and this wasn’t one.
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It’s a bar, you should buy a beer.
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Old Winnie knew his stuff.
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Being a Wednesday, I made it just in time for 20% off.
This bar was loud, with a bartender uninterested in conversation.
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Internet photo.
We were still full from lunch otherwise I’d have been tempted to try a pizza.
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The husband did order wings which were awful, so no photo required. We had one drink and moved on.
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To the Newport shipyard down the road. The husband’s new favorite breakfast cafe was there and he’d come back to the resort every morning filled with stories of the giant ships being worked on there.
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Untold millions of dollars in watercraft require a 24/7 guarded gate and no one drives in without a pass, but we walked and the guard recognized my husband as one of the breakfast crew. It pays to make friends.
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This was a research vessel from Maine.
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And this catamaran cost well over a million itself.
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All I can say is, it must be nice.
💵
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You’re already here, so why not?
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I know it’s going to sound weird not to say chocolate or cheese or something wonderful, but honestly?
My answer is broccoli.
Every night when I’m cooking dinner I pick a vegetable for the husband and then choose fresh broccoli for myself. I could literally eat it with every meal. Steamed broccoli, roasted broccoli, broccoli casserole, broccoli salad… I love it all.
Weird, I know.
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How about you?
What could you eat every single day…
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After our fabulous meal, we felt the need to walk off some of the calories.
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And took a stroll around the waterfront of downtown Bristol.
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Quiet on the off season, I’m sure the marina is full of pleasure craft in the summer.
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Along the edge is the Maritime Center. A one time armory built in 1894, it now houses public restrooms, showers and laundry facilities for boaters as well as a wi-fi lounge and a 4,000 square foot multi use hall displaying local artists.
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Though the marina was people free, the seagulls kept a close eye on us.
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And since we were roughly 20 miles from the wind tunnel that is Newport?
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A smile and a relatively in tact hairdo.
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Should we visit the area again, I would take more time to explore this lovely town.
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And perhaps bring the seagulls a treat.
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The gulls concur.
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As we were leaving I glanced over the side of the pier and saw…
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Eggs?
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They’re actually jellyfish, but tell me that doesn’t look like someone randomly cracked a few eggs in the harbor.
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As we made our way back to the car through the park, my husband made a friend.
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Who was a little reticent at first, but when he realized the strange man could push him higher than his mother?
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Was quickly and happily on board.
😊
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After multiple stores, extensive research and an extremely aggravated husband…
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A mattress has been chosen.
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An Aireloom night stars luxury firm.
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It will be hard to say goodbye to our old mattress that’s served us well for an unbelievable 39 years.
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But stretching out on this handmade beauty was almost a spiritual experience.
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Firm, but soft… if that makes sense.
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And while I know this one won’t last nearly as long as our first..
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I’m looking forward to the change.
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And though the furniture store hopping drove my less than patient husband nuts, it paid off in the end as I found a family run store that was celebrating its 70th anniversary with a 25% off sale on mattresses.
Delivery in 3 weeks.
😊
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Deciding to take a drive to Bristol on our 6th day of vacation, the husband spotted an antique shop on our way out of town.
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Which turned out to be more of a tourist trap gift shop where the new items outnumbered the old so I thought I’d dodged a bullet. Until my guy started chatting up the owner and she told him about two giant antique malls he simply had to visit.
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Damn her.
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Bristol, Rhode Island is a lovely spot.
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Waterfront, like most of the towns we visited.
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With its share of stone walls and beautiful old homes.
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Arriving at lunch time, we chose an assuming little place called the Beach House.
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It was on the water, no surprise there.
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And was nicely decorated, with a warm, welcoming beachy feel.
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One aperol and pink guava spritz in…
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I was feeling right at home.
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My NY strip crostini with shallot brandy cream sauce appetizer?
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Omg.
I thought I’d died and gone to heaven. The beef literally melted in my mouth.
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And when my husband raved over his butternut squash bisque? I knew we’d chosen the right place.
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They even had his new favorite local beer.
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My main course of homemade wild mushroom ravioli with caramelized onions and porcini cream sauce?
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Absolutely decedent.
But the husband’s crab topped filet mignon with stuffed lobster tail, sautéed garlic spinach and mashed new potatoes?
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Huge.
Filling.
And perfectly cooked.
This entree alone… in Maine, would easily be $100. And we’re the land of lobster. In lovely little Bristol, Rhode Island? $44.
We were stunned.
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And vowed to come back to this hidden gem if we’re ever in the area again.
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River's world..... 