Tag Archives: maine

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Discovering a hidden gem.

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I love randomly exploring an area we’ve visited often and stumbling on a new place. Last week it was the Boathouse Hotel and Marina in Kennebunkport.

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The perfect location for a leisurely spring afternoon lunch.

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And in true River style I worked my way down the cocktail menu.

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The Watermelon Sugar to start….

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A Walk of Shame with appetizers. Crab cakes for me, lemongrass ginger mussels for the husband.

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White Lemonade Sangria with a chicken Caesar salad for me, sherry baked haddock for my other half. It was a wonderful meal in a pleasant spot made even better by the friendly couple we met at the bar.

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They were visiting from Wisconsin for a college graduation so we happily gave them some local destination suggestions. Turns out they run a pub of their own in Wisconsin with the same town name as one in Maine.

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The Presque Isle Pub. If you’re ever in the area, stop by and tell them the boozy couple from Maine say hello.

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So close!

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Another missed opportunity and this time it was entirely my fault. When walking his Lordship I usually keep a loose finger grip on the leash but the other day I had it looped around my wrist and wouldn’t you know it… that was the exact moment our resident red squirrel b*tch darted right out in front of Lord Dudley Mountcatten.

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He ran to give chase but was jerked back by the leash I couldn’t drop just as he reached for her.

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It was a close call… but damn it, she escaped.

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Up the cedar tree she went… and sat there for a good 20 minutes teasing my boy.

And me for that matter.

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He could have had her.

It was so close….

😫

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Once more unto the bleach…

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I was back at the outdoor bleaching again this weekend, following trails of green algae with my spray bottle and pressure washing attachment.

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Spraying in the corner of the deck left me absolutely soaked and I wouldn’t be surprised if my hair has blonde streaks now. But everything looks fresh and clean again… so mission accomplished.

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While I was at it I cleaned the furniture as well.

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We used to store this set in the barn during the winter but since the man cave conversion it’s been riding out the snow in situ and was in dire need of a cleanse.

P.S. no worms were harmed or relocated during the making of this post.

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Scenic Cape Porpoise

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When your husband is newly retired and it’s a beautiful spring day? You take a drive along the Maine coast just because you can.

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Cape Porpoise is a small village in the town of Kennebunkport on the southern coast.

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It’s quintessentially Maine and therefore ruggedly beautiful.

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No words necessary, just enjoy the ride.

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Is it any wonder we live in this state?

❤️

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Disappointing dinner

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It was a bright and sunny evening at Casa River and after a full day of yard work we decided to drive along the coast of Harpswell and have dinner on the water.

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The closer we got, the thicker the fog. This restaurant is crazy crowded when the summer tourists descend so we’d hoped to beat the swarm and grab an outdoor table to enjoy the view.

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But the view was pea soup fog so we hit the bar instead. A few blueberry lemonades later..

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We ate a very disappointing meal. My $30 fried scallops were tasty but not plentiful and though I ordered a baked potato I received french fries because they had run out. And if that’s not bad enough, it was served in a paper lined wire basket more reminiscent of a lobster shack than fine dining. The husband’s scallop and lobster pasta had 3 scallops and 3 minuscule pieces of lobster for $40. While we never mind paying good money for a good meal, this longtime favorite place might be in danger of being dropped from our list.

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Getting a literal buzz on.

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When our local pub posted this on their Facebook page?

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I knew I would have to try it.

Samantha is a bartender at our pub and she just returned from an impromptu vacation/wedding trip to Vegas. While there she tried a cocktail with a buzz button and decided she to create one of her own for her regulars patrons.

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I’d never heard of this plant but apparently it’s trending in bars and high end kitchens right now.

“Acmella alba is a species of plant belonging to the family Asteraceae. Common names include brede mafane, Spilanthes, Tingflower, toothache plant, Electric Daisy, and buzz buttons. The flowers and leaves contain spilanthol, a local anesthetic”

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First you take a sip of the drink, then you chew the button fully… making sure to coat your tongue and the insides of your mouth. I did this and almost gagged. Holy hell it was a bitter little thing. Once masticated and swallowed your mouth starts to “buzz”. The tingle lasts about 5 minutes and your drink tastes totally different.

It was a fun experience, but the taste was so awful I doubt I’d do it again.

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Worms do not like bleach.

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Yesterday I started a chore I’ve been putting off for two years. After a month of (not so) subtly hinting the husband could help me, I gave up and did it myself. Armed with a spray bottle of bleach, multiple scrubby sponges and a pressure hose attachment I attacked the shady sides of our vinyl sided garage.

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Naturally I forgot to take a before photo…

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But this is what I was battling, and trust me it’s a workout. Green, moldy algae discoloration that didn’t want to let go.

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It’s the result of kicked up ground water, stuck grass clippings from my husband’s giant lawn tractor and a lack of direct sunlight drying the rain.

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The woodchucks tunnel under this door and have ruined the surrounding lawn… but patches of loose dirt that became muddy with bleach soaked water yielded an interesting result.

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Worms.

Here a worm, there a worm. Worms everywhere … wriggling out of the ground in protest. Clearly they did not enjoy a bleach bath.

Sorry worms. It had to be done.

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*Following photo for Boo who wanted to see my pressure washing attachment. *

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Easy peasey.

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I’m going to give away a secret here so listen up.

For years I couldn’t bake a decent cookie to save my life.. and believe me it wasn’t for lack of trying. No matter what recipe I tried, no matter what miracle pan I used they either came out of the oven a gooey sugar filled mess or something resembling a hockey puck.

And then…

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Then I found them. The absolutely easiest, most perfect, even River can’t screw them up cookies.

Four ingredients. Four minutes prep and viola!

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Sublime every time. Trust me, those are soft baked little circles of heaven right there. And because I live to spread joy…. I’ll share.

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So far I have made lemon, chocolate, strawberry, spice, orange and butter pecan. And they were all fabulous, no hockey stick required. I’ve even started branching out by adding flavor extracts to the plain yellow mix … last night, almond.

Take that Mrs. Fields!

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