We’ll start with Lord Dudley Mountcatten who definitely knows how to relax.
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My husband wanted a fleece vest to wear at the office (because he works for the government and they’re too cheap to raise the thermostat above 65 degrees in the winter) so we headed to L.L. Bean.
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Home of the giant boot..
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And flannel shirt beer coozies.
They clearly know their audience.
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Charity my *ss. Those on the bottom should lose their non profit status.
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Supporting a new blog friend by purchasing and reading his amusing and heartwarming tales of animal caretaking in Scotland.
And finally, my algorithms have gotten on board with my furniture shopping nightmare by dropping vintage finds on my FB feed.
After doing some preliminary furniture shopping with a girlfriend, I’d narrowed it down to a few possible living room sets which meant I had to bring the husband in for final approval.
As you may have guessed…. it did not go well.
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This couch wasn’t deep enough.
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This couch’s arms were too hard.
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I thought I had a winner here…
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There was an entire wall of fabric for me to choose from and miracle of all miracles?
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Some of it was green.
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But the husband burst my bubble of glee when, like Goldilocks…. he declared the cushions too soft.
We visited a place I’ve driven by many times but never stopped the other day. The Newcastle Public House…
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Housed in a building dating back to 1845, you knew the minute you stepped inside it was a local spot despite its proximity to the tourist heavy Damarriscotta.
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Laid back and casual with distinctly potent portables.
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The bartender has a heavy hand so beware the Moscow Mules, they literally kick.
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Crab cake appetizer? So good I didn’t waste time taking a picture of the husband’s required French Onion soup. Which btw, he approved.
The menu was varied with a twist on New England favorites.
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While deciding … we met a colorful local resident, the kind that makes my husband beeline for the bar everywhere we go.
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He was a hoot and we enjoyed some interesting conversation before our meal.
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Which turned out to be fabulous. For me… barbecue shrimp and grits with roasted broccolini.
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For the spouse? Some very large and juicy General Tso wings.
No trip to the big city is complete without us trying a new libation destination. On this particular day it was Batson River Brewery and Distillery.
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I’d heard wonderful things about this place so it didn’t surprise me to see it was packed ten minutes after opening.
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They take their Christmas decorations seriously here and as I was looking around my husband grabbed the last two seats at the bar.
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Cocktails were holiday themed, so I started with the Where Are You Christmas.
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The only thing wrong with it?
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The small glass. I could happily have downed a pitcher’s worth.
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I read they consider the decor ‘upscale hunting lodge’ but to me it had a more upscale urban, industrial vibe with exposed pipes and metal vents.
The ceilings were high and the music loud. The menu? Brunch on Saturday… which we weren’t expecting and didn’t want.
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I opted for the Caesar salad, which was dry as a bone and utterly unremarkable, but I washed it down with a quite lovely Yule Tai that countered my disappointment.
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Husband had the smoked tomato soup which he said was tasty if not plentiful.
Their beer?
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Nice doggie glass withstanding, nothing to rave about.
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A very large Santa was on the second floor and we watched a few tipsy patrons climb up to have their picture taken with him.
Talking with our neighbor at the bar, we discovered there are actually four Batson Rivers scattered in southern Maine, each one with their own personality, menu and cocktails.
Intrigued, and with nothing planned for dinner… we decided to drive to Biddeford and check out another one.
Our trip to Portland the other day had a destination other than my husband’s face on the itinerary… and that was Edgecomb Pottery. A high end artsy gallery where my thoughtful spouse likes to shop for gifts.
And as we walked around? it was obvious just how much he enjoys shopping there.
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See that bird?
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Here’s mine.
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See that lamp?
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Yup.
Have one of those too.
Our reason for shopping that day was the return of the thoughtful (but odd, and not my taste) bracelet my husband had given me for my birthday.
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I love that he tries, but he rarely scores a win when buying me jewelry so we exchange quite often.
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This was my substitution piece. Hard to tell by the photo, but it’s gold and silver intertwined.
It was barely 20 degrees and with the wind gusting it felt like 5… but we persevered.
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If the trolls could take it, so could we.
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It really was a beautiful way to spend an evening.
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So many places to explore, each one prettier than the last.
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If you’re wondering why I have so many pictures of the lighted sea and lighthouse, it’s because my husband found someone to talk to and I had to wait for his conversation to finish.
We opted for a peaceful holiday this year, no travel no party no family, just a quiet day at home with a slow roasted turkey dinner.
And that’s where it went horribly wrong.
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Because turkey’s not supposed to be green.
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But ours was when I pulled it out of the fridge to cook this morning.
It was a fresh bird I purchased on the 20th with a sell by date of the 26th… but clearly the big storm that knocked out power last week claimed this gobbler as victim.
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Good thing I made lasagna last night because it looks like it’s leftovers for us.
Ho, ho, Hell….
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Where there's only one step from the sublime to the ridiculous.
River's world..... 