Tag Archives: ocean

Cape Cod Day 4….Martha’s Vineyard

January 2, 2020 Rivergirl 15 Comments

The forecast for Veteran’s Day was warm and bright so we decided to book passage on the Steamship Authority’s car ferry over to the Vineyard. This is something I’ve always wanted to do and I was tickled pink. Having no idea where, how much, or when…. we dropped by the ticketing office the night before and were rewarded with these –

Free tickets for the husband.

How sweet was that?

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We reserved a spot on the 9:30am ferry from Woods Hole and were told to arrive half an hour before departure. Ever the type A personality, I made sure we were there 45 minutes prior and as soon as we pulled up, they pointed us towards the 8:15 freight trip and boom!

We were on board.

With a giant load of Christmas trees.

Being used to small Maine island ferries, I was amazed at how large these ships were.

And how clean, and how spacious, and what great views they afforded.

We happily roamed around taking pictures…

And found a snack bar!

Okay…. it wasn’t open off season, but still. If you want a snack on a Maine ferry? You better dig in your purse for that crushed pack of Nabs from 2003.

And then, before we knew it….

We were there.

Approaching Vineyard Haven.

And yes, it was just as beautiful and quintessentially coastal New England as you would imagine.

Here’s another ferry getting ready to depart, so you can see how large they are.

We had booked an 8:30pm trip back, so we arrived ready to spend the whole day exploring.

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Of course none of the tourist information kiosks were open this time of year and we had no utter clue where we were going. ( I didn’t find this map until we were ready to leave.)

So we just drove.

Past weather beaten waterfront homes…

And homes…

That had their own private lighthouses.

How cool is that?

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Cape Cod Day 3…. Plymouth harbor, The Rock and finally, some food.

January 1, 2020 Rivergirl 25 Comments

So the lovely path through the park brought us to downtown Plymouth and the harbor.

It’s a pretty spot.

And at low tide you get a really good view of the rock retaining wall.

There were more scallop shells…

And piers..

And a statue of the Governor who spelled Plymouth with the ‘i’ that drove me crazy the entire time we were touring the Plantation.

Seriously… it was painful.

But then…

In the distance…

In the middle of what appeared to be a mausoleum…

Surrounded by pillars and wrought iron gates….

And guarded by a Ranger was…

Are you ready for what everyone who visits Plymouth Massachusetts has to see?

Brace yourself.

Here it comes….

The one, the only….

Plymouth Rock!

Yup.

That’s it.

I can’t say I really even knew what I was expecting…. but I’m pretty sure it was more than this.

To be honest, it was a rather bizarre experience. You know you have to find it, you know you have to see it, you know you have to photograph it (though I resisted the selfies some people took) …. but when you finally sidle up to the railing and look down?

Okay, it’s a rock.

And we all know I have a soft spot for rocks, but…

But alas, that’s all there was.

The Ranger told us they had to protect what was left because for years people would come and chip and chisel pieces from it for keepsakes. My first thought was, you should have started sooner.

So there you have it.

We came.

We saw.

We photographed the most famous rock in America.

YOURE-WELCOME

Plymouth, Massachusetts.

They have a park…. for a rock.

Ya gotta love this country!

And now… for my oh, ~~not~~ so patient food photo people.

Liquid refreshment at the East Bay Grille in Plymouth.

A wonderful restaurant with a view, potent cocktails and seriously good food.

I started with Risotto Balls.

And as balls go? They were top notch.

After a pomegranate martini, I went for the Autumn Punch. It sounds sweet, but the tart cranberry and acidic orange juice cut it perfectly.

The husband went with some kind of saucy fish…. blame the martini, but I don’t remember which…. brown rice and grilled butternut squash.

While I…

Can you guess?

Cognac cream sauce?

Ooh la la!

And yes, of course we had dessert.

New York style cheesecake for the hubs.

And a mouthwatering mountain of Tiramisu for yours truly.

It’s a shame we were only in Plymouth for one day because I could easily have eaten there every night.

Vacation Day 3 officially over.

Only 5 more to go!

No worries, at this rate it will only take a few more weeks worth of posts.

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Some random photographs….

October 10, 2019 Rivergirl 34 Comments

Because sometimes I want to share, and they just don’t rate a blog of their own.

A few shots of my local area.

I’m blessed to live in such a beautiful state.

Top that for sunrise color. I dare ya!

As you’ve probably guessed by now, when we travel…. I take a lot of pictures. The husband is quite patient with me and usually pulls over when I point out the window, squeee! and yell pull over. He never wants to photograph anything, so I had to laugh a few weeks ago when he stopped along side something and asked me to take a picture of it for him.

I did….

And am seriously hoping it doesn’t end up in our barn in the near future.

This is not what you want to be following during a traffic jam on Route 1. I saw pink hippos in my dreams for many nights after that.

And finally…

Me.

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No makeup, just a smile…. and the realization that laying out in the sun this past summer has bleached my hair to the point where I now have dark roots without ever having dyed it.

What the Hell?

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The post in which River goes to a Lobster Festival but can’t eat lobster.

August 8, 2019 Rivergirl 37 Comments

The following is proof that my husband can inflict cruel and unusual punishment.

It happened at The 72nd Maine Lobster Festival in Rockland, Maine.

We lucked out and found a parking spot close to the festival, and it was across the street from the Trade Winds resort where I spotted the first lobster.

Although it looked more like a demented crawfish…

The stupid thing had teeth!

This did not bode well for the day….

But the weather was perfect…

And we were near the ocean.

It doesn’t get much better than that…

Or does it?

Aaarrgghh!

There be Pirates.

Pirates on the boats…

Pirates on the piers…

Basically, there were pirates everywhere.

And as much as I tried to avoid it?

There was lobster.

Mocking me and my damned allergy.

World’s Largest Lobster cooker?

Yup… that too.

We passed lobster rolls, lobster stew, lobster quesadillas, lobster mac and cheese, lobster chowder, lobster Caesar salad, lobster wontons, even lobster risotto balls….

And then there was this:

Me…. sitting in a tent, surrounded by people eating lobster.

I had to sit and watch my husband as he oohed and ahhed over every last sweet, fresh from the water, dripping in melted butter, bite.

Cruel and unusual to be sure.

It wasn’t easy.

I tried to find solace in a crabmeat roll…

And the required ~~I’m at a street festival and have to eat the junkiest, highest calorie thing I can find~~ fried dough.

It was good… but it wasn’t lobster.

Cursing my treacherous body, I pulled up my big girl panties and soldiered on.

We strolled through the art show…

And into the lobster trap lined entrance to the craft show.

Where the husband bought organic natural honey…

And we saw a buoy that believed size does matter….

There was another tent filled with lobster eaters…

And King Neptune….

Who looked a little lost.

The King is quite popular at the festival….

And people line up for photos whenever he walks by.

My lobster-less belly aside, it was a fun day.

And Rockland is a fun town.

Although I have to admit, the children do look a little….

Off.

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Head for the coast…

July 9, 2019 Rivergirl 21 Comments

When it’s hot in Maine? You head for the coast where the sea breeze cools the temperatures considerably.

So that’s what we did on the July 4th weekend.

We battled the tourist traffic on Route 1 and headed north with a cool and calm demeanor.

Seriously….. there’s a reason we call you people Massholes. You’re not going to find a barista on every corner in this state, please go back to Boston.

Boothbay Harbor was packed, so we kept going.

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Through downtown Rockland where they clearly wanted us to eat something. Hopefully not the building itself.

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And through downtown Camden where the cows are always smiling.

Camden is a gorgeous harbor town with lovely old homes lining both sides of the main street.

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This one always catches my eye…

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Not your typical New Englander to be sure.

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We wanted to stop for a drink and a bite in Lincolnville….

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But sadly the Whale’s Tooth Pub didn’t open till 4:00pm.

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So we ended up in Belfast, down by the harbor.

Which is always a good choice.

To be continued…

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A little rain, a lot of alcohol.

June 25, 2019 Rivergirl 31 Comments

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.

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Which is always a good idea.

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Boothbay is one of our favorite places to walk…

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To sight see…

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To eat…

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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.

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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?