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More photos from one of the best oceanside strolls in Maine.
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And when you reach the end of the Marginal Way cliff walk at Perkins Cove?
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You have lunch on the water.
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Which, for my husband was a fabulous seafood pasta chock full of lobster, shrimp and scallops.
When T. wanted a taste?
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My spouse was less than generous.
🤣
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For day five of our sightseeing tour we chose Ogunquit.
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And my very favorite place to stroll…
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The Marginal Way cliff walk.
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Words aren’t really necessary…
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Just enjoy the views.
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A Tik Tok video was being made here.
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Here?
I think the husband is trying to speak seagull.
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The waterfront “cottages” along the way are pretty sweet.
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To be continued…
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After our walk on the beach, G.’s pants were wet so she changed into shorts. This left us trying to dry her clothing in the sun on the roof of the golf cart while we had lunch…. and that required a readying hand.
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The only lunch available this time of year was at the Inn.
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It’s a grand old building…
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That seems to have new management every time we visit.
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We were the only people in the dining room which didn’t bode well.
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Kelp burger?
Hmm… no.
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Tiny flavorless rubber mussels, brightly colored but mediocre cocktails and disappointing sandwiches left us unsatisfied …
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But the view was nice.
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Another shoreline walk on Hamilton Beach…
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And then we drove by my old home.
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Old is the proper adjective because the original section of house on the right was built in 1842.
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And while the old girl still has good bones, I admit to being disappointed by the crumbling stone wall…
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The untrimmed shrubbery, overgrown lawn…
And general feeling of lackadaisical upkeep.
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When we lived here everything was neat as a pin and my father had glorious rows of red roses on the inside of the front wall. I lived here from age 14 to 20 and the place is full of memories, not to mention ghosts of those I’ve loved and lost.
They say you can’t go home again.
I guess they’re right.
😰
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Swinging around the bend from Chandlers Wharf, we visited Chandlers Beach.
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One of the largest sandy stretches on the Island and the site of many alcohol laden parties when I was young.
Walking along its shores, I was very glad sand can’t talk.
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G. seemed to be enjoying herself.
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A photo of the wharf from the beach…
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With the Casco Bay boat docked.
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Lunch?
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It’s hard to take a bad picture on the Island.
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Even when you’re 11 and a little leery of what’s being handed to you.
No worries, it was just beach glass.
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Back in our Rolls Royce touring sedan… T. was loving the Island experience and reiterating his desire to move to Maine.
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Which is when we drove by the only affordable fixer upper piece of real estate there.
🤣
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On the fourth day of our favorite people’s visit we headed over to the Island where I spent my adolescence.
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There’s no bridge, so a $20 round trip per person boat ticket and a $20 a day parking pass must be purchased. It’s pretty, but no one said it was cheap.
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Waiting on the mainland dock I ducked into the freight shack to check if the initials I carved on the bench in my (misspent) youth were still there.
They were, as was this.
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Russel gets around.
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On the Island we landed at the Stone Pier and rented a golf cart for the day.
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At $330 I almost choked, but walking wasn’t an option.
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Our first stop was the west end where my husband’s mother and stepfather used to live.
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He was a lobsterman and walked right across the road to work.
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You can’t beat that for a short commute.
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This sculpture wasn’t there in my day, but it’s interesting.
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Chandlers Wharf. A pier on the opposite end of the island from where we arrived. The larger Casco Bay ferry from Portland stops here.
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The Island is beautiful.
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Home to roughly 350 year round residents, the population swells to 1,600 in the summer.
Boo to that.
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At 3 1/2 miles long and 1 1/2 miles wide, you definitely feel the difference.
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To be continued….
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And on the third day, River took them to Boothbay.
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First up was our very favorite drive along the shore in East Boothbay.
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Rocky beaches, the Atlantic ocean, stunning waterfront homes …
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And the private stone chapel we’ve always admired was open to visitors.
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We’d never been inside so we had to take a peek.
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Religious places aren’t really my thing, but this one was unique.
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And you can’t beat the view out the front door.
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D.’s husband T. fell in love with Maine right after this family picture was taken.
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I believe his exact words were, “North Carolina can suck it, I’m moving to Maine.”
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It’s not hard to understand the sentiment.
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The Maine coast is pretty damn amazing if I do say so myself.
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We spent the morning leisurely strolling and took lots of photos.
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Then headed for a fabulous seafood lunch down at the harbor.
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A little shopping followed.
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A walk across the footbridge…
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More pictures.
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And I was beginning to wonder if D. would be able to get her husband back on the plane at the end of the week.
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A flight of beer for the adults at a local brewery.
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And a flight of ice cream for the peanut at a local creamery.
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A quick stop at the Revolutionary War Fort Edgecomb…
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Where G. really wanted to go in but couldn’t.
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And then we called it a day.
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Scoring one for two on the lighthouse tour, we headed for Maine’s most famous, Portland Headlight.
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With a stop at the adjacent Fort Williams park for a quick walk on the beach. .
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Up the hill, the lighthouse comes into view. Built in 1791, it’s Maine’s oldest.
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It’s easy to see why this is such a popular tourist destination.
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The views are amazing,
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And positively scream for selfies.
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The light house.
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The light, as seen in the onsite museum .
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These are the money shots.
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The ones from which picture perfect postcards are made.
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The required family shot.
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❤️
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We had 5 full days with our favorite people and needed to make the most of it. D’s husband T. and daughter G. had never been to Maine before and we wanted to give them the full immersive experience.
First stop?
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L.L. Beans.
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And the required tourist photo in front of the giant boot.
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A giant backpack had been added since my last visit so that had to be tried on for size as well.
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The L. L. Bean perpetual clock.
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If you’ve never been, the flagship stores in Freeport are worth a visit. Just remember to bring your wallet.
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Next stop? The Eastern Promenade in Portland, where you can see luxury yachts….
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And whatever the heck that is.
Speaking of yachts…
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Because everyone needs a spare.
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Damn!
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Moving on to South Portland, we visited Bug Light Park where T. was loving the ocean views.
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Bug Light.
A famous (in these parts) mini lighthouse.
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G. was fascinated with the cruise ships that are now allowed in Portland harbor.
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And took a break from walking on the rocks.
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The beach.
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The light.
Next up was Spring Point lighthouse, which the husband and I had never visited.
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We could see it… but never managed to find it.
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We followed the gps directions to the parking lot and climbed multiple hills but couldn’t find a way down.
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We walked paths that dead ended in the woods… and circled the embankment.
But still couldn’t get there.
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After half an hour of fruitless searching?
We gave up, took a few photos from a distance and moved on.
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A little history is required to fully enjoy my next series of posts.
When we lived in NC we had a neighbor. She was a single mother with two children and her daughter D. stole our hearts from day one. She was a happy little munchkin we enjoyed spending time with but when D’s baby brother stopped breathing at the babysitter’s and suffered irreparable brain damage, her life changed forever. We stepped in and helped wherever we could, taking her under wing and making sure she still enjoyed the part of her childhood untouched by tragedy. She became the child we never had… the daughter of our hearts, and we love her still.
Fast forward to present day… that young girl is 39 and married with a child of her own. We brought D to Maine with us a few times when she was young and the week after Labor Day 2024 life came full circle when she brought her family to visit the legendary land of lobster.
Meet G.
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And the lobster I gave her at the airport upon arrival, Larry.
G. is a little peanut and the granddaughter of our hearts.
The family stayed at what looked to be a cute little AirBnB on a lake.
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The view was lovely.
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But the house itself was weirdly laid out.
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No living room, a weird staircase and camp like accommodations downstairs.
Though it did come preloaded with a can of beans.
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Welcome to Maine!
Feel free to toot..
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As they’d be spending most of their time with us it wasn’t a big deal, but a tad disappointing all the same.
The first afternoon was spent settling them in, stocking the weird house with groceries and then back to our place for a home cooked lasagna dinner and happy hour in the man cave/Barn Mahal which they all fell in love with.
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Me?
I was so happy to have them here I reveled in the moment and only took one picture.
😊
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She’s still here.
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And claiming the back deck for her own.
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Surveying her domain and deciding what she can chew through next.
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Everyone thinks she’s cute and harmless…
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But I know better.
😐
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River's world..... 