On to Baltimore

Starting Data
Mileage:   66, 210 miles
Time:  8:10
Weather:  48º and partly cloudy
Book:  Pops


Dave ate breakfast at the motel.  He said it was good and quite crowded.  He took the first load of "stuff" down to the car and then we took the rest of the our things down later, and avoided the need for the luggage cart.  Dave loaded things into the convertible and walked around and completed the check-out.  We left the motel and filled the car and then headed on our way.


Our drive along the NY Thruway had some beautiful scenery--lots of deciduous trees and some just beginning to show some fall colors.  We could catch a glimpse of the Catskills Mountains which made us both think back to comedians who made their names there--Shecky Green, Norm Crosby, Buddy Hackett, BUrns and Rossi, Alan King and other folks that we grew up seeing the The Tonight Show and The Merv Griffin Show.  


We passed a sign for the KOA campground in Newburgh/New Paltz.  That has good memories for us.  Elizabeth, we celebrated your birthday there with beef and noodles during our trip to Maine.  Do you remember that?  Our campsite was in a really forested area.


We took about a 10-minute stretch just before we got to New Jersey.  We entered the "Garden State" at 10:35.  Our GPS took us on an "unusual" route.  Rather than just getting on the Parkway we drove on Hwy 17 and somehow on I-80 before we finally got on the NJ Turnpike (I-95).  It was making us both nervous as all the signs made us think that we were heading for New York City instead of the Turnpike.


We stopped again for about a 30-minute lunch and stretch spot along I-95.  Dave ate at a Dick Clark's American Bandstand Grille.  Dave had a patty melt and fries.  It was done just right--You know--The right crunch to the bread when you bite into it.  I had a cup of tea.  We were back on the road at 12:30.  The air felt much different when we left.  There was a cool gusty breeze and the sky had become completely overcast.


We encountered some road construction and watched in amazement as cars would dart in and around between one another as if any lane was moving more than 2 mph.  Road weary, we stopped at the Clara Barton Service Plaza for about 20 minutes.  Dave got some coffee and we sat outside and just enjoyed the people-watching.


We crossed into our most expensive state.  Good old Delaware.  We entered at 2:15 and exited at 2:35.  During that time we paid $8 in tolls.  I think they got their money's worth out of us.  We finally saw a sign proclaiming that Baltimore was approaching.  We got to Dave's brother Bob's house at 3:45.


It was so good seeing Bob and his oldest son, Sean.  Zach, his youngest son, was busy on campus.  We visited and then all piled into the convertible.  (Dave and I in the backseat.)  Bob drove us to a very cool grocery store, which was great fun.  After the 4 of us walked around with our mouths hanging open at all the cool stuff, we picked up what we needed and headed back to the house.  Bob grilled chicken for supper.


After supper Dave and Bob played "dueling i-pods."  What a hoot.  The music was amazing and we listened until well after 2.  (That explains why I didn't post yesterday!)

Travel Day--Spruce Head to Latham, NY

Starting Data
Mileage:  65,854
Time:  7:20
Weather:  44º and sunny
Book:  Pops


Today was our "5 state day."  We traveled through Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and into New York.  


First, I want to share with you 3 sitings that cracked us up.  Unfortunately, I don't have pictures for any of them, so use your imaginations :)


"New 2-year stamp required to use transfer station.
  NO TICKY--NO DUMPY"


Picture a brown Smart Car.  Got it?  OK, now add 2 fuzzy dog ears on top and a fuzzy tail attached to the back.  This is the car for Thomaston's Humane Society.  We spotted it yesterday, sans ears and tail, in Rockland, and this morning--with ears and tail--sitting in front of the Community Center.


A sign overhead on I-95S as you enter New Hampshire announcing:  "New Hampshire State Liquor Store and Lottery Sales.  Next Right.  Open Sundays!"  They weren't kidding.  There was an enormous red building immediately off the interstate.  Seemed like a bad idea for a liquor store location to us.


Today's drive was not very exciting.  We took a 20-minute stretch break around 9:30 at the Kennebunk S Service Plaza.  Dave grabbed some breakfast at Burger King and some coffee at Starbucks.  (Thanks, Amber!)  I had eaten at the cottage before we left.  We got back into the car and continued our journey.  


We were very briefly in New Hampshire.  (Not enough time to enjoy a lovely beverage at the N.H. State Liquor Store or to buy a lottery ticket.  Dave did rename this stretch of our trip as The Foster Brooks Freeway.)  We entered the state at 10:17 and were in Massachusetts at 10:30.  Our route took us on an east to west trek through much of the state.  We did not go south towards Boston, however.  We stopped at what was purported to be a "Rest Area--Visitor Center--Information Center."  Ugh.  Bathrooms were dirty, toilet paper was scarce, graffiti was abundant, no soap and blow dryers that gave a weak puff of cold air before quitting altogether.  We were only out of the car for about 10 minutes or so.  You could see where there had been a visitor center/information center.  They had vending machines covering one of the window areas and the other side was boarded up.  Guess the state budget in Massachusetts did not budget for that rest area!


We were surprised by Worcester.  We just went along the edge, but you could see an impressive skyline.  We drove past an area that was still in use filled with old brick buildings used for manufacturing.  There were some beautiful church spires (That's tall-pointy things to you, Lauren!) and some substantial buildings on the campus of Holy Cross.  The scenery along the Massachusetts Turnpike was lovely.  We drove through densely forested areas with deciduous trees just beginning to turn color.  It was quite hilly.  The traffic zoomed past us at an alarming speed.  We were going 67 mph, just a tad above the posted speed limit, and you would have thought that we were moving at 35 mph.  We also were unable to get into the correct lane to pick up the ticket for the Turnpike.  So instead of it costing us $1.70 it cost us $3.80.  It was less than we had anticipated.  


We stopped again around 12:30 at the Ludlow Plaza Service Center for a much needed break from  traffic and a stretch.  Dave had a terrific lunch at a Boston Market.  It was nice for him to have some "real food" as opposed to what is the usual road-fare along the interstate.  


As we neared New York we saw signs for both Tanglewood and for The Berkshires.  Maybe someday--not this trip.  We entered New York at 1:55.  We are staying tonight at a La Quinta in Latham, NY--a suburb of Albany.  We drove through a beautiful little hamlet named Loudonville a part of the municipality of Colonie, right after we exited the interstate.  There were beautiful old mansions along both sides of the street.  We got to our stop at 3.


Tonight we ate supper at the Latham 76 Diner.  It was nothing fancy, but the food was good and plentiful.  I was able to have broiled scallops and a nice green salad, so all was good.  Dave had a Greek spinach pie.  Now, we just have to try to stay awake and let it digest!  Our drive tomorrow is about five and a half hours.

Our Last Day at the Cottage

It has been a bittersweet day.  Neither one of us are ready to leave our cottage!  The last time we were here, we stayed for two weeks.  The good part of staying for only a week was that it forced us to really prioritize what we wanted to do.  The bad part of staying for only a week was that being on this time frame meant that scheduling time to just "be" was limited.  We had really thought that we'd go back to Acadia this trip and didn't make it.  Guess that means that the next time we come, we'll have to make sure we go.


It has been quite chilly here today.  While the air temperature is 55º, the 'feels like' temperature is in the upper 40's.  We made a trip into Rockland this morning to do laundry.  (I HATE not having a washer/dryer.)  It didn't take us long to accomplish that job.  The next thing was to walk the breakwater leading out to the Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse.  This walk is 4,300 feet long and is constructed of 732,277 TONS of granite.  Isn't that amazing?  The walk is perfectly level, but you do have to pay attention because you are walking on enormous slabs of granite that have been fit together to form the walkway.  When you realize that this was construction was started in 1881 and completed in 1899 and that it is still absolutely plomb is quite incredible.  The walk out was windy, but nothing like the walk back!  Dave estimated that there were wind gusts around 25 mph.  We both wished that we had stuck kleenex into our pockets by the time we got back.

This afternoon was spent repacking suitcases and organizing things for our departure tomorrow.  We did manage to find time to order two (2) more 1.5 pound lobsters for our supper tonight.  This time we got the hard-shelled lobsters.  Here is our opinion:  We definitely could taste a difference.  The soft-shelled lobsters (shedders) were sweeter and easier to crack.  There was more meat with the hard-shelled lobsters.  The meat was not as sweet, but had a wonderful texture--a bit more firm than last night's feast.  Dave had a bowl of haddock chowder to round out his meal that we got from the Keag Store (pronounced 'gig').  It smelled delicious.  I had a big green salad--using up the last of the romaine, the last bit of tomato, the last bit of cucumber and the last lemon wedge from the fridge.  


We decided on a whim to visit a private beach here after supper tonight.  Now remember, here on the coast of Maine the word 'beach' does not refer to white sand, but instead it refers to rocks!  It took us awhile to reach our destination.  (Turns out that we went much farther than we needed to and totally missed the driveway leading to the beach.)  We scrambled through some pine trees and found a way down to the rocks.  We crawled around, admired the colors of the sunset on the water, and then headed back towards Sprucy.  We were delighted to find some art "compositions" hidden amongst the trees and moss.  Clearly there is someone with an artistic flair that enjoys creating little objects of art from rocks, seashells, twigs and moss.  I wish the light had been better--it was getting dark--and we would have taken a few more pictures.  

We did get some nice shots of our last sunset at Sprucy.  We leave here with wonderful memories.  We hope to come back.

Tomorrow we are heading out from here and stopping at Moody's Diner.  I plan to eat breakfast here before we leave and have tea there while Dave will save his breakfast for Moody's.  I think we will also try to stop at Reid State Park about an hour from here.  It is a beautiful spot and one that we have fond memories of visiting the last time we were here five years ago.

Tomorrow night we are staying near Albany, NY in a place called Latham.  Then Sunday it is on to Baltimore to spend a few days with Dave's brother, Bob.  We are really looking forward to seeing him.

A Foggy Day in Rockland-town

Sunset at Seal Harbor last night

We awoke this morning to a thick fog that didn't lift until the middle of the afternoon.  It didn't matter a bit.  Today was going to be a Rockland day.  Rockland is a small community close to us.  I ate my breakfast here at the cottage so that I could stay on my plan.  We drove into one of our favorite restaurants called The Brass Compass. 
 This is a great little spot that is popular with the locals.  I had some tea and Dave had the "Seaweed Omelet." This is a beautiful omelet that is filled with fresh spinach--not actually filled with seaweed.  It came with a raspberry muffin that they 


actually slice and "grill."  The grilling amounts to warming it up.  It also came with potatoes that they called American fries.  Dave said they were delicious, but they weren't the American fries that we think of, more like breakfast potatoes.

We wandered down the street and stopped in a couple of shops.  One of them is a great kitchen shop that also has cool toys.  Dave found the stacking clowns that he remembered from growing up.  This was a toy that he played with at his  Hummel grandparent's house.  When he first described them to me, I couldn't remember them at all.  However, as soon as we saw them I realized that not only did I recognize them, but that we had them when we were growing up at my house as well.

From there we headed to a very cool store called Fiore--Artisan Olive Oils and Vinegars.

  Picture this--The store is filled with what looks like stainless steel coffee urns.  Each one is labeled with the type of either olive oil or balsamic vinegar.  We wandered through and got to sample.  I would stick my fingertip into our tasting cup and take just a tiny taste.  

They had little pieces of bread that you could use to see how things tasted that way as well.  We chose 2 different oils:  Butternut Squash--Yum!  There is a hint of cashew and toasted sesame, but it is actually made from the first pressing of butternut squash seeds.  The other choice was Meyer Lemon Extra Virgin Olive Oil.  This has a really bright flavor and is made from olives and Meyer lemons.  It is going to be delicious on salads, fish and chicken.  We also bought 2 different aged balsamic vinegars.  We opted to buy the "younger" balsamic vinegars, the ones aged 12 years as opposed to 35 years.  The first choice was Blueberry Balsamic which was really delicious.  The woman that waited on us said that it makes a delicious dressing when paired with the Meyer Lemon EVOO.  We also bought what is called Aged Premium Balsamic.  It also has a really rich flavor and is suggested with salads and as a marinade.  Once you choose what you want, they fill the bottle right there in front of you.  We chose the small bottles rather than the large ones.  It was surprisingly reasonably priced.




We headed back home after our stroll through Rockland.  The sky opened up just as we got close to the car.  We drove home in a steady rain.  It quit just as we got back to the cottage.
Later in the afternoon, the wind changed direction bringing with it a very unpleasant diesel smell. We went outside to discover that a lobster boat was being removed from the harbor by a large crane. Yesterday, we had seen a boat being towed in by another and wondered if this was the same boat. At any rate, it was quite a production. 


  We knew that we wanted to have lobster here at the cottage tonight.  There is a large lobster company just down the block from us--Atwood Lobster Company.  In the past,  they sold to the public as well as wholesale.  They were bought by another company in May.  I talked to the woman in the office and she directed us to another seafood company very close to us called Maine Coast Seafood.  I called and talked to a very friendly young woman who cheerfully said that she would have two (2) pound and a half soft-shelled lobsters steamed and ready for us at 5.  (Those 2 lobsters cost us a total of $17.  Can't beat it with a stick, can you?)


Here is your lobster lesson for today:
Soft-shelled lobsters are also called "shedder lobsters" because they have just molted or shed their old shell so that they can begin growing their new larger shell.  The meat is supposed to be sweeter.  The downside is that there can also be less meat.  So, the plan is to have lobster again tomorrow night.  We'll have hard-shelled lobsters tomorrow night and do a comparison.  See the sacrifices we are making in order to keep you well informed?!?



Since you weren't here to enjoy the lobster with us, we took some pictures so that you could see our feast!

The morning view from our front window at Sprucy.

St. George's Peninsula

We headed out this morning towards St. George's Peninsula.  Before we got really underway we detoured through the village of Spruce Head.  There we saw a beautiful little house on Patten Point with beautiful views of Seal Harbor and direct access to the waterfront.  It was for sale.  "Isn't that a perfect spot?" we marveled.  We could have our own Maine "compound" so to speak.  We even had chosen a name--Barnacle Head--in honor of a former student, who when angered would repeat Spongebob Square Pant's favorite insult, "Barnacle head, Barnacle head."  It never failed to crack us up.  So, on a whim we checked the price online.  It was listed for $595,000.  So, guess who is not moving to Spruce Head?  That would be us!  To see the real estate listing click HERE.

We hopped back into our convertible, both enjoying another sunny day that allowed for a top-down drive, and headed once again towards St. George's Peninsula.  Today was another one of our favorite drives.  We passed through the small villages of Long Cove, Tenant's Harbor, Martinsville and then arrived at our destination--Port Clyde.  Our family has a connection with Port Clyde.  When we came here in the mid 90's with Christopher and Elizabeth and our neighbors, Al, Denise and Kelsey, we came to Port Clyde and fell in love with the place.  Dave's parents knew a family whose last name is Dalyrumple, who were long-time residents and who had some small seaside cottages that they rented.  Dave's parents, George and Elaine, spent a lovely vacation in one of those cottages, enjoying the scenery and the solitude.  Today we spent about an hour sitting on the rocks at Marshall Point Lighthouse.  The tide was just starting to come in and our "rock spot" was perfect for enjoying the sights, sounds and smells of the ocean.

After a little over an hour we decided that we'd head to a little spot we had heard of called Doug's Seafoods just outside of Port Clyde for lunch.  What a hoot.  This little roadside spot is truly located in the owner's front yard.  It's just a tiny little spot where you can order your lunch either to eat there or to go.  We chose to eat there and picked out one of the picnic tables and savored our lobster!  We both had lobster rolls (mine without the bun!).  The lobster was really fresh and sweet.  Loved every single bite!

We decided that on the way home we'd try to find a hardware store.  Dave wanted to pick up something to clean the front wheels on the convertible.  The brake pads are very soft and they "shed" for lack of a better explanation, black dust.  No luck finding a hardware store, but we did stop at a local garage. The guy there used some compressed air and blew the dust off the wheels and also looked at the brakes.  He told Dave that they were fine for now, but that he suggested having our mechanic take a look when we got back home.  The rotors are wearing down in back.  He also sprayed the front brakes with a compound called Brake Quiet, which he said should stop the occasional squeal.  

When we got back to the cottage it was time to relax.  Dave laid down and took a nap.  I stretched out on the couch and read my book.  Currently, we have the deck door open and are listening to the waves and the gulls.  The breeze is quite cool tonight.  It was warm today--in the 70's--but tomorrow is supposed to be cooler with rain in the afternoon and evening.  That should work out just fine for us.  I think the plan is to go to Rockland in the morning and walk the breakwater out to the Rockland Lighthouse.

Traveling to Some of Our Favorite Places

Starting Data
Mileage:  65,517 start.  (212 miles driven today)
Time:  9:15
Temperature:  65º
Weather:  "Froggy" day--overcast with fog--followed by crystal clear skies


Today we traveled to some of our favorite spots.  For those of you that are map readers this was today's route:  We traveled north on Hwy 1 to Bucksport.  Here are a couple of pictures of the stunning bridge to Bucksport. It is made to look like a pair of sails and is lit at night.

Then headed south on Hwy 15 through Blue Hill, Sargentville, Deer Isle, Sunset and Stonington.  Our route home we traveled again on Hwy 15 north to Hwy 175 and then south to Brooklin and then north back to Blue Hill Falls where we redid our route back home.

Beautiful downtown Stonington, ME

Favorite signs of the day:  Bait's Motel 
                                             Nervous Nelly's Jams and Jellies


We ate lunch today at The Fisherman's Friend in Stonington.  We both enjoyed "naked" lobster (lobster unadorned with mayo).  I had a beautiful spinach salad topped with lobster and Dave had a lobster roll (think toasted hot dog bun filled with beautiful hunks of lobster).  


 Once again, I am going to let the pictures tell most of the story today.  

Causeway drive near Stonington

Beautiful old bridge to Deer Isle, ME
(This is where musician Dan Fogelberg
spent the last years of his life.)

Foggy harbor at Stonington, ME

Caterpillar Hill near Blue Hill, ME

View from Caterpillar Hill of the bridge to Deer Isle
peeking through the fog.

All of the above are from Caterpillar Hill. Looks like a
VanGogh painting...

A Morning in Maine

I am going to let the pictures tell the story today.  We left Sprucy, our cottage, and drove to Rockland.  We spent the morning on a 55' ketch called A Morning in Maine.  The sail was incredible and the scenery was perfect.  It was a warm and sunny morning.  

Kathi not falling off the boat

Sea-going flatlander with view of Rockland Breakwater light 

Cap'n Dave and Captain Bob on the Morning in Maine

Osprey on nest on top of this floating tank.

Camden, ME harbor

After we finished the sail we had lunch in Camden at Cappy's Chowder House, a spot that we visited 5 years ago.  This time we sat upstairs overlooking the harbor and marina.  

Lunchtime view of Camden harbor from Cappy's

Dave had a seafood stew that looked and smelled amazing.  I had a small salad with a bit of grilled salmon.  The best part of lunch was smelling Dave's beer.  Yes, you read that correctly.  He had their "beer of the day" which was Bar Harbor Blueberry Ale.  It smelled for all the world like blueberry muffins.  He said it was really tasty. 

We stopped at the public library.  This is still one of the most beautiful libraries we have ever been to.  The flower garden by their outdoor reading area was beautiful.  There was a cute little puppy resting on the bench while his owner went inside.  Across the street is a beautiful view of Camden Harbor and the marina.  

Beached whale at Camden harbor