We have been blessed with the most perfect weather on this trip - so lucky! As soon as we tied up to our mooring, we headed for the grocery store which was a pretty good walk. Much of it was on a very nice bicycle and walking trail that went along the waterfront. We stocked up on a few supplies but we would be spending the next 10 days traveling away from Zendo so we didn’t need a lot.
The next day, August 17, was our 36th wedding anniversary and we had planned to go into Portland for a nice lunch or dinner. But this was the first day on our whole trip that it rained most of the day. Jonny prepared a lovely breakfast of homemade blueberry biscuits using wild Maine blueberries.
Jonny ventured out to walk Archie a few times but we mostly stayed in and were cozy all day. I managed to be somewhat productive and defrosted the freezer which has to be done every few weeks. It’s quite satisfying to see a huge sheet of ice be released! (The little things in life that can be be so enjoyable!)
We made up for our sloth the next day by having a very special celebratory lunch at a cool Portland restaurant called Central Provisions. It has very unique small plates and every item we had was delicious!
Afterwards we walked all through downtown Portland and visited the Portland Art Museum which we quite enjoyed.
We have invested in no less than five wild blueberry pies on this trip to Maine and especially loved this sweet sign!
Later in the afternoon we dinghied over to a marina in South Portland where Joe and Pat were staying. They would be leaving for their home in Falmouth, MA the next day and we’ll be joining them there in September when we all go out to the San Juan Islands in Puget Sound for an MTOA sponsored cruise. All in all, it was a very fun day!
On Friday, Stephanie and Ryan flew into Boston from Philly where Andy’s daughter Samantha picked them up. They drove to Portland and we met them for lunch at Duckfat, another delicious place to eat. Fun fact - apparently Portland has more restaurants per capita than any city in the US including San Francisco! Afterwards we picked up our Enterprise rental car (they upgraded us to a BMW at no extra charge) and drove about 90 minutes to West Paris for the wedding celebration of Chloe and JA - Chloe being Jonny’s cousins Rob and Linda’s daughter. She met JA (Jon Ander) in Spain when she was studying abroad and they have been married for 6 years but never had a proper wedding celebration with the whole family. So the weekend party was planned at Rob and Linda’s home in W. Paris. I had booked a big house on AirBnb so we could all stay there (Stephanie, Ryan, Andy, Ed, Samantha and Jonny and me). It turned out to be a historic home in a very lovely hamlet known as Paris Hill. It was next door to a beautiful stately home that had been owned by Hannibal Hamlin, Abraham Lincoln’s first Vice President. All the homes and buildings on the nearby streets were very historic and all were beautifully maintained. This little neighborhood was a surprising treat for us!
That night the family hosted a fabulous lobster dinner with all the fixings and, of course, an open bar. It was quite special as well because many of JA’s family had flown in from Spain (Bilbao and Madrid) so there was a big Spanish contingent. Some, but not all, spoke English but everyone got along swimmingly. We ate and drank and danced all night in the beautiful setting that is Rob and Linda’s home ((built by Rob) at the top of Pinnacle Mountain.
On Saturday, we hiked all around the area we were staying in and went out to lunch with more of Jonny’s cousins who had come in from Toronto and Seattle.
Later, we got ready for the actual wedding celebration. It was a lovely event with an amazing array of Spanish tapas followed by brick oven pizzas for all. Of course, all this was followed by hours of dancing and drinking. It was such a nice affair with family and friends from as far away as Seattle, Toronto and of course, Spain.
As if that weren’t enough we were all invited back for bagels and bloodies the next morning. Archie got to participate in all of it and especially enjoyed chewing on the lobster legs that were left behind!
We returned to Zendo for a few days where we did boat chores and treated ourselves to another lunch at Central Provisions. On Thursday we picked up another rental car (and got upgraded again) and drove four hours down east to Harrington, ME. We made the obligatory stop at L.L. Bean which has four or five different stores spread across several blocks in Freeport. We were good and only bought one item - a new backpack for Jonny!
Five years ago Robbie and Linda bought a waterfront lot in Harrington and they have been building a cottage there - they have literally built it themselves, furniture and all! Rob is a gifted wood sculptor and builder and had a vision for a waterfront cottage down east for many years. With the help of his family and friends he has achieved his dream! It is in a beautiful very rural setting. The shoreline is lined with huge granite outcroppings and the cottage overlooks a peaceful bay. Rob has a small sailboat, several kayaks and has rigged tie lines to make it easier to manage the very high and low tides. It’s a bucolic setting and we spent three days there hiking and exploring this beautiful, rustic part of Maine.
Jonny and Rob went sailing one day and clamming another day. We had steamers and corn on the cob and delicious vegetables from their huge garden in W. Paris. It was a wonderfully relaxing and enjoyable time and we greatly appreciate Rob and Linda’s hospitality over the course of the past week. We’re pretty sure they could use a few more days to recuperate from all their entertaining! On our last night there we watched a magnificent sunset from their shoreline perch.
On Sunday after a beautiful walk on a nearby spit of land with a crescent beach, we took our leave and headed back to Zendo. This was the last night of our wonderful visit and we only have a few more days of travel left in Maine.
