Maine - Week One

Friday, July 21, 2017 - Yesterday we saw ladies at Camden Hills State Park selling home/garden tour tickets for $40 each. Last night, Alan and Bill met a couple that have a retirement home in Searsport. So today we are taking our own home tour! Many of the houses in Maine are long - a main house with an addition that goes to a garage/barn structure. Seeing inside the houses was great.

We toured the 2 houses at the top. Then we went to the state park.

We walked the trail and it was right beside the coast. Those cool breezes always make us happy.

After our hike, we stopped at Perry's Nut House. We then went to Wild Cow Creamery for ice cream. Alan and Bill discovered the "Sunny Skies" flavor which is made just once a year. It is a lemon and blueberry combo. It is delicious. Alan and I shared a cone yesterday, but today I got my own!

Alan and Bill went to a festival in Bucksport with free music. They weren't terribly impressed with Bucksport, but they did get to see the Penobscot Narrows Bridge lit up at night!

Thursday, July 20, 2017 - 

Camden Hills State Park - what a view

On the tower at Camden Hills State Park

Owls Head Lighthouse

The views around Owls Head Lighthouse. It was much cooler here on the coast than it was on the mountain.

Here we are relaxing in lobster trap chairs!

After our day of playing tourist, we came back to Belfast for ice cream and a walk in the park by the harbor. After a dinner of cheese and crackers, Diane and I stayed in while the boys went out for another evening with free music in the park. I am so glad that our friends are here. Bill can go with my energizer bunny husband and Diane will stay with me.

Wednesday, July 19, 2017 - The chilly morning started with fog, but it burned off and we had a gorgeous day. It was another one of those perfect days that we have so enjoyed on this trip. We left Belfast and headed south. We traveled to Rockland to see where Alan and I stayed 2 years ago. We turned around and made our first stop at Breakwater Light.

Top left - the fog on the horizon of the coast as we arrived. Top right - walking to the lighthouse which is barely visible at the end because of fog. Bottom - walking back to shore.

On the rocks and landing around the Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse.

Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse

Rockport, Maine and Andre the Seal. To learn about Andre, click here.

Road sign - Camden on one side; Rockport on the other side.

The Camden Library - In the children's section, you can look up to the glassed gazebo that is outside above ground. I stood in the library and took Diane's picture as she peered in the window. Very cool.

Across the street from the library, we found an excellent spot to rest. The bench was in a canopy of shade. The view was the harbor. It was spectacular.

Our Airbnb host recommended a place in Lincolnville to get lobsters. So we ordered 4 and picked them up for supper. A perfect ending to the day - except for Bill who went a little green when he saw the inside of a lobster. I wish I had a picture of that!

Tuesday, July 18, 2017 - We are off on another adventure . . . Bar Harbor, Acadia, and Fort Knox.
The day was cloudy and we saw a lot of fog, but that made for beautiful scenery too.

We walked the Shore Path. It has a rocky shoreline. The cool breezes from the water combined with the cloudy, foggy day made a jacket feel cozy.

Fun was had by all.

On our way back to Belfast, we stopped at Fort Knox. Diane and I toured the fort while the boys went to the top of the Penobscot Narrows Bridge. It has an observatory at the top and is the tallest public bridge observatory in the world.

Monday, July 17, 2017 - We had another morning of leisure time. Not rushing and no alarm clocks makes us all very happy. After dining on bisquits with sausage gravy on our porch, Alan and Bill went on a hike while Diane and I went to town and visited all the shops.

Alan and Bill went to Sears Island - the largest uninhabited island on the east coast. They walked the "Blue Trail".

Diane and I visited the shops and ate lunch at our "home". Then I went on a walk around the block. The houses near us are gorgeous. It was all I could do to not knock on the doors to ask for tours. Several are B&Bs. We met at the library for a period of quiet and relaxation. The photo on the bottom right is the reading room at the library.

Alan and Bill ate ice cream at the Purple Cow. We all met up at the waterfront. to look at this view. Wow.

Sunday, July 16, 2017 - We got up and attended First Baptist Church. It was less than a block away. Everyone was very friendly. It was a small congregation with a big heart.

Church pictures at the top. Where we are staying at the bottom. We are loving our porch!

After church, we took a walking tour. There are plaques with historical facts throughout the town. We picked up a map at the museum. (To see where we are walking and what we are viewing, click here.) We didn't make it to all 30 stops, but we have time to do it later if we wish. We ended up back at the Celtic Festival on the waterfront where they were having Highland games. We ate from a food truck and sat at a picnic table by the water watching the sailboats come in and out of the marina. It was a great way to spend the afternoon.

At the Celtic Festival on the waterfront.

We came "home", cooked dinner, and ate on the porch. We are really enjoying Belfast.

Saturday, July 15, 2017 - We traveled from PEI to Belfast, Maine. We were packed! And we forgot Alan's stuff from the pantry - oatmeal, honey, protein bars, wine. Oops. We drove over 6 hours and arrived at another marvelous location. We unpacked and strolled through the area. We ate supper at Darby's Restaurant - built in 1865 and has been a bar or restaurant since that time. Very cool.

Alan and Bill went out in the evening for the Celtic festival music in the park and fireworks.

Upper left - Diane and I barricaded in the backseat.
Upper right - One more stop at the popular Tim Horton's. They are on every other corner.
Bottom - We arrived in Belfast, unpacked, and went on a walk to familiarize ourselves with the area. The waterfront is just down the hill and there was a Celtic festival in the park.