Another Day in Camden

WEATHER:  Mostly Sunny and Warm, in the upper 70's

The Schooner Mary Day

Tuesday turned out to be a laid back, do little, kind of a day.  The day started when we arrived at the Schooner Mary Day's Dock in Camden, to greet the schooner upon its return from a 3 day sail.  It is always exciting watching Captain Barry and his crew glide this 90 foot leviathan safely up to its dock, and today was no exception.

The Camden Deli

After witnessing this monumental maritime feat we walked over to the Camden Deli, whee we again had lunch out on the deck.  We spent most of the late morning and early afternoon roaming the streets of Camden.

Jan & Curt Atop Mt. Battie

In late afternoon we drove back up to the top of Mount Battie, and spent a few hours, enjoying the breeze and the spectacular view.

Jannie at Cappy's

We completed our day by having dinner at Cappy's Chowder House on Maine Street and then returning to Appleton.

A Day in Camden

WEATHER:  Sunny and Hot in the upper 80's

Jannie and Colby, On the Trail

Well it's Monday already, day 4 of our Maine Adventure.  After getting up, we started our day with several cups of deliciously brewed coffee. Then it was into the woods where Colby, the resident Golden Lab, took us on a  hike around the property.

View From the Deck at the Camden Deli

  After returning to the house, we grabbed our gear and headed into Camden to terrorize the townsfolk, as Captain Barry, Skipper of the Schooner Mary Day would say.  We arrived in Camden around Noon, parked in our usual spot on Sea St., then walked over to the Camden Deli for lunch. Since it was such a beautiful day we opted to sit out on the deck overlooking the harbor.  Both the lunch and the view were awesome.

Camden Public Dock, Mt. Battie in the Background

Afterwards we split up,Jannie shopping and me wandering around aimlessly with my new camera,attempting to capture the sights of Camden.  When we reunited later in the afternoon we made a beeline to the Camden Sno Cone for ice cream.  We walked over to the Camden Public Dock, sat on a bench overlooking the harbor and enjoyed our treats

View of Camden Harbor From Mt. Battie

 Once the ice cream had mysteriously disappeared we walked back to Sea St. got in our car and headed over the the Camden Hills State Park, then drove to the top of Mt. Battie to enjoy the spectacular view of Camden and its harbor below.  We were able to pull ourselves a way at around 5:00 PM and we headed back to Appleton.

Travel Day

A Model of the Original L.L.Bean Store

WEATHER: Fair

Sunday had quickly arrived so we arose fairly early, repacked our gear, and checked out of the Maine Idyll.  Then it was back to Freeport in order to attend the 9:30 AM Mass at St. Jude's Roman Catholic.

After Mass, we went back to The Fresh for breakfast, which we thoroughly enjoyed.  After breakfast we made a last minute visit to several of the small shops which populate Freeport, such as The Mangy Moose, Sherman's Bookstore, and of course, the big one, L.L.Bean.

Now it was time to tear ourselves away from Freeport, and headed to Appleton, the Schooner Mary Day's Global Headquarters.

Camden Public Library

The Schooner Grace Bailey

It's about an hour and a half drive north to Camden, the Schooner Mary Day's Home Port, where we planned to stop first.  Among other things, Camden's claim to fame is that it was the location chosen for the filming of that pot boiler of a film, Peyton Place, back in the 50's. We walked around for a while, then decided to call it a day, and headed to Appleton, for another good night's sleep.

 However, before we could bed down for the night we had to take care of a little problem, the eviction of a bat that had managed to get into the house.  Jannie turned out to be the heroine of the night when she was able to single handedly capture the ferocious critter until help arrived, i.e., me.  Once on the scene I was able to restrain the beast long enough to bring him to an open window, and throw him out.  We then retired to the loft, and spending the rest of the night fearing the bat's revege.  Luckily the night passed without incident.

Our First Full Day of Vacation

WEATHER: Somewhat overcast, but pleasant



Jannie On the Prch of Cabin #1

We arose early, OK, so we got up around 8:00 AM, which really isn't that early, but we had a long day yesterday. Once up, we made the short walk to the office to partake in the complimentary continental breakfast.  However, in order to save room for our real breakfast, we had only coffee and orange juice, which we consumed while sitting out on our front porch.  Jannie, of course took the rocking chair.

We partook of our real breakfast at The Fresh Batch, a new eatery on Bow St., just a few steps from L.L.Bean.  A nice place, and we're sure we'll return; probably tomorrow.

Edgecomb Pottery, Freeport

After breakfast we had to make an emergency stop at Edgecomb Pottery, at least Jannie had assured me that it was an emergency.

Osprey at Wolfe's Neck State Park

After our emergency stop we hopped in the car and headed down Bow St. out to Wolfe's Neck State Park. Wolfe's Neck is really a great little park, bounded by Casco Bay and the Harraseeket River.  We were in luck, as toady was Osprey Observation Day. There is an Osprey nest on adjacent Googins Island and the Park Ranger had set up a viewing scope for use by the Park's visitors.
After spending considerable time spying on the recently newborn Osprey's we set out to hike our favorite trail, the Harraseeket, an incredible 1.5 miles in length. We completed our hike at around 4:30 PM, and realized that we had not had lunch.

The Muddy Rudder, Yarmouth

Jannie onthe Deck of the Muddy Rudder

 Next it was off to one of our favorite eateries, the Muddy Rudder in Yarmouth, the next town south of Freeport.  Since the evening was extremely pleasant we opted to dine on the outside deck overlooking the Harraseeket River.  A wise decision!  We both Had the filet mignon, another wise decision.

LL.Bean, Freeport

Once dinner had been completed, we headed back to Freeport, and of course L.L.Bean's, who by the way is celebrating it's 100th anniversary.

Under the Sea

Of course Jannie is always eager to get close to nature, so this evening was no exception.  After a full day of activities, we returned to the Maine Idyll for a well deserved night of sleep.

The Maine Adventure Begins

WEATHER:  Overcast and drizzle.

The Adventuresome Jan & Curt

Oplan was to depart Point Pleasant at around 4:00 AM; so much for 'the best laid plans." Unfortunately, the overnight storm, with its torrential rains had rippped the cockpit cover on Jannie's kayak to shreds, and it had to be replaced. Fortunately, we had a spare, but it took about 40 minutes of working in the dark, hanging on the side of the car to get the new cockpit cover secured. Once that was done, we were on our way at about 4:50 AM. It was still "COD", "crack of dawn as we headed north. Fortunately the trip was uneventful, and we arrived at the Cracker Barrel in Sturbridge, Massachusettes for breakfast at around 8:50 AM, so let the eating begin.

DeLorme, The Map Store

The second half of our trek north was also uneventful, no complaints there!  Before arriving in Freeport, of L.L.Bean fame, we stopped at DeLorme, the Map Store in Yarmouth where we were awed by Eartha, The World’s Largest Revolving and Rotating Globe.

 Enough culture, now off to Gritty McDuff;'s Brew Pub in Freeport, for a well deserved lunch. 

The Maine Idyll, Cabin #1

After lunch we checked in at the Maine Idyll, our Freeport "home away from home."  New additions, this year included WiFi in the cabin and a Flat Screen TV with HD service.  Now off to Beans, where we each returned a couple of items, again attesting to Bean's "unconditional guarantee. What to do next, why eat of course, so it was off to Cafe 233 in Yarmouth  for dinner.  Afterwards, we headed back to our Maine Idyll cabin, where we spent the rest of the evening watching the 2012 London Olympics in high definition.  In hindsight, today/tonight's activities sound more like a "Seinfeld" episode, rather than a vacation day, you know, a day about "nothing."  Well, can't wait to see what tomorrow brings.