(continued)

6/28/02

We got a relatively early start today in order to get seats on the whale watch tour boat that was leaving at 11:30 AM from Boothbay Harbor. The boat was called the Harbor Princess, and it was similar to the one we took to Cabbage Island.

The Harbor Princess

Along with about 30 other passengers, we set out for a three-hour tour. Having experienced the colder ocean air on our Cabbage Island tour, I was happy that I remembered an extra later of clothing this time. On our way out we saw some small whales, and after we reached their feeding ground, we saw some larger baleen whales, and various sea birds.

One of our first whale sightings.

Watching whales leaves something to be desired. They are on the surface for a few minutes. The captain tries to direct the boat closer. Then the whale dives and is out of sight for up to eight minutes. When it resurfaces, it could be hundreds of yards away, so the boat needs to be redirected. It's funny how everyone goes clambering to the sides of the boat as sightings are reported on the left and right sides of the boat. You feel the after effects of this each time as the boat teeters to adjust for the shift in weight. As each tourist scrambles with their camcorder or digital camera, you have to wonder what the whales would think if they could see us. Maybe they can.

Audra, the whale watcher.

At our furthest point we were about 26 miles off shore in the Atlantic Ocean. On our way back we saw a mother and daughter pair of baleen whales. The mother, known as Lunch, is designated by its partial dorsal fin that was chewed off by a suspected shark attack. By the time we got back to the Harbor, we were in the mood for lunch ourselves - though not whale meat.

Lunch

Audra and I were both in the mood for chowder again, but we didn't want to go back to the same place we were before. After a brief review of some of the places we hadn't tried yet, we chose Gray's, which was similar to the typical bar restaurant you'd find in Central PA. I got the shrimp basket and clam chowder, and Audra got the haddock sandwich and clam chowder. We were pleased with our meals, and the service was fine. Then again we were the only table inside, and there were only a few occupied tables on the deck.

After our late lunch we did a little more shopping in Boothbay. I had been considering the purchase of a hiking vest. I found one in Boothbay a few days earlier, but wanted to shop around first. L.L. Bean in Freeport didn't have anything, and even if they did it would have probably been overpriced. I didn't find anything anywhere else, so I picked up the one I found in Boothbay.

We picked up some fudge at the Down East fudge store. I chose Chocolate Wintergreen, and Audra got the Peanut Butter Fudge. Chocolate Wintergreen turned out to be a Pepto Bismal kind of taste, while the Peanut Butter was rather bland. As luck would have it, just as we were sitting on a bench experiencing these flavor sensations, the owner of the fudge place walked by, saw we were eating his fudge, and asked Audra, "How is it?"

"OK," she replied.

"Just OK?"

"Yeah… and the wintergreen tastes like Pepto Bismol."

"Well, that's wintergreen!" said the fudge man, as he walked off.

We didn't get a chance to tell him the Peanut Butter wasn't great either, but I doubt it would have mattered.

We came back to the cottage for more reading and writing. I spent a good bit of time down by the Myst dock, just after sunset. There was a steady breeze, which kept the bugs away, and I was able to get a few more nature shots. The best part was the piece and quiet. I probably could have stayed out there all night.

Barnicles

After studying several maps in the cottage and in our books, it appears that the body of water that is behind the cottage is Cross River, which runs in a twisted direction out to Sheepscot River.

The line made with pen designates where our cottage was.

6/29/02

This being our last full day here, we've been milking it for everything it is worth. Audra read most of the morning while I took another nature walk.

We took one last ride toward Boothbay to stop at the Army Navy store and to drop off our garbage at public works. They don't have garbage trucks here, so everyone brings their garbage and recyclables to one area where everything is split up and hauled out.

We were finally able to find Macnab's Tea Room (www.macnabstearoom.com) in Boothbay, and decided to stop there for a light lunch. The owner, Frances Anne Browne, served us and we had a great time in the very homey atmosphere.

We both ordered blueberry scones. Audra got a pot of Earl Grey, while I got the Thai tea. To our delight the Thai tea that they served was just the kind we'd been searching for to duplicate the Thai iced tea served at Thai restaurants. So after lunch we loaded up on a supply of the stuff. I also located a powdered green tea that I had been looking for. Rather than being served in a tea bag or like loose tea, it comes in a fine powder that must be whisked with a bamboo instrument.

Annie, a 12 year old terrier at the tea shop.

A quick pit stop at the music store in Wiscasset (visited earlier in our trip) and we were back to the cottage for some more reading, writing, exploring and (unfortunately) packing. The ride home was hot and stuffy, with a traffic backlog in Scranton, only an hour or so from home. We had some funky lunch at a Burger King along the way, and the bathrooms in NY and PA were less than desirable. Once we got back to Bloom, we headed for Rose Marie's, as our fridge was empty (except for some of the treats we brought back - but a blue cheese and blueberry jam sandwich weren't very appealing.

Audra calls me Pocket Man now, because of my vest. She sang it to the tune of "Rocket Man" on our way home.

Overall impressions of Maine

Public bathrooms are plentiful and fairly clean
People are laid back and generally pleasant, even when they aren't being paid to be
There's a good mix of ethnicities, as demonstrated by the many types of cuisine (Indian, Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai, Italian, Greek, Native American, Mexican, etc).
Road signs, towns, malls and attractions are well labeled.
Maine is a clean state with very good litter control.
Police presence is plentiful, both in police cars and on bicycles.
The scenery is beautiful, and the weather (at least in June) excellent for a vacation. Not at all as cold as I thought it might be.
Plastic bags at the grocery store. seem to be heavier and thicker.

What is not better in Maine (based on what we saw)
The fudge, The Thai restaurants, Turnpikes

This trip was a very much-needed break for the both of us. Maine is such an inspiring state, and the place we stayed was magical in a very simple and serene way. When we saw the cottage, we knew that we would probably spend some additional time there rather than being tourists, and we're glad we did. We may not have done all of the required attractions, but we definitely got some rest and took in the piece and quiet of the Shieling.

Had we done everything, that wouldn't have left much for the next time, which we really hope will be next year if the owners are gracious enough to give us the opportunity. Here are some more nature shots to close out our journal...

Large kelp or seaweed, complete with snails and other parasites.

I have a knack for finding bugs at awkward moments.

Our combined reading from the trip.