Friendship Sloop and more

 Today was a special sail on a 32-foot sloop (one masted) sailboat around the local harbor, bays and islands. We couldn’t have had better weather, sunny and medium wind. We had a captain/guide but John took his turn at the helm, too.

Alice is the oldest sloop made in Friendship, Maine, that is still sailing today. She was built in 1899. Her mast and bow are made from pine.

It was also a day of flowers and the first hints of fall colors in the trees.

Flowers at Jordan Pond House

Maine: Portland and Down East

 Another fantastic day of Maine tourism with two of my favorite fellow travelers.  

 

Began with morning in downtown Portland, with its hip vibe that is both contemporary and historic, with streets and architecture that dates back to the nation’s earliest roots.

We headed north on a pilgrimage to LL Bean where we checked out all the outdoor gear, bought some fun clothes, and posed with the famous duck boot.

We spent the afternoon at the coastal Maine botanical gardens in Boothbay, which is also home to the giant Danish trolls hidden among the trees. 

Soren waves hello

Birk has a branch beard

Roskya is the most thoughtful but it also kind of shy

Gro is zen-like in a yoga pose

Also dahlias

Finally, when in Maine, of course, you have to stop at a roadside eatery for crab and lobster rolls.

Good times. 

Plenty of steps.

Tomorrow Acadia National Park.

Maine: Waterville and East Pond

 Spent a warm, sunny and joyful weekend with Justin and Kate at Colby College, where Justin is a department chair in environmental sciences.  They showed us around campus, Waterville and their home, all of which are fine examples of pastoral, academic living, perfectly suited to these smart and thoughtful people.

This porch

Bridge pose

Two cent bridge, because workers used to pay two cents to cross it when walking from the town to the paper mill across the river

The paper mill, looking beautiful in silent reflection

Sunlit hair

About twenty minutes drive from Waterville is East Pond, which is actually a large lake surrounded by summer cabins and camps. In the Fifties and Sixties, my uncle Frank and aunt Fannie owned a camp lakeside called Camp Eastwood.  Several of my cousins and my grandma Rose were employed at the camp. We made a pilgrimage to see what was still there.

It appears that a theatre camp still exists in the same location.

A view of the lake from Camp Manitou

East Pond

I think Camp Manitou (below) is the neighboring parcel, but it shows how Camp Eastwood may have looked in its heyday. It must have been and still is a gorgeous place.

Cousins visit

Some family time with Marcia, Floyd and Carrie, who came to visit from New York and Florida, respectively. We're all old now, but the connections among us are still strong, despite the age and miles.