Boothbay Harbor is one of our favorite spots in Maine. I fell in love with it nearly 50 years ago, the summer after high school graduation,
1969, the summer I met Larry, but that’s another story. Back to Boothbay - my Uncle Jim was a marketing rep and part of his territory was New England. He was the funny, jovial, big tease uncle of the family and fun to be around. So when he offered to take me on a New England tour for a graduation gift, I accepted. The swing through Maine was actually pretty short, but on the way to Bangor for one of his business stops, we drove down to Boothbay Harbor for lunch. It was a quiet, quaint little town back then, but the view of the harbor filled with sailboats captivated me. I had never seen anything like it, and that vision was burned in my memory. It was always my dream to return with Larry, and we did four years ago. At the time I was concerned it wouldn’t live up to my memories, but those concerns we unfounded. It was busier, but still postcard picture perfect.
So a return visit on our Maine to Montana adventure was imperative. We lucked into a great camping spot with a lakefront view at Shore Hills Campground. It made for a pleasant, relaxing week, filled with fun activities. First we got to catch up with my brother, Bob, and his wife, Bonnie, as they toured Maine for their 40thwedding anniversary. We had a nice lobster dinner (Floridians eating Maine lobster is quite entertaining) and compared traveling experiences. Glad the crazy coincidence of our paths crossing gave us the opportunity to visit in beautiful Maine.
Next, speaking of visits, we spent time with our dear friend, Bev, from Larry’s Boston Whaler days, and Chuck, her friend, who we immediately claimed as our friend as well. They treated us to a delicious, home cooked lobster dinner (it’s Maine – you eat lobster at every opportunity) complete with steamer appetizers. Chuck patiently taught me the intricacies of eating the steamers, and I actually got the hang of it after a half dozen or so (well, maybe not that quickly). We had a grand evening. The four of us also took a boat tour from Bailey’s Island around Casco Bay. It was chilly that day, but beautiful, and we enjoyed getting a different perspective of the gorgeous shoreline. Our thanks to Bev and Chuck for being wonderful tour guides!
Not by design, but fortunately, we happened to be in Boothbay during the Windjammer Days. So we spent one full day in town watching all the activities around the windjammers coming into the harbor. The weather wasn’t perfect but the sight of the big, sailing ships coming into town was.
Lastly, we made a return visit to the Maine Botanical Gardens. Since our last visit they made significant improvements so it was fun to see the changes. Also, we got to see the difference between the fall and summer gardens. Both are spectacular in their own way. I suspect it could be my happy place any time of the year!
So, it was a busy week and a terrific start to the Maine portion of our Maine to Montana Adventure!