Day Eight - Ogunquit, Maine

Hi everyone - I woke up to another beautiful & crisp autumn morning, and after my "complimentary" breakfast of the most delicious quiche & right out of the oven coconut muffin, and a quick reading of the Boston Herald to catch up on the news (front page focused on the nonsense about the criticism of President Obama's A+ motivational speech to our school children) I set off for the nearby town of Ogunquit.

Heading south of town, I saw a sign for Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, and turned into the parking lot. Since the light was particularly beautiful this morning, I knew I'd be likely to get some
good photos. (quiz - who is Rachel Carson?)

The refuge stretches along 50 miles of Maine's coastline and was established in 1966"to protect valuable salt marshes and estuaries for migratory birds". The Carson Trail is a one-mile loop that meanders through pine woods and offers beautiful views of expansive, tidal salt marshes. OK, I won't keep you wondering any longer: Rachel Carson was a world-renowned marine biologist who through summering in Southport, Maine as a child, became particularly interested in the beach and it's tide pools. She is famous for having written a book called "Silent Spring" (1962) where she linked the unrestrained use of post-World War II chemical pesticides with fearsome, biological consequences. The government pressured her to abandon her research, but she perservered...and we all can be grateful for that.

Resuming my travels to Ogunquit I thought I would never make it to this lovely little town, as the drive along Route 9 is simply lined with art galleries, and huge barn size antique stores. At the first barn called Antiques on Nine, I literally could have taken out a second mortgage and purchased half the store!! Colleen would still be there...I must say I was in there for well over a couple of hours myself. But as I am in the downsizing stage of life, I had to be disciplined and move on my way - but not without making my souvenir purchases for my neighborhood lady friends!!!

Back I get on the road for another 15 minutes, and I finally enter Ogunquit, which is a town similar to Kennebunkport but smaller...the real attraction here is Perkins Cove and Marginal Way, a mile long scenic cliff-walk that winds its way along the ocean. There are plenty of stone benches for one to rest on to take in the view, read a book, or just relax. At one turn I looked down on the rocky beach and someone had built over 20 tall towers of rocks... I attached a photo. It looked like a fun project and I would have liked to join them! On the one side of Marginal Way is the ocean and on the other side are big private homes. While the ocean is a beautiful scene, I will say that it is a junior cousin to California's Monterey or Big Sur.

During my peaceful walk amongst nature at it's finest, I received a phone call from Bill (who is doing an exceptional job holding down the fort at home I must say) reporting that he took Willie to the ENT and he has a terrible ear infection. For some reason his ear bothered him 2 days ago and he did the smart thing by going next door to Auntie Teresa's for some medical advice, but then yesterday when Cary suggested to take him to Disneyland for the day miraculously his ear was FINE! But alas today it was hurting, so now he is on antibiotics and can't fly back to school until FRIDAY...sooooooo I'm in Maine for another full day on my own. Oh I have a lot planned...but I digress.

After a quick tour of the little Ogunquit Museum of American Art and it's wonderful outdoor sculpture garden (see the tall wooden horse photo ), I drove back to Kennebunkport, but not without stopping for dinner at a homemade ice cream store where I ate 2 scoops of cappuchino crunch in a fresh waffle cone. It was a delicious dinner, and very healthy.

Maybe it was the sugar in the ice cream but I got lost finding my way back to the hotel but ended up fortuitously at Cape Porpoise just as the light over the bay was at it's most dramatic. There were many people relaxing on the deck at restaurant Pier 77, watching the red and
orange sunset. I on the other hand decided I had better get back to the hotel before it was dark and I'd really be lost, so I headed back after getting directions, making one quick stop for a visit at the local Franciscan Monastery which holds outdoor services on Sunday under a stone Madonna lit up with Christmas tree lights.

After coming out of my sugar induced stupor and realizing that an ice cream cone is not a proper dinner after all, I stopped at The Clam Shack where the Bush's longtime chef orders all his seafood (according to the magazine article prominently posted on the door). I felt much better after a basket of fried shrimp and side of cole slaw - forgoing the french fries naturally.

So I arrived back at the hotel safe & sound, and checked in on the home front to see how Griffy's first day of school went at HW as a Junior ("fine...I gotta go"), how Willie was feeling (Anne dropped off Matzo Ball soup), how Lulu was adjusting at BC ("Mom you won't believe it - my psychology teacher looks just like Colleen! She was wearing a fancy black dress, and fancy black shoes, and has lots of blond hair"), how Cary survived a full day at Disneyland with Willie yesterday ("When can we go again?"), how the doggies and kitties were (after a visit from Brad Nelson, the carpet cleaner), and finally how Bill was holding up ("Great!"). I know exactly what my FULL day tomorrow will consist of...a visit to the BIG CITY. What big city? You'll have to log on tomorrow to find out... (but then you would anyway)

Did you know:
Margaret Chase Smith (1897 -1995) the first woman elected to both houses of Congress, was born in Skowhegan, Maine
Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller (1908 - 1979...and we remember where HE died) former NY Gov & VP of the U.S. was born in Bar Harbor, Maine
Stephen King (1947 - ) writer whose novels often were made into major motion pictures (The Shining, Carrie, Pet Sematary...)
was born in Portland, Maine
Percy Lebaron Spencer (1894 - 1970) inventor of the Microwave oven, was born in Howland, Maine