Last college drop-off in Maine!

All good things come to an end!  I don't mean to sound gloomy (because  in the words of W. Eugene Smith: " Every horizon, upon being reached, reveals another beckoning in the distance.  Always, I am on the threshold".) I'm just a bit  melancholic!  Last September marked the last college drop-off of our youngest at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine.  As had become our tradition we spent a few days vacationing in the area.  My husband plans these trips and they are always sublime and filled with delightful surprises.  

It's naturally very hectic on drop-off day and there is way too much stuff (girls!) to gather at the storage facility, unload and  lug up the stairs.  We therefore never venture out very far but spend the first night in nearby Portland to gather our wits, get over the fast good-byes (very one-sided), stroll around, relax and find a good place to eat.  

This year we didn't stay in Maine but travelled to Portsmouth, New Hampshire and then on to Rockport, Massachusetts.  Here are a few scenic photos!

Mural in Portland, Maine.

View from pool of Wentworth by the Sea, New Castle, New Hampshire.

View from Wentworth by the Sea, New Castle, New Hampshire.

Late afternoon view of harbor of Rockport, Massachusetts.

Twilight just before sunrise over the harbor of Rockport, Massachusetts.

Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport, Massachusetts.

Rockport sailboats in the twilight.

World's most celebrated fishing shack (Motif Number 1) photographed from the "wrong" side, on Bradley Wharf in Rockport, Massachusetts.

World's most celebrated fishing shack (Motif Number 1) photographed from the "right" side, on Bradley Wharf in Rockport, Massachusetts.

"Decorated" side of the world's most celebrated fishing shack (Motif Number 1) on Bradley Wharf in Rockport, Massachusetts.

Gallery display on Main Street, Rockport, Massachusetts.

Back view of Bearskin Neck in Rockport, Massachussetts.

Storefront with lantern display for Rockport's Illumination Weekend.

North Shore Kayak on Tuna Wharf in Rockport, Massachusetts.

Fishermen's boats on Bradley Wharf in Rockport, Massachusetts.

The Atlantic Path from Rockport to Halibut Point State Park, Massachusetts.

House on Ocean Avenue in Rockport, Massachusetts.

Lobster boat heading straight into the sunrise in Rockport, Massachusetts.

All good things must come to an end but in the words of W. Eugene Smith:  " Every horizon, upon being reached, reveals another beckoning in the distance.  Always, I am on the threshold". 

Previous Maine blog:  www.marleenvandenneste.com/blog/maine

More Maine photos here: https://marleenvandenneste.smugmug.com/Places/Maine

Sunrise, food and serenity in Maine

Summertime in DC, a time I always wish I was somewhere else!  Since I just started a new job I couldn't go back home to the Netherlands for a visit this summer.  I'm therefore very much looking forward to a short trip coming up soon to one of my favorite places:  Maine!  We've been making this trip the past three years to drop off our youngest at college near Portland and this will be her last year!  My husband is the planner and he is very good at that.  Ever since our honeymoon he keeps most of it a surprise and I have never been disappointed!  

Last year we went to Bar Harbor, a town surrounded by Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island.  Everything about this trip was magical. We were staying in a place overlooking the Gulf of Maine and woke up to the most spectacular sunrises. Within a few minute timespan the view on the left, then on the right and then back to the left would be like this:

Usually, when we travel, we have a simple breakfast, some fruit for lunch and then feast in the evening.  My husband is the mastermind behind our dinner plans and finds us the most perfect little restaurants, shacks, diners and dives although I certainly have a say in that too (last photo in this series).

The ambiance at one restaurant in particular was spectacular.  Seafood being cooked in this shack, was brought up by runners (literally ) to the restaurant uphill or to the brave souls at the tables on the water's edge (it was somewhat cold!).  The food was mouthwatering good.  I had lobster of course!

It's all about seafood in Maine.  And  fishers start at a very young age!

I need peace and quiet at times.  Always have!  Growing up in the Netherlands I spent a lot of time on and by the water and so naturally I'm drawn to the serenity in Maine.  

I'll finish here with this final image that was actually not taken in Mount Desert Island but rather in Boothbay Harbor and is part of a series  "Fog in Boothbay Harbor".