For the first time since summer of 2019, Mer and I were able to go home to Maine. A quick summary of our travels:

Sunday – We left Ohio Sunday morning, going as far as Manchester, Vermont. Manchester, like most of Vermont, is beautiful, nestled between two mountain ranges (the Green Mountains and the Taconic Mountains). We ate at Ye Olde Tavern (from 1790), but since they asked us to come back in fifteen minutes, we wandered the town, going down to the small river and falls. Along the way, we saw what looked to be a large pink-wire art installation taking up most of a two-story building. When we looked in the windows, we saw five kitties lounging around – it turns out the owner takes in found cats and lets them live in the building. Very cute.

Monday – We toured Hildene, the summer home of Robert Todd Lincoln. The house was large and elegant, but not huge. The gardens were pretty, especially with the mountains in the background. We also toured the Hildene farm, petting an enormously fluffy Angora rabbit. We left around 2:00 and went the rest of the way home to Livermore Falls.

Tuesday – We hiked nearby Mt. Pisgah with my stepmom Kellee. It has a fire tower at the top, and the views over the lakes and hills are worth the climb. Mer and I then headed to Lewiston/Auburn to eat at one of my favorite places to eat anywhere, Roy’s Hamburgers (and it was the ice cream stand branch, so I could get a frappe (shake) there!). After lunch, we met my brother Jeremy, who works for Bates, who then gave us a tour of the college, which I’m not sure I had ever gotten. It is a harmonious brick-building campus, with one large quad. They have done a lot despite being locked in by the city all around. Mer and I then did a short hike in a bird sanctuary in Lewiston about which I had never known.

Wednesday – Kellee, Meredith, and I went to the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, which, not surprisingly, is on the coast, or, more accurately, on a tidal river near the coast. Mer and I had been to the garden a few years ago, but it is a very pretty place to be, and since we were last there, the garden has added five huge wooden trolls designed by a Danish artist. Those were super cool, especially the ones holding full-sized trees. We spent about five hours there.

Thursday – Mer and I had a mellow day, getting massages at The Senator Inn in Augusta. If you get any spa services, you can use the spa facilities for the entire day, so we used the saltwater pool and the hot tub, and read our books for several mellow hours. We then went candlepin bowling (I managed an 81 for a high score), and finished the day by seeing an English translation of a Moliere play based on a Greek myth (Amphitryon) at the local Theater at Monmouth. The play was about Jupiter and Mercury taking on the forms of two humans so that Jupiter could sleep with the man’s wife. Since there were two doubles in the play, mistaken identity ensues. It was fun, even if Jupiter came across as REALLY creepy.

Friday – Mer and I went to Rockland, which is where, in past years, we spent many happy days visiting Mer’s grandfather Carleton, who passed away in 2017. We visited the graves of Mer’s parents and grandparents, then drove by the old house (largely unchanged), then walked downtown Rockland. We drove up the coast to Rockport, where we got out to tour the small harbor, which I don’t think I had ever done before. The coast is a pretty place to stroll. We spent the bulk of the afternoon and early evening visiting some of Mer’s remaining Maine family. Mer’s cousin is house-sitting a camp (i.e., a cabin, to non-Mainers) on the coast, so we got to visit and eat while looking out over the ocean and rocky coastline. Life is rough. After the visit, we drove up the nearby Mount Battie, where we lingered some time, and then we finished the evening by walking some of the Rockland Breakwater.

Saturday – We headed down to Brunswick to meet Mer’s college friend Julie (and her boyfriend) for lunch at an old woolen mill on an island in the Androscoggin River. We sat outside in the shade, which was pretty wonderful today. After lunch, Mer and I drove down to Bailey Island, all the way out to Land’s End. After we walked around a little, we drove a mile or so over to the Giant’s Steps, a small coastal park featuring huge rock “steps” down to the ocean, and lots of traditional dramatic Maine coastline. We drove back to Brunswick, and tried to find either of two nature preserves to hike, but we couldn’t find them (we didn’t see any signs).

Sunday – After going to church this morning, we drove north to the town of Weld, where Kellee and Jeremy and Jeremy’s girlfriend were all kayaking. I figured we would call them when we got there and see if they were near the beach. It never occurred to me we wouldn’t have cell service, but it is in western (rural and mountainous) Maine. So we kept on going to the lovely little town of Rangeley, where we sat and looked at the lake for some time. We finished the outing of the day by driving a few miles back the way we had come to see Smalls Falls, a rest stop next to a pretty waterfall area. We walked around in the woods and then sat by the falls, watching the water. We then headed home for the evening. We leave Maine tomorrow morning, but will only go as far as Syracuse in New York, and then go the rest of the way home Tuesday.