Massachusetts to Maine

 

Our last day in the Boston area, we once again made ready to hit the road, then enjoyed some family time playing some games, then out for dinner and a stop at a specialty ice cream shop noted for their own freshly made creamy delights. 

Couldn’t get my camera shy girls to look at me. 

A sneaky shot. 

We left for Searsport Maine to visit long time good friends Jim and Joan for  a couple of days, and along the way, intending to make a quick stop , got off the highway and discovered an old diner, resplendent in its silver exterior, and we couldn’t resist!  

We arrived at their home a bit later than planned, with gathering clouds, and dropping temperatures, and had to pass on those Adirondack chairs on their front deck overlooking Penobscot Bay. Dinner plans were moved inside, and we enjoyed a nice evening chatting and catching up in their 100 year old cottage.  They have done such a great job making it livable in todays world, but preserving the original feel, like the unique door lock and kitchen cabinet pulls  and 100 year old farm sink.  

Overnight temps really dropped, and it was seriously chilly the next morning, and they all laughed at me bundling up!   However, the heat wave swept in in the afternoon and left us in 90 degree heat, looking for relief  in the shade.  73 on arrival, 90 less than 24 hours later!  We drove around seeing the sights, and  had lunch at a fun roadside stand they knew, then a relaxing evening, as the temp dropped, now able to enjoy those chairs and view! A big advantage over Florida, those nighttime temps dropping like a rock! 

Their cottage, named Flagstones when built. 

The view of Penobscot Bay from the porch. 

Penobscot Narrows Bridge and Observatory. 

In the nearby town of Belfast, some interesting old buildings. 

The elephant on top of the old theatre, in remembrance of them parading down the streets, as shown in below photo. 

Nice place for lunch under shelter with a nice breeze. 

A tiny church in the town of Castine. 
Castine, Maine is one of the oldest communities in North America. It has been occupied continuously since the early 1600s as the site of numerous trading posts, forts, missions, and permanent settlements of France, Holland, England, and colonial America. 

Wednesday the 20th, and we set out for last minute plans to visit Augusta’s State Capital Building as our first stop on our gradual trip back to Florida. In Denver years ago, a main attraction listed was visiting the capital building, and after experiencing that, I added them to the goal of visiting States, National Parks, and Presidential libraries! Not as elegant or ornate as some we have seen, we enjoyed exploring and chatting with a man in the Senate room, who turned out to be the Sergeant at Arms, and was happy to share some facts and chat a bit. Out on the 3rd floor balcony between the two chambers we met a friendly young couple who turned out to be newly weds on their honeymoon, and we had a nice visit with them while enjoying the view of Augusta from that vantage point.  

Captions on these photos later 

An early dinner, and quiet evening resting up to hit the road again tomorrow.  And of course, catching up on the blog!