Visit to Maine

After our short visit with Art and Jeannette in Concord and brief visit with Rick, Rachel and Samara, we headed north to Deer Isle, a lush northern costal paradise, stopping at outdoor style lovers' heaven: LL Bean in Freeport, and picturesque Camden, Maine for dinner along the way.

We had a great time at Rachel's family's cottage (dreamhouse!) in the woods and on the coast at the same time. We became regulars at the Baker's Cafe in Blue Hill (which shrewdly offers very fast free wifi Internet access to customers). I even let John, the owner, in on the best kept secret in New Zealand - the "flat white"... Who knows, maybe it'll catch on.

On the one day with occasional blue skies, Jos and I managed to get to Acadia National Park on Mount Desert island for a walk around Jordan Pond and a wee climb up Mt. Sargeant. We even had time for a nostalgia dip at Craig Pond, the home of legendary, peerless "camp for boys", Flying Moose Lodge - a place overflowing with precious memories (and mosquitos) for me.

On the final evening before returning to the big smoke, Jos and I spotted and decided to chance an early dinner at the gorgeous Wescott Forge restaurant. It was a lucky choice. As the first diners of the evening, we had the staff to ourselves, and they came over, sat and talked with us until our dinner arrived. They were from a variety of places but had interesting impressions of life in small-town Maine. The food, when it arrived, was brilliant - highly recommended.

On the final day of our trip, we had a lovely paddle around the coves and bay surrounding Rachel's family's home in a dense fog. We saw a bald eagle, an otter, great blue herons, and two cheeky fur seals who followed us around, mostly from a safe distance, but occasionally sneaking up on us and popping up behind us, and diving as soon as we spotted them.