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| The Jenkinsons |
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| Lake Thompson, With Trout And His Granddaughter, Ellery |
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| Morning On Lake Thompson |
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| My Favorite Photo By Seven Year Old Ellery |
Well, it's pitch dark at Thompson Lake, Maine, forty five minutes north and west of Portland. It rained some overnight, and it looks like it might be a rainy, overcast Maine Sunday, not that I am complaining. We have had a week straight of brilliant fall weather so what's a little rain.
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| Mt. Battie, Overlooking Camden, Maine |
We left Southwest Harbor yesterday around 10:00 and drove to the picturesque town of Camden, a two hour drive up the coastline on RT. 1, fairly busy in the towns but outside, it was easy going, not very crowded for a Saturday. Our goal was not the town but Camden Hills State Park, and a drive to the top of Mt. Battie. The park is a few miles north of the city and very popular because of the variety of trails through the 5700 acres and obviously the view of Camden and the surrounding area from the top of Mt Battie. Lots of people has the same idea as us, so cars were parked at various trail heads as we drove up the mountain and the parking lot at the top was full.
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| Camden, Maine |
It was slightly overcast when we got there, so our photographs are not as spectacular as they should be as the colors are muted. We could walk out maybe 30 yards on the rocks, to get a better view and also find a nook to have our lunch, which most people seemed to be doing as it was noon. We spent an hour enjoying the view and our lunch before driving through a very busy Camden downtown and we then hit the open roads up through Maine to #95, then towards Lewiston and then back roads to Oxford, Maine where are friends live.
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| Seven Year Old Ellery |
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| Four Year Old Hollis |
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| Photo By Ellery |
We arrived around 3:20 and the whole family was there to greet us, Ron and Vickie, their daughter Christine, husband Ben, and two daughters, Ellery and Hollis. We had not seem them since our visit two years ago. so we were really excited to visit as Vickie and Ron were our best friends from our early years at Western Reserve Academy before they moved to Groton School in Massachutsetts. Both Ellery and Hollis were shy at first but within 15 minutes, they were going outside with Evie to play on the swings while I sat inside on their deck, overlooking the lake, drinking a beer and catching up on all their lives. Ben and Christine live in Portland, love it, its culture and hope to raise their daughters there. Ron and Vickie retired two years ago from Hotchkiss School in CN and are as happy as clams here in Maine. It's a long way from Akron, Ohio, where they both grew up.
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| Hollis |
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| Hollis By Ellery |
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| Hollis By Ellery |
This is our third time visiting and each time we come, Christine and Ben put on this Thompson Lake extravaganza, a foodies dream, in fact, the best meal we have in Maine each time we visit. First, however, we toured the yard. Ron always needs a project so he's be working on landscaping after spending a couple of years finishing the inside of their house which is amazing. In our early years, he helped me put a new roof on our Chautauqua house and did a lot of patching up the cedar siding. So he is very handy, can do most anything inside or out, a wife's dream. Their house is set back from the lake about 50 feet and there view is through pines because you are no allowed to cut down any trees within a hundred feet of the lake, a smart idea.
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| Russian Appetizers |
While we were catching up, Ben and Christine were putting together a variety of Russian theme appetizers, set on a five foot plank of wood. Not only did it look good, but it tasted wonderful. I will try to remember everything on the plank but I am sure I will forget something. We had two kinds of caviar, red salmon and the black sturgeon, which we spread on herb flavored buttered dark bread, topped with onions and chopped up eggs. We also had both sturgeon and smoke salmon, on crackers with capers on top. We had smoked mussels, white fish spread, radishes with dill butter, pickled herring, among other goodies. Both girls are foodies, raised to enjoy all sorts of delights, and they dug into the caviar, one of their expensive favorites, before I could get a bite. We grazed for a good hour, sipping our Boulevardiers (bourbon, compari, and sweet vermouth). Ben had made up a pitcher and chilled it while making the appetizers.
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| The Gang Is Dinner Ready |
When we ran out of it, Christine and I made Dark and Stormys, ginger beer and lime, with dark rum floated on top. Needless to say we were a very happy group. About mid way through appetizers, Ben started a wood fire, and started slow roasting a five plus pound hunk of rib eye, giving it a smoky flavor by slow cooking it on indirect heat once he had slightly charred all sides. We took turns going down to the patio and keeping him company as it was on the grill for forty five minutes, until the interior temperature reached 125º. We let the meat rest for twenty minutes while Christine browned the tiny Brussels sprouts. Earlier, Vickie had made every one's favorite casserole, of small florets of cauliflower set on a bed of sauteed chopped garlic, prosciutto, and olive oil, covered with a cup and a half of both half and half and grated swiss cheese. How could it not be everyone's favorite.
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| Ellery And Me |
We didn't sit down to dinner until 8:00, perfect timing, as we had enough time between appetizers and dinner to get hungry again. The ribeye, masterfully cut in to slices by Ben, was perfect, medium rare, tender with a smoky taste, just as he wanted. Christine's salad and dressing were also the hits, as was the casserole and Brussels sprouts. This meal put our meals the past week to shame even if they were lobster. We are coming back to this place! And what great meal could be without a fine red wine...in fact, we went through four bottles between appetizers and dinner. For dessert, a fruit tart was perfect, a healthy, sort of, end to a great meal.
We ended the night with the girls going through Evie's Traveling Treasure Chest, an exciting time for them before we all went up to bed around 10:30.
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