A Night Of Big Boys (Frisch's)

6:42

7:16

It's 7:00 and I am sitting in the Maumee, Ohio, Hampton Inn on a foggy, wet morning.  We have a four-hour drive this morning to Oak Park, IL, a suburb of Chicago for the weekend.  We cut the 8-hour drive in half staying here in Maumee, hoping to avoid the rush hour traffic in Chicago, late afternoon.

Yesterday morning was typical for me although I was up really early.  It gave me time to get organized for our trip, get packed, make sure I had all my devices and their cords.  Since we were not leaving until 1:00, I went to breakfast with the guys at 8:00 and for once, all of us were there as the snowbirds returned from their wintering in Florida.  I also was able to get in a yoga class at 10:00, much needed since I was feeling logy from having gotten up so early.  I passed on lunch because we wanted to get the house in order, get the car packed and leave by 1:00.  We made it with ten minutes to spare.

Our first stop was just as we enter Ohio, as the gas is cheap and I can get lunch at Mc Donald's.  It was a one hour drive to Ohio, which meant we have three more hours to go on a surprisingly sunny afternoon.  Evie drove until we hit the Ohio Turnpike, just beyond Westlake and I drove the rest of the way as it started to cloud up as we neared Toledo.  It's easy to see why our Chautauqua friends call Ohio and Indiana the flatlands...mile after mile of farmlands stretching to the horizon.  Because of GPS, our Hampton Inn was easy to find, on a very busy and long strip mall on RT 20.  We checked in and relaxed, wondering if it made sense to go out for dinner or enjoy a drink and appetizers in our hotel.  We voted on the latter so I walked over to Kroger's next door to our Hampton and bought some good cheese and crackers.

A Bit Of Nostalgia

After our appetizers, we were still hungry so Evie sent me next door to Frisch's, where I picked up Big Boy hamburgers for both of us, with onion rings.  Back in the days, the 1950s and 1960s, before Mac Donald's, a Manner's Big Boy (not Frisch's) was everyone's favorite burger in Northeast Ohio.  So it was a bit of deja vu last night and I have to admit, they still tasted great.

We watched Jeopardy and some other junk TV until 10:00.  It was frustrating as there was no channel guide and often what was supposedly on a channel was something else.  This is definitely not our favorite Hampton Inn.

665 Miles, 11 1/2 Hours, And Home

6:53

7:30

7:38

I was up at 5:45, to a darkened house and a chilly 36º morning on Chautauqua Lake.  We have had a great 10 days in Maine, visiting with friends, hiking Mt. Desert Island Maine and meeting many new interesting people in Southwest Harbor, but it's always good to be home.  Hal Borland says it best: "To go is good but to come back is best."

We left our good friends, Vickie and Ron's Thompson Lake home at 7:30.  We figured we would be home just before dark, perhaps by 6:30 so we were only a half hour off.  We stopped every two hours of so, either at rest stops or to get something to eat.  And something I dreaded, almost a twelve hour ride, was not too bad.  Traffic was fairly heavy through Maine, Massachusetts, and New York, as it was a holiday.  Even the Southern Tier's #86 was busy until we got past Corning.  We rarely have had traffic on #86 in the past, so it was a shock to see so many cars.  For most of the drive, the fall colors were spectacular but as we came closer to home, either the peak is over or it has yet to begin because our area has none of the bright reds, golds, and yellows of New Hampshire and Upstate New York.

Eastern Fall Colors

As I mentioned, we still had some light as we drove into our drive way at 7:00 and we quickly emptied our car, turned on the water, put away our things, ready to relax and enjoy the evening in our own home, then sleep in our own bed.  Evie pulled some Sahleen hot dogs out of the freezer, defrosted some buns, heated a can of beans and made a salad and by 8:00, dinner was ready.  We ate in our TV room and watched Saturday Night Live, which we fortunately had saved on our DVR.  We ended the night by watching Real Time with Bill Maher.  This election, especially the absurdity of Trump campaign and his followers is excellent fodder for Maher an he literally had me on the floor laughing at the craziness of the campaign.

Finally, listening to MSNBC this morning, most of the pundits think the race is over, that Hillary has too commanding of a lead unless there's another bombshell from Wikileaks.  That's encouraging but it's still dependent on Hillary supporters coming out and voting.  That's the key...getting out the voters because you can be sure that the Trump loyalists will be voting for their man.

Farewell Maine As We Head Back Home To The Lake

Tomfoolery In Norway, Maine

The Ladies

Brunch At The Norway Brewing Company

We hope to be off by 7:30 at the latest for home, so we were both up early to get organized and on our way.

Yesterday was a day of contrast, the morning was busy with the gang, as we went out to breakfast, the afternoon one of great leisure because of the rain when we sat around watching the Browns/Patriot game. A few days ago, Ben had heard of a great brewery in Norway on Yelp, aptly called the Norway Brewing Company and they supposedly had a great brunch.

Waiting For The Brewery To Open With Hollywood

The Boys

It opened at 11:00 so we did not drive off until 10:30 and were the first ones in the brewery.  Even though it was not yet noon, four of us ordered a micro brew, a good way to start our last full day in Maine.  The menu was really interesting, with nothing like a typical diner menu.   I had lamb bangers and hash, topped by two poached eggs.  Evie,Vickie and Ben ordered Scotch eggs, a poached egg wrapped in sausage, breaded then deep fried.  Others had a french toast sandwich, with egg, ham, and cheese.  The girls got burgers and Christine a veggie tostada.  The girls had a great time, taking photos of each other and indulging in tomfoolery in the empty restaurant.  Afterwards, we toured the brewery, talked to the brewer, bid goodbye to the Jenkinsons and were on our way back to Thompson Lake in rain.

Ellery And Her Gigi

Hollis With A Ribeye Bone

Miss Photogenic

We had high hopes for the football game and the two teams stayed true to their history, the Browns stinking it up, the Patriots dominating from the get go.  A highlight of the afternoon was we got out real American appetizers, chips and dip, microwave popcorn, and hummus and potato chips.  It was great to have a day to relax with our friends, no hiking, no worrying about what to do next.

Vickie and Evie Walking In The Rain

Around 4:00 we were sick of football, of sitting in the house, so we got out our slickers and umbrellas and went for a two mile walk in the rain along Thompson Lake Road.  It was fun to get out, even to walk in the rain and Emmy, their lab, loved it.  We were home just around 6:00, just in time to turn on the TV, then order a pizza, and send the gals out to pick it up so Ron and I could relax in his Man's Den.

Sunset

The girls were gone about an hour because they had to drive all the way to Norway to pick up the pizza because the nearest one was closed, of course.  We ate, watching some football and the build up to the big extravaganza of the night, the Donald/Hillary show.

Rainbow In Oxford, Maine

All of us stayed up to watch the debate, fairly predictable I guess, with Hillary holding her own, Trump ranting and pacing and interrupting.  No real fireworks like the last debate but once again, it's clear Trump neither knows nor understands anything about the world, about governing this country.

Extravaganza At Thompson Lake With The Armontrouts and Jenkinsons

The Jenkinsons

Lake Thompson, With Trout And His Granddaughter,  Ellery

Morning On Lake Thompson

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.

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.

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.

Seven Year Old Ellery

Four Year Old Hollis

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.

Hollis

Hollis By Ellery

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.

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.

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.

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.

Walking Eagle Lake Carriage Trail Loop (6 miles), Sand Beach, Dinner At Red Sky

Lobster Boats Rising Early

Loading Herring And Cow Hides For Bait

Ready To Go

Cairns On Sea Wall On A Foggy Morning

Well, it's a sad morning as we are leaving after a wonderful week in Southwest Harbor.  We are, however, stopping at Thompson Lake for the weekend to visit with our good friends, Ron and Vickie, so that's the only good part about leaving.  We are driving to Camden first and hope to take a short hike in the Camden Hills State Park, just above the village, with great views.  Then on to Oxford, Maine and our friends and their 'grands.'

I almost did not go out this morning because of the fog but was on the Manset Public Dock by 6:20, in time to see guys loading lobster bait on to their boats, both herring and cow hides.  And then they were off, into the fog, with less than a 100 yards of visibility.

Reflections On Eagle Lake

Eagle Lake

We tried to leave earlier yesterday for our hike but to no avail as we wanted to have breakfast one last time in the Common Good Cafe. So after our popovers and oatmeal and a popover to go, we finally were on the road by 10:00 and were parking on the Eagle Lake Road because the parking lot was already full.  We knew it was going to be a long walk, so we packed sandwiches, cheese and crackers, a salad, and a popover.  I think we were more than ready.  The carriage trails are marked with numbers, so we knew we were walking from 6 to 7 to 8 and finally 9, each part just about two miles. We had read it was a good  trail for bikes, so we were not surprised to see lots of bikers on the trails, as well as hikers like us.

Carriage Roads

Sea Grass On Eagle Lake

The carriage roads are all paved with fine cinders, wide enough for two cars, so as long as we stayed to the right, we did not get run over.  That's not to say it was crowded as we were the only hikers much of the trail but people were passing us in both ways, either biking or walking.  The walk was similar to other walks, in fact, after a few miles, a bit boring as the landscape of pines, fir, spruce and maple rarely changed.  We stopped on and off, to take photographs when the woods opened up for a view of the lake.  We were in no great hurry, had our lunch out on some rocks overlooking the lake, the mountains, their reflection on the lake.  The hike was just over six miles and it took us three hours; we are not the speediest hikers on the trail.

I have to admit it felt wonderful to fall in to the seat of our car and relax before driving off to the loop road.

Beachin' It

Our goal was Sand Beach, always busy but we were able to find a parking space.  The beach is easily accessible, and we could not wait to wade, soaking our sore feet in cold, cold water.  And we relaxed, on our blanket, and had some more lunch.  A few people were swimming, one was flying a kite, others were sun bathing like us, many brought their dogs along so it was a busy place.

Cooling My Sore Dogs At Sand Beach

Sand Beach

We left  just after 3:00 and drove home via Seal and Northwest Harbors.  We then had a couple of hours to relax before our reservations at the Red Sky, little over a stone's throw from our cottage. That's why we love it here in Southwest Harbor...all the restaurants and stores are at most a five minute walk away so we don't have to drive.

We went out for dinner at the Red Sky, the classy restaurant in town. We had reservations at both Sips and the Red Sky but texted out friends from the previous evening to say they could have our reservation at Sips.  We got to Red Sky just after 6:00, asked Ursula, our hostess, if we could sit at the bar and she reluctantly, or so it seemed, agreed.  It was a good choice; we liked Doug, the bartender and he had a few good recommendations for dinner.  Evie struck up a conversation with her next door neighbor, a librarian from Long Island, who had been coming up to this area since the 1970's.

Dave And Jasmine At Red Sky

Soon, however, another couple sat down and we started talking with them, locals from Bar Harbor.  Dave is a professional boat captain, which means he captains a ship for a wealthy magnate, organizes and takes care of the 45 foot sailing ship, making sure it's ready to sail during the summer when they race and the winter when it is in dry dock, a full time job for six months and during the winter, he works at a sky area, three hours away,  His wife works at a hotel in Bar Harbor, in charge of special occasions, like weddings.  They love it here, especially in the off season when they can ski although they know the busy summer is the time when the locals make enough money to make it through the rest of the year.  For dinner, Evie had a lobster risotto which she loved, and I had special Maine crab cakes which we nothing special.  We did, however, love being at the bar, talking with both Jeff and Jasmine and David, which makes the night, even more important than the food.  Just as were about to leave, a couple sat down from Baton Rouge and they were on a road trip, by car, through NYC, Connecticut, Woodstock, VT, and so on.  We had to leave or they, too, would have been fun to get to know.

Red Sky Bar, Where Else?

After dinner, we hurried across the street to The Little Notch Bakery, to say goodbye to Lydia, our new friend and buy some blueberry turnovers.  We really like her and got to know her over the past few nights.  She is going on a road trip across the US before heading home to Serbia and hopes to be able to come back to the states next summer.  She is a neat gal and gave Evie a hug good bye.

Goodbye Little Notch, Lydia and Alicia

We were not very tired so we dropped in at the Dry Dock cafe, sat down with a bar full of drunk locals, most likely lobster fishermen according to our bartender, Jason, whom we remembered from our visit two years ago.  We stayed for one beer before heading back to our cottage, to find what The Donald was going to say next, always troubling but also entertaining.

Hiking Beech Mountain, The Bubble, And A Fun Night At Thurston's Lobster Pound Bar

6:40

6:42 

Sea Wall Pond

Low Tide

Early Morning Coffee With A View

It's getting boring these early mornings, as the sunrise photographs are the same, the sun always rising on a cloudless, blue sky over the horizon.  I keep trying to find a new twist but until we get some clouds, one morning is just like another, not that I am complaining about the perfect weather we have had and will have throughout our trip.

Yesterday, after my morning constitutional of coffee, photographing the sunrise, and driving the 102 loop, I came home, had my breakfast of yogurt and Lucy's granola, a local mix, before we both went off to the Common Good Cafe for our usual, oatmeal, with raisins, brown sugar, walnuts, and soy milk as well as the requisite popover with blueberry jam.  We don't get tired of this either.  We then drove to the parking lot for Beech Mountain, set back in a beautiful valley between Long Pond and Echo Lake.  The hike up the mountain and back was not really very long, just over two miles but it took us two hours.

Long Pond

Hiking The Rocky Path To The Summit

Hiking Up Beech Mountain

The Forest Begins To Turn

The walk up was slow but spectacular, through fir and spruce, with views of the dark blue waters of Long Pond every so often off to our right.  The landscape changed from green undergrowth, to brown, fallen leaves and back again as we got higher up.  At the summit, we had great views of Long Pond and the surrounding areas, mountains with trees slowly changing colors.  The rub was the walk down, over huge rocks with lumps and bumps, with stairs cut into rock, all making it treacherous to walk too fast, so we were slow pokes, letting everyone else, especially the kids, virtually run by us.  It was fine with us both.  It was a great hike up, a slow, scary hike back down.

Cruise Boat Visit At Bar Harbor

A Rocky Descent

Long Pond

We then drove to the Acadia Park's entrance, bought another senior pass to the National Park's for ten bucks because we forgot ours, or lost them, one or the other.  We then drove along the Park Road to the Bubbles and the Bubble rock, set up on top of a mountain, with views of Jordan Pond and Long Pond.  We were lucky to find a parking spot and started up a kids friendly trail, obviously it's not senior friendly, as we stepped over lots of rocks, crib boxes, tree trunks and large rocks, both up and down.  It was another hour up and down despite being less than a two mile loop.  Once we reached the summit, we luxuriated in the warm sun, on the granite top, perched over  the valley and both ponds.  We had our peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and they never tasted better.

 Bubble Rock

Baba On The Bubble

Our trip down was slow but we took our time, met lots of people on the hike, both going and coming. We had enough by the end of our hike, so we headed home, happy with ourselves for making up two mountains in a day.

We then relaxed, kicked off our shoes, and watched the interminable weather report.  At least it's a respite from the Donald show.  I read some, took a  brief nap, and we had a light high ball in honor of my parents before going off to dinner.  We wanted to go back to Thurston's because of their lobster rolls and a great bar with a view of the harbor.  As luck would have it, there were lines of people waiting to order their lobster, not knowing that they could walk in another door, sit at the bar and order lobster as well.  So that's what we did and a couple moved so we could have two seats together. We must have sat for 15 minutes before another couple sat down, and we moved over, making room for them to bring in another chair.

Willis And Pam Watson At Thurston's

And we talked with them for the next hour and a half.  It turns out they were mother and son, celebrating her 75th birthday.  They have had a house just above the lobster house for years, in fact they were the first house to have an indoor bathroom in their area, so they are old Maine but mostly for the summers.  The Mom, Pamela, an independent and educated woman, has her doctorate and is Dean of Nurses at the University of Texas, Galveston, although she will be retiring in a year, and moving back to be near her son, Willis, in the Philadelphia area, where he is a criminal and civil lawyer.  They, unlike many people we met, showed interest in our lives as well as telling us all about theirs, especially their famous ancestors.  She reminded us in looks of a Nancy Reagan, willow thin, sophisticated, a blue blood, but nice, fun to talk with.  We sat talking with them through a couple of beers, jumbo lobster rolls, and blueberry pie with ice cream, quite a night, the cherry topping on the cupcake of our day.

We got home around 8:30, just in time to hear the big news, that there is a hurricane moving towards the Florida Coast.  Who would have thought it?