A few months ago, my friend, Erin Donovan, asked me to baby sit her kitchen remodel and I gladly said “Of course”. The project was expected to last two weeks but I felt 3-4 weeks would be more reasonable. Seven weeks later there were only a few small items to finish up. As a reward for my tenacity, she offered to take me and Amy to her parent’s home in Maine for a few days. Of course I jumped on the opportunity.This would be my second trip to Maine. I had visited with Jill Cyr and her late father, Ed Gillander, back in 2010. It included a tour of southern Maine around Portland and a journey into New Hampshire for the Highland Games and my friend Alex Beaton.
So in the middle of August, we boarded a plane in the hills of Knoxville and landed a few hours later in the hills of Bangor, ME. Erin, who had gone up a few days before, met us at the airport and we proceeded directly to the Sea Dog Brewing Co. for a clam sandwich and bottle of the local brew. (The Sea Dog lies on the banks of the beautiful Penobscot River which you may remember from the final scene of “Search for Red October” where Sean Connery is telling Alec Baldwin that he and his father fished on such a river back in his hometown of Vilnius, Lithuania.)
The old home place is about 40 acres of rolling land covered with spruce, pine, poplar and aspen in Sullivan, Me, along the banks of Frenchman’s Bay. About 0.4 of a mile of the property fronts on the water with a 500 foot rocky beach just perfect for a lobster bake. From the shore you can see Bar Harbor, ME, about 9 miles due south across the water.
Their home was previously an inn built in the early 20th century. When I entered the house, I was instantly struck by the view out of the breakfast nook window. I was immediately aware of why folks come to Maine and why I had accepted Erin’s invitation without
hesitation. And I was soon reminded that many of the earlier construction standards of the day featured function over form. As I ascended the steep stairs to my bedroom, my new left knee of only about four months complained at every step. However, realizing that the effort would actually provide the physical therapy that Medicare did not, I tried not to bitch and moan as I went up and down them over the next four days.
Erin’s parents are both retired and, as many northerners do, they summer in Maine and winter in Florida. Her father, Jim, is a former sound and light man for major entertainment events in the area and, later, a reviver of many charming old homes. He stays busy constantly with ongoing projects on the property including his current project - building a new horse stable. Her mother, Cathy, spends much of her time breeding, raising and training Pembroke Welsh Corgis and showing them around the country. She currently has a litter of about 10 pups that delighted both me and Amy.
Over the next four days, Amy, Erin and I spent our daylight hours scouring the coast of northeast Maine visiting the habas (harbors to the rest of us) and lighthouses. (I believe Maine has as many lighthouses as Scotland has castles.) And, of course, the local eateries.
On Thursday night, I was treated to the Jimmy Buffet 2016 “I Don’t Know” Tour in Bangor. I especially appreciated this since I had only seen JB once some years before. (He came to Memphis every year, but I listened to the wrong radio station and never knew the date till the tickets were sold out.) When we arrived at the concert, I immediately made a bee line for cheesburgers while Erin and Jim headed for the margarita line. Would it be too gauche to say we were “in paradise”? While many artists spend most of their concert time hyping their latest album…uh, CD, JB gave the crowd just what they came for - Songs You Know by Heart plus a few others including Southern Cross (took me back to South Africa), Take it Easy and 5 O’Clock Somewhere. At 7pm, he walked onto the stage, broke into Margaritaville and didn’t stop until 22 songs later with Volcano. He returned for a three set encore including Brown Eyed Girl and finishing with Tin Cup Chalice. This was all performed outdoors beneath the full Sturgeon Moon on a beautiful night in August.
So in the middle of August, we boarded a plane in the hills of Knoxville and landed a few hours later in the hills of Bangor, ME. Erin, who had gone up a few days before, met us at the airport and we proceeded directly to the Sea Dog Brewing Co. for a clam sandwich and bottle of the local brew. (The Sea Dog lies on the banks of the beautiful Penobscot River which you may remember from the final scene of “Search for Red October” where Sean Connery is telling Alec Baldwin that he and his father fished on such a river back in his hometown of Vilnius, Lithuania.)
The old home place is about 40 acres of rolling land covered with spruce, pine, poplar and aspen in Sullivan, Me, along the banks of Frenchman’s Bay. About 0.4 of a mile of the property fronts on the water with a 500 foot rocky beach just perfect for a lobster bake. From the shore you can see Bar Harbor, ME, about 9 miles due south across the water.
Their home was previously an inn built in the early 20th century. When I entered the house, I was instantly struck by the view out of the breakfast nook window. I was immediately aware of why folks come to Maine and why I had accepted Erin’s invitation without
hesitation. And I was soon reminded that many of the earlier construction standards of the day featured function over form. As I ascended the steep stairs to my bedroom, my new left knee of only about four months complained at every step. However, realizing that the effort would actually provide the physical therapy that Medicare did not, I tried not to bitch and moan as I went up and down them over the next four days.
Erin’s parents are both retired and, as many northerners do, they summer in Maine and winter in Florida. Her father, Jim, is a former sound and light man for major entertainment events in the area and, later, a reviver of many charming old homes. He stays busy constantly with ongoing projects on the property including his current project -
Over the next four days, Amy, Erin and I spent our daylight hours scouring the coast of northeast Maine visiting the habas (harbors to the rest of us) and lighthouses. (I believe Maine has as many lighthouses as Scotland has castles.) And, of course, the local eateries.
On Thursday night, I was treated to the Jimmy Buffet 2016 “I Don’t Know” Tour in Bangor. I especially appreciated this since I had only seen JB once some years before. (He came to Memphis every year, but I listened to the wrong radio station and never knew the date till the tickets were sold out.) When we arrived at the concert, I immediately made a bee line for cheesburgers while Erin and Jim headed for the margarita line. Would it be too gauche to say we were “in paradise”? While many artists spend most of their concert time hyping their latest album…uh, CD, JB gave the crowd just what they came for -