Thursday, June 23, 2011

A Taste of Maine



Happy Thursday, everyone! I hope my East Coast readers (presumably all of you) aren't getting too much rain this week! Today I'm going to talk a bit about my home away from home: Maine! It's not the most popular or populous state, to be sure--in fact, I had quite a bit of trouble finding activities and events that weren't two or three hours away! However, it's special to me because not only do I have relatives up there (my aunt, uncle, and grandma), but I've also gone up there many summers since I was young, and have fond memories of the different sights we'd see and the times we'd spend playing board games and being together as a family. I still remember when I was little and we'd go to the beach and boogieboard, haha! Nothing quite like the rocky shores, the brisk air (which I swear to anyone is much cleaner and fresher), and the quaint atmosphere, even in bigger cities. This is the first year I'll have gone back in maybe 3 or 4 years, I think, and since I'll be much busier in years to come, I wanted to go there this year while I still had no job (and no reservations). So, let me take you into my memory banks as I show you some of the things that I've done in
Maine over the years (and still do...some things never change!).

Click the image to get a closer look!

#1: Maine State Museum: Located right in the heart of Augusta next to the State House, I've been here more times than I can count! I could probably walk you through several exhibits and point out little things from memory, like the sardine can collection in the Fishing exhibit, the sheen on the fake apples in barrels near an apple mill, or the gigantic water wheel that operates and changes as you move up and down several floors. I remember the glow of the gemstones in the gemstone exhibit, the giant moose in the nature exhibit (which recreates nature scenes of Maine during all seasons), the fake slab of meat in the center pit of a Native American scene, and the video of a Maine basket weaver weaving a basket painstakingly by hand (which is probably still played today!). All little things, certainly, but evidence that I've been there long enough to remember them! Historical facts...well, I could use a little brushing up on those, eheheh. It is a museum rich in culture and history, though, and something I always look forward to whenever I'm up in Maine.

#2: Lake St. George: A state park in Liberty, we would all go here for picnics every year, often under the shade of bushy-leaved trees near the lake itself. I remember I would be so impatient to get in and out of the water, it made eating lunch difficult, haha! (I must have been a fish in my past life.) One funny thing my family could tell you about me being in the lake is that I used to bring my best pair of swim goggles, swim to the bottom, and collect rocks that looked interesting or weird. I was a big rock collector, for sure. I dove down, carrying as much as I could in one hand and collecting with the other, and sometimes found big rock piles that people had built so they could stand higher above the water. (Sometimes I found schools of fish around these piles!) One time, I found a dragon necklace at the bottom of the lake that someone had dropped (who knows when and where); I kept it and still have it today! When I wasn't being a fish, I was playing frisbee with my relatives in the lake and on land, and basking in the warm glow of the sun to dry. Sometimes I even caught glimpses of animals like eels and oddly-colored squirrels (one which I caught munching on some bark really close to our table one year). I was a curious youngster. :)

#3: Miniature golf and Gifford's ice cream stand: Nothing like a good game of mini golf, and nothing like the ice cream they make at the Gifford's ice cream stand right next door! In addition to batting cages, they have a full 18-hole mini golf course with cute course designs like an ice cream truck, whale, operating windmill, covered bridge, and a clown face to end the round (I think if you get the ball in his nose, you win a free game). Some of those courses were tough, though!--especially the ones where you have to hit the ball with some, but not too much, strength. My golf balls were always attracted to gravel, haha. When we were done playing, we'd head over to the ice cream stand for a couple of scoops, which were always generous. My favorite of all time was (and is) Maine Black Bear: vanilla ice cream with a black raspberry swirl and little chocolate cups filled with raspberry syrup. There's really nothing else like it, and I always get so excited to have it again. The cups are a delicious surprise whenever I have a spoonful. Ooh..now I'm hungry for ice cream...

#4: Bar Harbor: We didn't go here very often because it's so far from where my relatives live, but when we did go, I never failed to have a fun time. There are lots and lots of adorable little shops along the roads, none of them chain stores (from what I can remember), each with their own unique charm; the harbor itself is very pretty, and there's something soothing and distinctly Maine about being there. One of my more interesting experiences there was at a homemade ice cream shop (there I go with ice cream again, haha), who sold lobster ice cream! Gross, right? Well, I tried a small serving of it and it actually wasn't bad, although towards the end I started to get a little sick of it. (I don't know what I would've done without the tasty vanilla ice cream backing up those lobster pieces...but then I guess I'd just have lobster, huh?) Also discovered in Bar Harbor was a soft drink called Moxie, apparently the official state soft drink. Why, Maine, why?! (Haha!) All I regret to remember was that it was strong, bitter, and reminded me of medicine. Yuck yuck. I guess there must be people out there who like the stuff if it keeps selling, right?


Oh, it's different, all right...

#5: Cadillac Mountain: Towering over Acadia National Park (which is near Bar Harbor, actually) is Cadillac Mountain, 1,528 feet above sea level! (I had to look that up, haha.) It's also the first place in the United States where you can see the sun rise, though only in Fall and Winter (contrary to popular belief). We drove up there on a paved road and walked around at the tippy top, and boy what a beautiful view! Nothing like being on a mountaintop to make you feel like a small speck in this big world! I can imagine it'd be a lovely place to watch the sun rise or set, or to spend a romantic moment with your special someone.

Everyone looks like ants from up here!


#6: Lobster fishing: Can you believe that yours truly is a bit of a seafarer? When I was younger (maybe early 2000's, if not before), I went on a day trip with my aunt and uncle to see a friend of theirs, who lived right on the coast. He took us out on his small boat to bring up some lobster traps so that we could enjoy an authentic Maine delicacy (if you didn't know, Maine and lobster go together like Kermit and Miss Piggy...okay, maybe not the best analogy, but they're inseparable!). I'll never forget how colorful the sea of buoys was! It fascinated me that there were just so many different fisherman who had traps set to catch these poor, delicious creatures. (I was also impressed by the amount of different patterns on the buoys...who knew there were so many?) Pulling up the buoys, we caught a fair catch of both lobsters and crabs (both of which I was slightly terrified, at risk of being pinched), but I got to watch the fisherman band their claws before we went back to shore and boiled them up. It was there that I learned to take apart my first lobster and savor the meat inside--lobster meat that no other has rivaled in all my years of eating lobster. I promise! There's nothing like fresh seafood...mmm mmm. I'm no Paula Deen, but with a little butter on the side...food paradise!

#7: Big G's Deli: Okay okay, so I know I've mentioned food a lot so far...but you can't deny that part of a travel experience is the food you eat! (This coming from someone who watches "Bizarre Foods" whenever she gets a chance..) Last on my feature of Maine is Big G's Deli, a delicious restaurant not far from Waterville. I used to go there a lot (not every single day, but in terms of years), and I would almost always get their chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast, which were as big as their plates! I could never finish them, in all my vain attempts..not even close. (This was back when my stomach could handle pancakes..these days, it'd be digestive suicide, uwahh.) What I liked about this place besides the pancakes was the special feeling I got when going out to breakfast with my relatives for no particular reason, as well as the atmosphere and the gigantic deli menu I got a kick out of reading; every sub (or grinder, as I grew up calling it) had a name, like The Elvis or The Kermit the Frog, and there were many different combinations, all of which I've yet to try. Apparently this place is really well-known for its good food! But I don't really care about its popularity, just the memories of going out to breakfast with my relatives. It was a staple of my visit for quite a few years!

Apart from all of those things, sometimes the best way we'd spend time together was when we played board games together, like Aggravation on a homemade board with colored marbles or Quiddler (a word card game that I hope I'm not confusing with Luna Lovegood's newspaper). Spending time at the library or at home with my aunt and uncle and their two cats was also satisfying and nice, and I'm grateful that I've been able to go visit them as much as I have and have all these fond memories of a place not many have been to. Who knows what the future holds this time around? Whatever it is, you can bet I'll be taking plenty of pictures! :)

Have a great day,
-Angie

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