Maine June 2026

When a friend asks you to go to Maine to help them open their summer cottage in Southport Maine….how can you say no? Early flight …..painless travel day….folks on Southport Island tend to not want to brave the summer traffic more than necessary…..if you are going to the Oyster Shuck Station in Damariscotta…or Home Depot in Topsham and best of all if you happen to be going to Portland…there is some quiet communication among the Southporters that one person can pick up or drop off people at the airport…which is how we are picked up by Denise…serious Massachusetts accent….Angus, a 70 pound canine….drooling over my shoulder in the back seat…..perhaps my friends fathers mechanics second cousin neighbors best friend…some connection that throughly confused me…we miss an exit adding an extra 30 minutes to the drive…..drop bags then sprint to my friends brother in law ….he poured us a generous drink and served a wonderful Halibut…..fell asleep listening to the waves hitting the granite ledge just in front of the cottage

Rain in the night….woke to a world of fog that sat on the ocean like a heavy blanket…..walked to the Southport General store for coffee and a muffin then Alex (the brother in law) collected us in his self driving Tesla…a little unnerving to be zipping along these tiny undulating roads with NO HANDS on the wheel….farmers market was a decent size…..everyone extremely friendly and a nice variety of products…..did a little shopping ……back home discovered that the battery in my friends car was dead…..Alex brought the old truck down and we managed to jump start it and get to the local mechanic….replace battery ….had a lovely lunch of a dozen oysters then to the market to stock the house……a wonderful hour or so sitting on the porch watching the tide and the fog bank ebb and flow…decided that we would put the flag up…..everything looked like it was going to be streamline until the cleat fell off the pole…Jerry rigged the rope around deck railing hoping that it will hold…next project was to bring the gas grill out on the porch…..over the winter it is stored by the door inside the living room …..as the grill bumped over the threshold the rusted lower shelf disintegrates….. major clean up……we are both feeling like the day is getting the better of us …when Denise calls and invites us over for drinks….bumping down a tiny dirt track….park amongst huge pine trees…..house built in 1903 overlooks a small cove…huge wraparound porch…..a moss lined trail to a couple of Adirondacks over looking the cove that is dotted with sail boats….the house is a very typical Maine cottage…massive fireplace…..abundance of tiny rooms….eclectic mix of dream catchers made of sea glass….dark blue goblets with gold stars and moons…nautical art mixed with old calendars and posters from concerts…toilet in the middle of the laundry room/pantry with a back door…apparently no one knocks so someone sitting on the toilet can be caught unaware…..enjoy a lovely glass of Rose…then home for dinner outside on the porch….listening to the tide come in….perfect

By prior arrangement ….my friend and I drive are driving up to Blue Hill so I can visit with a another friend for a few days…..beautiful sunny day…..Maine coast being what it is means that we left the island drove up the peninsula….meander along the coast ….stop for lunch in Rockland…have a fantastic bowl of chowder at North Beacon Oyster ….Camden…Belfast..Bucksport….less than 100 miles but takes well over 2 hours…rhododendrons and lupines is full colorful display…..traffic manageable since the influx of summer visitors isn’t at its peak yet…..admire my friends new house….quiet evening at home

Next morning is clear and sunny so we hike to the top of Blue Hill….fantastic views…..water and trees…trees and water everywhere you look….a few other folks on the trail….back to town in time to grab a Lobster roll….then a quiet afternoon of reading and a stroll down the lane….lovely dinner at Barnscastle

Woke up to pouring rain…..head down to Rockland….meet my Southport friend…..have a great shrimp basket for lunch at Larson’s Lunch Box in Damariscotta …..afternoon clears off …a great afternoon on the porch…watching the lobster boats collect their pots….a few sail boats go by…..finished my book….quiet dinner….I love being near to ocean ….windows open to the tide coming in…makes for a great nights sleep

Sunny and breezy do a nice walk around to Hendricks Lighthouse…admiring gardens and glimpses of views through the trees of the river ocean or cove……have a few neighbors over for dinner…fun evening….fall asleep with the ocean whispering in my ear

Gorgeous morning all the cat ledges in front of the cottage exposed during a particularly low tide…view over to Georgetown crisp and clear…get a few more items off to do list (which is hefty when house has been closed all winter)…..fantastic shrimp salad on the porch…spent the afternoon reading and clamoring along the granite boulders…watching the tide turn ....just under the surface waves kissing the shoreline…duck family teaching their fluffy babies the in and outs of life on the water….so grateful for this perfect day since I fly home tomorrow

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