6 tips to reduce your carbon emissions before your vacation

After receiving the Environmental Leadership Certificate last November, we've been on the lookout for ways to save electricity, fuel oil and water but didn't spend a whole lot of time thinking of ways to save on gas. Because the grocery store here is less than 2 miles away, it isn't a big deal for us to stop on the way home from a doctor's appointment or other 'day out' and pick up what we need.

Heck, my friend Jacqueline (of Jacqueline's Tea Room fame) and I walk to the grocery store almost every afternoon. So, I don't spend a whole lot of time thinking about driving.

Tonight I got to thinking of ways to save on carbon emissions in preparation for vacation travel this year. Lots of people, ourselves included, haven't bought into the whole carbon offsets idea where you buy your way out of actually DOING anything to offset your actual carbon emissions.

So, on our website I have a page showing what we've done in the past year to earn the Environmental Leadership Certificate and I added a section on how to 'offset' vacation travel.

I hope you'll take a look and try at least one of the options. Personally, I only drive about once/week. If I can't walk to wherever it is I want to go, I seriously consider if I really need to go there. I just realized I've had my car for 5 years this summer and it has 30,000 miles on it. Total.

Obviously, not everyone lives in the situation I do where I can walk to work (10 feet) and to shopping (a couple of hundred feet) and to the post office, church, library and pretty much anything else I want. But there are ways we can all get healthier, lose weight, feel better and save a little corner of the planet at the same time. Hope you'll read the webpage and we'll get to talk about it when we see you this year!


If you're in the area at the end of March and into April, we hope you'll take the opportunity to tour a LEED certified house in Freeport. Tours will be held Wednesday- Sunday and different speakers will be on hand during the week to explain how the house was constructed and other aspects of LEED certification.

Retiring to Maine

OK, I'll admit it, I thought about retiring to Maine before I moved here. Figured buying a business here would get me 4 hours closer to the beach (from Vermont, where we lived) and that much closer to the place I've wanted to live since 1973.

I came here on a vacation in the summer of 1973 to the 50th anniversary party of the grandparents of the guy I was dating. We spent one day at Popham Beach and was sure this was where I wanted to live. And this was back in the days before the Clean Water Act, when the Androscoggin River was world famous for catching fire from the chemicals being dumped into it.

Still...the ocean was where I wanted to live and because I can't stand the humidity, I will happily live on the coast up north.

Which brings me to retiring in Maine. I hope this is where I'll retire, although there are grumblings from the better half that Charleston (SC) is the ONLY place to live. Obviously, the Clean Water Act did its job. The Androscoggin (and all Maine rivers) are no longer national scandals. The air is clean, the water is much cleaner and work continues to make it more so.

Maine leads in many areas of being ecologically aware and friendly. (And we're keeping up our end of the bargain at the Inn, getting the Environmental Leadership Certificate in Hospitality last November.) Projects are under way across the state to harness the energy of the tides to create electricity, to use solar and wind power electricity generation and many other 'green' energy solutions are in the works. Retiring in Maine does not mean retiring from thinking and doing, it means being a part of the ever-changing political, economic and social scene of this country.

If you've had the dream to retire in Maine, I hope you'll check the retirement page I've created with a list of retirement options in Maine. Most of the retirement communities I listed are active, vibrant social settings. If you think of retirement community as an 'old folks' home' you could probably get a better perspective by reading some of the websites I list. But, if you're adamant that you want a multi-generational community, I've also listed a realtor's name on the page. Jim is a friend of ours and, if i can talk the other half into staying here Maine, Jim will be our go-to guy when we start looking for our next home. (In case you're wondering...that won't be for another 7 years at least!)

Popham Beach...it's not just for summer!

We've made it a tradition since we moved here to go to the beach on Christmas Day and New Year's Day (and as many other winter days that we can get away!). We're not the only Mainiacs who do this! Quite often, parking is down the road and around the corner, there are so many people on the beach.


Today, Christmas Eve, it was a bit quieter. We were almost the only walkers on the sands. We arrived as the tide was going out so not late enough that we could walk out to the Fox Islands. That is always a highlight of the day!


There is something very calming about walking near the ocean. The pounding surf has a way of driving out the little voices that are always niggling at me to 'coulda, shoulda, woulda'. The wind was so strong today I could lean right into it and be held up!

Because of all the rain last night and the full moon tonight, the tide line was very high up on the beach. There was quite a bit more erosion, too, than we are used to seeing.


Popham Beach is our favorite beach to go to with Bre. Dogs are welcome from Nov 1 - Mar 31. Leashes are required. Another great beach to walk on is Ogunquit Beach, but that's a tad far to drive. Popham is 30 miles from here, about a 45 minute drive. There are no amenities to speak of, so if you want food and drinks, we suggest stopping here in town before you head out.

A walk on the beach is good for the soul.

New Year's Eve in Freeport, Things to do for the whole family

December 31, 2012-

It's that time of year again, where did 2011 go?

If you're looking for a fun, laid-back way to spend New Year's Eve, Freeport is your place! Check out LL Bean's end of year celebration with family activities galore.

Fireworks are at 6 PM along with a hot cocoa toast.All day activities for kids and families from 11 AM to 6 PM.

Rick Charette is playing his brand of family friendly music and leads a kids countdown.

If dining out is your pleasure, there are several great New Year's Eve venues in town, including Azure Cafe, Broad Arrow Tavern, Buck's BBQ for a swinging good time, Petrillos and more.

And don't forget a New Year's Day walk on the beach! It's our favorite way to celebrate the New Year!

All of the fun is an easy walk from the inn. Celebrate in style with an overnight getaway. Make a reservation now!

Wherever your plans take you we hope you have a wonderful celebration!

White Cedar Inn Bed and Breakfast 178 Main St Freeport, Maine 04032

Wolfe Neck Woods or, there's more to Freeport than shopping!

Finally got the chance to take advantage of the snowfall! 23 inches of it, more or less.

Sorry to say, the snow that fell on Sunday last was blanketed by about an inch of sleet. Doesn't make for good x-c skiing or snowshoeing, although it makes for wicked fast sledding!

The 6 or so inches of snow that fell Wednesday night-Thursday morning covered that up rather nicely, giving a really deep base, even in the woods. After we finished picking up this morning, we threw the snowshoes in the back of the car, yelled for the dog and off we went! And believe me, we don't have to yell twice for the dog when she sees the snowshoes.

We decided to go to Wolfe Neck Woods State Park, just about 4 miles from here. I love walking through the snow and then suddenly coming out onto the shore. It's just such a treat!

We took about an hour today to trek through the north and westerly trails. Tomorrow we'll be back out to try the easterly trails.

Although not true at this time of year because only the access road and parking lot are plowed out, Wolfe Neck Woods Park is wheelchair accessible during the spring, summer and fall. The Casco Bay trail (the pic above is taken from just off the trail) is a fairly even and level trail. There are markers warning where the trail becomes too steep for wheelchairs.

If you have never snowshoed, take my word for it, if I can do it, so can you! If you can walk, you can snowshoe. The trails we hit today were easy. No really long or steep hills.

Bre just loves leading the way. Being a smart dog, if we decide to go off and break our own trails, she lets the humans go first and follows along in our tracks.

Right here, though, she's just waiting for us to catch up to her. The park does require leashes and pet cleanup so be sure you have a leash and some scooper bags before you head out. When we arrived today we were the only car in the parking area so we kept the leash at the ready but let her roam around a bit.

There are picnic tables set up along the way on many of the trails, especially the ones along the Casco Bay and Harraseeket River. Pack along a picnic lunch with some cheeses and crackers, apples and nuts and a nice bottle of wine. And if you're the romantic type, it would be a beautiful setting for a marriage proposal!

Other trails we have in mind for this winter are Pinelands, Bradbury Mountain and Winslow Park, all between 10-20 minutes from here. It's the perfect way to spend the afternoon in the winter. We try to get out around noon so we're back before the sun disappears!

We went back to Wolfe Neck on Saturday. Took the Harraseeket Trail, the Old Woods Trail and part of the Casco Bay Trail. The trails in this set of loops are a bit steeper and more in the woods, so a lot of trees to go around if you are on skis. We stuck to the snowshoes, blazed a few trails and got lost a couple of times when we found ourselves dead-ended at private roads. We marked up our trail map pretty well so we won't do that again!

Sarah's in Wiscasset

Part of our little getaway last week included a stop for lunch at Sarah's in Wiscasset. For those who don't yet know, Sarah's is on the right hand side of the street as you approach the bridge. (Red's Eats, of course, is on the left side!)

We'd never eaten there before so it was a fun treat to 'discover' a new place. Sarah's is very 'down home'. There is nothing fancy about it at all. We had the corner window seat so we had a view of the river as well at Rt1. Perfect!

For those who are lobster purists, read no further...we had lobster salad. Neither of us was up for a whole lobster so we went with the lobster roll (WOW! what a great roll the lobster roll comes on. Holy cow, it was huge!) and the lobster pot.

The lobster pot is served in a hollowed out bulky roll (huge) with broiled cheese and tomato. I ordered a side of potato salad. (yum!) We filled out the lunch with a couple of sodas as we were driving back to Freeport. But, Sarah's has a nice wine and beer menu to choose from.

I know there are those who just want to wait in line at Red's. But, if you're standing in the blazing sun and you don't have to have the lobster roll at Red's, just cross the street and head inside to Sarah's. Her lobster is fresh and her prices are good. You won't be disappointed!

(Note: Sarah's is open year round, Red's is seasonal.)

Pemaquid Point Lighthouse

Pemaquid Point Lighthouse and environs:

Pemaquid Point Light

We took a quick break this past Monday and Tuesday and headed up the coast to Damariscotta.

(Need a place to stay up there? The Tipsy Butler is worth a look!)

Of course, when in Damariscotta, you have to take Rt 130 out to Pemaquid Point. This is the lighthouse on the Maine State quarter. I've wanted to head up this way for a long time. I've heard the crashing ocean waves on the rock outcroppings are pretty fantastic. We were there at low tide on a beautifully calm day, so the crashing was at a minimum. Great for us because we got to climb down on the rocks and get some great pix!

The lighthouse proper is closed at this time of year, but the park itself remains open. There are picnic tables and rock outcroppings a-plenty to sit on! We didn't see any whales (wrong time of year) but there were plenty of boats out and lobster pots were easy to spot from our vantage point atop the rocks.

Hardy souls can climb right down to the water's edge. (Caution: warnings abound that the waves can be pretty severe along the coast. Climb at your own risk.)

Given there is no one around, you are definitely on your own once you begin climbing. Cell phone service is nil.

We love the coastal regions of Maine that look like this. Sure, the beaches are great, but THIS is what typifies Maine. And on a clear, warm day in November, what better place to be!

White Cedar Inn Bed and Breakfast 178 Main St Freeport, Maine 04032

www.whitecedarinn.com