Snakes on a Plain!

It never ceases to amaze me what turns up in the news. And what turns up in some people's backyard!

See the story here.

Or, view the slide show here.

(Links may be removed by the particular news outlet that posted them.)

Spring Tablecloths

The latest installment in 'what does Monica do with her spare time?' We know Rock works on his car, but what does Monica do? (Besides blog that is.)

This past week I finished up the new Spring tablecloths. Later on I'll be working on some pillow shams. As Calvin and Hobbes used to say, 'The days are just packed!' Hope you're doing something fun with your spare time, too!

Rock has a new recipe he tried out this weekend- Irish eggs. It's a yummy riff on scrambled eggs, but made with lots of butter and heavy cream.

Winslow Park, Freeport, Maine

Keeping up with the beautiful weather here this week, I decided to chuck doing anything indoors (I'll wait for the rain) and Bre and I took another walk. We've been to Winslow Park before, but not with the camera. I was ready this time!

We parked just inside the entry gate (no charge at this time of year!) and meandered off toward the beach. (No dogs allowed on the beach at any time, so we just looked from the boat launch.) This is a small, town beach perfect for just relaxing or letting the kids play.

There is a playground in the center of the park with climbing and swinging apparatus (no dogs here, either). The 'No Dogs' policy seems a bit strict until you think about it from the perspective of the kids- why should they have to watch where they're playing when dogs have the whole rest of the park to play in!

Bre and I wandered off down the 'driveway' where you can take your car to the camping area. There are plenty of ramps and ladders along the path to make your way down to the rocks below. These are perfect spots for kids to explore the tidal areas.


Pretty quickly we came to the end of the park grounds on the Bay side. (Small signs indicate where the park ends and private property begins.) We were headed back around the camping area loop when I saw several walkers coming down a dirt road. Looking over, I saw another small sign indicating there were trails in that direction, so off we went.

If you do bring a dog, the park is a 'pooper scooper' area, so bring along your own bags or pick some up at the 'pooper scooper' station near the parking lot. Very kindly, residents had placed a trash can outside their barn for collection of the 'doggie treasures.' (If they find this blog, 'Thank you!') At this time of year (March) the park is a 'carry in, carry out' with no regular trash collection.

In season (May-Oct) dogs must be leashed. (Or, if you prefer, people with dogs must be leashed!) It was a bit overwhelmingly doggie when we were there and too many people weren't paying close enough attention to their random dogs, who were just being dogs. Please doggie people, your dog should not approach a strange dog without you making sure it's ok. You wouldn't let your kid run up to a strange dog, please don't let your dog do that, either. (In case you're wondering why I'm on the soapbox, Bre got bitten and I wasn't the least happy with that because the other people only 'noticed' what was going on when Bre defended herself. Then we got 'the look.' And the 'Hmmpf,' as they dragged their dog away.)

Anyhoo...on with the walk. We went the whole length of this seeming 'driveway' and came out to the end of the point. Wow! How I ever missed this before, I don't know! It was stunning. Other than the stretch where we walked on the roadway, all of the trails have benches set fairly close together so you can stop and rest, have your lunch or just stare off at nothing for awhile. (Note below what 'nothing' looks like!) It was really quite quiet and peaceful.


The photo above is the end of the point. If you look across to the right, that's Wolfe's Neck on the other side of the Harraseeket River. To the left is the Freeport Town Dock (between the 2 trees on the left). It'll take you about 20 minutes to drive from one park to the other. Longer if you stop at the Harraseeket Lunch & Lobster to get a bite to eat!

The whole loop, with stopping to admire the view, take some pix and do some exploring in the tidal pools took about 2 hours. Bring along a picnic lunch and make a day of it. If you have a kayak or canoe, better still. You can paddle around for hours! In the late spring and summer, those little islands in the bay are covered with seals and the osprey are winging their way around the whole area.

If you don't know how to kayak, take a Walk On Adventure class at LL Bean. You can also rent kayaks at Rings in South Freeport. They'll help you get the kayaks put in.

We're thinking this spring-like weather isn't going to really last, but until winter comes back, I'll leave you with this final picture. Imagine yourself relaxing here, looking out across the river to the bay, listening to the sounds of the water lapping on the rocks, the cry of the sea ducks just offshore and then pick up the phone and give us a call!

Casco Castle, South Freeport, Maine

Yesterday I drove to the end of Wolfe Neck Rd just to see where it went. Where it goes is to the Stone House, a conference center belonging to USM (University of Southern Maine). While I was turning around, I looked across the inlet and there was the Casco Castle. I'm not exactly sure if I'd ever seen it before, but now that I had, I was on the lookout for the best vantage points from which to see it from land. The best vantage point would be from a kayak!

The castle is located on private property now, but there are great places around the bay from which to catch a glimpse of it. While looking for some more information I came across this fantastic blog that has hundreds of old postcards and photos of the castle, the grounds, the buffalo, downtown Freeport and much more. Definitely give this blog a look if you're interested in Freeport and South Freeport as they used to be!

Another spot for more information about this amusement park from the heyday of the trolley car and train vacation is the Freeport Hisorical Society's page about the castle.

If you're not ready to hit the water to see the castle tower, I found another great spot at the end of Staples Point Rd in Winslow Park. From the very end of the park (follow the road that runs along the left side of the house that is in the middle of the park) you can see across to the Stone House and back to the Town Dock. Continuing the sweep to the left, you'll see the castle tower across the Harraseeket River. (You can see the top of the tower just to the left of center, rising above the tree line.)


This is a walk worth taking just for the scenery and serenity. At the very end of the point, there are benches to sit on and contemplate the bay. Today there were a lot of waterfowl around every corner. I also saw one downy woodpecker and 2 heron-like birds that I couldn't get close enough to id. Not to mention, but I will, the crows!

BTW, we have a small collection of 4 postcards in the Casco Bay Room. One postcard in the collection is of the Casco Castle and another one shows a view from the tower.

Winter photo of the castle with the new telephoto lens.

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

Freeport Maine Chamber of Commerce

The Freeport Chamber is moving right along in garnering new members. We had the Coffee Connections here this morning and 2 new businesses signed up during the meet and greet.

Above is a sampling of what was on the menu today. (Also see the chia head post.)

Not being able to commit to early morning meetings (the guests like the breakfast part of their stay too much for me go off!) I probably won't make it to the other Coffee Connections meetings which are every 2 weeks on Thursday morning from 8-10 AM at a variety of locations. Somewhere along the way, tho, I did sign up to work the greeting table at the Chamber After Hours events.

If you live in Freeport (Maine) or the surrounding towns, check out the Freeport Chamber website for more info on where the meetings are and come out and get acquainted.

Chia Head Fruit Platter

Who knew you could make a 'chia head' fruit platter?! I'm not one to brag (OK, yes I am) but this was the cutest thing ever. Rock, ya gotta love him, goes along with my hair-brained ideas and sometimes they really work out well. I put the fruit on the skewers last night and asked him to stick them into the half cantaloupe this morning. When I went into the kitchen he said, 'Ta da! Chia head!' and it certainly was.

Motorcycling in Maine

Seeing these motorcycles at the Owl's Head Transportation Museum made me think of Spring. Not to mention seeing 2 motorcyclists out last week just before it snowed here. It's getting to be that time of year again, when the bikes are washed and polished and made road-ready again in anticipation of Maine's not-too-short motorcycle season. After all, there is that guy I see on I 95 every winter who doesn't seem to be deterred by anything but ice.

The state of Maine publishes a neat Motorcycle rides map. It includes a map of the state with scenic routes marked out and different events taking place along the routes throughout the bike riding season. There are lists of historic sites, museums, lodging, dining and more. Unlike a typical road map, this one has photos of cyclists at different venues along the way, motorcycle safety tips, the phone number for weather conditions (5-1-1, in case you were reading this along the road), and the locations of many hospitals along the way (and the hope you don't need any of them!) You can pick up a map at most tourist info centers in Maine.

We're at the confluence of 3 of the routes:

• Portland to Sanford (228 miles)
• Brunswick to Rockland (219 miles)
• Kittery to Falmouth (70 miles)

Any one, or all, of those routes could easily start or end in Freeport. Hope to see you soon! (In case you're wondering, we did have a motorcycle when we got here 6 years ago. For the 'rest of the story' click here.)