Archive for the ‘lighthouse’ Tag
Yesterday was an odd day. After my forty-five minute workout I completed what few chores I had scheduled, changed clothes, and was off to do some shopping. At 11:30 I received a message from my better-half who’d just left work and was headed home. I no sooner stepped from my car than it was decided we’d be spending the next few hours exploring along the seacoast and looking for a restaurant. We were hoping for a place we’d never before visited. Our travels brought us to Cape Porpoise, Maine located in a small harbor near the Whale Island lighthouse. We’ve been in this area many times before but never had occasion to visit any of the three small restaurants located there.
I saw a sign, "The Ramp", with a walkway extending behind a larger restaurant down towards the water. It was a tiny Bar & Grill tucked behind and under the other restaurant.
It had a sports theme and the walls and ceilings were covered with memorabilia from just about everywhere. Football helmets, autographed pictures, political signs, basketball hoops, and a helleva lot more. It was one of the coolest bars I’ve ever visited and I’ve been in a few.
We had a couple of drinks while we waited for our food and the place was packed with people. Fortunately for us we’d been seated just before the big Friday afternoon crowd arrived. The wait for a seat was close to forty minutes but nobody seemed to mind. You could lounge with a drink along the water waiting for your table.
I ordered a plate of Portuguese mussels that were without a doubt the best I’ve ever had. They were swimming in a broth of red chili’s, hot sausage, and herbs. My better-half had the crab cakes which she raved about for the rest of the day.
The beer was cold, the food delicious, and the help was better than expected considering how busy it was. We found ourselves making plans to return to this little bistro before we’d finished our first beers.
‘The Whale Island lighthouse.’
This little place was one of the nicest surprises we’ve had in some time. We’ll be returning very soon to try a few more local brews and delicious food. The meal was beautifully presented, delicious, and nicely priced. Our check not including the tip was $62.00 and believe me when I say it was money well spent.
‘You can’t get seafood much fresher than this. Right off the boat.’
If you’re ever in the vicinity you should stop by for a nosh. This is one of those hidden little treasures that’s mainly frequented by the locals who know a good thing when they have it.
It’s been a great week but with my nephew leaving soon I decided a short road trip was in order. We rolled out of bed, had breakfast with my better-half, and then hit the road. We drove south on I-95 to the border with New Hampshire and began our day at the Kittery Trading Post. My nephew is quite the gun expert and we spent an hour walking through the endless racks of guns.
If you’ve read this blog in recent weeks you know I have been having serious issues with a skunk who refuses to leave my garden alone. I’ve been wanting to purchase a .22 caliber rifle for more than a year and with the help from my nephew I did just that. I already feel bad for that stupid skunk because his days are numbered.
We left Kittery and began the trip north along the coast. It was a beautiful day and all of the beaches were filled with this years crop of tourists. We stopped to get a few pictures at the Nubble lighthouse which is probably the most photographed lighthouse in Maine.
We then continued north through the towns of York Beach, York, Ogunquit, and Wells. Traffic was much heavier than normal and all of the routes that took us anywhere near the water were jammed with people and cars. Even with the crowds and traffic we had a great time people watching and catching up on each other’s lives.
We stopped for a quick lunch in Kennebunk and continued on through Biddeford and into Saco. We returned home to meet the better-half and to prepare for our last night together.
We traveled to Old Orchard beach for a terrific seafood dinner, a walk along the beach, and then onto the amusement park. I was able to win a couple of $.50 stuffed pigs for my better-half and it only cost me ten bucks.
Carnival games never seem to change. The better-half insisted on spending some time at the arcade where she and the nephew played SkeeBall. With an armload of worthless tickets we made our way towards our car and the return home. You can’t have a night like this without stopping for a little ice cream which was delicious and made the ride home a little more enjoyable.
The nephew’s flight is scheduled to leave early tomorrow morning so it was early to bed and early to rise and the end of a great week.
I’ve been sleeping much better lately now that the weather is turning colder. Heat and humidity seem to be my worst nightmare these days. I’ve always favored cooler weather and it seems that will never change.
Today’s forecast was for clear and sunny skies and a temperature in the low fifties. It was dig out a medium weight jacket and jeans because it appears shorts are out until next Spring. The better-half and I had errands to run on her day-off but I was able to convince her to take a ride along the southern coast for a few hours. Traffic was heavier than anticipated and I’m not sure exactly why. I guess everyone was trying desperately to enjoy the sunshine and extend their summer for as long as possible just like we were.
We started our little journey to Kennebunkport by cutting cross country through an area filled with horse farms. We can always find great photo opportunities there.
We made a short visit to the small coastal town of Cape Porpoise, Maine. It was such a clear day I knew I could get a decent picture or two of the Goat Island lighthouse located just offshore at the entrance to the harbor.
These lobsterman pictured below were in port with barrels of freshly caught lobsters. As you can see they’re loading them into trucks for transport to some of your favorite restaurants.
This area is filled with an endless supply of beautiful costal pictures as always. This small harbor was full of lobster boats and many of the visitors were sitting along the shore enjoying the view and basking in the sunshine.
We traveled north along the coast back towards Goose Rocks and Biddeford. There were many terrific photo-ops and we took advantage of them all. There were so many possibilities we actually were forced to pass a few by and we hate doing that. Here are a couple of samples.
It made for a great trip to roam around and enjoy one of our last remaining sunny and warm days. The second half of this trip will be posted in a day or so as we traveled towards farm country looking for pumpkins. We planned on visiting a few farms in our ongoing effort to find pumpkins that weren’t priced sky high as those at Walmart. It seems we can’t really enjoy the Fall season around here without stacking a few pumpkins and cornstalks in front of the house.
C’mon Winter!
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