Final Thoughts and Observations About Maine

 It's too bad the Canadian border is still closed.

Downeast Maine was a big surprise. Unlike the touristy and upscale lower and central coasts it is economically depressed and has a frontier-like feel. The trashy, dilapidated mobile homes reminded me of rural Louisiana. One doesn't have to go far to see it is still Trump country, both for the pro-Trump flags and banners and the huge, sometimes vulgar anti-Biden signs. (The further south one travels the more one encounters BLM signs and the juvenile lefty rainbow flags that are all the rage.)

There are still big chunks of the Downeast coast that are completely unsettled, unspoiled and beautiful. That won't last long.

Mainers are much more friendly than I expected. While my wife shopped in the Rockland Super Walmart I engaged some in conversation to test their friendliness and enjoy their strong accents. Nobody was unfriendly and most were surprisingly conversational even though I was clearly an outsidah. I learned some local vernacular. One man told me his teenage son was "a weeyadoe". Another had just returned from "hahsback riding in Flahrida." When I asked for a recommendation on local beer the lady said, "I'm not shuwah." And so on.

The Maine state dessert is whoopie pie. In the spirit of adventure we bought one but were disappointed. Not true of the blueberry pie, however, which was grand.

The most pleasant surprise of the trip was the discovery that Maine has delicious, locally-brewed root beers. The ginger beers are pretty good, too. I do not recommend the blueberry soda.

It is possible to get tired of lobster, especially after lobster rolls (sandwiches on a french roll), lobster bisque, creamy lobster spread and, of course, lobster in the shell.

Other Maine Highlights

Our hosts in Robbinston have a house on the water overlooking the Canadian coast. Their property has a marker (on a rock near the flagpole) for the official end of the St. Croix River and the official beginning of the Passamaquoddy Bay. Why this is so important that it warrants a marker is strange, but it probably matters or something.

Cheryl found some dinky dogs. For some reason she thought they were cute. I did not share that opinion, but the 165 pound great dane was cool. Unfortunately he spent the week growling at me. Maybe he knew how I felt about his smaller comrades.

Our children spent much of the week in Cushing playing games and heckling each other at the guest house.

There was swimming in the cold ocean, which was more fun than it sounds. In this picture one of the small lobster trap buoys can be seen near the platform. There are hundreds of these along the coast but not visible in the picture. 

Hiking on Monhegan Island:

On the Deck of the Guest Cottage

 

The Great Lobstah Boil

When you're given ten free lobsters and you've got the pots you need, it's time to learn how to cook 'em up...with help from Youtube. Note the three-story boathouse in the background that was converted into a retreat comfortable enough for an extended family.

Success! More thanks to Youtube for instruction on how to best eat fresh lobstah.

Emily's World

 To our delight, we discovered we were staying only a couple miles from the Olson House where Andrew Wyeth painted Christina's World. This, of course, demanded a re-enactment.

The art museum in nearby Rockland had many Wyeth paintings (from all three genarations) and some other noteworthy pieces.

Family Pictures

 Our tradition of posing for the annual family picture continues. As usual, this quickly broke down into silliness.

Evan's Girlfriend

A highlight of the week was hosting Evan's girlfriend for a couple nights and getting to know her. She got a good close-up view of his family and, strangely, did not run away or sneak off when nobody was looking. I think that's a good sign. 

 

With Family in Cushing

 After almost a week of tramping and visiting with friends in Robbinston it was time to head asouthwardwise to the central Maine coast. We gathered with family near Cushing and enjoyed unusually good weather most of the week:

Tramping Across "Downeast" Maine

 The northern Maine coast is known as "Downeast" even though it goes all the way to Canada. This is where John R. and I went exploring remote properties for sale. Most of the properties required breaking trail through dense undergrowth, which was both fun and exhausting. We were rewarded by some of the most beautiful and unspoiled coastal views in Maine. John appeared a bit reckless on the high cliffs above the ocean. Luckily he didn't slip or fall off. Note the lobster boat in the lower picture.