#5 Friends And Favorite City in the USA

Some of you may be wondering if the work routine and effort of RV’ing is worth it. I know I may have portrayed a pretty bleak picture of RVing in the last blog. But think of it like this, sometimes exhilarating things, sky diving, zip lining and kayaking, come first with cautionary warnings. You know the ones: your parachute may become tangled (splat), the zip line could break (Ahhhhhhhh, plunk, ouch), your kayak may flip over leaving you submerged (glub glub glub). So see, don’t you feel better about RV’ing? But seriously, enough about the hassles. Now for the good stuff.

Friends in New Hampshire

I left you in Mystic with Pam’s new Tilly. We are now on our way to New Hampshire. It’s such a tiny state and hooray, we only have a 1.5 hour drive to get there. We are visiting another high school pal of mine. Pam Palmquist Bingham and her husband, Jack, came to visit us last year in Sarasota. Like Marth in Pennsylvania, Pam’s trip to Sarasota was the first time I had seen her in over 50 years. We are all retired or semi-retired now and we can finally travel far and wide reconnecting with old friends.

When we arrived in NH, Pam and Jack picked us up at the campsite and took us to their wonderful home. It was off the road and into the woods. Good thing they picked us up. They prepared a delicious meal of grilled salmon, fresh asparagus, scrumptious macaroni salad and the topper was homemade key lime pie. Pam gave us some pie to go, which we devoured. For a special dinner entertainment treat, a bear moseyed into their yard while we stared out the window in disbelief. They acted surprised but I think it’s their pet bear.

Jack is Mr. Ingenious. Their house is completely solar powered. They have an amazing garden sun room where Jack rigged a clothes drying system with pulleys. I can’t even explain how the garage doors open but it’s unique. I wish I had taken photos but sadly, I was so intrigued by it all, I forgot. However, as a surprise for my blog reading friends, Pam sent high school yearbook photos.

We stayed 1 night in NH and then we were off to Maine, the only one syllable state.

Maine, Where Lobstahs Live

So happy our trip to Wild Duck Campground in Scarborough, Maine was uneventful. The campground had it’s uniqueness.

The campground had its pluses. It was centrally located between Kennebunkport and Portland, the 2 places we wanted to visit. You could order a steamed lobster at check in and they deliver it to your campsite. They’ll also deliver breakfast but we were so busy, we didn’t do either. That doesn’t mean we didn’t eat any lobster. Oh no, we filled our gullets with haddock and lobster until we were wishing for chicken.

My Favorite City-Portland

I love Portland, Maine. I have been to Portland several times for consulting gigs. It’s a rather large city but it has this comfortable small town feel. We signed up for a 10:00 historical tour with Dugan. He grew up in Portland and is also a history teacher. You can play stump the teacher with him. I tried, but couldn’t stump him.

One of Pam’s favorite buildings in the city was the Time and Temperature building. It is 14 stories high and one of the tallest buildings in Maine. It went into foreclosure years ago but it still has a 9 foot sign that displays the time and temp. You can call the time and temperature number (I forgot the number.) and get the time and temp just like the old days.

Interesting fact, Maine was the first state to pass legislation to prohibit the manufacture and sale of alcohol in 1851. And it was Portland’s mayor who garnered the signatures. I’m afeared that mayor would not know Portland today. It is a foodies paradise with breweries and wine bars galore. Maybe that’s why it’s my favorite city. I also love the fragrant smelling lilacs in the spring.

Dugan took us to an old church built in 1865. Well, that was the 2^nd  Parish church. The first one was the original Portland Meeting House and parish. It’s where the townspeople came to discuss important business, like drafting Maine’s State Constitution.

While rebuilding this church the parishioners found revolutionary war cannon balls embedded in the walls. A 12 pound cannon ball hangs over the sanctuary in the form of a 600 pound cut glass chandelier. I wouldn’t want the seat directly under it.

The parishioners owned their pews and their names are engraved on them. One of the most famous was the Longfellow Family Pew. I wonder if he wrote the midnight ride of Paul Revere in that pew.

When the tour was over, we asked Dugan where to get the best lobster and clam chowder. He recommended two lively outdoor dining spots on the canal in Old Port. Old Port is still a thriving wharf of lobstermen and fishermen.

It reminded me of the old fishing village on Siesta Key in Sarasota. You could buy fresh fish right off the boat. Anybody remember that spot?”

Well, Dugan wasn’t wrong. Both places were great. Chowdah in one and haddock and lobstah in the othah.

That evening we hunted for a dog bath for “you know who”. We drove to Freeport, following closely to the Waze directions. It was a windy affair, with lots of loopty loos and hills. When we finally arrived at the Wag and Wash, their one wash tub was being used and there wasn’t any time for another customer. We were sent away with Lucca’s tail between her legs. Not to be easily dismissed, we found a Tractor Supply with a complete set up of grooming supplies, towels and a dryer. Lucky Lucca, lucky us.

Kennebunkport, Do You Know Who Lives There?

The next day we met our tour guide for the Kennebunkport tour. It was raining but that’s never a deterrent for us. I purchased an umbrella at CVS and we met our guide in the small downtown area. We were the only ones who showed up for the rainy walking tour. We learned in Norway, there’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing.

We traversed the streets between the raindrops and learned about the beautiful old homes and about the people who first settled in the area and built them.

We roamed through 3 Bed and Breakfasts. They were all spectacular. Look at this circular staircase.

The staircase rises to a cupola on top of the home. The view of the sea was beautiful even with the rain and fog. It was a panting climb to the top. Not for me. But Pam may have needed a boost. She was fortified when fresh chocolate chip cookies were offered to us.

Some of the homes in the community had an unusual chimney paint job. Notice how this chimney is two tone with the black on top.

There are 3 myths circulating. Each is a credible explanation but which one is true?

1. These homes were part of the underground railroad and the white chimney with black was a secret sign to alert slaves of a safe haven.

2. White chimneys with black stripes on top were homes owned by loyalists who supported the British. It was a way to keep their homes and families safe during the revolutionary war.

3. Chimneys were painted with a black ring encircled on top to hide smoke stains.

Which one is the truth? This is not a cliff hanger. Nobody really knows. I researched it myself and all 3 answers show up on the internet. So it remains a mystery even to the tour guide.

Pam loved the sign at this little shop. You must read it.

Moving on and further along the coast of Kennebunkport, is Parson’s Way, a famous trail donated to the town. But wait, who owns the large compound that runs the length of that peninsula across the water?

I know, it’s difficult to see in the fog but here’s a hint: father and son were presidents.

The main home is on the point. There’s a guard shack at the entrance to the small peninsula.

I love Portland but it’s time to leave this part of Maine. The one thing I know, we’ll be back and I hope you’ll come along.

We have more to see in Maine as we continue up the east coast. I’m looking forward to more treats and adventures. I know you’ll want to come along with us.

A Revised Plan So You Can Come Along

I want to bring you up to date with where we are. The internet in the campgrounds is non-existent. Our Verizon mifi is spotty and in Canada it will not work at all. The hotspot on my phone is so slow, I’m in the next camp spot before a photo loads. So keeping the blog timely is tough.

Here’s what I am going to do. In the next blog we are going to start in St. John, New Brunswick. We are there now with our caravan group. Although the internet may still pose a challenge, I will do my best to keep the blog on track with our actual travels. In each blog I will write a paragraph or two of adventures we skipped over so you can come along with us in real time. Welcome to Canada.