Mainly Maine
Myria was born in Japan and raised in California. Except for a few years around college time, I have always lived in New England. But I never saw Southern Maine until Myria brought me up there for the first time about 11 years ago.
The coast area is spectacular and, for the most part, very rocky. There are beaches and they are beautiful. But mostly the coastline is rugged and you wonder how the old ships managed it at all. There are a lot of famous Maine lighthouses and that rocky coast is why there are so many of them.
This is Nubble Light at Sohiers Park in York. We stop there often to enjoy the view and feed the gulls. One fall night we pulled in after dark, got an afghan out of the back of the car and went down to sit on one of the stone benches. There, the ambient light was very low and we were able to observe the galaxy of stars overhead. It was breath-taking because it isn’t something we get to see very often. We live in the city where there is a relatively high level of light - even after dark. This panoply was like what I remember seeing out in my parent’s back yard when I was very young, before the area had been built up much. It was wonderful to see that they were all still there - dense and glittering against the black night sky. It’s not the usual association one makes with lighthouses, but it’s a treasured association for me.
This place is called The Sea Castles and it’s where we stay when we do more than a day trip. It’s a nice, relaxed place with a nice view of the ocean across the street. It’s rates are reasonable given the resort area and it’s one of the few hotels that stays open year ‘round. We especially enjoy visiting the Ogunquit area in January or February. The beauty of the ocean and the shore is undiminished, the hotel rates are low and there are no crowds.
Walking the beaches can provide some amazing surprises. One December 26th, we wandered up and down the town beach for the afternoon. A flock of pipers stayed about 100 feet ahead of us, darting in and out of the surf, their long little legs moving so quickly they were just a blur. We watched seagulls pick up the big clams that proliferate just off shore, and drop them onto the hard packed sand to crack them open. We collected shells of all types and sizes and threw a group of stranded starfish back into the water so they wouldn’t dry out.
Another time I found a small, delicate and quite anonymous skull (which currently lives on my desk). I have no idea to whom it belonged, but imagine it was probably a bird of some sort. The bone is very fine and light. Sometimes, if I hold it in profile and look at it just right I can imagine it might have belonged to a very small dragon :)
There is something about the ocean. When I was growing up, my family always went on summer vacation to a large New Hampshire lake. It was lovely and I remember it fondly. But neither of my parents seemed much interested in the ocean so it was quite a discovery to me.
No matter what the time of year, whenever we go up to Maine, I wade out into the water for at least a few minutes. And no matter what’s happening in my life, whether I’m feeling whimsical or blackly depressed, I come out calmed and balanced. Almost any ocean would do, I suppose - the shores of Iceland and Greenland are amazing while I found the Caribbean, oddly, less so. But it is on the southern Maine coastline that I find the best combination of beauty and convenience.
So that’s where I go :)
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Wonderful pictures! Makes me want to be there big time! I have mountains now, but do miss the ocean a lot.
Maus - I imagine mountains would be spectacular and I wonder sometimes about being able to look out the window at these towering creatures in the distance. I wouldn’t mind giving it a try, but they have to be within reasonable distance of a shoreline :)
OMG!!! MAINE!!! I so want to go there and buy land. That is my dream state to move to. OH did I drool over those pictures you posted. They are gorgeous. I have passed going to see the ocean near here, because my first view must be from a rocky coast.
Thanks so much for sharing, Robbyn! I loved living through you :-)
Have a great new year!
Your pictures are beautiful. ::sigh:: When my husband and I were newly dating, we hatched a plan to go to Maine for lunch. Never happened, but it’s still a dream.
Theresa - We feel the same way. There’s probably no way it will ever happen, but when we spin if-we-win-the-lottery dreams, it’s Maine we think about going to. Home has to have an ocean view - of course!
Marcia - If you ever get there, go up to Welles (just past Ogunquit on Route 1) and head for Lords Harborside. It’s the best seafood and fish I have ever had. Nice casual atmosphere and an icecream sundae that will make you swoon - personal favorite is hot fudge with coffee icecream :)
