Actually, winter is already here in Maine! We had a pretty chilly November with a white Thanksgiving. No snow now, but it is a clear and cold 20. I’m hoping for a white Christmas.
I’m having my coffee and watching boats drag for scallops in the bay. Scallop season opened last Monday and they are only allowed to fish M,T,W. It is fascinating to watch the boats. You can buy fresh scallops direct from the fishermen for about $110 per gallon. They freeze well but I want to find someone (or two) to split an order with me, a gallon is ALOT of scallops.
Life has been busy since my last blog. During the election I worked as a canvasser for Jared Golden who narrowly defeated incumbent congressman Republican Bruce Poliquin thru ranked choice voting.
Had a great election day with my canvassing partner Brett - a 30-something who works in the salmon industry, he taught me that here in Maine you don't go to the front door - you go to the mud-room door!! LOL! Ted, our area coordinator (on the right) went to Cabrillo College in Aptos - how crazy is that??
I had a wonderful time visiting Annie Parker in November. Annie moved to Bath, Maine from Santa Cruz last January - great minds think alike. Or crazy minds! She lives near the Maine Botanical Gardens so we went to the opening day of Gardens Aglow, which was just spectacular. The night was cold and clear, but no wind, so it was quite comfortable. I enjoyed ending the evening sitting around the fire pit, talking to other visitors. Don't you love our matching coats? Just by coincidence we bought the same coat in different colors from LL Bean.
The pictures below are the same view - one at dusk the other after dark.
The next morning I had my first Maine snow day at Annie's lovely home in Bath! It was beautiful but I did feel guilty that the dogs were home with the dog sitter. I’m sure they were thinking “What, she takes off, leaves us with a stranger and the world turns white!” They were fine and have been adapting well to our new normal.
Heading home, I made a little detour thru Portland, including a shopping spree at Trader Joe’s (the closest one) - I needed a TJ fix after 6 months! And lunch at the Thirsty Pig - I think Portland Maine has as many brew pubs as it’s west coast namesake!
More snow was on the horizon for Thanksgiving week. The day before Thanksgiving I was about to walk down to the hardware store to buy a snow shovel, but found that a kind neighbor had already plowed my front sidewalk and parking area. I still don't know who it was, and I still bought the shovel cuz I'm going to need it!
Thanksgiving day brought record lows. I walked a few blocks to my neighbor’s house for Thanksgiving, it was about 14 degrees! I walked home about 9pm and it had warmed up to a whopping 16!
The dogs are adapting pretty well. I realize that the best strategy for our walks is to go to the beach below my house at low tide - then the dogs can walk without the snow! Bella doesn't seem to mind the cold, little Otis gets pretty shaky so he likes to be bundled in my coat.
Last week I went to Ellsworth (2 hours away, it is close to Bar Harbor) for some appointments. I stayed overnight so I could sit in with the Jazz Collective at the Pickled Wrinkle Restaurant/Bar in Birch Harbor. Was fun to sing jazz, first time since I left Aptos! The guys were cool - Don played 5-string bass, still rocking the bottom end at age 88. I hope to collaborate with them on occasion in future.
The next day was gorgeous so I drove around the Schoodic Penninsula, which is part of Acadia National Park before driving back to Eastport. Stunning views of Cadillac Mountain.
My house is decorated for Christmas - candles (battery) and wreaths in the windows. I bought my 2 foot tree at the Festival of Trees, a benefit for the Eastport Art Center. They auction about 25 trees, all decorated by individuals and groups in the community. It is a wonderful and festive event.
The tree I won was the Garcicle Tree by my friend Georgie Kendall. She took garlic stalks, covered them in glitter, added lights, ribbons and crystals to beautiful effect. The garcicles had a Seussian quality. The tree also included a bundle of garlic - grown at Georgie's farm, which has been in her family for 5 generations!
Life continues to be busy. The Quoddy Voices have final choir rehearsals this week, our concerts are this Friday and Sunday. Playing pickleball once or twice a week, which is a blast.
Oh, and my Wed afternoon radio show is still a great creative outlet. We don't stream, but I have recordings of past shows on my website - check it out:
Wishing you and yours a very happy holiday season! I miss you all and hope to see you in Eastport Maine soon!