Clean air, the seashore, the forest, the mountains - Maine
Well I did it. I survived the car trip to Maine, via New Hampshire. I am so proud of myself; this is the farthest east I have ever been. Donald, on the other hand, is so proud of his GPS unit. This is the farthest east it has ever been.
A hop, skip and a jump out of New Hampshire is Fryeburg, Maine. Just past the hustle and traffic of the shopping in North Conway is a quiet, unassuming inn with a wooden statue of an Arctic explorer standing by the doorway. We stayed at the Admiral Peary B&B, an 1870 New England farm house, once lived in by the famous North Pole explorer. The inn has been renovated and modernized over the years into a comfortable and relaxing setting that almost hides its famous past. If not for the pictures on the walls of Native American Art (Alaskan of course), Admiral Peary and Matthew Henson, one would have thought this to be an exclusive private club. Our hosts, Hilary and Derrek, were most warm and shared their innkeeping experiences with us while Derrek made our first breakfast in Maine. It was then that we heard of the back roads around town that would have sped up our trip. We learned that we should have gone to the inn first, before exploring, because they know the roads and the places to shop.
After our breakfast, we set off to see Rockland and the Owl's Head Transportation Museum. About 30 years old, this museum houses a core collection of 75 antique aircraft, automobiles, motorcycles, carriages, bicycles and engines, dating from the 1890's to the 1930's. In addition to the permanent collection, they host outdoor antique auto and airplane shows, as well as antique car auctions. I was most impressed with the fact that all of the cars and planes are restored and in working order. I was also impressed that their 60 year old cars were shinier than mine.
Downtown Rockland is a thriving and quaint area, with shops, restaurants and galleries. Luckily the weather was beautiful, so we just wandered from store to store. The town is clean and has an air of an artistic community just before being discovered by masses.
We checked into LimeRock Inn, on LimeRock Street, run by Frank and PJ, who gave us the tour. Built in 1890 for a state Congressman Charles Littlefield, a future senator, it was designed to show off both his wealth and prestige in the community. The living room, parlor and formal dining room all have the original pocket doors, as well as years of accumulation of history and memorabilia. PJ and Frank were born to be congenial hosts and they made us feel right at home. Our guest room was the Island Cottage Room, decorated in hues of pale blue and sunny yellow. It has a distinct country feel, with an airiness and sense of tranquility. We even had our own little deck to enjoy the Maine sunset.
There are quite a few restaurants on Main Street, but we chose Rustica Cucina Italiana, which recently opened in April 2006. The black lacquered bar is the focal point of the open room. The tables are covered with black and white layered tablecloths and the hardwood floors and high ceiling add to the spaciousness of this eatery. On the evening we went, there was a constant flow of customers, so they must be doing something right.
Lime Rock Inn
The menu is traditionally Italian, featuring appetizers, like antipasta, salads, pizza, pasta and entrees. Don sampled the pork chop Milanese and I had the shrimp scampi. It was a terrific Italian meal in the heart of Maine.
