Driving Off to Maine

We left for Maine early Wednesday morning.  Scott fed the cats while we were away.  Once we were well on our way and over the bridge, the engine light son the dashboard [what a strange word: who dashes to where?] started flashing.  This happened back in June when we drove to Salem to get a kitten, who turned out to be Shaman.  The mechanic couldn’t find anything wrong.

It was a partly cloudy day and a pleasant temperate, around 67.  We went first the mall in Kittery, where I got a bottle of the very thin foundation that is the make-up I wear for company or events out of the house.  At Maine Trading Post, I got slippers and a velour sporty top.   We also bought 2 lbs of Lindt chocolates from their factory store. We stopped then at Sweetser’s apple farm and bought some Cortlands, ginger gold and honey crisp apples.  They were picking and bringing them in while we were shopping. Also got some great local honey. 

Then we proceeded to Freeport. We stopped When Pigs Fly to buy types of bread we never see around here.  We got an onion, pepper focaccia and a pumpernickel and a new six grain bread.  Then we headed to Village Station.  The elevator was broken and I didn’t feel like climbing 3 flights of a narrow outside staircase, so we gave up. Neither of us ended up buying anything in Freeport.

The Harraseeket Inn was a wonderful as ever – King sized b ed with a double jacuzzi. Always very clean and quiet.  The free breakfast b buffet was terrific – breads, cereals, muffins, b blueberry pancakes, fruit, scrambled eggs, frittata with peppers and other local vegetables, bacon, a coffee put on the table and 3 choices of juice.  We will miss staying there as it’s the nicest place we ever found in Maine  where we take a brief vacation every year since 1982, when we first met two friends there to go to Common Ground Fair.

We bought nothing in Freeport – couldn’t find anything we needed or even anything we wanted.  Kittery has some vacant stores but it was still useful.  Freeport no longer is.  we couldn’t even get to eat in a restaurant without a 35-40 minute wait.  Woody went out and b brought back a good pizza.  We had brought wine, so that was satisfactory.

It began to rain during the night.  We decided to leave early and got out of the inn by 8:30 in order to drive to Springvale where Jean Noon is.  The rain was heavy and the wind was strong.  Driving was bad but not as bad as it would get a bit later on.  We got our cooler full of the great lamb they produce naturally [protected by a llama as sheep dogs could no longer take care of their flock after the coywolvs moved in but llamas can fight them successfully].

Driving home was terrifying.  We had downpours so heavy we could see only a few feet so had to go very slowly.  Semis would throw up water so we were blinded.  Hail hit us like thunder – that we also heard.  It was slow going and dangerous and in addition to the engine light staying one, the brake light came on, although the brakes seemed to be working fine.

We plan to go up next year around the same time, but just to Kittery, Sweetser ’apple orchard and the Noon farm.  We probably won’t stay over and will drive back that evening, we hope in better safer weather.

The cats were happy to see us, but Shaman was hysterical. He has not been more than inches away since we got back. 

Melenie is coming today to visit through Sunday, when I’ll be having friends for Rosh ha Shonah.