Lessons and Discoveries in Maine

I travel to Maine regularly since my step-daughter, Dorothy, is only about an hour away in southern Maine. For someone who commutes 90 minutes each way to work--through Boston--it is almost a treat to shoot up I-95 into Maine. Easy-peasy. But, every 3 months or so I plan a more extensive trip into Maine, north of Portland, to visit family and friends. I usually cram as many visits as possible into a single day. I'm someone who likes to be busy, so this works very well for me, and I like to think, for others as well. This past Sunday I made stops in Biddeford, Saco (that was for Reny's, I confess), Brunswick, Woolwich, and Topsham (where I got in another stop in at a Reny's). I knocked off four visits with friends and family, made a drop-off at another friend's house, and hit two Reny's stores. It was a productive day! Here are some of my lessons learned and discoveries made on this quick trip back to my home state.

•  We've lived in Massachusetts for five years now, but it still feels wrong to drive around in Maine with Massachusetts plates on my vehicle. As my step-father once said to me in jest, "What are those funny plates on your car?!?" I can feel everyone's judgement when I pass them on the highway...Massachusetts driver. There's just no respect for our state and how we drive. How many times did I say that myself? Countless.
• I confess to be a fully converted Masshole. I actually love living in Massachusetts, but when I am in Maine I am keenly aware that I no longer have a home in Maine. I discovered that stopping into Reny's is a close second. It feels like home when I am at Reny's, and I don't even like to shop!
• Spending a day in Maine is like a free pass to eat all of the chocolate that I want. I don't know why, it just is. I usually get my fair share in. I always grab a bag of Sconza dark chocolate toffee almonds at Reny's and they're usually gone before I hit the New Hampshire border.

• It is not currently possible to take the "back way" between Cooks Corner in Brunswick and Bath. All of those signs which say that State Street is closed just as it approaches Bath? They're true. It's also true that one should look for the detour signs...before the detour turnoff. If you happened to be at the current end of State Street on Sunday around 10:45am, I was the jerk with the Massachusetts plates who drove right up to the blockade on the road, only to pull out her smartphone and find the detour into Bath. 
• Technology has not taken over all of children's play and activities. Children still do play restaurant, make menus, and eat pretend food (or pretend to eat plastic food, I should say). I witnessed this with great enthusiasm at my friend, Colleen's house, with her magical five children. In fact, I was a customer at said-restaurant and ate a delicious meal. The "staff" were creative, polite, and very accommodating. They were also cuter than ever!  

Sign at "T.H.E. Cafe," which stands for Totally, Happy, and Epic!

Lizzy and Becky, posing behind T.H.E. Cafe.

The menu at T.H.E. Cafe. My favorite part was that the chocolate is free. Now, that's my kind of cafe!

• I was reminded that there is almost nothing more wonderful than watching happy children at work and at play. I could stay all day if my schedule would permit and if they could tolerate me that long.

Children at work and play - from the top, clockwise, that's Sammy, Lizzy, Becky, and me.

• My first home was on George Wright Road in Woolwich, Maine. Across the street from our home was a small house and gas station. A man named Water Reid lived in the home and operated the gas station. It seems like we visited Walter every day. In addition to gas, he sold candy in an old-fashioned wood and glass display case, sodas, cigarettes, and auto-related products, such as motor oil. Maybe he also sold a few canned goods. Walter wore horn-rimmed glasses, a wool shirt, listened to the local scanner, and calculated by hand the cost of your purchases on a stack of broken down cardboard cigarette cartons. There were wide floor boards in his store that were well worn from years of foot traffic. He had an ancient cash register with a lever on the side and a bell that rang when the drawer opened. Walter Reid was the eyes and ears of our local community, and he was a constant in our life on George Wright Road. Walter died maybe 15 years ago. Within the past 10 years my sister took a picture of his old home and his store--abandoned, neglected, and very vacant. It sits on my desk in our spare bedroom. I'm so glad she snapped that picture because Sunday I drove onto George Wright Road and found that his store was gone. All left is left is the floor, which is more weathered than ever. 

The remains of Walter's store -- center of picture. That's his home on the left.

• I haven't been the to The Taste of Maine restaurant since I was a teenager. I saw it with a whole new set of eyes! I had no idea that it offered such a beautiful view of the water and marshlands in Pleasant Cove. What a discovery! How could I have missed this for all these years?

Me, with my grandmother, outside of The Taste of Maine.

Me, with my grandmother and aunt, Kathy, outside of The Taste of Maine.

• Think that an hour isn't long enough for a good visit? As it turns out, you can have a pretty meaningful visit with a family member, even for just an hour at McDonald's on a Sunday morning. Dorothy and I had a great time and I'm glad that I was able to add her to my list of said visits!
• My final lesson, which I always forget when I am planning...Cramming in four visits in a single day, plus a minimum of four hours of driving leaves one pretty tired the next day!

Until next time...