Merry Christmas

We wish all of our friends and family a very Merry Christmas!  We hope Santa is good to everyone, and cherish the time you get to spend with your loved ones.

Boston

Boston was a great town to visit.  We took the train into the city, leaving the van out at the train station.  The city is very tourist friendly.  There is a red brick path to follow through town, which takes you near all the historical sights.

We stopped at the location of the Boston Massacre.

We liked this shirt with Franklin's quote "Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy".

The Union Oyster House opened in 1826...the oldest continuously operating restaurant in the US.

The Bell in Hand Tavern was established in 1795, making it one of the oldest pubs in the US.  This one was closed during prohibition.

 

There are a number of these swinging bridges in Boston.  We walked across a couple of them but didn't find one that turns.

The USS Constitution is part of a maritime museum here.

 This WWII Destroyer is part of the museum too, located in the dry dock.  This is the first dry dock built in New England, completed in 1833 and a significant piece of US history.

  Note how narrow the Destroyer is!  No weird camera tricks were used for this photo...the boat is really skinny.

 Atop Bunker Hill is this monument reminiscent of the Washington Monument. This is a bit smaller, and simply known as the Bunker Hill Monument, commemorating the first major military confrontation of the Revolutionary War in 1775.

 After following the walking trail for a few hours it was time for lunch.  We checked out the Barking Crab, suggested in the Lonely Planet guide book.

The Lonely Planet also indicated that this bakery was worth a stop...here is Phil trying to pick a delicacy.

 Water, water, water...as we drove out of town we were lucky to capture this image of teh harbour at sunset.

 

 

These last two photos aren't from Boston, but weren't far from the city.  We visited a cranberry bog, and this was shortly before Thanksgiving, making it a seasonal visit.

 Near the bog were these geese.  We think they were too far north and if I was a goose I'd be somewhere a lot warmer.

 

Maine pt 2

From Boothbay we drove along the coast to Ogunquit...another beautiful spot on the Maine coast.

Here is a view out of the harbor from the bridge.

Turning 180 degrees shows boats in the snug harbor.

Those photos were taken from the bridge.  What we liked were all the places to tie up the dinghy.

The Lonely Planet suggested lunch here, at the Lobster Shack, and their recommendations are usually pretty good.  However...we were a little out of season and the place was closed.  Lucky for us we did our lobster thing in Rockland.

Time to move on to Portland...if it were warmer, relaxing in this lovely spot would be irresistable.

 

We visited three lighthouses near Portland.

Portland was another nice town to visit.  We found little to dislike in Maine, would be such a great place to visit in the summer months.

Lots of boats...and plenty of seafood.

The sort of place that has you thinking about your next meal all the time.

Maine

The border guard at Jackson, Maine told us to expect snow as we drove back into the USA from Canada.  Brrr...we've left this part of our journey a bit late in the season, but Maine is a spectacularily beautiful place, well worth visiting.  I'd return at a warmer time of year and bring a kayak or canoe.  There is a myriad of waterways all over the state.  We stopped in Waterville, you can see from the below photos where it gets the name.  Apparently it is possible to kayak from here to the Atlantic ocean.

 

 In an antique store in Waterville we spotted this old child's car.  Chris said she had one just like it when she was about three yrs old...maybe it was blue.  Anyone remember it?

 The US election took place while we were in Maine.  I tried to vote with Chris, but neither of us were eligible...at this point Chris would like to rant, but I think I'll keep control of the keyboard and spare us all.

Maine is another great spot for lighthouses.  We visited several.

 

We cannot visit Maine without talking about Lobsters.  Once we got to the coast, we couldn't get away from thinking about lobsters.  They draw and paint and sculpt lobsters around here.

 Of course, they catch lots of them here too...all year around.  Not far from Rockland we went to a pier where they bring in the catch and you can purchase lobsters right there on the wharf.

Mostly...they eat them.  They make chowders and sauces, rolls and salads and all sorts of lobster tasties.

We chose the traditional steamed lobster.  We got to meet and greet the fellows as they came out of the tank.

 Poor lobsters...they came out of the kitchen red and steaming...but were they ever good!

 

Once we cleaned ourselves up, we headed down the road to a place called Boothbay, on the recommendation of a local.  Well worth the visit, we really liked this little town.  In summer, the tourists swarm, but early November is fairly peaceful, and a little too cold for kayaking on the picturesque bay.

We thought this was a unique pet store.

Around the back they had an assortment of dog houses, Phil and Chris thought they'd find something for me, but I didn't share their enthusiasm.

 

We saw a lot in Maine...what a terrific state, it is worth a trip back someday.  There is more to write about, but I'm hungry and need to find out if Phil and Chris have made some dinner for me.  Stay tuned for Maine, part 2.