CHARMING CAMDEN
Earlier this week, we drove up to Camden, another pretty town on the Maine coast. Incorporated in 1791, Camden is on the Penobscot Bay and running through it is the Megunticook River. Early industries took advantage of power from watermills and included shipbuilding and textiles. Beginning in the 1880’s, Camden attracted wealthy folks from Boston, Philadelphia, and New York, including the Bok family of publishing fame, and became a popular summer colony. After a fire in 1892 destroyed much of the business district, new buildings were brick including the restored Camden Opera House.
Like so much of Maine’s coastal terrain, Camden is rocky and thus, the streets are a bit hilly and often at sharp angles to each other.
Our mission was to explore some of the shops and to enjoy lunch at a highly recommended Thai restaurant (thanks to our daughter-in-law and the New York Times).
Thai Lunch
Long Grain is an attractive space with an inviting main room and bar and more tables beyond an open divider. The menu is short with a series of intriguing appetizers from crispy chicken wings to larb, mussels, and salads. Mains include several noodle dishes, a fried rice with trout, pad krapraw (minced spicy meat over rice with basil), and a green curry, the hottest dish the Chief Penguin had ever ordered. He loved it, and I very much enjoyed the pad krapraw with chicken. The dining room quickly filled up and looked to be popular with the locals. Reservations are not required at lunch but recommended.
Shops and Especially Books
We wandered around the streets going in and out of design stores, high end home décor shops, an L.L. Bean outlet, and a small gourmet grocery, French and Brawn, where we purchased pastries for the next day’s breakfast. Then, finally, on to the independent bookstore.
The Owl and Turtle Bookshop is cozy and well stocked and also boasts a café serving delicious-smelling coffee along with buns and cookies. Besides the inside seating, café tables in front beckon.
DAZZLING DAHLIAS
We made our final visit of the season to Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. Now that Labor Day is past and families are back to work or school, the gardens were quieter on this cool morning. We stayed just a short time, concentrating mainly on the gorgeous dahlias. A riot of colors, the dahlias are so lush and vibrant that I took many photos. I’m sharing just a few with you.
Note: All photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.) Header photo was also taken at the botanical gardens.
Jean, John and I stayed in Camden several years ago at a lovely B&B and we also had a wonderful meal at Long Grain.