MAINE IN 2021
On Saturday, we traded hot Florida sun and humidity for cool gray Maine. Due to airline schedules and a cancelled flight to Portland on Friday, we flew into Boston’s Logan Airport. Waiting for our bags and then dealing with the scrum of people all pressed together waiting for the bus to the rental car center was one task. Getting ourselves and all our many bags onto the crowded bus was another! Thanks to a mother with a young child on her hip, we and our bags made it on board.
Masks were required in the airport and on the airport buses. Once in the rental car garage, few masks were in evidence; those that were, were mostly on young kids. Social distancing is still encouraged and urged, and you are advised to wear a mask entering any business or store if you have not been vaccinated. This means we’ll be able to freely socialize with our friends, inside each other’s homes and without masks.
The bigger issue is the hit that restaurants and other businesses have taken due to the Covid epidemic. Many restaurants are unable to find and hire enough staff to cover all the hours they wish to be open. Add to this missing, delayed, or shortchanged food deliveries given staffing shortages at the large distribution warehouses, and you have another reason for their shorter hours. Several local restaurants are closed a weekday or two, and some didn’t open at all this season. But there are more tourists here than last year and so the demand for tables makes reservations essential! Even the general store on this island is now closed all day Sunday and only open until 4 pm the rest of the week.
Our first full day here, it teemed rain on and off all day, and the high only reached 64. Despite that, it’s good to be back!
MONDAY FORAY TO PORTLAND
It’s a complicated story, but we had to drive down to Portland to deal with paperwork related to our rental car. That errand was blessedly quick and gave us the excuse to go to downtown Portland and spend a bit of time in the Old Port area. I was able to replenish my supply of note and greeting cards at Sherman’s. We then made our annual visit to Le Roux Kitchen, a longtime favorite, where we picked up several thematic Maine mugs (simple white with blue and gray whales), paring knives and a grater, and several styles of cocktail napkins.
The high point of this expedition, however, was an indulgent lunch at Duckfat, a casual eatery on Middle Street specializing in Belgian fries and local charcuterie. We ate a wonderful lunch here two years ago and the return visit was also special. All seating this year is outdoors under a robust wooden structure outfitted with picnic tables. We ordered the fries, of course, a glass each of Albarino, the blistered shishito peppers, and the charcuterie board of ham, duck, and smoked salmon with appropriate garnishes.
Very tasty! When asked if we’d like doughnut holes for dessert, we couldn’t resist! A small metal cone of six holes arrived along with a caramel dipping sauce with overtones of maple. The holes had been rolled in cinnamon sugar and the interior was accented with citrus. Yum! Even better than churros and chocolate!
Note: All photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved).
