Maine: Southport & Around

SUMMER READING The Lighthouse Keeper’s Daughter by Hazel Gaynor This is the kind of historical novel that sweeps you up immediately and keeps you absorbed all the way through.  Set in 1838 on the Irish coast and in1938 off Newport, Rhode Island, two young women become attached to, devoted, some might say, to their respective lighthouses. Grace Darling, …

Maine: Boothbay & Beyond

MOON DAY If you’re of a certain age, you probably remember exactly where you were fifty years ago today on July 20, 1969.  I had a summer job at Cornell University and was living in a rooming house near the campus.  My fiancé, now the Chief Penguin, was doing Air Force training in northern Maine at …

Portland: Food & More

PORTLAND—FOOD AND MORE Like Julius Caesar’s army, the Chief Penguin and I travel on our stomachs.  Despite what it may seem, we did do more in Portland than eat. But, knowing the restaurants mid-coast are not as varied or inventive, we took advantage of Portland’s wonderful foodie scene. DINING Hugo’s The food at Hugo’s is sophisticated and …

Maine Time: Pausing in Portland

PORTLAND INTERLUDE As is our wont, our annual trip to Maine included about 36 hours in Portland.  Portland is red brick and squawking gulls (Florida seagulls don’t seem to squawk, at least I haven’t heard them).  It’s also home to a branch of the ubiquitous Sherman’s (books lowercase, gifty items uppercase), the seriously good Longfellow …