Maine Moments: Portland & More

EXPLORING PORTLAND ON FOOT

Every summer on our way to mid-coast Maine, we stay in Portland for a night or two.  Last year, airline schedules shortened our time, leaving little opportunity to wander the streets or to soak up the vibe.  This year, airlines and weather aligned, and we enjoyed three nights and two full days in the city.  With a population of just over 68,000, Portland is Maine’s largest city, but not its capital.  That is Augusta, whose population is 19,000.  

While Maine is far from being the country’s poorest state, there are pockets of poverty. Even in Portland, some 11,000 individuals live below the poverty line.  As you get farther from the downtown business district and the tourist areas, this becomes more apparent.

With a mix of historic 19th and 20th century red brick architecture and the bustling Old Port with enticing shops and many eateries, Portland is fun to explore on foot.   Visit the shops and galleries in the Port; browse for pottery, unique rugs, cozy flannel shirts, canvas sea bags, kitchen wear, jams and jellies and of course, books at Sherman’s. Then tempt your palate with wine and cheese and fancy crackers at Browne Trading Market on Commercial Street. And always, you’ll hear the distinctive sound of the seagulls, a raucous squawk.

You may be several blocks from the water, but these noisy birds circle around above or fly down to the street to check out possible pickings.  Up close, they are attractive with very white breasts, an upright stance, and mostly grey feathers.  

When you’ve seen and heard enough or had a lobster roll somewhere along the water, walk back up to Monument Square for a stop at Longfellow Books, one of my favorite independent bookstores. If you get caught up in browsing, it may be longer stop, not a brief one.

More red brick, Portland’s art museum

Continue on downtown a few more blocks, and you will reach the Portland Museum of Art.  On display are works from their permanent collection plus always a special exhibition, currently art made possible partly by artist Alex Katz’s foundation.  The museum also has a big campaign underway for an addition which will dramatically increase both their gallery space and their studios and community rooms.

If you’re feeling ambitious, you can head back from whence you came and walk up Monjoy Hill in the East End and enjoy the Eastern Promenade and historic Eastern Cemetery also nearby. To ensure you don’t get lost, pick up one of the colorful, handy folded Discovery maps of Downtown and the Old Port. They are free at many local shops.

DINING

Traditionally, we begin and or end our stay in Portland with dinner at David’s Restaurant in Monument Square.  This year dinner was on our arrival day, and we appropriately started with an order of fried calamari (a bit different with black olives and feta) followed by lobster rolls, our first of the season.

In addition to lunch at the Armory Lounge with my Scarborough cousins, we sampled two restaurants new to us, one recommended by friends, the other one I found.

Leeward on Free Street

Open for dinner only, Leeward serves Italian cuisine with a contemporary twist.  The restaurant is spacious with wooden tables nicely positioned and two bar areas.  We began with green olives dressed with herbs and followed that teaser with a simple salad.  This green salad was a combination of many different lettuces tossed with bits of walnut, and paper thin Piave cheese, all in a caraway inflected dressing.  

Tagliatelle at Leeward

Following, the Chief Penguin had tagliatelle with fava beans and crisp prosciutto, while I ordered the robust pasta shells in a spice pork ragu with some chilies.  Both pastas are made in-house. With wines by the glass and service from a wonderful waitress, we thoroughly enjoyed this tasty dining experience.

Isa Bistro on Portland Street

A cozy space with a bar, some great windows, and a small number of tables scattered around, Isa serves meals from 4:00 pm on and lunch on Fridays.  We began with marinated warm olives, both green and black, which were simply lovely.  Wanting to sample a variety of dishes, we mainly stuck to starters and had plenty to eat.  

The C.P., a fan of Mexican street corn, ordered esquites, like that, but off the cob and much easier to eat. He followed this with grilled octopus and chickpeas in chimichurri. 

Octopus with chickpeas

 I opted for the crispy taquitos, rolled tortillas filled with potatoes and cheese on a bed of piquillo pepper sauce, and then the crab cake with citrus segments surrounded by a pool of dill sauce.  

Crab cake

Not to be underfed, we shared an order of the house cut fries.  Everything was excellent!

RECENT READING: WWI MYSTERY

The Stolen Child by Ann Hood

Author Hood (nextribe.com)

Ann Hood is a novelist whose earlier books I have enjoyed.  This new one, The Stolen Child, combines three different time periods, two of which are related, the third one seemingly an outlier, unconnected to the rest of the novel’s events.

Nick Barnes was a soldier in the trenches in France during World War I.  A farm woman thrusts her baby and some of her artwork at him and asks him to keep them safe.  Leaving the baby behind in a town, he remains haunted years later by his actions and wonders what became of that child.  In 1974, he hires waitress and college dropout Jenny to join him in a trip to find that long ago infant.

The novel weaves back and forth between Nick’s 1917 experiences at the front, Jenny’s past and their journey together, and two brothers in Italy, one of whom creates the Museum of Tears. Jenny and Nick are well-drawn sympathetic characters, and as a reader, you route for them to be successful.  The story of Enzo in Naples, one of the brothers, seems a bit farfetched and the addition of Geraldine, a secondary character who visits Italy and meets Enzo, a possibly unnecessary distraction.  Nonetheless, Hood’s depictions of life in Italy and the pop culture of the 1970’s ring true and add richness to the work.  Not a perfect novel, but an enjoyable read! (~JWFarrington)

Note: Photos ©JWFarrington except for photo of Ann Hood. Header photo is exterior of historic Portland Regency building. (Some rights reserved.)

Carolina Comments: Books & Food

This week I’m sharing comments on two books, a nonfiction work about an American patriot (appropriate for July 4th weekend) and a collection of stories, along with our first visit to a popular Italian restaurant.

NONFICTION: AN INFLUENTIAL AMERICAN PATRIOT

Angelica: For Love and Country in a Time of Revolution by Molly Beer

Angelica Schuyler Church (wikipedia.org)

Molly Beer’s nonfiction work is a depiction of the early years of the American colonies primarily through the perspective of Angelica Schuyler Church.  Daughter of noted general and statesman Philip Schuyler of Albany, NY, Angelica was deeply interested in politics.  Given the prominence of her family, she became acquainted with and ultimately friends with the likes of Lafayette, George Washington, and even Thomas Jefferson.  Through her sister’s marriage to Alexander Hamilton, he too became both her friend and a confidant, and some say more.  Angelica was unusual for her time in that she lived abroad for a total of 16 years in both Paris and London and was renowned as a gracious and influential hostess.

Beer draws on a treasure trove of letters to create this portrait of Angelica, a woman who never held any official position, and who of course, could not vote.  

I found Beer’s book fascinating both for its history of three early wars and for its setting in upstate New York, where I lived for some years.  A list of the principal figures and their titles would have been helpful for this reader.  Recommended especially for American history buffs and those interested in 18th century women’s history. A version of this review first appeared online in Book Browse.

SUMMER READING: IRISH SHORT STORIES

So Late in the Day: Stories of Women and Men by Claire Keegan

Author Keegan (thenewyorker.com)

One of my discoveries of recent years is the work of Claire Keegan.  A prize-winning writer, her short stories and novellas are set in Ireland, sometimes in the past, and each one packs a punch.  Sometimes, it’s a gentle nudge, in others, it’s a sharp jab which leaves the reader reeling.  Both Foster, about a child who feels unloved, and Small Things Like These, about secrets discovered by the local coalman, pierce the reader’s conscience.

A slim volume, which could easily be read in one sitting, but which carries more weight in small doses, So Late in the Day consists of three short stories.  One is about a man reflecting on and regretting the ending of his engagement to Sabine.  In the second, a woman writer rents a rustic cottage once owned by Heinrich Boll and has a run-in with the current owner.  Finally, in Antarctica, a married woman travels to the city in pursuit of a sexual adventure that starts out well.  Keegan’s prose is straightforward and unadorned; her descriptions of simple daily activities precise and measured.  Highly recommended!

Note: A film version of Small Things Like These is available to rent on Amazon Prime, Apple TV+, and other streaming services.  I’ve not yet watched it.

LOCAL RIFF ON ITALIAN CUISINE

Lugano Ristorante (Cary)

Lugano interior

For a treat, we went to Lugano for a weeknight dinner.  The dining room is spacious and bright with a mix of booths and wood tables.  The hostess welcomed us warmly, and our waitress, a rising college sophomore, was gracious and helpful.  To begin, we sampled their version of calamari fritti with marinara sauce and a salsa.  It was perfection, lightly battered and crisp with a few herbs.

Italian meatloaf

The Chief Penguin ordered the Italian meatloaf which came as a series of rounds, each one on a fried polenta cake topped with mozzarella, hearty tomato sauce, and slivers of fresh basil.  Yum! I ordered the salmon and shrimp Milanese.  The salmon was plated on a bed of saffron risotto with several shrimp and surrounded by a lemon basil sauce.  The salmon was cooked just right and delicious.  The risotto wasn’t a true risotto, and I thought the sauce was bland.  To me, it was an entree that tried to do too much.  Nonetheless, we will return and, I’ll try a pasta dish.

Note: Header photo of flags in Cobh, Ireland, and restaurant photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.)

Carolina Moments: Staying Cool

Like much of the country, we here in North Carolina have been challenged this week with extreme heat.  High 90’s, humidity, and feel-like temperatures of 100 or more have made staying inside more desirable and the healthier choice.  

The Chief Penguin and I started a new TV series, did more reading, took advantage of the indoor fitness center, and went to a movie (yes, in a theater.) But we didn’t walk downtown per usual, we drove!

TV:  RETURN OF THE DETECTIVE AND THE VICAR

Grantchester, Season 10 (PBS)

Alphy & Meg (swoon.com)

While some viewers may have tired of police detective Geordie Keating and his series of helpful vicars, I continue to be engaged and charmed by Grantchester.  From unconventional and conflicted Sydney Chambers to Will Davenport, bighearted and caring but happy to gain a father surrogate in Geordie, to now Vicar Alphy Kottaram.  Alphy is viewed with suspicion: an outsider with brown skin, and forebears from India most likely.  

As is often the case, the interrelationships dominate the series over the murders.  In the first three episodes, love, sex, and race are central.  Alphy claims not to be lonely, but becomes invested in establishing a relationship with Meg, the attractive town librarian.  Co-workers DC Larry Peters and Miss Scott are deep in lust—even in the workplace.  Leonard is annoyed with his partner Daniel and needier than usual, while several members of Geordie’s family are grappling with their roles in work and life.  

Although the time frame is 1962, the issues raised are remarkably contemporary.  The writing is good, the characters have real depth, and humor and poignancy both play a part.  Recommended, especially for those who are already Grantchester fans!  This season has 8 episodes.

SUMMER READING: FOOD & HEALING

Finding Freedom by Erin French

Author French (nytimes.com)

Published in 2021, Finding Freedom is Erin French’s journey from her childhood in small Freedom, Maine, to her return much later as the successful owner and chef of the Lost Kitchen.  Her memoir is both gut-wrenching and mouth-watering.  Her descriptions of food of all types will make you salivate.

French’s father owned a diner and was a demanding and dominant figure in her youth.  He was easily angered and never hesitated to belittle her and her efforts.  Her mother was timid and unassuming and generally silent in the face of her husband’s anger and attacks.  She did not leap to Erin’s defense.  For a time, French worked the line in the diner and found real satisfaction in the work.  Making food to share with someone else was gratifying. 

Going away to college, but dropping out when pregnant, she then married a man two decades older.  The marriage was a mistake, but motivated to cook, she created a supper club in their house.  The supper club was successful and led to the purchase of an old mill for a real restaurant.  The combined stress of motherhood, the business, and an abusive husband resulted in addiction.  How she fought her way out of both addiction and the marriage took time, determination, and patience.  Ultimately, she made it.  

I admired her conviction to overcome what she had lost, and I loved her descriptions of foods and cooking. They resound with warmth and love.  Recommended for foodies and those who find good memoirs satisfying.  (~JWFarrington)

AT THE MOVIES: ONE IMPRESSIVE WOMAN

Prime Minister (Cary Theater & theaters elsewhere)

Ardern & daughter Neve (nantucketfilmfestival.org)

It’s unlikely that you will ever see such an intimate, up-close portrait of a government leader than this film about Jacinda Ardern.  Prime Minister charts the stunning election of Jacinda Ardern as New Zealand’s 40th prime minister in 2017 and the following eight years.  She was young, just 37, a somewhat reluctant politician, and a newly pregnant one who gave birth while in office; in short, she was an unusual leader.  I followed her time in office through the international news and was impressed by how successfully she juggled the demands of job, home, and motherhood.  

Her term in office coincided with a gruesome terrorist attack on a mosque in Christchurch, a volcano eruption, and Covid-19.  One crisis after another or so it seemed.  In these situations, she led with compassion, kindness, and order. Her actions kept New Zealand from suffering hundreds of deaths from Covid.  Ardern was remarkably open and candid with her constituents.  And the access she allowed to her private life for the political diary project and for this film is amazing.  Footage of her in her political life and casually at home is interspersed with excerpts from thoughtful interviews she gave at regular intervals throughout her time as prime minister.

Overall, the film makes you wish there were more leaders like Jacinda!  It’s just plain excellent, and I highly recommend it. The C. P. and I also enjoyed seeing familiar scenes in New Zealand where we spent October 2017 and those at Harvard where Ardern recently held joint fellowships in the Kennedy School of Government.

Note: Header photo of spurting fountain outside the Metropolitan Museum of Art ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.)

Carolina Capers: Drama, Book, & TV

FUN MUSICAL FOR A SUMMER NIGHT

Some Like It Hot (DPAC, Durham)

This past week the Chief Penguin and I went to our first performance at DPAC (Durham Performing Arts Center) in downtown Durham.  We went with a group and transportation was provided to and from.  It’s amazing how stress-free this makes the logistics.  (Confession: we used to chuckle at seeing all the buses outside the Sarasota Orchestra performances, waiting to take seniors back home.)  

Jerry & Joe (Facebook.com)

Some Like It Hot is based on a 1959 movie that starred Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, and Marilyn Monroe.  Set in 1933, two musicians in Chicago, Jerry and Joe, are trying to find a new gig when they witness a mob murder.  Fleeing the scene, they end up masquerading as women and joining an all-women’s band which travels to San Diego.  The play is a high energy comedy, but more character-driven than the movie with a more contemporary ending.  

Joe finds it difficult and frustrating to play being Josephine.  Jerry, as Daphne, comes into his/her own and feels seen and comfortable.  The cast of the movie is all white, while here several characters, including Daphne, are Black which adds another perspective.  Overall, there’s humor, but also heartfelt emotion.  The music is lively and the dancing, all tap, is fabulous.   I think we left tapping our toes all the way home! 

DPAC itself was an experience.  It’s a huge venue (more than 2500 seats) and all attendees are electronically screened before entering.  Inside, with the crowds and chaos, we were initially overwhelmed.  We had seats on the second level in the last row, a long way from the stage, but high enough that the sightlines were excellent.  

FINDING WHO YOU ARE

Violet (Justice Theater Project, Raleigh)

Antonia Hollered as Young Vi (thejusticetheaterproject.org)

Earlier this month, the C.P and I went to the last play of the season from the Justice Theater Project, a musical entitled Violet.  This company performs in a church and is celebrating its 20th year.  Their focus is on dramas with a message. Violet premiered off Broadway in 1997, won several awards, and was revised and then presented on Broadway in 2014.

Violet is a naïve young woman from North Carolina who leaves home and boards a train to Tulsa.  She is seeking to have her scarred face healed by a TV preacher.  It’s the 1960’s, and on the train, she becomes friendly with two soldiers, Monty, a white officer, and Flick, a Black enlisted man.  How her adventures play out and what she learns about herself and what matters form the crux of the drama.  

The dialogue is almost all sung. The voices were very good, but some actors didn’t enunciate making it hard to catch all the words.  Nonetheless, we enjoyed the performance, and it’s been well received locally.

READING:  POLITICAL FALLOUT

Original Sin by Jake Tapper & Alex Thompson

The subtitle of Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again, tells you almost everything you need to know.  I read this book recently and certainly was aware of most of the content.  No big reveal other than the extent to which Biden’s closest aides and his family members, especially Jill and Hunter Biden, drastically limited access to him.  As his term went on, fewer and fewer of his cabinet members and others met with him regularly.  

Communication was handled by those closest to Biden, and even after Biden’s disastrous debate performance in June 2024, these individuals bought into an alternate reality that he was still capable of running for re-election.  The book made me sad, upset, and angry.  Sad for Biden and upset about his stubbornness and hubris in not being honest about his limitations. Angry about those individuals who enabled him and let themselves be in denial.  Sadly, Biden is not the only politician who believes he will endure forever; too many other examples exist in Congress and elsewhere. (~JWFarrington)

VIEWING:  STRUGGLING AFTER DEATHS

The Survivors (Netflix)

Mia & Kieran (digitalspy.com)

This crime series (6 episodes) is based on Australian author Jane Harper’s book of the same title, The Survivors.  Set in Tasmania on the coast, The Survivors opens 15 years after the deaths on the water of Kieran’s brother Finn and a friend.  Kieran has returned with his girlfriend Mia and their baby Audrey to visit his parents, Verity and Brian.  Another girl, Gabby, died at the same time as the men.  Gabby’s death has been less remembered until Bronte, a local woman, starts asking questions about it.  Add in yet another death, and tensions, suspicion, and distrust run high.  Those who are alive and knew the deceased ones must cope with their memories and events in the present.  

I am a big fan of Jane Harper’s novels having read all of them.  The Survivors series starts out slowly with numerous watery flashbacks but picks up the pace as it gets farther on.  Recommended, especially for Harper fans!

Note: Header photo of hot pink blooms ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.)