Maine Moments: Relaxing, Reading, Watching

MAINE COAST VIBE

We have been coming to mid-coast Maine for 35 years and staying in the same house for about twenty of those years. What is Maine’s everlasting appeal? Growing up, the Chief Penguin visited Maine in the summers with his parents and siblings. I had never been to Maine until a reunion of friends in 1990. My family always traveled to the Midwest: Michigan, Ohio, or Indiana, to visit grandparents, aunts and uncles and cousins. Perhaps, it was Maine’s cool contrast to the heat and humidity of the Philadelphia area, where the C.P. and I lived then.

Little beach at low tide

Or was it the idyllic setting, that jagged rocky shoreline both hugging and sometimes perched above the ocean’s cold waters? The profusion of vibrant day lilies, red roses, and the occasional hollyhock?

Add in savoring fresh lobster on simple, not gussied up lobster rolls, or learning the art of dismantling a whole lobster steamed in seawater by our good friend Bob. Bob’s was only my second lobster, but the first of many over the years.

When in Maine, we relax and unwind. I ship up a box of books and buy yet more books from my favorite independent bookstores in Portland, Boothbay Harbor, and Damariscotta. I treat myself some days with reading time in bed before getting up. We binge watch the latest crime series or catch up with Grantchester. We even occasionally see a movie in the charming local cinema.

We visit the local botanical garden multiple times (at least once with every set of houseguests), we travel up to the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland, and we enjoy dinners and lunches out with local friends. And we eagerly anticipate the annual visit of our son and family for whom Maine is one of their summer musts. Our granddaughters too have created Maine memories and traditions.

Tentatively testing the cove water

Within this peaceful space, we could easily become very lazy. We work to stay fit with frequent walks on the hilly, but quiet, neighborhood roads. The air is fresh and generally dry; some years (like this one), there is an abundance of fog and haze. Our view here is of ocean in one direction and a cove in the other. We never tire of watching the water, the push and pull of the tide over unbending rocks, with whitecaps and pounding waves on a windy day.

A place to reflect or enjoy drinks

Coastal Maine is a place where you can lose yourself in the view, both enjoying its special beauty and recognizing your small role in nature’s overall scheme.. We look forward to our time here every year.

SUMMER READING FROM MY LIST

Author Shattuck (macdowell.org)

Last House by Jessica Shattuck

Jessica Shattuck knows how to tell a good story.  This one about a family over many decades and the summer house they acquire in Vermont is absorbing and rich.  Last House is set primarily in the 1950’s to 1970’s and then later.  Nick is a lawyer working for a big oil company and his wife Bet, who aspired to earn a PhD and become a professor, is a housewife raising their two children. Nick is involved in negotiations to put the deposed shah of Iran back in power while she edits a cookbook for the equivalent of the junior league.  

Their children, Katharine and Harry, are seemingly very different.  Katharine has opinions and is somewhat wild while, Harry is in tune with nature and less driven.  After college, Katharine works for a political publication as a reporter and writer, sharing some of its editors’ views, but is not an extreme activist.  Harry drifts and spends time at Last House, their retreat from real life in Connecticut. 

Against the backdrop of the McCarthy era, the Vietnam War, and the later debates about climate change: damage to the environment and the role of fossil fuels, particularly oil, the lives of these individuals play out, often unsatisfactorily and sometimes tragically.  Last House is an engrossing novel with a cast of complex and sympathetic characters.  Recommended!  I would also recommend Shattuck’s other historical novel, The Women in the Castle.   (~JWFarrington) 

NEW CINEMA: NOT QUITE A ROM-COM

Materialists (in theaters)

What are the clients of an upscale dating agency looking for?  Their descriptions of the ideal date, a potential spouse, focus on height, looks, background and smarts, and how big a salary.  In Materialists, Lucy Mason (played by Dakota Johnson) is a matchmaker in New York for the Adore company.  She herself is single, with no interest in marrying, and possesses a successful track record in finding mates for her clients to marry.  

Harry, the brother of one of her matches, challenges her to date him and she does.  He’s super rich, good looking, and seems to have everything she could want.  Lurking in the background is her good friend John, a waiter and sometime actor, who is always happy to assist her and regularly checks in.  

The opening scene of Materialists seems crazy and part of a different movie entirely until the end.  What or who does Lucy really want in her life and how will she achieve it?  I was reminded of Jane Austen’s novels and her emphasis on women needing to find a man of property to marry, and of men of more modest backgrounds (in other novels) seeking a woman with a sizable dowry to fuel their lives together.  The film traces Lucy’s journey with Harry as she ponders and begins to realize what is most important for her life.  I thoroughly enjoyed this film, and once we got enough into it, so did the Chief Penguin! (~JWFarrington)

Note: All photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved) except the one of Ms. Shattuck.

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.)