Dear Reader:

Even though the quaint small hamlets and villages in Maine really spoke to my heart…I also fell in love with Portland. A city, yes, but not as big as Charleston, with so much nautical history behind it…which includes a wonderful story about the great producer John Ford bringing his buddy, John Wayne, there to catch lobsters and fish, on numerous occasions, throughout their long friendship.

Even the old state flag, regaining popularity today in Maine, originated in Portland because the fishermen could see the simple design far out at sea…and it was comforting knowing they would soon be home.

Since we flew in and out of Portland…it was our beginning and ending spot during our four-day, fast-paced Maine adventure.

One restaurant (DiMillo’s on the Water) became our favorite and it provided our first meal in Maine and my lobster roll opportunity on the last day before heading home. It was on Friday that we took a tour of the city before eating at DiMillo’s again…it is right on the water beside the wharf because it once was a boat turned into a restaurant.

Tuesday…a tall cold beer was called for, in our excitement of being in Maine…..Anne had her wine and that is exactly how we ended our trip on Friday! 🙂 Same place, same cuisine and drink!

I will have to admit that I am more of a New England clam chowder girl than a lobster girl but I couldn’t miss an opportunity to be in Maine without a lobster close by. All the food was beyond delicious! Thanks to everyone for making this memory possible! 🙂

The tour of Portland was fascinating and I was impressed by how many times the city has voted down the building of more condo’s along the front seaside…  successfully so. Charleston could take a lesson from Portland…they stand behind the lobster men and the fishermen ….all those who make their living from the sea. Bravo Portland!

Sherry has a friend and caretaker, Taylor, who watches over her and her husband’s place in Maine when they are in Massachusetts….he is quite the outdoorsman and provides Sherry with fish and game if she is up in their Maine home…and provides, of course, ‘lobstah’- right Sherry? 🙂

During the tour we came across the statue of poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow…a ‘favorite son’ of Portland…*It was hard to take pictures from the trolley because of the window decor and separated panes…so I found this picture of the Longfellow statue on-line….apparently Longfellow stays warm during Christmas… thanks to the caring people of Portland. 🙂

Anne was able to capture a few more photos from the tour than me.

So many of the older houses were built in Victorian style and were just beautiful!

Everywhere we went in Maine…. the signs for “lobstah” were (in many cases) just a few hundred yards or less than a mile apart. Maine does love them so!

Sometimes it is really overdone…as seen in these pictures… but still fun to ride by and smile at on the trip.

We couldn’t leave Portland without going to see the most famous lighthouse of all …the Portland Head Lighthouse. Actually the roads leading to the Lighthouse were as impressive as the lighthouse itself.

Cape Elizabeth, close by, is also breath-taking and the paths connecting the two held such charm. True confession…we went to the lighthouse at Cape Elizabeth first…took pictures all around and had a grand time….before we realized it was not the Portland Head Lighthouse.

When we realized our mistake we headed straight to the Portland Head Lighthouse….it was magnificent and the most photographed lighthouse in Maine.

Yesterday I showed you a book cover featuring “Jessica Fletcher” from Murder She wrote on a cover with this lighthouse in the background.

Well now…there is a new Nancy Drew (Eva Cate, my granddaughter, is so into Nancy Drew now…it makes me smile…I loved that series growing up too) television series and it is set in a fictitious little town in Maine. They used the famous lighthouse for their backdrop too.

So until tomorrow….I must stop…my hand is exhausted from scanning and then flipping through dozens and dozens of Maine photos for the right one to match….getting a cramp in my hand. 🙂

The adventure continues tomorrow…stay tuned…lots of Maine still left!

“Today is my favorite day” Winnie the Pooh

One of my favorite photos to end with… in this post…from Acadia National Park.