summer vacation, part 1

Finally, we're on vacation! Last Thursday, Robert worked a half day, and then we drove northeast to our first destination, Belfast Maine.

We ended up at a very sweet B&B, run by a mostly-retired couple from New Jersey who've had the inn for about 20 years. It's an old Victorian with interesting rambling rooms and just a few guest rooms. It turns out we were the only guests.

The wife of the couple cooked amazing breakfasts and chatted with us a lot. The inn is nicely decorated, but not overly so - we were totally comfortable there.

Our first night, we went for a walk downtown and ended up at a brewpub called Three Tides. We sat on a deck overlooking the harbor, sipped beer, and nibbled on American tapas.

On Friday, Robert drove while I navigated - about 150 miles of noodling. We first went to a beautiful new bridge that has an observatory tower from which you can see scenery for miles around. We continued across the next peninsula and onto an island, keeping to the coast. We went through Brooklin (where EB White summered), onto Stonington, and back up the other side and around Castine.

We stopped for lunch in Stonington and found a really nice local place with very fresh fish. Of course, we got to sit outside and enjoy the view of the working harbor.

That evening, we made it back to Belfast in time for the last bit of their weekly open gallery tour. We made it to perhaps five galleries and saw some good work before heading back to Three Tides for beer samplers - nine beers in small glasses. Yum.

The next day it poured rain and we headed south. Years ago, we'd visited the Farnsworth Museum which I remembered fondly, especially for it's multi-generation Wyeth holdings. Before we left, though, we stopped off at a Belfast gallery and bought some artwork that we'd admired the night before (small pieces). We talked to the artist a bit - about her work, about her "winter" job as a school nurse, her family, politics, the usual.

Then south, with a long stop at the Carver Hill Gallery, a mix between a home design showroom and one of the best art galleries we've ever been in. It's set up like a house, complete with working kitchen, living spaces, bathrooms, and the art is displayed in every room. They display traditional wall art, furniture, sculpture, textiles, and kids' art. Another nice chat with the manager, and we finally went on to the Farnsworth, where...

The Andrew Wyeths were wonderful and satisfying. The lady at the desk was snotty (she scolded me for not making their Robert Indiana show a top priority - not what I came for). The Jamie Wyeths (son) were disappointing - lots of seagulls in a show called the Seven Deadly Sins. I didn't even see half of it. And the NC Wyeths (father) were *fine*, not my favorites. We did see another exhibit, mostly of modern prints and a few paintings, mostly by Maine painters, that was satisfying. But we felt that the Carver Hill experience was far more interesting with a small exception for the Andrew Wyeths.

Then back to Belfast, an early (and delicious dinner), and back to the inn. It was rainy and cold and the innkeepers made a fire for us. They invited us to play board games with them but instead, we opted to spend the evening reading. One of the innkeeper's cats decided that my lap was the designated two-hour evening nap spot, and I can't say I minded.

The cats were beautiful - a mix between sealpoint Siamese and Persian, with comfortable faces (neither pointy nor smooshed) and luxurious medium-length coats. And such placid personalities.

On Sunday, we drove further into Maine, mostly east. We are now downeast on Mount Desert Island, staying in the upstairs apartment of a friend whose property borders Acadia National Park. A few adventures down, and a few more to go. It is very peaceful here and a good place to be.