Maine lobster rolls. That’s all I remember coming up in conversations about why we were traveling to Maine. I mean, it turned out there were a lot more things to do other than hunt around for lobster rolls. But, the mission was certainly a fun one, even if I never tried any of the seafood dishes. I don’t like seafood other than canned tuna (sometimes) and shrimp cocktails. Before you ask, yes, I have tried things like real tuna, salmon, lobster, crab, that ahi fishy fish, and other seafood. I do, I should clarify, like seaweed, in small doses or sushi rolls. It’s the fishy things that I don’t like.

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PART 3: Oct 6 - 9 in the Scarborough, ME region

The travel day was less memorable for me than the one from New York to Vermont. There were few bathroom breaks, I do remember that. And there was the attempt at hiking to a bridge that a train was going to pass over. (I believe that was somewhere in New Hampshire.) That was so much chaos. We had no idea when the train would leave, the trail wasn’t a trail, the forest floor was so littered with pine needles that it was difficult to tell if we were even in the right area, and the lighting was not where we needed it to be for the train to look its best.

We passed through the White Mountain National Forest, and I remember some drone spots where we could fly and a lot of places we couldn’t. I have no specifics on that, other than to say that people are forever curious about drones. One person started out grumpy about Nick flying the drone, but he quickly warmed up as we freely shared information about flying drones, the regulations, the cost, and all that fun stuff. I think Mr. Grumpy Grump was just jealous, but he became cheerful when we happily chatted back. 

I will say that I was pretty excited about our hotel spot. The Edgewater in Old Orchard Beach, Maine (our hotel) was right on the water. Nearby, there was also a really cool pier with a bunch of shops. I was pretty excited to check that out.

The shopping

So, turns out we showed up a day or so (it might have been within a week) of a lot of shops closing down for the season. Yeah, we showed up at the end of tourist time. The Old Orchard Beach Pier was completely closed, like I mean there was a metal wall that kept you from even attempting to check anything out. Booooo. Granted, that was at night, so it also made sense.

Nick said it was open the next day to walk through, but there were only two shops that he found open. So, I’m going to stick with saying it’s basically closed for the season, just not as closed as I’d originally thought.

Near the pier, there was even a small though pretty cool amusement park. It too was closed. But I still enjoyed looking at it. I also enjoyed walking along the beach. Sure, it was a bit windy and could be chilly at times, but it was still very pretty.

The perfect outfit and the not so great guy

On our last day at this location, we did some shopping in the area. I saw a lot of things I wanted, but most of the shops were closed. I didn’t give up, though! I pressed on and found a clothing shop that was open. It was a decent sized place, and I enjoyed wandering around. The prices were reasonable (not the $100+ price tags for a fancy shirt or very mini mini-skirt but more in the $20+ price range).

When I found a cute … shirt? Dress? It’s one of those that is a short dress or else a longer shirt. I loved it. I wanted it. I tried it on and was worried about girl related issues with the outfit. I thought trying on a larger size would help me decide if certain things would work better or if this was the size for me, but when I called Nick over, the guy behind the counter … got involved.

I called Nick over, loudly, as I had to shout at him because he’d wandered far away from the changing room. I requested he get me a larger size, but then the guy behind the counter said how good I looked. The woman beside him didn’t say anything at that point or at any other point, not even when he praised my curves and my figure. He said I didn’t need a larger size, and he wasn’t just saying that because he’d told plenty of women when they did need a larger size, but they never listened to him, and he knew they regretted their purchase because he could tell when something fit and when it didn’t. He kept going on and on, and I just wanted him to shut the f*** up.

A compliment or two is great for sales, but keep it brief, guys. A simple, non-specific figure-related compliment goes a long way. “That looks fantastic on you! The color really looks good on you!” It’s the “Your body looks great in that outfit, and it hugs your hips so nicely!” or the “You’ve got such a great figure, show it off!” that really feels icky, particularly when it just keeps going and the eyes keep roaming. To paraphrase Judy in Zootopia, “A woman can say that to another woman, but when a guy says it…” (“A bunny can call another bunny cute, but when other animals…” And yes, I know the phrase was originally a way of pointing out racial slurs. But it works here, too.)

Anyway, I really liked the dress or shirt or whatever it was. I liked it so much, I bought it and left. Nick didn’t take the scrutiny of his wife too well. He was ready to leave without the outfit, but it was the first thing I’d found that I’d really liked, so he kept the peace … until we got back home, and he wrote a review. Hopefully the review changes some attitudes so other women, or young girls, don’t go through any similar experiences with that guy.

I have worn the outfit several times, and while I’m still not sure about its fit, I do still love it very much. Despite creepy dude, I still like the way I look in it. In the future, I think I’ll do a better job of doing what I want to do rather than letting creepiness keep me from making a fully informed clothing decision.

The food in Maine

I don’t remember much. I know I had good food, like some chicken fingers at one place and a salad somewhere else, and there was the shrimp cocktail at The Shack. None of it was particularly impressive to me. Although, I do remember having a pretty good stack of pancakes at this one place. I remember ordering a breakfast of eggs, toast, bacon, sausage, and two pancakes. The plate was large and under everything else was these two very thick blueberry pancakes. I remember being so full I had to take a nap afterward. That would have been at The Maine Diner on the 8th (thank you, Nick notes!).

Anyway, Maine is a great place for anyone who wants seafood, though, which was what my husband was after. If you care to know what the area has to offer, be sure to check out his blog on the trip, which he has yet to write. I’ll update below with a link to it when he finally finishes editing the … I think it was like 600-800 shots per part … so … 3,600-4,800 photos he has to edit? Leave it to a photographer to go overboard on photos. Well, at least he has my blog to reference and I have his extensive notes (thank you for taking such awesome notes!!!).

My entertainment source

Uh, I was a bad little writer. I didn’t do shit. I opened up the laptop, decided sickie needed a proper vacation, which involves relaxing, and I played Valheim. Yeah, that was my entertainment pretty much for this part of the trip. When I wasn’t doing that, I was enjoying a bath with one or both of my inflatable koozies and a bathbomb (provided by my amazing MIL). She knew I didn’t use bath bombs at home because of the work involved in making sure my water loving kitten, Ella, didn’t go licking up dangerous chemicals or toxic plants for the more organic bath bombs.

The second day, October 7th, we did laundry and played some VR. It was to check the RecRoom Weekly reward. I remember wanting something Halloween themed, but I don’t honestly remember what the prize was. I know there was one prize we had wanted, a fancy space-themed camera? This means nothing to you, I’m sure. But it was a psychedelic camera skin.

The final day and a train

So, this is a fun short story. We took a fun trip to Portland and stopped in the Scarborough Marshes for some drone photography of a train that was supposed to pass over a bridge. The train did its thing, and I took a fun photo of the area while I waited. Nick took better photos, but that’s not the point here.

While we were waiting for the train, two men were swimming toward us in full wet suit apparel. They swam up to the parking lot, got out, and then just jogged down the street and disappeared. It felt like someone was pranking me, it was so random. Or maybe like a movie scene. From the snippets of conversation I heard through the closed car door, it sounded like they were just out enjoying a morning swim and jog. That’s cool, but what did I just witness?! It was a good morning, lol.

The really final, final day

So, I know I said the previous day was the final day in that area, and that was true! For our actual last day, we drove to a different, fancier hotel, the Harraseeket Inn.

Tea time in the Harraseeket Inn

They had tea time!! Nick was out shooting lighthouses or something while I was busy deciding if I wanted a cookie or a brownie or a scone. Turns out, they didn’t have much of a selection of tea or tea time snacks. The mint tea was good, but I expected something other than a hot water machine and packets of tea. Not to mention, the light snacks were disappointing. They had an alright variety, and the tiny tuna sandwiches were cute, but none of the items stood out to me as all that fancy or flavorful (except the mint in the mint tea). Still, I have no regrets. If anything, it just makes me want to attempt a fun tea time with friends :)

Nick tried a raw scallop and raw oyster

I only bring this part up because the Freeport Oyster Bar was a highlight of the trip for me. The staff was super friendly to both of us, and all I ordered was bread! Granted, the bread had a unique and flavorful kelp butter spread, but they were still awesome, despite how little we spent and despite our showing up late at night when they were getting ready to close.

They were incredibly helpful in helping Nick understand what was inside the shells, the flavors and texture to expect, the best ways to enjoy the raw scallop and raw oyster, and they were just all around helpful and cheerful. When I told them I don’t like seafood, they were overjoyed and asked if the place smelled. I was baffled, took a sniff, and I said no. They apparently go through great lengths not to smell seafoody and pride themselves on keeping the place clean. Well, it worked! And I know my stuffy nose was working, because I took a gentle sniff of Nick’s food and gagged. It was very strong. I did not like it, lol.

Surprises?

Sadly, we did not find any more of the inflatable koozies. The elusive unicorn and the elusive palm tree remained elusive. Despite that lack of success, I very much looked forward to our travel day and to every gas station stop we made as each one had a random chance to live up to my hopes and dreams!

A new day lay ahead with new adventures! Until that adventure, may your own adventures be many and your inspiration be endless!