We saw the claw of a twenty-six pound lobster that had been caught in Massachusetts. A lobster that weighs three pounds is estimated to be 15 - 20 years old. That makes a twenty-six pound lobster to be .......over one hundred years old! I didn't feel quite so badly about eating fresh lobster when I learned that lobsters do not feel pain as we do. They have no cerebral cortex, which is the area of our brains that gives us the sensation of pain. Lobsters also have no vocal cords, the hissing sound that you sometimes hear when they are cooked is the sound of air escaping from their shells.
We laughed at the directional signs.
We were enthralled by the beauty of the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens and our second spring season of 2011. All the bulbs were blooming and the droplets of moisture from the earlier rain created the most stunning photographs.
www.mainegardens.org/
We watched lobstermen bring in the fruits of their labor to the lobster dock where we were eating the freshest lobster available. When they say fresh off the boat they're not kidding.
We had hoped to see puffins on a boat trip to a protected island sanctuary where the puffins live but rough seas prevented that part of our adventure.
We ventured on to the northwestern mountains of Maine around Moosehead Lake. You'll soon see why it might be called Moosehead Lake. The town we visited was Greenville, Maine. It was the only truly sunny day of the eight that we were in Maine. The colors of such carefully protected land and water are beyond discription. The lake water was so clear that I would not have thought twice about dipping a cup in it and drinking it.
And then we accomplished exactly what we had come to this part of the state to do - WE SAW MOOSE!!!!!
Two males were eating from a salt lick at the local DOT. It seems they like the remains of the many tons of salt that are needed to keep snowy roads passable. Soon there will be plants enough in the lake for them to go closer to the shore to eat more nutritiously and cool off should the weather become too warm.
On our mountain safari we saw one moose (gender not identifiable) standing among the trees eating whatever green he might find.
We have only two regrets concerning our trip:
1. I discovered the best lobster roll ever the night before we were leaving.
2. We didn't get to stay as long as we would have liked.
Our last stop was in Kennebunkport. We stayed at a spectacular bed and breakfast called The Maine Street Inn.
www.mainestreetinn.com Check the website to see the magnificently decorated rooms and learn more about the history of the house.
We didn't see former President Bush but we did see the family estate on Ocean Ave. We could have touched the fence protecting the home from the beachcombers (us) but were afraid it might be electric. It's such a problem when you're electrocuted far from home that we chose not to take a chance. While the weather in the late spring, summer, and early fall are exactly to my liking when I learned that Kennebunkport had received 10 (yes, ten!) feet of snow this past winter I knew that we would be vacationing elsewhere in the winter.
I hope that you are able to one day enjoy the splendor of Maine just as we did. Do me a favor though, please, don't tell anyone about this glorious place. We'll keep it our little blog secret!
For lodging in Boothbay Harbor -
www.thompsonsottages.com
in Greenville -
www.mooseheadmaine.com
and in Kennebunkport -
www.mainestayinn.com
Tell them that The Kennedys sent you.
We had a wonderful time staying at each of these places and have plans to do the same on our next trip to Maine. My hope is for tomorrow.
