Karen Hammond

It was a glorious Memorial Day weekend here in Maine, the kind of weekend that reminds me why I moved here 15 years ago (although I’ve also come here for summer vacations since childhood).  Great weather, with sunshine and temperatures perfect for working in the garden, barbecues in every back yard, and heartwarming parades in most of the small towns and cities. Today it’s raining… but that’s OK. It’s back to work for most people and a rainy day probably makes it a little easier to return to their working lives. Most are not as fortunate as I am, with a commute that’s just up two flights of stairs to my office.

Summer is here, not officially of course, but here nonetheless. The summer enclave at the tip of my little island is bustling again as more and more seasonal residents arrive to open up their summer homes.  We have just one year-round little grocery and cafe, but in summer a second one opens from Memorial Day through Labor Day.  It’s usually so quiet here that it’s always fun to see the island come alive with people coming and going in the little shops and our tiny post office, catching up on all the news from over the winter. The crew on the bridge are keeping busy, gearing up for July 4 when they usually let more than 100 boats through the passage between the mainland and the island.

At a barbecue in New Hampshire over the weekend, someone asked how I could bear ever to leave Maine, even for a day.  She’s right…it’s not easy!  Even on a rainy day like this one, with fog rolling in and the lobster boats huddled together at their moorings, Maine has an awesome beauty.  Time to head back down those two flights of stairs, heat up a kettle of chowder, and enjoy life the way it should be.

I just spent two lovely days at the beautiful Black Point Inn at Prouts Neck (Scarborough),  not far from Portland. If you’re planning a summer visit to Maine, this could be a great stop — especially if you love beaches, jogging, art, good food and wine, or all of the above! Inn guests have access to two sparkling-clean beaches, great for walking or jogging as well as swimming. I found the private roads around the inn perfect for an early morning run — no cars playing “gotcha!” with runners,  and it’s easy to find a flat or hilly route.

The restaurant has a decent wine cellar and good food. The cioppino made with local fish, shrimp, clams, and mussels was a winner. As for the art….well, this is Winslow Homer country, and his studio is just a short walk from the inn. Tours of his recently refurbished studio won’t begin until September, but in the meantime you can take in the scenery that so inspired him and drive the short distance to the Portland Art Museum to see some of his original works.

Black Point Inn lends bikes to guests, there’s an excellent golf course, and of course the scenery can’t be beat.  It’s the last of several old inns in this area that once welcomed guests for “the season,” year after year and generation after generation.  Many families do still make an annual trek, but it’s also a great place for a weekend getaway or a few days of R&R.  If your travels bring you to the Portland area, don’t miss it!  Check it out at blackpointinn.com

Spring has well and truly come to my little Maine island. Each weekend more and more summer residents arrive to open up their houses and settle in for the summer season. Of course the big influx comes in late June when school lets out, but retirees are already rumbling across the old scenic bridge that connects us to the mainland.

After a bizarre winter — a couple of 80 degree days in March; a snowstorm in April; frost warnings earlier this month — spring flowers like lilies of the valley are popping into bloom a couple of weeks earlier than usual. And down at the local cafe, everyone is talking about the birds — pileated woodpeckers, flocks of goldfinches, nesting ospreys, bald eagles circling over the water — who seem to be especially abundant and in particularly fine voice this year. Probably they’re as happy as we are to see the end of another winter.

Maine is an enthusiastic part of Red Sox Nation, of course, with all the delight and depair that go with rooting for the most mecurial team in baseball. If you missed my story about Fenway Park’s 100th anniversary  in April, here’s a link:

http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/04/08/2731786/bostons-fenway-park-celebrates.html

 The celebration will continue throughout the baseball season. If you can’t snag tickets, a tour of the park is a fun event in its own right.

 The Downeaster is a great way to travel between Maine and Boston. With a snack bar and free wi-fi at your fingertips and no parking hassles when you get to the city, how can you go wrong?

First,  a quick update to my last post. Another Women’s Wellness Weekend is scheduled at the Woodstock Inn for April 26-28, 2013, so if you like to plan ahead,  jot the date down for next year.

Spring has definitely arrived here in Maine. A long spell of dry weather ended with several days of rain and now everything is green and blooming.  The first summer visitors are bumping over the swing bridge to our island, our one summer store will open next weekend, church fairs are popping up both here and elsewhere in the area, and all in all it’s exciting to see the start of another summer season. If you’ve never visited Maine, you’re missing a lot! Learn more at visitmaine.com.

I’ve just returned from a Women’s Wellness Weekend at Vermont’s lovely Woodstock Inn.  It’s always fun to travel in pursuit of new stories, and this was one of my favorite recent research trips.  The focus of the weekend was the inn’s luxurious spa, which offers a full range of treatments, but there were also excellent seminars–both serious and hilarious–on the topic of women’s health, as well as excellent, healthy meals prepared by the inn’s chef.

The village of Woodstock is lovely–one national magazine called it the prettiest small town in America–with a village green surrounded by Federal houses, a lively downtown area with independent bookshops, funky boutiques, pottery shops, and a variety of restaurants.

I highly recommend both the Women’s Wellness Weekend and the Woodstock Inn and Resort. You can get more info at these links:

wellnessweekends.net

woodstockinn.com

Back now in my office on a dreary, cold and rainy day,  I’m glad I seized the moment. Check back soon for more ideas on where to travel in New England in the spring.

Last winter was a mild one by Maine standards, but that doesn’t make it any less of a joy to see spring finally and fully here. At that, perhaps I’m being a little optimistic as we’re still being warned not to plant anything but pansies yet because of the still-present danger of frost. And yet….from my office window I see sunlight glinting off the water much later in the day and lobstermen who have been on shore all winter happily heading out again, their boats piled high with traps.

It’s amazing how much things can change in just ten days or so.  Just in the short time since Easter, daffodils have bloomed, tulips are up (except for those that the deer ate–sigh), and lilies-of-the-valley, my favorite of all the spring flowers, are popping through the ground.  In another week the first of the seasonal shops and restaurants will open and a new cycle will begin. Our little island village of some 100 year-round residents will be bursting at the seams with summer residents and visitors who stumble upon us at the end of the peninsula.  It’s always fun to see them arrive and always reminds me how isolated life must have been out here before cars, the Internet, and social media made it possible to stay in touch wherever you live. The foundation for one of Maine’s great old summer resorts is on my property  and I think about the “rusticators” who, early in the 20th century,  took the long steamer ride from Boston to spend the summer season here.  They’d be amazed at how much things have changed, I suppose, but perhaps also surprised at how much has stayed the same — fishing boats chugging out to sea, the island’s little white church still the center of the island’s social as well as spiritual life, old lilacs starting to bud, and eagles soaring overhead.  Sometimes I have to pinch myself to be sure I haven’t made it all up.

Here’s a little information for all those eager for the start of baseball season in New England.  As you may know, this month Fenway Park is celebrating its 100th anniversary, making it the oldest professional baseball park in the country. It’s a beautiful old park that you should visit if you travel to Boston this year. Tours of the park are available if you can’t snag game tickets. Here are some useful links: For anniversary events, go to fenwaypark100.com; for general information about the Sox, go to boston.redsox.mlb.com; and for help with planning a Boston trip, go to bostonusa.com.

Did you know that the first game at Fenway on April 20 a century ago pitted Boston against the NY Highlanders — who became the NY Yankees a year later?  Boston won 7-6, kicking off an intense rivalry that exists to this day.

As promised, here are some of my favorite Boston hotels. I can highly recommend each one of them. 

Fairmont Copley Plaza: fairmont.com/copleyplaza. Gorgeous historic hotel in the heart of Copley Square. Warm and friendly staff.

Hotel Commonwealth: hotelcommonwealth.com. Located in Kenmore Square within walking distance of Fenway Park, this great, modern hotel fills up fast when the Sox are in town, so book early.

Omni Parker House: omnihotels. com. An old  favorite with sports luminaries because it is discreet and quiet, so you just might catch a favorite player having dinner here. Steps from Boston Common and the Freedom Trail and home of the famous Boston Cream Pie (they even serve it at breakfast) and Parker House Roll.

Old Dame Boston is kicking off her winter boots right now, and it’s a great time to visit.  And remember,  another great city, Portland, Maine, is an easy drive away or you can hop on the Downeaster Train at North Station for a lovely trip through New Hampshire to Portland. Check out VisitMaine.com for information on all that Maine has to offer.

 

I’ve had several requests for a little more information about Boston, so here goes with my top recommendations if you are a first-time visitor to this great city.  First, you’ll definitely want to walk the Freedom Trail. The 2.5-mile trail winds past Paul Revere’s home, the Old North Church (“One if by land, two if by sea”) and a dozen other historic sites. It’s truly a walk through American history and not to be missed. You can walk it on your own, following the red-brick path on the sidewalk, or join a group led by a guide in colonial garb. (freedomtrail.org)

Next, spend some time in the Boston Common and Boston Public Garden. If you’re in town between mid-April and late September, be sure to take a ride on the Swan Boats in the Boston Public Garden lagoon. Check out these websites for information: cityofboston.gov/FreedomTrail/bostoncommon.asp; cityofboston.gov/parks/emerald/Public_Garden.asp;  and swanboats.com.

Boston has some fabulous museums including the Museum of Fine Arts (mfa.org); the Museum of Science (mos.org); the Institute of Contemporary Art (icaboston.org); and the funky Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (gardnermuseum.org).

Boston’s Italian district, known as the North End, is always bustling with festivals and fun, to say nothing of fabulous food.

And finally, no visit  to this great sports town would be complete without a trip to Fenway Park to see the Red Sox  play — if you can manage to snag tickets. If you can’t make it to a game, a tour of the park is a great alternative, especially this year when Fenway, the oldest major league baseball stadium,  celebrates its 100th anniversary.  boston.redsox.mlb.com/bos/ballpark/tour.jsp. (Yankees baseball caps are best left in your luggage….)

More next time on where to stay and dine in Boston.

Spring rolled in earlier this week bringing marvelous weather with it. Here on my little Maine island, the thermometer rose to 84 degrees on Wednesday.  On that same day, Boston broke all prior records by a whopping 12 degrees. It will be interesting to see what the rest of the spring brings, and, for those of us who garden, what effect the unseasonably warm weather has on our flowers.  Meanwhile, it’s just plain enjoyable! When I jog in the early morning, I’m accompanied by birdsong of all kinds and, sometimes, the sight and sound of woodpeckers. Downy woodpeckers come regularly to the birdfeeders and we have pileated woodpeckers nesting in the yard.  The grass is greening up and a new cycle is beginning. Very soon the first tourists will be rumbling across the bridge and we’ll be sharing the island with those lucky enough to spend a week or two  here–but not lucky enough to live here year round!

 Don’t forget that this Sunday many of  the maple syrup producers in Maine will be hosting open houses to walk you through the maple syrup making process.  Many nearby churches or other organizations, and sometimes the syrup producers themselves, will put on pancake breakfasts. It’s a fun day for the entire family — and the true first taste of spring.  Enjoy!

 

For real democracy in action, there’s nothing like a Town Meeting in Maine.  Last night we gathered in the local school, as we do every March, to vote on warrants, swear in town officials, and in general discuss the machinery that makes a small village run. 

First, though, there was a comfort-food supper of shrimp stew and cake (shrimp caught by the local fishermen, of course, the stew and cake made by moms of eighth graders raising money for an upcoming  trip to Washington, DC), followed by plenty of conversation as everyone chatted up neighbors that we see so seldom during the winter months.  The Girl Scouts sold cookies and there was a raffle for a gorgeous skiff built by students  as another fundraising project.

Sometimes town meetings can be colorful and contentious, but ours was peaceful, with no controversial topics on the agenda. Many of the women brought their knitting and stitched without pause throughout  the entire event.  We are few but varied on my little island and the adjoining mainland part of our town: fishermen, young parents with school-age offspring, retirees, writers, artists, and  transplants “from away” who have been woven–some more fully than others–into the fabric of life in our small village.  We came in jeans, flannel shirts, LLBean boots, baseball caps, nurses’ uniforms, and an occasional office suit. It’s always one of my favorite times in Maine — a living Norman Rockwell moment.

If you’ll be in Maine on Sunday, March 25, be sure to check out the events for Maine Maple Sunday when all the maple syrup producers hold an open house to demonstrate the process of making maple syrup, and, of course, to sell their products. Check out mainemapleproducers. com for a list of all the possibilities. Visitmaine.com is a treasure trove of information about other things to do and see in Maine. And, if you’re planning an extended trip now or this spring or summer, you’ll find lots of good ideas in the Maine section of my book, Backroads & Byways of New England: Drives, Day Trips & Weekend Excursions.  Whenever you come,  you’ll find plenty to do in this beautiful part of the world.