Wanderings of the old sloat: Boothbay

The tides in New England are formidable. This picture was taken at First Encounter Beach on Cape Cod...

Five minutes after this one. I didn''t move in the interim.

Here is the famous Plymouth Rock. At present it's only about 4-5 feet long. It turns out that the rock is at most one third of its original size. It used to be embedded in a street on the waterfront, and a chisel was provided for people who wanted to chip off a souvenir. At one time the rock broke in two...the other half was carted off, I forget where. There is even doubt whether the Pilgrims ever stood upon this rock...the first published account of it occurred over a century after the Pilgrims landed. But, whatever...it's been a symbol of the Pilgrims for almost three centuries.

The Mayflower II, a replica of the original constructed in England in 1957 and sailed across the Atlantic to Plymouth by a crew of 33. Somewhere I have a picture of this ship that was published by the National Geographic at the time; the Geographic at least partially sponsored the operation.

Now I'm in East Boothbay, Maine. In 2006 I stayed here at the Smugglers' Cove Resort for a night...I remembered the peace and beauty here, but had no recollection of exactly where it was. The internet solved that, of course. It's still peaceful and gorgeous. This time I stayed two nights...much better than one. Three would be even nicer! Next time. This pic was taken at high tide...

And this one at low tide!

A residential street in Boothbay Harbor, five miles from the Smugglers'. Fine, tidy New England homes in a combination tourist/fishing town.

Boats at Boothbay Harbor. The activity level in mid June is moderate...during high season, from the fourth of July to Labor Day, it's considerably busier.

Leaving the harbor. I took an hourlong cruise that gave me a nice view of the area. Always nice to get out on the water.

There is a ship repair yard at Boothbay Harbor; the narrator on the cruise said this fishing boat was preparing to go into the yard for "routine maintenance". Was she joking? The old scow looks ready to sink!

A fine sailing vessel in the harbor.

There are many islands off the Maine coast. Some are large and accessible by bridge or ferry; other smaller isles are privately owned. This one has only three houses on it, but the center part of this structure connecting the two dwellings is...a bowling alley! The folks have to set their own pins, according to our narrator.

As long as you can easily afford to pay for it, having a fine home on the Maine coast seems to me to be an idyllic gig in the summer. Spend your days sailing, eating seafood, exploring, and lounging by the sea in your Adirondack chair, sipping a cold libation. Can't think of anything better!