Scarborough, Maine August 29-September 4th

While we were in Scarborough, Maine my daughter Eden and my favorite grandson, Atticus, drove up from Massachusetts.  First thing we did was introduce Atticus to the "Bus" as he calls it.  He just loves anything with large tires, especially tractors.  It may not be a tractor, but he loved the Bus!  I have never heard anyone say "Oh Wow" so many times when first seeing the RV!!!  He did not want to leave!!




It was toward the end of the season and Eden wanted to take Atticus to Aquaboggen in Scarborough.  When Mark and I went to the IMAX theater to see the final Harry Potter movie in 3-D, we noticed that Aquaboggen was closed but Funtown/Splashtown, the largest water and amusement park in Northen New England, was open.  So off to Funtown/Splashtown it was!

He loved all the fun things he could drive at Funtown.  He especially liked the big blue taxi, powered by a nice loud lawnmower engine with a center rail that prevents the tires from going off the road.  I couldn't resist taking the photo looking at the back of my  2 year old grandson driving me around!  It was a beautiful day, free pass for seniors, no crowds, and lots of great rides just perfect for Atticus.  Add a few rounds of skee ball, an ice cream cone and at the end of the day a cooling stop in splashtown.

At the campground, we had a great view through the trees of the beach and the lake at Wassamki Springs Campground.  One of my favorite things at this campground was the farmer's market, every Saturday, located just a few feet past the intersection at the top photo!    Fresh potato salad with Maine potatoes, a nice cool beet soup (or borsht) from fresh beets, and wonderful salads.  I love the farmer's markets!

Based on recommendations from our friend Katherine Souza and another from our Palm Creek friend Kathy Cayer Daigle (who grew up in Maine) we made a trip to Portland, Maine and out to the Ocean.

First stop was the "Lobster Shack."  You get in line and place your order and then sit at the ocean side picnic tables and wait for your number to be called.  It is a picture perfect wait watching wave after wave roll in.  But, nothing compares to a lobster roll - a hot dog bun literally cram full of fresh cooked lobster.  The boat - lobster, fries and slaw was fantastic.  The desserts, not that we needed it, looked so yummy, I couldn't decide between the apple turnover and the rasperry cream turnover so I bought both!!!

We enjoyed the views from the famous "Portland Head Light," the oldest light house in Maine.  Built in 1791 it is a beautiful background for our Maine - we were there photo!  We also walked over the area called Battery Blair used in WWI and the early part of WWII.   This is a battery of 12 inch guns mounted on disappearing carriages, hidden from view at sea behind a concrete and earth berm.  You could see part of it, but most of it was completely covered by earth.

I especially loved that this lighthouse is believed to be the inspiration for Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem "The Lighthouse."

I also received a recommendation from Lynn Mollberg, one of my past great secretaries (they all made me look good.)  She highly recommended DiMillo's floating restaurant, situated in a coverted car ferry that rises twice each day with the tides.  But we had already left the area so I will put it down for a future trip!

We couldn't leave Scarborough without a visit to the "trotters."  We spent a beautiful afternoon at Scarborough Downs and bet on the races.  I won in 5 of the 9 races (bottom right photo - one of my winners in the winner's circle) so I had a pretty good day.  Mark not only lost in every race, he picked the last horse in every race.  That is a true talent!!

This was our last stop in the beautiful State of Maine so we are now starting our way down the East Coast.  Next stop is Salisbury Beach, Massachusetts.