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Castine, Maine and Acadia National Park  The Dyces Head Lighthouse was just down the road from our cottage at the end of Battle Avenue. The lighthouse was built in 1828, but its function as a lighthouse was discontinued in the 1930s, being replaced by a beacon on the rocks below the structure.Also in Castine is the Maine Maritime Academy, one of the country's largest merchant marine training colleges. Tours of the training ship "State of Maine" can be obtained when the ship is docked in the harbor.  Maureen is shown in front of The Manor Inn, located near our cottage on Battle Avenue. The Manor was built in 1895, a former summer cottage of Commodore Fuller from the New York Yacht Club. Today, it is an inn and gourmet restaurant. The Maine Maritime Academy is located across the street.
Many of the group attended the Our Lady of Holy Hope Catholic Church in Castine. The church was originally built in 1830 as a farmhouse, that was later converted to a chapel. The grounds are the original site of Fort Pentagoet and St. Peter's Chapel in the 1600s. The Catholic Church is located on Perkins Street just off Tarratine Street.Nick photographed the church on Sunday morning.  While on the walking tour of Castine, Laura, Nick, Harriet, Maureen, and Bill pass by a beautifully-colored yellow house that was being tended by Mrs. Bakeman (her maiden name because we found out her brother lives next door, whose mailbox stated "Bakeman") Maureen asked her about the gladiolas she had just cut. Mrs. Bakeman said she was throwing them out, along with the bulbs just dug up. Maureen asked if she could take them and Mrs. Bakeman said, "Of course!" The flowers were placed in water-filled plastic bottles of soda, and the bulbs into a Hefty One-Zip plastic bag that Bill was carrying. Mrs. Bakeman then invited us to view her backyard (next to the coast). We learned about some of the local history of the area, and enjoyed our stay with Mrs. Bakeman.
 Our favorite place for a cup of tea or coffee is the Compass Rose, located just past the corner of Main Street and Water Street. The owner, John, was very grateful for the bouquets of gladiolas that Maureen left on his tables (from Mrs. Bakeman's garden). John will reappear later in this narrative as we continued to bump into him during our exploration of Castine and the surrounding area.We also ate a delicious lunch at Bah's Bake House (Water Street), located behind the Compass Rose and Fay's One Gallery. In Welcome to Castine on the web it is reported that "Mornings in Castine just wouldn't be complete without one of Bah's sumptuous baked goods, including our favorite, the berry scones. Lunch and dinner options include hearty sandwiches, savory soups and eclectic salads. Bah can also provide cakes for special occasions." During our walking tour we wandered past a U-section street off of Court Street. Located on this street is the Whitney House (1814) that was occupied by British troops. At that time, an officer scratched the American Flag upside down and "Yankee Doodle Upset" on a window pane of the house. Two houses down is the Adams School. It was originally called the Abbott School , but signs were inadvertently switched during repainting. Kindergarten through eighth grade students attended the school. Up from the Whitney House, on the corner, is the Unitarian Church (1790). It contains a Bulfinch steeple that hangs a Revere bell.   Along the Park Loop route is Cadillas Mountain, the highest mountain - at 1,530-foot - on the Atlantic coast north of Brazil. The Cadillac views are panoramic and unparalleled, spreading out below the island-dappled Frenchman and Blue Hill bays, Acadia park below, along with much of Maine itself.Nick photographed this exceptionally beautiful picture of a pine tree along with autumn colors and the waters of the bay in the background.  Many of us ate dinner at the Jordan Pond House restaurant, where we enjoyed the house speciality: popovers, along with ice cream and blueberry crisp. The restaurant is located next to Jordan Pond, perhaps the loveliest of the glacier-carved ponds and lakes in the park. With clear and cool waters, its shores are flanked by Penobscot Mountain to the west and Pemetic Mountain to the east. The view that sets Jordan Pond apart lies to the north. rising from the shore are a pair of rounded mountains, aptly named The Bubbles. The restaurant offers lunch and dinner daily from mid-May to mid-October. Tea is served every afternoon. For more information, call 207-276-3316. The Jordan Pond Nature Trail is an easy, 1-mile self-guided nature walk alongside Jordan Pond, with views of The Bubbles. Photograph near Jordan Pond courtesy of Jordan Pond House restaurant.  The harbor off the coast of the village of Castine is seen is included within the hundred of miles of rugged coastline. The East Penobscot Bay region, south of Mount Desert Island includes the towns of Blue Hill, Brooklin, Castine, Deer Isle, and Stonington. These hamlets are located an exceptional grouping of peninsulas and islands. Like fingers, these pieces of Maine land jut into the bay. Each village offers a glimpse of the way life "should be", including quaint B&Bs, scrumptious food, colossal vistas, and quiet coves.On Sunday night several of us (I think it was Maureen, Harriet, Bill, Nicole, Mike, and Ward) visited the Chili Cookoff at the Castine Yacht Club. We had a great time. It is amazing how quickly eleven really small delicious helpings of different chili fills a person up. There was also a sighting of a Kennedy look-alike (a young Ted Kennedy impersonator or possibly a real relative of one of the famous family???) We also met up with John, the owner of the Compass Rose, who was one of the chili contestants.   Nick, Tom, and Laurie stand (at left) on top of Cadillac Mountain as Dan shoots their picture. Thanks Dan for the photograph! And Dan, Tom, and Nick pose (at right) for photographer Laurie. Thank you, Laurie!  Laurie takes a landscape photograph from the top of Cadillac Mountain looking off to the south.Thanks Laurie for another good picture!  The view from the bridge in the direction of the village of Stockton Springs.Thanks Nick for the photograph!  The Fort Point lighthouse on the end of the street that was on private property. We couldn't go in, but Nick did take a very nice picture.Thanks Nick! 
Harriet, Maureen, and Bill hiked up The Beehive Trail, a 520-foot high mountain with a noneycombed east face scupted by glaciers. The hike, just north of the Sand Beach parking area, turned out to be fairly strenuous, involving iron rungs used to climb up huge boulders on the way up the mountain. The Bowl Trail, offered a longer, but gentler climb down the mountain.  It's our last day in the cottage after a very pleasureable time inside and out of the house.
Laurie takes a picture of the group as we prepare to leave the house, and catch airplanes back home. 
Nick and Laura are still taking photographs, not wanting to leave "our weekend home away from home".  Tom P says goodbye to Ward and Nicole. After leaving the house, Maureen, Harriet, and Bill visit the village of Blue Hill, where today stately homes and American elms line the village streets. It is a center for the arts and music and the gateway to the Penobscot Peninsula communities and the Deer Isles. While in town we visited the Leighton Gallery. Judith Leighton says she chooses art that celebrates life, so that people who visit her gallery wind up feeling good. Maine Times, noting that Leighton's art tends to be "colorful, fun, folkish, full of animals, flowers and pleasing forms," called her Parker Point Road gallery Maine's best. Each summer, Leighton schedules a series of month-long shows featuring six artists at a time.  Her backyard is a garden of art punctuated with carved, cast, molded and welded sculpture. Judith's dog Bonner O'conner became a fast friend after I played fetch with him many, many times. We ate at Fishnet on Main Street, a quaint, local restaurant that was closing for the season that weekend. The lobster and clam chowder were great! The hot tea hit the spot, too!  While traveling from Bangor, Maine to Boston, Massachusetts I was able to photograph a slightly wild moose, while it sat on a log. It was a dangerous assignment, but one that was necessary in order to complete our successful vacation trip to Maine. The mean-looking moose was photographed within the city of Waterville, Maine, near the Maine Made Shop and Dreamer's Cafe. What do you guys think? Another trip to further our exploration of the area! History Quiz: Jean Vincent d'Abbadie de St. Castin was born to a distinguished French family in what city? (answer below) Essay: Describe your favorite part of the Maine trip. ANSW: Oleron, France Information William Arthur Atkins e-mail: williamatkins3307 [at] comcast.net home URL: http://www.WilliamArthurAtkins.com
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