The last few days have been spent in and around the cabin and the small towns around Boothbay. We ran in freezing temperatures at sunrise along empty roads lines with classic Maine houses, as well as caught the sunset across the bays. We kayaked across the lake, and sat in front of the log fire playing cards and arguing the rules of Scrabble.
On October 31st, we got a taste of what importance Halloween has here as an event. In the charming little bay town of Boothbay Harbour, children and parents gathered at the Memorial Hall in full fancy dress and paraded down the small main street. Shopkeepers stood on the side of the road with baskets of sweets to dish out to the cute “Trick or Treaters” - it seemed such a lovely, community thing to do. Neither of us had seen it before.
Some weeks ago, we sat in my front room in Ams
terdam and Nicki pointed out that the painting print of a lighthouse which has been on my wall for 11 years was set in Portland Head, Maine. “We can go there!” she exclaimed.
My Dad had asked me in 1998 what I wanted for Christmas and had suggested a picture. At the time I was interested in Edward Hopper, who specialised in melancholic, inward-looking and atmospheric paintings. Dad looked at a site on the Internet and chose the Lighthouse pic because it was the most optimistic he could see in the collection. He was not going to buy his son a sad painting.
It was a strange but almost exhilarating feeling to be at the site of that picture, and it felt like one of the real meanings of this trip. Probably I would never have gone to that location, but thanks to this trip and Nicki's suggestion, we found ourselves able to take in the beautiful location. The optimism of the gift filled us.
On October 31st, we got a taste of what importance Halloween has here as an event. In the charming little bay town of Boothbay Harbour, children and parents gathered at the Memorial Hall in full fancy dress and paraded down the small main street. Shopkeepers stood on the side of the road with baskets of sweets to dish out to the cute “Trick or Treaters” - it seemed such a lovely, community thing to do. Neither of us had seen it before.
Some weeks ago, we sat in my front room in Ams
terdam and Nicki pointed out that the painting print of a lighthouse which has been on my wall for 11 years was set in Portland Head, Maine. “We can go there!” she exclaimed.My Dad had asked me in 1998 what I wanted for Christmas and had suggested a picture. At the time I was interested in Edward Hopper, who specialised in melancholic, inward-looking and atmospheric paintings. Dad looked at a site on the Internet and chose the Lighthouse pic because it was the most optimistic he could see in the collection. He was not going to buy his son a sad painting.
It was a strange but almost exhilarating feeling to be at the site of that picture, and it felt like one of the real meanings of this trip. Probably I would never have gone to that location, but thanks to this trip and Nicki's suggestion, we found ourselves able to take in the beautiful location. The optimism of the gift filled us.
