SPEECHLESS...

I went to Wal-Mart today on my lunch break to try to find a pretty flower pot to put a plant in for a friend and this is what I found in the Garden Center.

Christmas!

It's September 20th.

They can't even wait until Halloween is over?

Seriously?

There were no flower pots to be found.

I don't know what to say.

"Forrest Gump" Lighthouse

Remember the scene?

Forrest gets up out of his chair and starts running. He runs out of the state of Mississippi and all the way to the West Coast where he turns around and begins running again.  He runs all the way back across the country to the East Coast....specifically to the end of the pier at the Marshall Point Lighthouse located in Port Clyde, Maine.

Running across the country is not and never will be on my bucket list of things to do.   While I would love to see the country and the sites that Forrest saw on his journey, I will never do it running.  My idea of seeing the country involves riding in an automobile.  On a recent trip to Maine, we got the opportunity to drive up and see this famous lighthouse.

As we drove down the very narrow and at times, one-laned road, we seemed to be out in the middle of nowhere.   It was worth the drive as the scene completely opened up at the end of the road.  Not only is this site full of history; but, the setting is a beautiful piece of the rocky Maine coastline.  There were quite a few visitors on the day that we went and yet, it was still a very peaceful place to spend some time. 

The beautiful old keeper's home and attached building that is now the Marshall Point Lighthouse Museum is a fun way to learn about the history and culture that is unique to this region of America.  

This is just one more reason why I love New England.

Lobster Rolls and Bucket Lists....

Throwing the essentials in the back of the car and heading off for parts unknown is a constant dream of mine and has been for years.   I constatly dream of traveling with no pre-planned destination in mind.  You know...like the lyrics of the song, You Can Sleep While I Drive by Melissa Etheridge..... "I'll pack my bags and load up my guitar"......or in the our case, I'll pack my bags and David will load up his guitar.  Whatever.  

You get what I mean, right?   Just to take off traveling someplace without an agenda or a destination or a time to be back because we have pressing plans or because someone expects to be back by a certain time is very appealing to me.  We do a little of that "day-tripping" and "overnight-tripping" upon occasion; but what really is exciting to me is the sell everything and go wherever the wind blows.  Yeah, the "we live out in our old van" kind of life is a dream.  

Could I really do it? 

I don't know. 

When it comes down to "essentials", I think I would have a hard time determining what I could and couldn't live without.  I like a hot shower and a warm bed.  I'm not even sure how I would do with camping for a weekend.  It's exciting to dream about it though and take the adventures when I can.   I've always had a nomadic spirit.   I think that comes from being the daughter and granddaughter of pipeliners.  It's just in my blood.

While I may not be able to live the exciting life of a nomad, I can follow along with those that can.  A few years ago, I stumbled across the blog, Alison Travels, written by a lady who quit her corporate job and set out on the road with her dog.  At that time that I joined her, she was traveling around, sleeping in a tent and photographing her journey alog the way.   I so connected with what she was doing and I have been able to live vicariously through her over the years.   She's a gifted writer and photographer and I have enjoyed the her journey so much.  While times have changed somewhat for her in a positive way in that she is out of the tent and traveling in a van, the adventures  for her and consequently for me continue. 

One of her most memorable adventures for me was a journey through Maine a couple of years ago and more specifically, a trip to a roadside lobster shack and the most amazing lobster roll that I had ever seen.   She spoke of the lines of people and the length of time she waited at Red's Eats just to taste one of these rolls and then she showed a photo of the lobster roll itself.  Not the mayonnaise drenched lobster rolls that are typically served all over New Hampshire and Maine, this was plain and simple lobster on a grilled buttered roll.  Alison shared that the claim was 1 1/2 lobsters on each roll and she didn't dispute that.  Red's Eats was immediately added to my bucket list.  It was someplace I just had to go. 

Recently, that bucket list wish came true as David took me to Wiscasset, Maine for one of those lobster rolls.   Once we entered the town, it was not hard to find.

We found a place to park and I went around the corner to the end of the line and joined the others waiting patiently for their food. 

While I stood in line and pinned things on Pinterest.....

True story....

That's what I do when I'm waiting in line anywhere.

David strolled around the cute little coastal town and took some photos.  It seems that Wiscasset is more than just home to amazing lobster rolls.  It is, also, full of antique stores. 

Had I just wanted a lobster roll, I could have one of those just about anywhere around New Hampshire.  I certainly didn't have to drive to Wiscasset for one.   I can get what has become my favorite lobster roll and the standard by which I measure all lobster rolls right here in New Hampshire at Rye Harbor Lobster.  That is much closer to home than Wiscasset, Maine.  If I had just been driving through this area and had wanted a typical lobster roll, I could have saved some time and gone across the street from Red's for one of those.  There was a cute little lobster shack across the street and right on the water with much shorter lines.

This was about fulfilling a dream and crossing something off of my bucket list though and nothing short of a lobster roll from Red's Eats would do.   Finally, I made it to the front of the line and got my chance to order lunch.  "One lobster roll, please....with butter!"

;

And 45 minutes after getting in line, David and I are back in the car and ready to devour this amazing lobster roll.  1 1/2 lobsters per roll?  I think so. 

The grilled, buttered roll is the perfect holder for lobster meat...

 

No mayo in sight.  Just plain lobster with a tub of melted butter on the side.  We picked off pieces of lobster and dunked them in the butter and ate them to get the roll down to a manageable size to handle. 

So , how was it?

It was delicious!

Was it worth the trip up and the wait in line?

Yes!  At least once...

While I don't think I will ever pass by Rye Harbor Lobster to drive all the way to Wiscasset for a lobster roll, it was definitely worth driving up into Maine to cross this item off of my bucket list.  There are a lot of unexplored areas in this part of Maine and farther north so I'm quite sure we will be up in this area again in the future.  When we do,  I will not hesitate to budget some time and money to stop in again and have one of these rolls.  Next time, I think I will probably order one for each of us though. 

This was not the end of the adventure for us in this area; but I'm going to leave that for another post.  I will say that it was pretty amazing to drive back by Red's Eats a couple of hours later on our way home and there was still a line.

Red's Eats has a good thing going on there in Wiscasset.

If you are ever in the area, give them a try.

It's worth the wait.



Weekend Rewind...

In our last episode, I left you with a taste of the Hampton Beach Seafood Festival 2011 and previewed my weekend to come....

Hampton Beach Seafood Festival 2012

I had anticipated this weekend for an entire year so Saturday morning, I was ready to go!

I had been watching the weather all week and in typical New England fashion, the weather forecast for the weekend changed constantly.  From a "complete washout" at one point during the week to a beautiful, breezy Saturday followed by some storms Saturday night...really....in New Hampshire....you just never know.  The day dawned bright and sunny and warm (not hot) and very, very breezy.  It was beautiful weather for a day at the beach.  So as expected, there were lots and lots of people.

But that was to be expected with beautiful weather and so much delicious food to eaten.  I wanted to be selective this year about what to try.  Last year, we went mainly for chowdas and bisques; but I wanted to branch out and try some different options, as well.  We decided to share so that we could try more food.

The lobster mac & cheese caught my eye first as a good way to begin.  XXX Sharp New York Cheddar Cheese topped with sweet lobster.  How could we go wrong?

It did not disappoint.  The mac & cheese was creamy, sharp and tangy...just like we like it.  The sweet lobster on top was a wonderful addition.  It was the first time to have this combination that I see so often on the menu at restaurants around New England.  I won't hesitate to order it in the future now that I have had my first taste.  It was delicious.  I'm glad we shared it as it was a heavy way to begin the day.

Next up, we spied our favorite lobster roll stand.   The hot lobster roll from Rye Harbor Lobster is the standard by which we measure all other lobster rolls.  We definitely couldn't resist having one.

A grilled buttered roll full of lobster in warm butter sherry sauce.  Again, we were not disappointed.  It was fantastic.

We were happy to find our favorite New Orleans Caterers back again this year and definitely could not pass them by.  They were our favorites last year and we have been thinking about their seafood corn bisque for an entire year.

Again, we were not disappointed.  It was hard to photograph the food because of the lighting; but we gave it our best shot.  Take a look at this yumminess....

I dare say that it was even better than I remembered.  Creamy, garlick-y, full of flavor....spicy but not at all hot....loaded with seafood and sweet corn and a few select "secret" ingredients, it was "slap yo mama" good!   David stopped by after we licked the bowl clean and asked Shayne where his restaurant is located.  We were sad to learn that he hasn't opened it yet.  He is doing some catering though so if you are in the area and want some amazing food to serve at your next party or gathering, give him a call.  I would love to be able to have him cater one of our gatherings; but, we have kids who are allergic to shellfish.  Until that restaurant opens, we will just have to dream about this amazing bisque and look forward to next year. 

I saw this next stand last year and wanted to give them a try; but we were too full when we stumbled upon them.  This year, I couldn't pass them by.

The Sugar Cane Shrimp Skewers with Cilantro Lime Sour Cream called to me.

The sugar cane shrimp were grilled bites of deliciousness.

And I could eat that cilantro sour cream on sooo many things.  It was very tasty.

Last, but not least, there was Petey's Summertime Seafood...

And this year, their amazing Clam Chowda was being served.  Irresistable to two of us.  We did manage to share a bread bowl instead of each having our own. 

What's a seafood fest without having a lobsta tail?  Petey's was serving them on a stick with butter.   There are no words.  Just look.

Petey's was, also, serving bacon wrapped scallops on a stick.  Again, there are no words to describe how amazing these were.  It was worth every mouth burn that I got eating these.  I couldn't let them cool before trying them.

All of this amazing food was not eaten at once; but, rather over a period of time during the day.  Since the weather was so beautiful, we simply had to take a walk on the beach and enjoy it.

The same band that we heard last year was on the bandstand again this year.   Soul Mate delivered with a funky mix of songs designed to get the crowd out of their seats and onto the dance floor.

Not only was the band familiar but so was one of the dancers....



See Mr. "White Hair" in the dark shades?  He was there last year cutting a rug, as well.  See...

I guess it's an annual event for him, as well. 

He's still looking good, huh?