Visit Midcoast Maine | Part 1, Touring and Shopping

Last week I had friends come for a visit. We toured, we shopped, we cooked, we ate out. This week, part 1 of what we did during the five days they were here — touring and shopping in Midcoast Maine!

When Friends Come to Visit

Summertime is guest time here in Maine.

Maine is, after all, called “Vacationland”!

I love having friends and family come to stay. It is always wonderful to spend time together.

But it also gives me the opportunity to enjoy a little “staycation”.

To visit places I haven’t been before. Or go back to old favorites.

To try out a new restaurant.

Visit the local shops, many of them filled with Maine-made wares.

And of course there is always plenty of cooking and eating being done at home too. A meal prepared together and then enjoyed around the table really is the very best way to enjoy each other’s company!

Last week two friends came for a 5-day visit.

They had been here several times before, so we had already already visited the “tier 1” local tourist destinations. It was time to dig a little deeper!

With travel days on both ends, we really only had three full days.

But we still packed it in!

Today, in Part 1, I am sharing where we went touring and shopping.

Then next week, Part 2 will be all about food — the restaurants we ate at and the recipes we cooked.

Join us as we get out and about in Midcoast Maine!

Touring

We went on two new-to-me outings last week. I highly recommend both!

Freedom, Maine Farmers Market at The Lost Kitchen

I have written before here about The Lost Kitchen restaurant here in Maine.

For those of you not familiar with it, The Lost Kitchen is a restaurant owned and operated by Erin French in the tiny town of Freedom. The restaurant is only open seasonally, but it has become so famous that there is a lottery each spring for reservations. In order to dine there, you must send in a postcard in April and then be one of the lucky 1,000 drawn at random from over 20,000 cards received.

I have never been that lucky.

Well, to be fair, I only sent in a postcard once. But the odds of getting chosen are slim.

There are other ways to enjoy The Lost Kitchen experience, though!

Erin has two cookbooks, as well as a memoir.

There are also three seasons of her show The Lost Kitchen to enjoy on Magnolia/Discovery or for purchase on Amazon.

Plus, a new show, Getting Lost with Erin French, available for streaming now.

And, during the summer, on the grounds of the restaurant (which is located in a restored 19th century gristmill), there is a weekly farmers market, as well as a retail store.

We chose to go to the farmers market, which takes place on Tuesdays from 11am to 2 pm, rain or shine.

The town of Freedom is tiny, and at first I felt completely overwhelmed by the crowds that, like us, had flocked there to experience just a tiny bit of Lost Kitchen magic.

But once we secured parking, the farmers market experience proved to be very pleasant.

There were around 20 vendors in a shady glen with a diverse offering of seasonal veggies, fruits, baked goods, cheeses, honey, fermented products, seafood, poultry, meats, and flowers.

We made a plan and picked up fixings for dinner that night and breakfasts for the week.

More on our visit to the shop later in this post!

Maine Maritime Museum Lighthouse and Nature Cruise

During previous visits, my friends and I had done the local “Puffin” boat cruise, visited Monhegan island, and also several local lighthouses.

It was time for something different!

So, we took one of the Maine Maritime Museum’s lighthouse and nature cruises.

Located in Bath, the Maine Maritime Museum offers daily 1, 2, and 3-hour cruises on the Kennebec River aboard their boat, the Merrymeeting.

We did the 2-hr cruise, which took us from Bath down the Kennebec river to its mouth and then back. Along the way we saw a total of five lighthouses, marshland, a bald eagle, Popham beach, and some wonderful waterfront homes.

We got there just before the boat left, so ended up inside on the lower deck. Viewing was a little difficult from there and it was often hard to hear the narration.

We would have preferred to be outside on the upper deck, but I wonder if they could hear anything up there. Note: access to the upper deck is by ladder-like steps.

It was still an enjoyable cruise and nice to explore a new part of the Midcoast area!

Interesting note: Bath is also home to the Bath Iron Works, a shipyard which designs, builds, and maintains complex surface ships for the U.S. Navy and other fleets. Now a subsidiary of General Dynamics, BIW has built some of the world’s most advanced warships, including battleships, cruisers, and destroyers. The Maine Maritime Museum offers a 2.5-hour tour and cruise called “The Bath Iron Works Story: By Land & Sea”.

You can get full information on all of the Maine Maritime Museum’s cruises on their website.

Cruise tickets include admission to the museum, which we did not have the time to take advantage of.

Shopping

Of course we stopped in a few shops when we were doing our touring. Plus we spent a half day visiting the shops in nearby Rockland.

Here are some of our favorites!

The Lost Kitchen shop, Freedom

One of the most beautiful stores I have ever been in!

They ” look in unexpected places to find unique goods all with the hope of making your every day more beautiful.”

Kitchen wares, home goods, local and handmade pieces, antiques, and more!

Can’t make it to Maine? You can order online!

Lisa Marie’s Made in Maine, Bath and Portland

This store carries what I feel is the the largest and most varied collection of hand-made-in-Maine artwork, gifts, home goods, and apparel.

And they also have a website!

Now You’re Cooking, Bath

A large store which sells cookware, kitchen goods (a huge gadget wall), table linens, small appliances, knives, gourmet foods, wine, and more!

They don’t have an online store, but visit their website for a virtual store tour and cooking class schedule.

Motifs, Camden

An old favorite that just reopened on the Lyman Morse wharf on the opposite side of the harbor from downtown Camden.

A beautifully curated selection of women’s and men’s apparel and home decor, all with a nautical flair.

Clementine, Rockland

I have shared this gem of a store before.

They describe themselves in this way: “An apparel fabric boutique and modern haberdashery located in downtown Rockland, Maine. Our fabric, notions and creative goods have a nod towards the vintage with a modern sense of style.”

They carry their own line of Maine and coastal-themed fabrics.

You can shop online here!

Archipelago, Rockland

This store sells only made-in-Maine gifts, crafts, housewares, jewelry, and art.

They showcase over 300 artists and makers “whose work reflects the beauty and endurance of Maine’s islands and coast.”

You can also shop online!

fourTwelve, Rockland

My go-to local clothing boutique!

A well-edited collection of designers, stylish, accessories, and gifts.

Plus they have their own line of dresses and tops, designed and sewn right here in our little seaside town.

You can shop a selection of what they sell in store on their website!

Winnifred & Evalyn, Rockland

This store just opened last year, but it has already become a favorite for home goods, furnishings, and gifts.

Note cards, napkins, candles, soaps, bedding, table linens, wall art, bar ware, serving pieces, pillows, throw blankets, tote bags, and, well, you get the idea! You can also find vintage treasures tucked in amongst everything else!

You can shop some favorites online!

Arctic Tern Books, Rockland

I love a small independent bookstore, and this is just the kind of place to explore on a rainy day. It even has a big cozy couch to curl up on while you peruse some new finds!

An Update to Last Week’s Post

Last week here I posted a guide to natural fiber flat-weave rugs: Keeping It Natural | A Guide to Jute, Sisal, and Seagrass Rugs.

This week I added an update to the section on my Rush House Original Rug, with my personal experience attaching additional squares.

I thought I would post it here too, just in case you don’t make it a habit to go back and reread my previous blog posts…

Maybe this additional information will help you make a decision about purchasing one of these rugs.

So here it is:

Update:

I have a confession to make.

Last week when I posted pictures of my Rush House mat here, I had not sewed on the extra squares.

They were just resting on the floor, unattached.

Oh, the things you can hide in a photo!

This week I finally got around to getting this job done.

And a job it was.

The sewing itself was not the issue. That was just a basic stitch.

I ordered the sewing kit from Rush House, which comes with jute twine (instead of thread) and a large needle. The problem was, the needle has a rounded tip, and I found it quite difficult to get through the four to six layers of sea grass fibers they recommend.

I ended up wearing rubber tips on my fingers to protect them and give me a better grip.

Still, after sewing together 14 squares and then attaching them to the rug, my fingertips are a little sore.

All that said, I love the rug.

Maybe even more than I did originally.

Getting up close and personal with it like I did, I became a bit obsessed with its amazing texture and unique character.

And even though it was work, I got a custom-size 7’x7′ rug for this space. Exactly what I needed. The wool rug I have is also a square, and they are not easy to find.

Also, while Rush House recommends that you don’t add squares to their “seconds” rugs, because they can’t guarantee a match of fibers, my additional squares are absolutely fine.

For the character this rug adds to the space, I think it was totally worth the extra effort.

And I am sure my fingertips will feel better soon…

This Week Into Next

We had three days of fog and rain this week, but the sun returned on Friday. Just in time for the weekend!

The wet gray weather gave me a chance to catch up on things around the house after having guests all last week.

It also afforded me the time to sew my seagrass rug…

Last weekend was our annual town celebration. That is a thing here in Maine, and I think it is fabulous. There was a parade, a little craft/antiques show on the baseball field, rummage and used book sales at the library, a lobster bake (of course!), and fireworks on Saturday night. At the sales, I picked up two antique books, a pair of framed vintage sailing ship prints, and another old buoy for the guest cottage porch. All for a grand total of $15! I love small-town life!

A book

A couple weeks ago I was sent a copy of the recently published book The Cliffs, by J. Courtney Sullivan. It is about the history of a house — “family, secrets, ghosts, and homecoming” — set on the coast of Maine. You can see why the publisher might think I would enjoy this book… And I am! I am not that far in, but I am definitely hooked!

A binge-worthy tv show

This week I also got hooked on Presumed Innocent, Apple TV’s 8-episode series starring Jake Gyllenhaal and based on the 1987 novel by Scott Turow. I had seen the 1990 film, but did not remember much about it.

The premise of the story — a gruesome murder with a cheating-husband suspect — is disturbing on several levels, but kept me guessing until the end. I stayed up too late watching it and binged it in three nights.

That’s it for this week! Remember, next week I will be sharing restaurants and recipes, including the blueberry bread pudding many of you wanted!

Are you excited for the Olympics?! Go team USA!

Have a great week!