A Day in Milbridge

August brings out our family who live in the midwest and on the west coast.  Our 3 families plan each vacation day and it seems we must always have the ocean included in any day's itinerary.  Our ocean is an intricate element in our lives, speaking of my husband and me, so it stands to reason as one place we can all agree to visit every day.  Here's a sample day we love:

Wake bright and early and walk to the shore or ride bikes all the way to the end of our "island."  After breakfast head to Milbridge for a hike around the rocky coastline at McClellans Park.  Geocaching your thing?  There is at least one cache at the park.  Walking on the ledges and rock hopping is a favorite for us and so is setting up a few canvas chairs and just drinking in the smells and sights of this glorious place Milbridge offers to all who yearn to visit the rugged coastline here.

 

Just in time for this summer of good eats in the area is the opening of The Fisherman's Wife restaurant and takeout.  We highly recommend this place for lunch or dinner and be sure to try Christie's blueberry crunch pie.  The dining room is decorated creatively with motifs around lobster fishing and family.  Every meal has been one we have talked incessantly about.  Right in Milbridge!

 After lunch we head back to Camp or the Cottage and soak up the sun, play catch with our Pearl, the border collie, and maybe take a quick snooze or read.  Then it's off to town again for our sea glass hunt or a visit to the Milbridge Historical Museum.  The Schooner art gallery might be more your interest area or check out our new library facility.  Milbridge has a terrific grocery story, a pharmacy, a movie theater, a Saturday morning Farmer's Market and nearly any thing you might need, you can find in town.

End of the day is perfectly perfect down at the Cottage or Camp beaches.

Maine, the way life is.

Summer Swim at Bayview Shores

This link will take you to the best tide chart around: http://me.usharbors.com/monthly-tides/Maine-Downeast/Milbridge.  This morning was a perfect one for heading to the shore to toss our border collie a few balls. 

Take a ride on the BarHarbor Ferry

Milbridge and BarHarbor are only a few bays apart from one another.  A trip to Mount Desert Island by   car will take an hour or so.  But….by ferry,  we're talking a half hour.  If we want to spend a day in BarHarbor, have lunch at the BarHarbor Motor Inn, and stroll along Main Street shops;  it's just a day trip for us and a great excuse to take a ride on the BarHarbor Ferry.  We drive to Winter Harbor, about 1/2 hour from Milbridge, to catch the Ferry which runs every 2 hours.

While in BarHarbor,  we also love to walk the Shore Path and breathe in that salt air.   The views of lobster boats floating alongside yachts is pretty cool.  These paths remain open to all people though much of the ocean frontage is off limits to the public.  Agamont Park is for the people as well. "A public park adds so much to a community. Agamont Park in Bar Harbor, Maine is the glue that holds everything together. It is a slopping bed of green during the summer that guides you gently from the activities on Main Street to the panoramic beauty of New England style coastal living."  The Ferry will drop you off at the BarHarbor Motor Inn's huge wharf as seen here:

From downtown BarHarbor, take one of the many Island Explorers for free transportation into the park and so many other destinations on the island.  More in my next blog article.

You will not want to miss...

...

Schoodic Point (http://www.terragalleria.com/parks/np-image.acad46060.html)

Barry and I drove to Schoodic Point last Sunday.  Marvelous ocean views,  miles of pink granite and wildlife sightings just bring out the best in us.  We practically throw our necks out of joint on the drive to The Point.  Many neat, historical homes to see in the villages along the way.  I just love how this part of Maine is still more like Maine.  Yes, some of the waterfront cottages and homes are owned by folks from away but the buildings remain very much like they were a hundred years ago.  I still feel like this area has retained its unique personality, the same one I met when I was just a kid growing up in Milbridge.  It's still Maine!!  I am not sure why many of us like to "go back home" but visiting Winter Harbor, Birch Harbor, and Corea is very much like going home again.  Oh, and while you are in this neck of the woods, you won't be a bit sorry if you plan to have lunch or dinner at this local eatery...

The Pickled Wrinkle, formerly known as  The Nautica.  I had a celebratory drink and appetizer there last night (I finished another terrific year of teaching middle school kids).  Well, I had no idea what a treat this place is.  It's changed hands since I last visited and it was good even then.  But let me tell you, the (homemade) chicken wings were beyond good.  I wanted to order their Wednesday night special, the grilled ribeye, but that must wait for another day.  Did I mention how tasty the watermelon martini was?  We friends booked our next visit for a night Jazz and good eats.

 Consider planning a day in the Winter Harbor area and a visit to Schoodic Point!

A Dining Experience We Must Share

Traditionally, when Barry and I go on vacation, we plan one night for a special dining experience.  While on your Maine vacation,  you deserve the same!  A memorable treat for the palette.  Last night we had our first reservations for Christopher's at Eagle Hill, a new dining destination for Bayview Cottages and folks 'round here.  Our meals were fabulous and we're recommending you treat yourselves at least once.  Chef Meynell's talent revealed in our meals.  I ordered a pasta dish with chicken and pesto and a fennel slaw.  Barry ordered a rib-eye which he raved about.  The salmon and quinoa salad my friend ordered was a slam dunk as well.  It's such a beautiful building, airy, arched doorways, walls and walls of glass and green views the Maine woods  I love.  The rain added a cozy element. How cool…to order from a  menu of unique and gourmet selections, to include an impressive international wine list, and organic and local produce.  We loved Christopher's!

Christopher Meynell,  Chef at Eagle Hill

Christopher Meynell
ExecutivE chef
• 8 years as Head Chef at Le Domaine Restaurant, Hancock, Maine
• Sous-chef in France, Luxembourg, Germany, Sweden, Puerto Rico
and the Virgin Islands

A Trip to Cherryfield, the Blueberry Capital of the USA

Take a sunny day, your bathing suits (and the pup), a picnic lunch, sunscreen, and head to Cherryfield, right next to Milbridge.  My idea of a blissful day is a swim at Tunk Lake, a lake so pristine and perfect, you will be tempted to return again and again.  Tunk Lake is a spring fed lake and in fact, its springs overflow through a spillway which leads to Spring River Lake.  Tunk Lake feeds Spring River Lake and boasts some of the best fishing around.  We love to take our lawn chairs and coolers, a crossword puzzle or two, and spend half a day there.  In the past we have kayaked across to a sand beach on the far side...it's a full day if we do the kayak but it's beyond blissful.

Matt and I at Tunk Rock

Matt and I are headed to the Sand Beach.

Exploring a quiet cove.

Loons with their young.

Tunk Lake, here I come!

Bliss

Caught in a rain shower and thunder storm...our shelter!  It worked!!

On your way back to Bayview Cottage, stop at The Catherines Hill Winery.   Any time we can we visit these folks who love to share stories and their wines.  Several times a year an Open House will beg a return visit.  Their selection of red, white, berry, and others fruit wines is amazing.  My favorite wine is a good Red and they make several!!  Their cranberry wine is wonderful.

Stop by a unique gift shop as well...The Riverlily.  I bought my all time favorite hat there, a beautiful journal and several pairs of earrings.   The location is a treat as the restored building extends over the Narraguagus River.

Just give us a call or follow our blog for more To Do experiences just a hop, skip, and a jump from Bayview Cottage.  Off the beaten path is what we often long for so I wanted to share these ideas.   Cherryfield is an historic village so you may want to bike around its village and follow the river for a ways.

Catherine's Hill Winery and Vineyard

Love their blueberry wine!

"Can you swim in the water there?"

Yes! 
"It's not too cold?  I heard it was too cold."
"Oh, but you have to find the right spot to swim."
"Oh, good, so you know a good one.  We'd like to go swimming while we're on vacation."
" I know just the spot...a 10 minute walk from the Cottage.  You'll need to check the tide calendar. Best time to go is when the tide's coming back in.  Be sure to bring your bathing suits and some water shoes or flip flops.  It's glorious!"
"Is it warm??
"Yes!"

The artist is from Maine:  Here is her Blog: http://claudiadiller.blogspot.com/2011/07/it-was-just-me-swimming-in-ocean-today.html

The Winter Harbor Lobster Festival and Boat Races!

Barry and I love the annual Winter Harbor Lobster Festival and Lobster Boat Races.  It's a full day of craft fairs and lobster bakes.  Before we leave the village we have to make sure to visit the Winter Harbor Five and Dime.  This is a fun store, packed ceiling to floor with shelves full of souvenirs as well as anything anyone could possibly need. I've found sewing notions, one-of-kind t-shirts, cool bird feeders, and so much more over the years.  

August 9, 2014
“Lobsters, Breakfasts, Craft Fair, Parade and more.”

Click here for more info:
http://acadia-schoodic.org/lobster-festival/

Two of our favorite sand beaches!

Corea, Maine, a 15 minute drive from Bayview, is home to a beautiful white sand beach.  As children we would pack a picnic lunch and drive to Schoodic Point.  We always packed our bathing suits and planned a visit to this beach.    Check out this virtual tour:  http://www.downeastmaineonline.com/Tour/Corea/vtour.htm

Our all time favorite sand beach is without a doubt…Roque Bluffs.  This beach is part of the Maine State Park attractions and is further Downeast from Bayview…about a 30 minute drive.  Something about this beach attracts us, even on foggy mornings or drizzly days, we're drawn to the peace and beauty of this special place.

http://www.downeastmaineonline.com/Tour/Roque%20Bluffs/vtour.htm

Peep Away and Procreate to Your Little Hearts' Contents

Today, Sunday, Barry and I continued to tidy up outside and enjoy a spring day.   In Maine many of us who live in wide open spaces have a bit of work to do in April and May.  Branches of silver poplar are scattered across the lawn.  The lawns are greening and green more quickly if we can rake them free and clear.  We gathered up some rotting cedar fencing posts and tossed those on the "big burn pile."  Of course, before burning this pile we call our local fire chief for a burn permit.  No problem and today was perfect for a big burn…a bit drizzly and barely a SW breeze.  Righting the bird bath basins, sweeping the driveway, bringing back the patio furniture, and flipping the picnic tables are included in the clean up.  Year after year it's quite predictable what needs doing to greet the months of outside living.  New this year is a purchase of a Mosquito Magnet device.  Some have seen their first black flies so it's time to set that up too.  Speaking of flies, our friends the peep frogs are here and their chorus of evening song is out of this world glorious.  These little amphibians are carnivores and love to eat black flies and mosquitoes!  Yay!  Peep away and procreate to your little hearts' contents!    Have you heard these tiny tree frogs sing…the males are the first…calling out to the females.

Here is a link to an audio and info about our spring peepers:

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/amphibians/spring-peeper/

Bayview celebrates Earth Day!

Every Spring at Bayview brings the ritual we long for all winter:  drying our sheets and quilts outside on our clothesline.  That's not to say we don't celebrate Spring by greeting the returning redwing blackbirds back from their winter vacation.  Or the goldfinches.   Or the the first green shoots of our daffodils.   Our gas dryer gets a vacation too.  So the washed bedding has spent some time outside swaying in the ocean breeze, and we just thought someone might like to know that.

Here is one of my favorite photos I shot last summer in Eastport as we left the beach near the Chowder House on the ferry to Canada.  This house sits atop a cliff overlooking the Bay of Fundy:

Water View? Cottage Rental on Maine's Downeast Coast

That Beach
in front
of Bayview Cottage
is Bayview's
Very Own.
Kayaks launch from the left
Guess where the kayak
Was when I took this picture?

Dear Friends,
 Are you considering a vacation visit to Maine?  Hoping to locate a vacation spot with views of the ocean?  Dreaming of a vacation spot with privacy and acres of fields to explore...with ocean views?  How about having your own kayaks to cruise the bay during your Maine vacation?  We can offer you a a cozy camp with Maine views of the ocean?  Or we can invite you to vacation in our cottage which is situated at the head of Pigeon Hill Bay and is surrounded by blueberry fields.

We're a pet friendly bunch and can offer lots of private property (20+acres) for you and your family to explore.  We are so blessed to have such a place to share.  Summer vacation plans?  Come to Downeast  Maine, America.

We're Barry and Jacquie...the lobsters are calling your name!

Barry hauling his lobster traps.

Hike Maine!

Pigeon Hill Mountain (a hike in our back yard)
(photo source: http://www.mainetrailfinder.com/trail/pigeon-hill/)

Our cottage and camp are located on the Pigeon Hill Road and a hop, skip, and jump from the entrance to a hiking trail up to this vista.

June 15, 2014 is...

...Opening Day for the cottages.  We have a booking for the first week of June, a couple of weeks in July, and the same for August and September.   Give us a call and come for a visit.  Our rates include:

kayaks and gear
bikes
lobster meals for two
20 acres of privacy
private shore
full views of Pigeon Hill Bay