Maine Destinations: Romantic places

Not to get all sappy and sweet on you here, but it’s Valentine’s Day and being the romantic I am . . . I thought I’d share some romantic places in Maine to visit with your favorite other in your life. Or your other and the kids . . . romance is all in how you spin it. I certainly love chocolates, a bouquet of flowers, a bubble bath, and the other stuff the merchandisers want you to think women want as gifts for Valentine’s Day, but I’m on a diet, flowers are ridiculously expensive, and our huge tub takes hours to fill. 

Give them an experience.

Give them a memory.

A string of bleeding hearts

A weekend getaway in Maine? Great Idea. For me, just going somewhere new is an experience I truly enjoy. Making memories in that somewhere new just comes with the package.  Going back to a familiar and memorable place is wonderful too. Shared memories bind us as couples and as families. Reinforce the bindings by continuously striving to create new memories and keeping the pleasurable memories of the past alive.  

These places are not just for Valentine's Day. In fact, some are best visited at other times of the year. I consider them romantic because a.) they are places to go with your spouse, partner, other half, friend with benefits . . b.) they are places to go with your family, the result of the romantic interlude.

Cape Porpoise Harbor

Cape Porpoise – just north of Kennebunkport, Cape Porpoise is a working harbor. The seafood is unbelievably fresh. You can watch the boats come in with the catch of the morning. Have a picnic on the dock. Just stay out of the way of the lobstermen. Have lunch at Pier 77.  For an authentic Maine experience, romantic and real, this is a great little village.      

the beach at Biddeford Pool

Biddeford Pool – I’ll write more about this place when I’m ready to expose it to the world. This was the beach of my teen years, on a blanket with my friends, rubbing baby oil on our skin for the deepest tan possible. Ah the days before we learned about skin cancer or worried about wrinkles! Why it’s romantic: it’s kind of hard to find. You have to have a pass to get to the beach. There’s a bathhouse with an outdoor shower. It’s a huge, long, wide beautiful beach. Like beaches in summer, people are hardly dressed, indulging in such carnal pleasures as taking a nap under an umbrella, basking in the hot sun reading a book (my personal favorite), the air is salty and hot and smells of the mix of sunscreens and sandwiches, and you can walk far away from the crowd and just be the two of you, or as many as you want, and swim and frolic all day. Bring your own snacks and drinks, but the ice cream truck does come by every once in a while. Rentals can be found here: Maine Seaside Rentals

Old Orchard Beach's famous pier

Old Orchard Beach – in the shoulder seasons of spring and fall, the weather is mild, the sun shines brightly, and the summertime crowds are nonexistent. The beach here is seven miles long and so wide at low tide you’ve got plenty of space to stroll in the sand. Skip stones, jump the waves with your pants on (or off!), and breathe in that salty air. Do like the summertime high school teens and sneak under the pier to make out. Do like grownups do and get a room (great discounts in the low seasons!). visitor info can be found here: Old Orchard Beach Info

Biking on the carriage trails at Acadia National Park

Bar Harbor – a coastal town that’s arguably the most requested destination in the state. There’s a good reason. This little town’s got a lot to offer. From awesome shopping and dining downtown, to whale watches and schooner day trips out on the sea, to bike rentals and canoe and kayak outfitters to take you out of town, there’s really something for just about everyone. Folks go to walk around the town dock and see the boats and birds. Poke your head into some of the shops, have an ice cream cone, and a lobster roll. Get yourself over to Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor’s neighbor on the island, and enjoy Sand Beach, drive up Cadillac Mountain and drink in the view of the islands, or bike on the Carriage Trails. You can find yourselves alone for remarkably long periods of time.  On your way off the island, stop at Mainely Meat BBQ for sticky, finger licking barbeque. Or cross over into Trenton and pull into Trenton Bridge Lobster Pound , one of the restaurants just off the road whose gigantic steaming pots are perfectly primed to cook you a lobster while you wait. 

Visitor info can be found here: http://www.barharborinfo.com/

Portland's Old Port

Portland –  with a foodie reputation that’s growing by the moment, Portland is a city to visit if you’re into trying anything. Gelato Fiasco on Fore Street. East End Cupcakes right across the street. TwoFat Cats bakery up on Munjoy hill. More restaurants per capita than any other city in the nation. Beyond the belly, you can check out the Old Port and Commercial Street, for shopping experiences you won’t find any where else. If your blood really gets pumping when you shop, you’ve got to go to Freeport, just north of Portland. Freeport is the home of L.L. Bean and loads of outlets, as well as quite a few uniquely Maine stores like Mexicali Blues.   

Portland Head Light

As Maine’s largest city, Portland is chock full of culture, teaming with museums, live music, and theater. Nearby Cape Elizabeth is home to Portland Head Light, one of the most photographed lighthouses in the country and located on the grounds of Fort Williams Park. Info about the lighthouse and the park are here: Portland Head Light

baskets of cherry tomatoes

Farmer’s Markets – With a very strong farm to table movement in the state, Maine has a lot of farmer’s markets, both in summer and in winter. For a listing, click here: Maine Farmer’s Markets

 Why it’s romantic: earth and seed and sun came together to produce gorgeous fruit and vegetables. The visual displays at Farmer’s Markets, as rustic as they can be, can’t help but stimulate you . . . somewhere. The passion of the people who live to grow and share their produce is palpable. If you and yours are shopping for items that result in a great dinner, well, all the better.

Here’s where you can find tons of info on getaways in Maine. 

If you find that your getaway has led to further romantic entanglements and want to plan your wedding in Maine, Real Maine Weddings is loaded with ideas for receptions, food, and guest lodging. 

Thinking about summer plans? Everything you need to get you started is here: Visit Maine

Come and fall in love in (and with) Maine.

Relax, you're in Maine.

 

 

 

Be Celeste

In Gretchen Rubin’s bestselling book, The Happiness Project, the author’s research on the subject of “happiness” leads her to discover things in her life that with a few small changes, would not only make her happier, but influence those around her. 

She sets about to focus on different aspects of her life each month and uses a list of her self devised commandments as guidelines.  The very first is “Be Gretchen.”

I love this idea.

So how do I “Be Celeste”?

A question of this sort, whether you are Celeste or Jane or Liz or Gretchen, requires an examination of self.  I have to know who “Celeste” is and sometimes that’s a difficult assignment.  The study of self is as old as human consciousness.  Since the dawn of self awareness the question has been raised.  But I don’t need to concern myself with who found out what about themselves in the history of the world. 

I have only one subject:  me. 

You have only one subject: you.

Celebrating a birthday is an annual milestone that always makes me take stock in what I’ve accomplished in the past year and what I hope to achieve in the coming year.  Accomplishments and achievements are part of what makes me, me.  My style of dress, my sense of humor, my dreams, my home, my tendency to procrastinate, and my desire to perfect the recipe for guacamole are all me.  For Mother’s Day, my husband and daughter got me a Vera Bradley bag – Reality:  I went and picked it out – limey green and aqua flowery swirly and I love it.  When I showed it to a friend, she said “it’s Celeste”.  I took it as a compliment.  But was it?

But what is, and who is, and how do I – how does anyone – determine what is you?

I think Ms. Rubin’s point was that when it comes down to it, be true to you.  Remember who you are and what makes you happy each day.  Those points will change daily and look totally different for each person.  Don't force yourself into a shape that doesn't fit you.  Accept that you just don't like everything you think you should.  Trying to be someone that you're not is a key ingredient in dissatisfaction. 

There are things in my life that I really wish I enjoyed;

I wish I liked sports, so that I could have this common interest with my husband, but really, I don’t like sports.  Forcing myself to sit and pay attention to some ongoing commentary about something that I don't care about goes against my nature.  If I recognize that and not feel badly about it, I will be a happier person.

My daughter loves sushi.  I’m an adventurous diner and have tried it on many occasions and I just don’t like it.  I wish I did.  I think the artistry and the culture of sushi is very cool and I would love to claim that as something I enjoy, but I don’t.  Be Celeste.

Trying to be someone I’m not will lead me to resentment and frustration.  That’s not a place I want to be.  I have to be Celeste.  Just because I truly don’t enjoy some things doesn’t make me less of a person.  In fact, it leaves room for other interests that I do enjoy, like writing and photography, cooking and eating, collage, cool earrings, pink flamingoes, seltzer with lime, exploring new places, hot summer days, the smell of fresh basil, peppermint and coconut, cat’s paws, Jimmy Buffett music, sleeping late and reading a good book.

Maybe we’d all be happier if we recognized that as individuals living in this time, in this place, we have tastes and expectations that differ from other people’s and embrace the differences rather than try to change ourselves or fight about them.

If you like the idea of examining what makes you happy, I recommend reading Gretchen Rubin’s “The Happiness Project”. 

More info can be found here:  http://www.happinessprojecttoolbox.com/

. . .  if you like that sort of thing. 

LIFE on Life’s terms: Living in the moment or “Seas the Day”

Like many people, I struggle with the bucolic concept of living in the moment.  My daily planner is planned out months in advance.  Each week I plot out my goals for the week, my appointments, and my dinner menu.  There are very few moments that I’m not at least partly considering the next moment rather than the one I’m in.  Perhaps I’m the oddball, but I suspect that this is pretty common amongst people today.  Everything is about what’s next. 

Living in the moment . . . what does it mean?  Is it akin to so many other phrases that denote the need for appreciation for what you have or what you are or who you are at any given time? 

Is it a reminder that “life is short” so “seize the day” but don’t forget to “stop and smell the roses?” 

Those expressions wouldn’t have gained overuse prominence if there weren’t truth to them. 

This is what has prompted my little life appreciation lesson.  I was fortunate enough to “have” to go to Fort Lauderdale for my work.  Leaving Maine in March to go somewhere warm and sunny is something I dream of every January. 

This trip came up fast and took a lot of work to pull together.  With a little help from some hotel points and a supportive spouse, I was able to extend the trip two extra days and bring my daughter with me.  We had a wonderful, sunshine filled, causal couple of days. 

The evening before our 8:00 am flight home, after touring around on a water taxi and seeing the yachts and mansions of the rich and famous, we took a walk on the beach before dinner.  Always prepared, we both were wearing our bathing suits and decided to take a swim.  The water was warm, easy to get into and the waves were just raucous enough to be fun.  We have beautiful beaches in Maine but the water rarely reaches above sixty degrees and swimming in it is, well, numbingly uncomfortable for me at this age. 

We splashed and bobbed and floated for two hours.  It was getting dark and we hadn’t had dinner yet.  The guys who worked for the hotel were clearing the beach, stacking lounge chairs and picking up towels.  I felt that pull of responsibility and got out of the water to dry off.  My daughter protested and made a case for staying in, claiming she’d only rinse off in the pool rather than swim for another hour once we left the beach (she lied). 

So I gathered up our things and sat in the sand with my camera.  Watching her jump and flip around in the waves made me curiously sentimental for days when I had nothing to worry about, nothing to plan or prepare for.  Truthfully, I can’t even remember feeling like that although I must have as a child.  We had seen a boat earlier in the day that was named “Seas the Day” and I loved the play on words with one of my favorite sayings.  It was a struggle for me to just sit in the warm sand, digging my feet in, shooting the beach and waves and my sweet little daughter just playing in the ocean. 

I have returned home.  I’ve thought about those moments quite a few times, that churning in my stomach, a gnawing feeling that I should be doing something else (like packing for our early departure).  For me, recently diagnosed with ADD, I wonder if it is that “driven” feeling that is a symptom of the disorder.  Or is it’s a byproduct of a busy life?  Perhaps my Catholic school guilt which says that I shouldn’t stop and enjoy myself, that I must always be productive.  I don’t know for sure why I feel the way I do about it but I know I’m on a quest to practice more mindful behavior.  Allow myself to take pleasure in the small, wonderful things about my life, like being able to type this post with one of my cats just over my shoulder and the other nestled on the desk in front of me. 

And I will sit in the sand and watch my daughter play in the sea.  I will live in the moment, even if it’s just for a moment.  This moment. 

If you want to be happy, be.

This quote was in a newsletter I got yesterday.  It was attributed to Leo Tolstoy.  A short little sentence it is, but oh the power it assumes.  As I read it and thought about it, I could almost feel the happiness roll over me. 

If you want to be happy, you can be happy.  Why is it that we tend to give away to others the power of our own happiness?  By that I mean the self defeating statements that I know I’m guilty of enunciating like “I’ll be happy when  . . . we can buy a bigger house . . . this winter is over . . . fill in the blank.”  It could be anything on which you hinge happiness. 

 So, stop waiting ... 
Until your car or home is paid off. 
Until you get a new car or home. 
Until your kids leave the house. 
Until you go back to school. 
Until you finish school. 
Until you lose 10 lbs. 
Until you gain 10 lbs. 
Until you get married. 
Until you get a divorce. 
Until you have kids. 
Until you retire. 
Until summer.. 
Until spring. 
Until winter. 
Until fall. 
Until you die. There is no better time than right now to be happy. Happiness is a journey, not a destination. So work like you don't need money, love like you've never been hurt, 
and, dance like no one's watching. 

If not now, when? Your life will always be filled with challenges.  It's best to admit this to yourself and decide to be happy anyway. Happiness is the way. So, treasure every moment that you have and treasure it more because you shared it with someone special, special enough to spend your time with ... and remember that time waits for no one. 

I recall a story that was emailed to me a few years back.  A man’s wife had just died and he was preparing the outfit in which she would be buried.  In her closet he comes across several brand new outfits, lovely ones, still with tags on them.  She had been saving them for something, some special time, not thinking that the day may never come.  Feel good and be happy now.  Why had she not enjoyed the new clothes and the way they felt against her skin or the way the color set off her eyes?  Why wait?

Okay so as we roll into another year, I’m going to post this little quote on the top of my day planner.  I will write it in random places in my calendar to remind me that I don’t need a reason or have to wait to be happy.  My life is good today. 

Merry Christmas all!