October 20, 2009

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,...

...and I, I took the one that lead to the winery. We left Portland for Rockland this morning. We decided to head off the beaten path into beautiful, secluded, rural Maine. The hills with the turning leaves reminded me of the Tennessee hills in autumn. This led us to a very, very small winery called Sweetgrass. The front door was locked, and the sign read, "I'm in the workshop next door. Please press 'call' on the walkie talkie, and I'll be right over." So I called him on the walkie talkie that was clipped to the sign, and he was right over. Maine doesn't have ideal conditions for grape growing so the wineries seem to use what they have--blueberries, apples, and cranberries. I bought some delicious wine to add to my collection.
Disappointingly, we did not get to go lobstering with Capt'n Jack. I was really looking forward to working on a lobster boat, even for just two hours. So we had to come up with a Plan B. After window shopping cute, little Main Street, we went to see the Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse. What I didn't know was that it was one mile out in the water, and the only way to get there is to walk the uneven gigantic granite pathway out across the water. It was pretty though, and a nice day to do it. We then drove into Camden. Just like Kennebunkport, it is the quintessential New England village full of charm. We drove to Camden Hills State Park to to the top of Mount Battie for a breathtaking view of Camden (all the way past Rockland, too). From the top we saw the water for miles in one direction, the tiny town with its old church steeples rising through the turning trees, and miles of hills in autumn in another direction. As beautiful as it was, I can only image what the harbor looks like in summer dotted with sailboats.
I had more Shipyard Pumpkinhead beer tonight. I must find out if Nashville has it.

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