We Actually Have A Plan Today

We have been in Maine now for almost three days and have enjoyed maybe six hours of sunshine. The rest of the time it has been a cloudy, fog shrouded mist-fest. On the positive side, no rain, it hasn’t gotten out of the 70’s, and no biblical plagues seem imminent. Despite the disappointing weather, yesterday was a delight. There was kayaking, the reading of books and solving of world problems down on the dock, a fantastic dinner feast featuring Paula’s wicked good campah chicken, an after dinner trip to Round Top ice cream, and a slideshow of pictures from Patrick and Sarah’s California honeymoon. Oh, and this morning...

Ok, in sharing this information, I run the risk of revealing that I have run afoul of some obscure Maine environmental regulation. If so, I’m sure my Maine buddy, Alan, will let me know all about it! Anyway, when I was out on the kayak yesterday I saw this beautiful lilly pad in the next cove over. So, I picked three of the prettiest blooms to give to the three lovely ladies in my family. Somebody put one of them in a martini glass, whereupon it almost immediately shriveled up into a green oblong shell which made it look exactly like an olive. Cute. Only, this morning, when I came down to make my coffee...

I take this as a sign. Today will be a sunnier day.

Today actually has a plan, of sorts, on the agenda. This afternoon, we will make our first run into Camden. It is 35 minutes away, the farthest we have ever stayed from this marvelous village. We will putz around in the shops, make a visit to Riverducks ice cream, and spend entirely too much time in The Smiling Cow. But, the real reason we will have come to town is to see a performance of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, performed outside in the beautiful amphitheater of the Camden Public Library, overlooking the harbor.

After the show, we will have dinner at one of the great restaurants that offer stunning views of Penobscot Bay and all of the stately triple masted schooners that are scattered around the harbor among the yachts, great and small. If we are lucky enough to get a table at Waterfront, we will get to see people walking their dogs down the boardwalk right in front of us. And if the moon comes out, this will be our view...

But, hey...I don’t want to give the impression that I’m living in some fantasy world where all of the stress of life has somehow vanished. Nothing could be further from the truth. Why, just yesterday the reel on my fishing pole broke. Now, I’m going to have to traipse all the way into Damariscotta and buy a new one. Oh, and there are three separate recycling bins in this house!! So confusing. Plus...the nightcrawlers I bought at the general store yesterday seem listless. Listen, people...all God’s children got problems, am I right?