We heard the Queen Mary II would be in Bar Harbor, so we headed down just to see the huge ship in harbor. There were multiple ships in, and the tour buses were double-parked on all four sides of the waterfront park. Crazy busy! We cruised through town, took a quick look at the cruise ships, and headed home.
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| Tour buses awaiting throngs of cruise ship passengers |
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| Nothing remains of our little Portside Grill lunch stop |
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| Queen Mary (on the right) |
I'd get an incredulous look if I told people we'd been here all season and still hadn't been to Blue Hill and Deer Isle yet (this is just south of us down the Maine coast)! Of course, we are trying to save on fuel costs and with so much to do on Mt Desert Island and free shuttles, we were staying close to home.
With time drawing short, we decided we better start checking out the neighborhood. John Steinbeck chronicled his visit to Deer Isle in "Travels with Charley" based on his visit to this area in 1960. The area is known for its stunning beauty and artsy atmosphere - lots of galleries and nature areas. There is also a ferry from Stonington on Deer Isle to a 2700-acre piece of Acadia National Park on Isle au Haut. We did not take the ferry over.
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| the downtown Ellsworth on the way south |
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| First stop in Blue Hill...Mill Stream Bakery |
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| lots of homemade goodies to choose from |
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| view from the little bridge in Blue Hill |
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| The S-curve bridge from Little Deer Isle to Deer Isle (Steinbeck referenced this in "Travels with Charley") |
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| I wanted to check out the Whale Rib Tavern based on reviews, but it was closed! |
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| At the waterfront in Stonington; while taking this photo, suddenly I felt something furry lay down on my feet! |
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| And here was this friendly little kitty (not little, actually, he was a 20lb maine coone and reminded me much of Gabe) |
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| I stopped in a bookstore, came out and was disappointed my kitty friend was gone. walked several blocks, stopped to take this shot and my furry friend was again at my feet. sweet kitty - belonged to the owner of the bookstore. |
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| Stonington ME waterfront |
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| Fisherman's Friend was recommended to us for having great lunch specials; unfortunately, on Monday they had just reduced their hours to be closed on Tuesday! Good thing I brought snacks. |
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| The owner created this little village of "Nellieville" |
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| Lots of sculptures inside and out, great place to take kids to explore |
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| birdhouses cover the exterior of the store and little cafe |
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| Lots of homemade jellies - I bought a jar of "hot pepper jelly" - yummm |
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| We enjoyed checking out the sculptures scattered through the woods |
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| Knights of the round....er....table |
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| Gary ordering a drink in the saloon |
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| Next stop - The Turtle Gallery - the amazing sculpture Gary is pointing to was all handcarved from one log as proven by the balls which extend beyond the straight corner pieces. |
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| Heading back off Deer Isle, a little schooner in the bay |
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| Blueberry fields are turning red |
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| And so are the trees! |
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