Lobster Boat Racing

Another article to give you a sense of the area in summertime:

Off the Coast of Maine, the Time Is Right for Racing in Bulky, Plodding Boats
By MAREK FUCHS

STONINGTON, Me., July 15 — The lobstermen’s ball lasted until the early hours, and then the lobstermen mostly stumbled their way back to the shipyard, where they spent a restless night on their open boats, under a bad roll of fog.

The well-prepared managed to prop up tents on their decks, but for others bed was nothing but the hard surface of the engine covering and a blanket.

On Sunday morning, it was time to head out to sea — not in search of lobsters but for a competition that has become one of the social events along the coast here, a Kentucky Derby for the trapping set.

Lobster boats are built to be sturdy and are capable of handling pretty much anything on the open water. They are not built for speed. But several times during the summer, up and down the coast of Maine, lobstermen soup up their engines, weigh down the back of their boats and gun the vessels in races that are sanctioned by the Maine Lobster Boat Racing Association.

Jimmy Brown, a 56-year-old lobsterman from Montauk, N.Y., came up to watch the race, but he did not find it particularly practical to speed about in a lobster boat.

“You have to let the cages soak,” Mr. Brown said, “and besides, economy is more important than speed.”

Edward Shirley, 62, one of the participants in the weekend of races, thought otherwise.

“You don’t make a lot of money in this race, but it’s good people and camaraderie, and lobstermen are always in need of comrades,” said Mr. Shirley, who lives on Verona Island, Me.

This weekend’s racing took place in this fishing village on the tip of Deer Isle, an island connected to the mainland by an almost comically antiquated suspension bridge. It is populated by lobstermen and vacationers, many of them artists who came here for part of the summer long ago and never left.

The lobstermen on the island have challenging lives that include seasonal employment, early hours and grinding physical work that can shred shoulders and backs.

At stake in Sunday’s races were $4,000 to $5,000 in cash, thousands of dollars more in prizes including a bilge pump and oil, and bragging rights.

Local lobstermen had the benefit of sleeping in their own beds, which was an advantage to Andy Gove, a 77-year-old who was the heavy favorite in his race class.

Mr. Gove’s 36-foot, 900-horsepower boat is named “Uncle’s U.F.O.” — though he is not sure why.

“My wife’s brother suggested it,” Mr. Gove said, “and I didn’t have anything better, so I took it.”

Though delayed because of the fog, the races — nearly three dozen of them, divided by classes — took place on Sunday. The first was for boats 16 feet and under, with skippers 18 and younger, all the way up to a class for boats 40 feet and longer with at least 750 horsepower. There was a separate class for women. And all the classes compete in the open diesel division.

The course ran more than a mile, most of it a flat-out sprint. About 150 other vessels, from lobster boats to viewing barges, ran through man-of-war jellyfish and several seals in Stonington Harbor to watch from the best vantage point, forming a pathway for the racers.

After averaging 46.4 miles per hour against the current to win the day, Mr. Gove was crowned the overall champion. Word around the shipyard is also that Mr. Gove uses his age to lull competitors into a false sense of security, but he said after the race that his days on top might be over.

“Too old,” he said with a shrug as he was greeted with hoots, backslaps and compliments.

Bridge Is a Marvel

One thing that happens when you take Route 1 up the coast to Acadia (again, not that we necessarily recommend doing so) is that you take the brand-new Penobscot Narrows Bridge. And I mean brand-new. Last July when we passed through Bucksport, we still crossed on the old suspension bridge. It's an impressive sight: The NY Times wrote about the new bridge recently:

July 10, 2007
Sure, the Bridge Is a Marvel, but How About the View?
KATIE ZEZIMA

The most breathtaking view in Maine, some say, cannot be seen from the summit of one of the state’s majestic peaks or a bluff overlooking the ocean.

Instead, they say, the best way to see the state’s natural beauty is atop something manufactured — the 420-foot public observation tower of the Penobscot Narrows Bridge and Observatory.

The observation tower, which opened in May and is the only one in the United States, provides an awe-inducing panorama of Maine’s mountains and coastline and a bird’s-eye view of the nearby village of Bucksport. The bridge opened to traffic in December.

The bridge, a 2,120-foot-long span that seems to pop up out of nowhere in this rural area about 20 miles south of Bangor, is being heralded by two very different stakeholders.

Civil engineers see it as a major innovation and a test case for cable-stayed bridges, while local tourism officials hope it will attract visitors to an area that many speed past on the way to Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor or the Canadian Maritime provinces.

...

The 13-foot-by-25-foot observation room, accessible by an elevator, offers a 360-degree view that includes the Penobscot River, islands in Penobscot Bay, mountains, hills and lots and lots of trees.

On a clear day, visibility extends 100 miles, allowing visitors to follow the curving, wide river north toward the peak of Mount Katahdin. Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park and the rolling Camden Hills can also be spotted.

The local view from the top of tower, an obelisk modeled after the Washington Monument, is just as impressive. The town of Bucksport beckons below, with boats bobbing in the harbor and gray-shingled buildings lining the streets. Fort Knox, a military installation built in 1844 to protect the Penobscot Valley, lies just below the bridge.

“It’s phenomenal,” said Sharon Dunbar, 43, who grew up in Bucksport and lives in Middlebury, Vt. “It’s amazing to see my hometown so clearly from up there and look down and see the waterfront and all the views. It’s breathtaking, just amazing.”

The $89 million bridge is one of a kind, civil engineers say. A typical cable-stayed bridge, in which cables stretch from one or more towers to support it, uses steel cables. This one is the first in the nation to test carbon composite cables, which are believed to be stronger than steel cables and more resistant to corrosion, said Tom Doe, the bridge’s project manager.

Six carbon cables, along with hundreds made of steel, are encased in stays, or the long, white tubes that make up the bridge. The cables are normally bundled together and placed in the stay, making it difficult to replace a single cable. But the Penobscot Narrows Bridge uses a cradle system where cables have an inch or so between them. This allows engineers to pull up to two strands out of each pylon to check them for structural integrity or switch from steel to carbon.

...

The Penobscot Narrows Bridge was a rush replacement for the neighboring Waldo-Hancock Bridge, a suspension bridge that deteriorated and corroded. Building a cable-stayed bridge took the least time and money, Mr. Doe said. The bridge’s concrete structure will also ensure that it lasts longer than a steel bridge, said Cheryl Maze of the Figg Engineering Group, which designed the bridge.

...

Ms. Kimball said many people had fond memories of the old bridge, which still stands. But, she said, people are excited that the new bridge has helped bring communities together.

“This has given us a chance to start working as a region,” she said. “Now everybody wants people to know their town is near the bridge.”

A night out on the town

We're getting down to the stage where every time we see someone it might be the last time before we see them before the wedding, so maybe in that respect our adventures last night are worth a short comment. First up we had dinner with Janelle and Freddie (and Windy, Katie, & Chris) at Habana Outpost in Brooklyn. I hadn't met Freddie before, so that was good. We talked music--Elvis, late-50s rock & roll, mid-90s hip hop, you know, the usual!

After dinner we went over to a birthday party for one of Amy & Janelle's colleagues, at a bar in Park Slope. We were well and truly cooked by then, which may explain why we decided it would be a good idea to make one more party--back to Manhattan we went (me and Amy and Windy) to a bar holding a karaoke night and celebrating George's birthday.

We got there after the high point of the party but still managed to revel with Philip, Deirdre, Maddox, and George, among others, and also brutalize Heart's Alone and Digital Underground's The Humpty Dance.

A great night, for which we've spent all day today recovering from!

Culture on the Maine Turnpike

For those of you driving up to the wedding, there's a very cool sight waiting for you just after you make it to Maine. In the service plaza in Kennebunk, they just recently installed a huge mural by William Wegman, "probably the world's best-known photographer of dogs." The mural, called "Mooselook," is 30 feet long and 5 feet high and features photographs of the Weimaraners. According to one report, "Mooselock" has "the light brown dogs facing the camera and lit in such a way that their ears could be antlers and their long legs as knobby as the legs of a moose." In addition, there is another mural (shown here) in the southbound plaza you can catch on your way back!

An excuse to post a photograph

The page was starting to look a little white, so here's a post. While looking around for something else, I noticed that the Harbour Cottage Inn redesigned their website. It looks very smart.

One feature they've added is an "online concierge," basically some things to do, places to eat, etc., in and around Southwest Harbor. If you're there an extra day, and need something to do, it's worth checking out.

The selling of Maine's coast

Interesting article about declining waterfront access in Maine:

The selling of Maine's coast
Fishing industry access squeezed by development
By Jenna Russell, Globe Staff June 17, 2007

SPRUCE HEAD ISLAND, Maine -- Fishermen on this rocky, pine-studded peninsula have felt a creeping unease in recent years, as real estate prices leapt skyward and stories circulated up and down the coast of fishing piers sold to make room for million-dollar vacation homes.

Two years ago, in response to growing concerns on the coast, state officials and researchers set out to map the waterfront access of Maine's working fishermen. What they found was more alarming than anyone expected: Along Maine's 5,300-mile coast, only 20 miles of shoreline remain open to commercial fishermen, according to the study the Island Institute released last month.
...
Advocates for fishermen say towns should recognize the value of their presence, which adds character and attracts visitors. That perspective was not lost on the developer of the upscale Harborside Hotel and Marina in Bar Harbor, who bought the last privately owned fishing dock in the harbor. Instead of evicting the fishermen, the hotel has preserved their access to the pier and the sandy beach nearby where they repair their boats. Guests are fascinated by the scene, said Eben Salvatore , director of operations for the resort. "They're hard-working guys, and they've always been respectful of the fact that our customers are right above them," said Salvatore, who grew up in town. "It feels good when you can run a nice property and at the same time help people feed their families."
...

Wedding Music

I don't know how many of you read our music blog, but for the past couple of weeks I've been preoccupied there with what's going on over here. The wedding, that is.

So first I posted some tracks that won't get played at the wedding reception, even though I kinda wish they would.

Then I went through some boogaloo tracks that would also be nice, but depend on who is in charge of the reception music.

This week I'm posting some songs that I can almost guarantee will played, and rightfully so.

In addition, I've posted a couple of times about The Rivals, who will also have an important role up there.

So if you aren't already, I encourage you to check the other place out, from now until the wedding!

Swimming: Acadia's Beaches and Ponds

From Lisa Gollin Evans's "An Outdoor Family Guide to Acadia National Park," pp. 52-53:

Sand Beach is Acadia's only stretch of sandy ocean beach. ... On Park Loop Road, 0.3 miles after park entrance station [on the east side of Mount Desert]
Seal Harbor Town Beach. This rocky beach offers changing rooms, rest rooms, and a float just offshore at high tide. a delightful lobster shack is just a short walk away at the scenic Seal Harbor Town Pier. At Seal Harbor, off Route 3.
Echo Lake Beach is an excellent place to take young children for a real swim. Children love the temperate water and sandy beach. The only drawback is the crowds -- the large parking lot is often filled to capacity by 11:00 a.m. ... At the south end of Echo Lake, off Route 102, about 3.6 miles south of Somesville.

Happy Birthday Amy!

Amy is at this moment getting into trouble at the Bellagio on her bachelorette party, so I have to use Martin and this website to get the message to her: Happy Birthday!

She's been here before: two years ago we were on the West Coast on the way to Las Vegas to meet up with George Hykal, who was on his own bachelor party, and Windy, Katie, & Martin conspired to send birthday greetings. The look on Amy's face when she saw this photo was priceless. So, Happy Birthday Amy, and have a good weekend to all the rest of you!

Boat Rentals in and around Southwest Harbor

From Lisa Gollin Evans's "An Outdoor Family Guide to Acadia National Park," p. 47:

- King Camping Supplies. Full-day or half-day canoe and car carrier rentals. Adjacent to Seawall Campground on Route 102, Seawall Road, Manset (207-244-7006)
- Mansell Boat Company. Rents canoes, keel sailboats, and powerboats. Sailing lessons available. Located at Hinckley Yacht Yard, Southwest Harbor (207-244-5625)
- National Park Canoe Rental. Full-day and half-day canoe rentals conveniently located in Long Pond, the largest lake on the park. Put-in is directly across the street; no car transport is required. … Reservations recommended. Located on Route 102, directly across from the north end of Long Pond (207-244-5854).

One month to go!

It's true! On the agenda lately, telling as many people as possible that don't read this blog about the cowboy dress code, finding hotels in Portsmouth, making ferry tickets, tracking down a couple more guest book pictures, tracking down a real guest book, writing vows, looking at our lobster bibs, picking music, finding a p.a. system, and all the stuff we should be doing but have forgot about.

Friday Night at the Atlantic Brewery

I've made some changes to the website to update the plans for Friday the 17th. (First, for those people participating in the wedding ceremony, we are going to have a walk through out on the island between 2 and 3:30. That should be more than enough time to work out the kinks.)

FRIDAY NIGHT EVENT at The Atlantic Brewing Company's Knox Road Grille

Then, at 5:30 p.m. and at 6 p.m., there will be trollies leaving from Southwest Harbor (in front of the Cafe Drydock and Inn, smack dab in the center of town, Main Street and Clark Point Road) to take wedding guests to The Atlantic Brewing Company's Knox Road Grille, 15 Knox Road, Bar Harbor, Maine. (You can also drive yourself or join up later, of course, but the grill is shutting down around 8 pm).

Please plan to come! Drinks are on the house! Also, they have great barbecue supplied by Mainely Meats, all you can eat for around $17! It will be lots of fun!

At 9 pm the trollies will take everyone back to Southwest Harbor and surely for a series of nightcaps.

THERE IS A DRESS CODE! It won't be rigidly enforced, but we encourage everyone to come in their best cowboy gear to the barbecue. Boots, hats, belt buckles. Whatever you've got. If you've misplaced your chaps and lassoes, you can also come in the colors of the great Sooner Nation: Crimson and Cream! It will be a small patch of Oklahoma in Maine.


(Driving Directions from Southwest Harbor: Extremely simple. Take Route 102, aka Main Street, straight north from Southwest Harbor back towards the direction you originally came in. Go 8.5 miles north until you hit a fork in the road, and bear right on Knox Road. The Atlantic Brewery is immediately on the right. Here's a map.)

It was one year ago today...

...that Amy and I got engaged. It was such a long-running joke (sometimes warm, sometimes awkward) that Amy and I were "married" already, that I'm surprising no one by saying I feel like there's nothing more Amy could do to feel like a spouse post-August 18 than she does already, but I suppose that's we signed up to find out!

In my life this year I've had my fair share of highs (Katie's wedding especially!) and lows (the lowest, of course, being losing my Grandma back in May), and not only can I say Amy's been a rock for me with all of that, but she fully shared all of it with me. They were her highs and lows too, and I find that amazing.

***
Given the amount of material we've generated for this wedding blog, there hasn't been all that much about how we got here, so here's a little story.

July 2006. We had been planning to go up to Maine for awhile, but I had to work a little longer, so Amy took Martin and drive up ahead to York Beach to stay with her Dad. The next day (?), I left work early and got on a bus to go to Portsmouth, New Hampshire. I probably should have just taken a plane, because I ended up getting stranded in Boston and having to rent a car to drive up the last hour north, but being on the bus gave me a chance to write a letter to Amy about getting engaged.

That night we stayed in York Beach, and the next morning, I took Martin to the beach (While watching the dog run around I sent John Southard a text saying "I'm in Maine," btw). Then we packed up and drove up the coastal highway, stopping at Red's Eats, then taking the late ferry out to Islesford (just like we did last week!)


Sunday the 16th, we got up on Islesford and took the ferry into Acadia National Park, where we spent the day climbing over rocks, having fun, taking pictures with our digital camera (many of which are dotted all over our website today) (more here), and getting ready for camping at Blackwoods Campground.

Campsite #110. We had all the gear but we (I) wasn't the most competent camper. So I let Amy set up the tent and everything else, and I documented her efforts on the digital camera. Then I suggested that, instead of trying to cook over a fire, we drive into Bar Harbor and try a restaurant Corbett and Laura had suggested.

The West Street Cafe. Amy got the Early Bird lobster special, which entailed donning a lobster bib. I began teasing her about the bib.

Amy said, "Fine, I'll take it off!"

I said, "No, keep it on, and if you wear it the rest of the night, I'll think of a reward."

Amy said, "Deal, but the reward better be good!"


I smiled to myself at that! So we finished dinner, and drove back to the campsite. On the way we picked up some firewood, and Sunday NY Times to use as kindling (you wouldn't think I would need an entire Sunday Times to start a fire, but let me remind you I'm an incompetent camper!)

Back at the campsite. Everything is set up, and Amy is tired of wearing her silly lobster bib.

Amy said, "Can I take this off now? You owe me a reward!"

I said, "Okay, but let me take a few photos of you in the bib for posterity's sake."

So I did--they capture the last thirty seconds of Amy's life as a non-engaged person. So I finished taking the shots, and went to put the camera away.

Amy said, "Wait! Let me see how the pictures turned out!"

Here's where I had done something clever (don't call it a gimmick!) Back when Amy was setting up the tent, I had snuck off and taken a picture of myself holding a sign proposing marriage to her. (We still have that photo, of course, but as far as I know Amy's never let anyone else see it.) So when Amy started scrolling back through the photos, she eventually, climatically, came across this one.

Amy, stunned, crying, said, "Is this for me?" (!)

I said, "Well, will you?"


She said yes! And that's how we got engaged. The next day we thought we'd go to the top of Cadillac Mountain to see if we could call our families with the news. No luck (Please note, wedding guests: Acadia has very poor reception for everyone except AT&T/Cingular customers. This is how I justified buying an iPhone!)

Because we couldn't tell anybody, we spent the whole day with our special secret to ourselves. That night we went back to Islesford and told Dan and Cynthia and all of the patrons of the Islesford Dock Restaurant--the same place, of course, where we are having the reception. It was only the next morning, towards Bangor, that we got enough reception to contact our families and friends, i.e., all of you, and we spent the rest of our trip back celebrating and thinking about coming back to Maine for the wedding.

The Islesford Historical Museum

From Lisa Gollin Evans's "An Outdoor Family Guide to Acadia National Park," p. 45: "Islesford Historical Museum quaintly illustrates the lives of early settlers of the Cranberry Isles and their seafaring culture through annotated displays of historical artifacts. Free admission."

Martin, Dog of Classic Rock

...As an addendum to our Maine trip posts, here's a little video of Martin sitting in traffic in southern Maine, reflecting on some Derek and the Dominos.

Meet the Flynns

We have new guests to tell you about, and important guests they are! Matt and Jeanne have been great friends and role models to Amy forever. We always knew they were coming, but the logistics of getting three kids together and up to Maine takes time, naturally enough. We're psyched they're booked up though. Go see them here (scroll down).

Trip to Maine, Part 4: The Return

Sunday morning and we debated whether to catch the 8:30 a.m. ferry or wait for the 11 a.m. In hindsight (and at the time to be fair) the better option was to get the earlier boat, but we couldn't be bothered. This time Amy stayed in bed and I took Martin down to the beach.

Once I got tired of the dog splashing in the water, I went back to the house, then went and fetched the car from the restaurant. (Fetching the car means walking about 6 minutes down the lane and across the town field to the restaurant, then a 40 second drive back.) We loaded up our stuff and hauled it right back to the dock.


At the restaurant we discussed the reception a little more with Dan & Cynthia (tablecloths, if you must know), then waited for our food. We waited a little bit more. Then we started checking our watches in a mild but still ridiculous anxiety that people from the mainland get when they're on the island: MUST. NOT. MISS. THE. FERRY. Dan has told us before that a surprising number of guests at the reception will take the first boat back solely because of this anxiety.

As it turns out we were more ridiculous than most. The whole time we were chatting nervously about the schedule, looking out the window, the ferry driver himself was sitting right next to me, having his breakfast. We got our check and rushed out. He strolled over about 5 minutes later.

We made it back safe and sound, of course, and exactly 12 hours after we boarded, we walked back into our apartment in New York. Yes, 12 hours, but we stopped at Amy's dad's house for more than an hour, and the traffic in Southern Maine coming back from the July 4th weekend was unusually dense. Nothing much happened except we realized we hadn't taken any photos together, so we fixed that. So concludes our planning trip to Maine! (Want more? Here are some more photos.)

Trip to Maine, Part 3

Saturday was our only full day on the island and we were determined to make the most of it. Around 7 am, Amy got up and took Martin down to the Sand Beach for a bit. At 8 am we were supposed to meet with Dan and Cynthia to go over the menu. Cynthia wasn't feeling well, unfortunately, so instead we took a walk into town. Town? That's really overstating it. There's a church, a post office, a meeting hall, a bed and breakfast, and that's about it. So we went to the church and saw it for the first time fully opened up. It looks great. Very New England. On the outside, unfortunately, they're still doing some work on the steeple, but Dan assured us the remaining scaffolding will be gone by next month.


Across the street Amy got us some coffee and bought some stamps to use for thank you cards. If you have any stamp needs this summer, it would be really nice if you bought them from the Islesford post office. Funnily enough, their stamp business is a major source of town income! At the post office we ran into Ashley Bryan, who may be the town's most famous resident. For any of you with kids, I encourage you to pick up one of Mr. Bryan's books. Say, "Ashley Bryan's African Tales, Uh-Huh."

With our coffee we sat down and addressed some postcards and dropped those off. Then Amy stopped at the bed and breakfast to check on something for her Dad.

By then it was time to go meet with Dan at the restaurant. I think the food we picked out is going to be a huge hit. One thing I'm especially looking forward to is the raw bar. Unfortunately, there's no guarantee we'll be able to get oysters the week of the wedding. This is because the restaurant only buys local. All in all a sound policy, but we'll just have to keep our fingers crossed.

By now we were struggling to catch the 11 am ferry, but still dropped in at Marian Baker's pottery for a minute to say hi, while Amy checked out some flower arrangement stuff. Oh, and we drove up to Karen Smallwood's house and had a five-minute consultation on our wedding cake!

Up to Northeast Harbor, over to Southwest Harbor we went. We barely caught Gail the florist to drop off a vase and then over to the Marine store to pick up a new GPS antenna for Dan. And with that, our hard work was basically done. We drove the long way around the quiet side of the island to visit Bass Harbor (a town neither of us had been to), then we made our way to the Knox Road Grille at the Atlantic Brewery.


For those of you reading our invitation closely, you'll know this is where we're meeting Friday night for drinks. And bbq, should you so desire. For $17, they had all-you-can-eat barbecue (pork ribs, chicken, pulled pork, sausage, listed in my order of preference). Amy reports the veggie burger is also legitimately good. The main thing, though, is if the weather holds, it will be an excellent and mellow atmosphere and a perfect place to welcome people to the wedding.

Doug, the pitmaster/proprietor, suggested we arrange transportation between Southwest Harbor and the barbecue so people can more fully enjoy the Brewery's varied and award-winning offerings. So off to Bar Harbor we went! There we stopped at an ice cream shop that's also home to Oli's Trolleys. It's not finalized yet, but we are working on getting a trolley or two for people on Friday night. While Amy was inside haggling over details, I walked Martin over to the harbor. As obsessed as she can be with the frisbee, she's more obsessed with the water, so while we were taking in the view, Martin... jumped in. Nearly bringing me in with her since we were attached by leash. Bad dog.

This report is becoming tedious, but there's still more to tell you about. Two spas, one in Trenton (across from Bar Harbor airport), one back in Northeast Harbor. Between the two Amy and I debated when she'll have time to get her pedicures--with no resolution yet.

We still had some time before the 6:00 ferry so we shopped around for some insect repellent to give to people. I'm allergic to mosquito bites, so this insect repellent thing is a major preoccupation of mine. I carry OFF around with me at all times.


When we finally made it back to Little Cranberry, our energy was understandably ebbing (well, except for Martin, who jumped back in the water below the dock), but we managed to find it in ourselves to go meet with Christina Spurling back at the church, who is going to be playing piano and/or organ at the wedding ceremony. She's very good, and we were kind of abashed because we didn't give her much guidance as to what we wanted. That explains why at this very moment I'm listening to a bunch of organ music I scrounged up from iTunes, hoping to find something we like and she can play for us.

Alright, I'm tired now just writing this, so here's the rest: emails with Darin about the sound system, dinner with Dan and Cynthia and Leslie, picking wines for the reception, back to the house, sleep!

Trip to Maine, Part 2

Friday morning after going to the beach with Martin, the first item on the agenda was to go to Portland to meet with our photographer, Carl Walsh. Actually that was the second item. First we had to go to the LL Bean outlet because we forgot what we had tried to tell all of you, namely that it gets cool in Maine even during the summer.

So we popped into the LL Bean outfit and got a couple of fleeces and I got some preppy brown jeans. Then it was to the coffee shop where we met with Carl for about an hour. He showed us a couple of albums, which if you've seen his website, you'll know were amazing. On top of that, he remembers Amy from way back in 1999 (mainly because of George the chameleon), because he was on Islesford doing a magazine shoot.

After leaving Portland we took the scenic route so we could stop at Red's Eats again. Let me tell you, the food there is incredible, and I would never say don't go there, but it's clear during the summer that it takes a LOT longer to drive up the coast on Route 1 than it does to just take the interstate all the way to Acadia. So unless you just feel like taking your time getting to the wedding, take the interstate.


When we finally made it up to Acadia, the first stop was Westside florist to discuss bouquets and such. We kept showing Gail, the florist, pictures of wildflowers that we liked while she tried to explain to us all of them grow in swamps and bogs and such. I think (hope) we came to a reasonable compromise. We'll be going for all local garden flowers, no big stuff like lilies, roses, etc. We walk a thin line of tentative preferences and total ignorance when it comes to these flowers, so we'll see...
After that we made a video on how to get to the Upper Town Dock in Southwest Harbor. That'll have to be a separate post. Finally, after all that, we caught the ferry out to Islesford.

Once over, we dropped off Martin at the house, and went down to the dock around sunset for a superb dinner with Dan and Cynthia. (We talked wedding stuff. What else?) And that's it for Friday!

Planning trip to Maine, Part 1

We got the rental car around 1 PM on Thursday and were on the road around an hour later. Traffic was okay, not too bad. First on the agenda was to stop at the IKEA in New Haven. Why IKEA? Elderflower syrup. I can't tell you why, yet, but it's wedding related.


We also got some cinnamon rolls. Amy had one. I had the other five. Second stop was in Waltham. Not Amy's house, but Costco. We had to get some supplies for the gift bags we'll be leaving with the hotels. Water, snacks, that sort of thing. Amy went inside and did the shopping, Martin and I stayed outside and played frisbee (I also tried pushing her around in a shopping cart, which she was less enthusiastic about).

We made it up to York at a decently early hour. In fact, we beat Amy's dad John up there, so we just hung around and watched the USA network and drank Bud Lights until he got there. John got there and we chatted about the wedding, and soon Donna made it back from playing Bingo!


The next morning I got up and Martin and I joined John and Maggie (t'other labradoodle) to the beach for about an hour while Amy slept. There was a heavy sea mist which was pretty. There were a lot of dogs around but Martin was mostly interested in the frisbee and barking at me when I wouldn't throw it.

We got back, got Amy up, and set off for parts north...

Hey man, back again

We made it back late last night from our weekend jaunt up to Islesford. Full update, plus pictures, coming soon!

New guests added!

Okay, one last thing before we leave for Maine. Step forward Dave Chu, Ben Eastman, Lily McCabe, John and Nancy McGrath, and Dave Seto! You're all the latest additions to the guestbook. What a great group!

Bike trip to City Island, Trip to Maine, Wedding guests

As our friend and wedding guest John Southard reported yesterday, Amy and I spent our 4th of July on a bike to City Island up in the Bronx. Then as a bonus, John and Jowita Walkup (and the baby, aka, Jowita Jane, aka, Mimi, aka, the Monkey) joined us for lunch at Johnny's Reef.



...And then back again. 50 miles on the bike! We're rather incapacitated today. Yet we're going to push on and drive up to Maine this afternoon to do some vital wedding planning this weekend. We may not be able to update much between now and Monday, but we'll have lots when we get back!

...Finally, we've had a few more wedding guests we need to add to the guestbook, and then the crew should be just about set, barring any last minute changes. We'll let you know!

Off-Season at the Islesford Dock Restaurant

Some of you may recall that we went up to Maine in April (right after a freak snowstorm!) to do some wedding planning. Back then we posted a video of different places to stay in Southwest Harbor. Now that all of you have booked rooms you might get something out of watching that again (or maybe not).

Another video we took was out at the Islesford Dock Restaurant with the proprietors (and our friends) Dan & Cynthia Lief. The Islesford Dock is not only where we're having the reception it's really the spiritual home of the wedding.

So in the video, Dan & Cynthia talk a little about the restaurant and the time when Amy stayed up with them in 1999. Back then, right before Amy went to Investcorp (and mere months before she met me!), Amy hung out at the bar (with her pet chameleon George) every day for weeks, went on lobster boats, and had in general had a great time with Dan (her old boss at Goldman Sachs) and Cynthia.

The quality isn't too great (it was taken on our digital camera), but it's okay to watch.

We're going up to Maine again this weekend and hopefully we'll get some good footage of what it looks like in-season!

Spacesuits and Southwest Harbor

A few days ago I read an interesting article about a guy that lives in Southwest Harbor who won a contest to design a new astronaut glove for NASA. It was an open contest--anyone could submit a design, and he won. Even though he's (currently) a bus driver! So maybe he'll give you a ride when you're up at the wedding...

Pretty neat. Here's the article. He also got featured in a long piece in today's NY Times Magazine.