Mushroom Festival Laconia NH

I was really excited to go to the mushroom festival today. It’s a two day event way up in the White Mountains that is gaining popularity. I found out about it through a FaceBook ad and decided I needed to go wherever my people are. Who are my people? Weird people. People who would find mushrooms far more interesting than flowers. People who would appreciate my favorite punderful T-shirt that reads, “Amateur mycologist with questionable morels” which I had no choice but to wear today.

Unfortunately I don’t live in the area so I missed the Early Bird Mushroom Walk which sounded like fun. However I did manage to get my sorry carcass up there in plenty of time to enjoy some other events and I had a great drive up listening to local artist Holly Brewer’s new album Medicine of Time Travel. As usual it was absolutely beautiful and put me into a spacey sort of mindset – perfect mushroom festival mood music.

When I drove in I was greeted by a young woman who tried to tell me where the parking was in the most alarming way possible, “HEY! So the parking is over there… see that row of cars out in the field? Like there’s tons of parking… but also a lot a holes! But we marked them with red flags so you don’t ruin your car!” Another woman in full steampunk regalia cantered up, “Why are you giving her a full song and dance?! Just go out and park! And avoid the holes!” I immediately regretted taking the Prius. It stands only two inches off the ground and is known for getting stuck in fields. But we did OK! The holes were very well marked!

And then I checked in. The festival is free but for a $10 donation I could get a cute mushroomy lapel pin or $15 I could get a glass and fill it with lemonade. I already have an odd fascination with pins so I figured why not.. and trotted off with something shiny.

I was happily surprised by everything here. The weather was GORGEOUS, there was a food truck and even a bar outside. Bathrooms were in a nearby restaurant. And unlike most of these weird little fairs and festivals I go to there was quite a few vendors and a delightful mix of things being sold – lots of jewelry, grow your own mushroom kits, some amazing sculpted art, incense and hippie things, some clothes, fresh honey, mushroom tea, and even a woman selling Fiore artisan vinegars and olive oils – three of which were mushroom varieties. She let me try them with a little bread. I asked her what her favorite was – she said lemon so I tried that first and I must say it was nice, bouncy, and fresh. Very lemony. But Obviously I was here for mushrooms so when in Rome… I requested the White Truffle because I have never eaten truffles and was curious to know what the fuss was about and HOLY SHIITAKE that was some AMAZING oil! I think I made a face because she gave a bit of a laugh. It was very strong but not at all unpleasant. I’m notoriously stingy when it comes to these things but I forked over $21 for a little bottle without a second thought. AND I WILL DEVOUR IT.

All the vendors here were super sweet and chatted pleasantly with me. They all seemed to be doing well. I learned this was the fifth such festival and it started with only four vendors that first year. It had grown so much that the farthest visitor to come by was from Washington DC! And I thought I drove the farthest! ha!

After this I stopped by the end of a cooking demonstration and was able to try mushroom “bacon bits.” Apparently if you marinate dry mushrooms in something you like, something bacony, you end up with these somewhat crunchy little chunks of flavor. I mean I wouldn’t mistake it for bacon buuuut it was closer than I thought a mushrooms could get and sure as hell beats the slimey canned mushrooms I was used to seeing on pizza – you know those rubbery gray bits that have the texture of a drool sopped dog toy? They were the reason I thought I didn’t like mushrooms all these years!!

But hey, I had an hour to kill before the thing I came for so I decided to get a bite to eat. Today they were serving Black Truffle Bisque, Chicken of the Woods soup, and something else mushroomy I forgot. Seeing as I am really good at finding Chicken of the Woods that got my curiosity first but then the idea of bisque took my imagination… It was $8 a cup and yet another totally worth it thing. I sat at a picnic table in the sun and just enjoyed the day, eating this lovely earthy combination of flavors.

Eventually the mushroom dying demonstration started and that’s what I wanted to see… Here another young woman had an assortment of yarn and wool all dyed with mushrooms she found locally in the woods. She was displaying tie dye silk scarves in yellow, orange, green, and wine. I bought a little silk scarf for $15 so I could try dying one. WELL! This poor woman was having a day. Her entire set up with hot water and several heated dyes went flying over and drained on the ground at the beginning of the demo. And water has to be hot for dyes to take… So she went into the restaurant and hauled out some hot tap water and tried to heat it up further on her burner as quickly as she could. Four of us had scarves and a fistful of rubber bands to make it tie dyed. Two women wanted the wine color, I chose yellow as the orange had dumped on the ground, and the last girl went for the green. Well… it takes 30-45 minutes for the scarves to set and this poor woman did not have nearly enough material to keep us occupied that long and all of us had already visited the vendors and the food station so there was a half an hour awkward wait…

I wandered off to check out their little information station. I flipped through their binders they had there and got to learn quite a bit about what mushrooms are around and what they’re used for. I guess those Chicken of the Woods were good for Cancer and Type 2 Diabetes in some studies. Interesting! And it went on to tell me about how mushrooms often have symbiotic relationships with trees, that they are some of the largest and oldest organisms on land, and that some of them even glow like jelly fish! Also there were recipes, most of which were to be expected, but three others made me really scratch my head: Chocolate and Toasted Shiitake Scones, Pear and Toasted Shiitake Jam, Blueberry and Black Trumpet Crisp.

So after learning all this and talking to more vendors I decided to check back in on the scarves. They weren’t doing too good… Mine, the yellow, was very very faint since the water didn’t start off hot enough and I had only been away 25 or 30 minutes… She actually wrapped up some dried mushrooms and alum to go home with me so I could try it again. And when I do I shall post pix! The women who chose the darkest color seemed to have made out pretty well though…

I had a wonderful day. So many strange and charming people – all super friendly. I’m glad I pushed myself to do it. Granted I was burping up soup for hours and had Black Trumpet flavored heart burn the entire way home. What can I expect with no gall bladder…. And of course my GPS thought it’d be hilarious to make me go on a pointless detour around the police station with a bag of dried mushrooms in my lap… Thank God I wasn’t pulled over. That would have been hard to explain… “No! They’re to die a scarf! I SWEAR!”

All and all I would definitely go again. This was 100% worth making my entire digestive system cry.

September 29, 2019 0

Today I am Giving Away my E-Book FOR FREE!

I can’t believe it. It has been one whole year since I released Honoring Echo into the world. It was a book I based on this blog – or at least the beginning of this blog when I decided to take a 74 day journey to see all the Lower 48 States. It was a wild and exuberant time filled with enthusiasm of youth and many many little life lessons. Of course the story of my life is much more complex so there’s many other interesting tidbits in there – how I dealt with juggling chronic illness, life settling a heritage farm, and a toxic relationship with a narcissist. I hope it can provide something of worth to my readers – be it hope, or joy, comfort, or just the courage to keep on being true to yourself.

On this touching occasion I have decided to celebrate by offering free downloads of the e-book (filled with superfluous travel and chicken photos) on Amazon here for the entire day of September 25, 2019. And if you love it, or even if you hate it, please consider helping a hapless wanderer out by leaving an Amazon review.

Thank you all so much for being part of this journey with me,

Peace, Love, and Strange Travels,

Theophanes Avery

September 25, 2019 0

Boston Aquarium – Boston MA

In an unlikely turn of events I ended up with several family members coming down from Maine for a visit and they wanted to spend a day checking out the Boston Aquarium so I decided to go with them. I have been to the Boston Aquarium more times than I can remember now but I’m always happy to return especially with people who have never been.

It was a beautiful day to be out and we all got our walking in that’s for sure. I pointed out the Old North Church which we passed on our way. It’s a big tourist attraction attached to the whole Paul Revere legend. In its tower a lamp signaled that the British were coming by land. It was also the sight of the Boston Massacre. We took a few quick photos. This was quite a day out for everyone and being sisters my traveling companions spent much of their time teasing each other and giggling which they certainly deserved to enjoy after one very long week. Plus, I rather enjoyed it all too!

The last time I was at the aquarium they were making a lot of changes and even the main tank was being worked on. This time around everything was in order. We walked in, had our photos taken, and then proceeded to the Touch Tank where visitors are allowed to pet passing stingrays and baby sharks. This exhibit has been up for a while now and it’s a big hit. At least I always enjoy it. The stingrays are weird little creatures with a slimy rubbery texture who swim by quite quickly. There’s now a shark exhibit adjoining where they have nearly ready to hatch shark eggs held up to the light so you can see the babies flipping around within them as well as a few tanks with smaller sharks. They’re kind of cute!

From here it was onto the penguins! As of late I have become rather fond of these birds – mostly because I have learned of their promiscuous nature which breeds just the right amount of scandal to keep my interest. Most of the “infertile” bonded pairs of penguins in captivity turned out to be gay and lesbian couples have been noted as well although they do tend to borrow more from their neighbors than sugar in order to lay fertile eggs, continuing to raise the chicks with their chosen female companions. And if that isn’t enough to raise a few eyebrows perhaps their history of prostitution is. In some species females are known to exchange quickies for rocks to build their nests and who are we to judge? I kept all this hidden penguin knowledge to myself today but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t enjoying the visit! It was about here, barely into the building, that my freshly charged camera battery up and died. I’d use my cellphone for the rest of the visit which is fine because it actually took better photos! I’m not sure why but my camera hates aquarium lighting while my smart phone could care less.

There was a lot to see for someone whose never been. There were seals splashing about out front where the ticket booth was, a tank of ADORABLE baby cuttlefish being fed, a very full tank filled with a colorful array of fish, a jellyfish exhibit, an anaconda, some piranhas, a HUGE arrowana, a calico (chimera?) lobster, blue lobsters, my favorite electric eel, some leafy sea dragons, some other sea horses, some flounder and trout for the foodies out there, and of course two enormous octopuses, one of which delighted everyone when it decided to climb from the back of the tank to the front, it’s arms reaching in every direction with suckers everywhere. It’s hard to describe but the movement was so foreign to land animal such as myself and so bizarre that I couldn’t help but feel a primal fascination with it. I refrained from yelling, “RELEASE THE KRACKEN!” but I was totally thinking it. I took a few snaps, others in my party took a video.

Then there was the main tank which makes up the whole center of the building. A long ramp winds around it so you can peer into it at all levels and angles. In there I found all sorts of big sea fish, some sharks, and at least two beloved sea turtles, one which was sweet enough to emerge from the depths to surface at the top of the tank while we were up there. I didn’t think think turtles grew that large but he or she was a monstrosity! Just GIGANTIC. I swear it was the size of a Smart car. It was breathtaking.

Sadly I did not find the deep abyss tanks, nautilus, or the lump suckers I had come to know as being at the aquarium. Perhaps they no longer have an exhibit? Hard to say. We had spent a few hours there and were hungry but the cafe was egregiously overpriced and contained only the shittiest of fast food. I was looking for fish sticks to see if that’s what happened to the failed exhibits but alas, I only found chicken. We didn’t buy lunch there, nor did we buy our novelty photo which they were asking $33 for three copies. $45 if we wanted a magnet and a key chain with it. All of this was sprung on us as we were exiting. There was no option for a single copy of the photo nor any other affordable choice. This is one of the things I find irritating about the Boston Aquarium. They are super overpriced – the tickets, the food, the photos, but weirdly the gift shop seems to be regular pricing. I don’t honestly get it because after turning down the photo like everyone else they just threw it away. It’s an odd way to go about things – forcing guests to take a photo upon entrance with little explanation and then asking at the end of the day if we’d like a copy for an exorbitant amount…

In any event I had a lot of fun and so did the other girls. On our way back we wandered through Quincy market, witnessed Ted the Bear playing keyboard guitar on the streets, and then rode the T because one in our party had never ridden the subway before. She was thrilled! Even after the usual assortment of shifty characters got aboard – you know, the Guy Who Inexplicably has a Hand Down his Pants as well as another Favorite Dude Talking to Clearly Imaginary People. To be fair he talked to me too. He asked if I was a woman. I said, “I should hope so!” To which we all got a good laugh though I am sure went over our new friend’s head.

It was a LONG day and I am EXHAUSTED. And my knees are suuuuuuper pissed at me. The other thing about the Boston Aquarium that isn’t great is it has the BARE MINIMUM of things they need for disabled access… which means there’s a lot of stairs, a few hidden elevators, and almost no benches to sit down on. Add more stairs at the subway and my shot knees and yeeeah… I’m not in good shape today but it was worth it! Totally worth it and I’d do it again. So until next time… enjoy a few snaps in no order what-so-ever due to uploading issues.

June 10, 2019 0

Redemption Rock – Princeton MA

I am finally back to traveling! Yesterday was my first little adventure of 2019! It’s been raining every week for almost a solid year here, even in the dead of winter when we should have been getting snow. This has not been helpful in making me want to go anywhere or do anything but yesterday was beautiful and I had volunteered to drive a friend to Rhode Island so I figured it was a great excuse to find my first destination of the year.

The GPS brought me to Rhode Island through the back roads and while I was ambling through Princeton Massachusetts I passed Redemption Rock. I said, “On my way back home I am stopping!” I mean how could I not with a name like that??

Even though it was the perfect day for hiking it was still May and in the middle of the week so there was only one other car in the tiny dirt parking lot. And just as foretold there right next to it was indeed a giant flat rock which apparently held some historical significance as it was once used to exchange a hostage in 1676 but we’ll get back to that.

I stopped at the kiosk for a map hoping there was a loop trail here but there didn’t seem to be any maps or mentions of loop trails. I shrugged, slung my camera over my shoulder, and headed into the woods in what looked like a pretty well kept trail. It led me about 250 feet into the woods where it eventually led to the road. Not wanting to cross the road and thinking this was very weird I back tracked. There were indeed trails here, a ton in fact, and there seemed to be about 100 four-way intersections just everywhere. Some looked better traveled than others and I couldn’t be sure which were for humans and which were just deer paths. Below a ledge I found a path that led over a little gully. I found a complete rat’s nest of trails here going in every direction. Half were labelled Midstate Trail with yellow triangles. The other half weren’t marked at all. I was getting uneasy because all these trails couldn’t be the Midstate Trail and even if I could find the one true trail the Midstate Trail is not a happy little day loop – it’s a 92 mile route that ends in Douglas MA. I didn’t want to be stuck on that! So I admit – I didn’t go very far. After so many little turns and then fucking up my knee by tripping over a root on a steep incline I limped back to the parking lot feeling insanely inadequate. It was a beautiful area but I really wouldn’t suggest hiking here – it’s just way too damn confusing.

Which brings me to the history. What’s so amazing about a big flat rock? Initially nothing (although it was fun to scamper to the top of!) Apparently in 1676 the wife of the local Puritan minister Mary Rowlandson along with her three children and twenty other people were kidnapped by indigenous peoples during the King Philip’s War. She was held for six weeks and marched through the woods to raid English villages and evade capture before a ransom was worked out and she was handed over atop Redemption Rock where an inscription still tells the tale. Now this story in and of itself is not particularly unusual – in the early days of New England taking Puritan captives, especially female ones, was pretty common as were hostile interactions with indigenous peoples but what marks Rowlandson’s story as more interesting is the fact that she wrote a book about her experience The Sovereignty and Goodness of God: Being a Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson which was published in 1682 and is now considered a seminal work of captivity narratives and is still available on Amazon at the link above. Not bad for a woman at the time!

May 22, 2019 0

Ice Cream “Lady” – Douglas MA

Imagine you have just moved to a tiny idyllic town in rural Massachussetts and you’re settling into your new happy home when you decide it’s time to see what the town center has to offer besdes the inexplicable six pizza parlors. And you’re driving along Main Street when you see this terrifying and weirdly confusing roadside attraction just standing there outside a gas station.

That was exactly how I met “the ice cream lady,” who if I may respectfully say gives off more of a queen than a lady vibe. She’s gloriously bizarre to the point you’d almost expect to see her in a David Lynch film. And in case you want to bring some of that kitsch home the gas station/ice cream parlor sells T-shirts with her image!

If you live near by she’s a must see and the ice cream is also great. The perfect way to wind down after taking advantage of the many hiking trails in town.

Sadly, I no longer live in Douglas, but when this came up as a FaceBook memory I just had to share anyway. She’s still there I’m sure, has been for god knows how many decades. Meanwhile I am very much looking forward to this year’s travels as I am preparing myself and my Sharpie doodled car Daisy to take advantage of this deliciously snowless season. See you around fellow trekkers!

April 19, 2019 0

Swamp Road Trail and Turn-Off Sharon NH

I tried to be good today and plan where I was going – but the Fates had other ideas. I was going to go conquer an old foe – Mount Monadnock. I even picked a trail, the Dublin Trailhead, but try as I may to find an address I just couldn’t get anything more specific than “Old Troy Road.” So off I went! I found Old Troy Road just fine but the farther I ambled down it the more signs popped up reading, “Private Way!” In previous travels I learned this usually means somewhere at the end is a pissed off dude with a shot gun. This is ‘Murica after all. So I turned around and decided to just drive around until I hit something else of use…. sort of like using the Prius as a dowsing rod for good hiking trails. It worked!

Somehow I found myself driving by Swamp Road, an old dirt road I never noticed before. A big sign read it was closed for winter and if there’s anything better than a dirt road to explore it’s one that’s so ill-used it’s closed for winter. Plus I have a fondness for swamps. I flicked on my directional and started to crawl into the woods at the usual 15 miles an hour, if that. There wasn’t a house anywhere in sight but there were a lot of trees! And then right after crossing a little bridge I noticed something odd. it was either a very long driveway or an unmarked trail. Turns out it was a trail that entered the Sharon Bog area. I parked, grabbed my camera, and headed in! Emboldened by a sign I found requesting no dirt bikes or off road vehicles.

The trail was pretty wide at most points and pretty obvious it was a trail but it wasn’t marked, or named, or even frequented, as far as I could tell. It was SO QUIET out there, not a soul in sight for miles, the perfect little escape for even the most ardent of introverts. I could hear a great horned owl in the distance asking, “Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you?” And I was super happy to find a little salamander just living his little salamander life on the trail. He was pretty grumpy with me, didn’t want to turn his adorable little face towards the camera but I made due.

The first part of this trail was COVERED in wild strawberry plants. Too bad it was the wrong season or I would have been eating them by the fistful! But Autumn has its perks. For one the weather wasn’t oppressively hot as it had been, or particularly muggy, and the mushrooms had started sprouting. It was a little too early for the leaves changing colors, although a few tried. And despite being on swamp road I didn’t really find any swamps. Probably for the best, the mosquitoes seemed to be elsewhere today.

Eventually this path went into a field and I had to cross it halfway to see if it continued and from there I passed a number of different forks, again, completely unmarked. This was an adventure after all, though not one for people who need the reassurance of markers. I made it pretty far into the woods on that path before I was stopped, by a HUGE German Shorthaired Pointer. I stayed still. I knew that breed is known to be neurotic. It barked and barked, and backed off, and then came back to bark at me. Eventually it gained the courage to come sniff me. I stood still as I could and it seemed to go from a bit fearful to very playful, this time trying to run off with my macro lens. His owner and a MUCH older canine companion loitered behind. I had a brief chat with his owner, who said he was a dog of impeccably high energy that needed to be allowed to run like this EVERY day or he’d be too insane to handle. Made sense. Pointers aren’t pets. They’re working dogs… but in any event she was doing a great job with him (she even said she’d continued to walk him in the winter with a pair of snow shoes!) That’s hardcore, especially for a woman who looked like she was of retirement age. I bid her adieu and continued on. That’s when I came to a very obvious Y in the path. Did I keep going straight or should I turn? the turn looked more interesting but was also riskier being unmarked… plus I’d already been walking for at least a mile, maybe even two. I went straight and not long after that found myself at the end of a dirt road staring at two houses. HMMMM. I didn’t know where I was… so I turned around and went back to the car.

Eventually I’d meet up again with the dogs and their owner. This time since the dog recognized me he zipped around running full speed around me for maybe thirty laps. It was impressive! Besides this I didn’t see or hear any one else the entire time. And then when I got back to the car I decided to keep going and explore the rest of Swamp Road. I am glad I did! Because not far up ahead there was a GORGEOUS turn off where you could stand on the rocks and watch whooshing white water crash by you. I could feel the cool coming off the water and feel the noise engulf my being. I LOVE rivers! I took a few snaps before returning to the car feeling super happy about today’s little outing.

THE TRAIL:

THE TURN-OFF

September 19, 2018 2

Owl’s Head Lighthouse & Bonus Viking Ship!

I was only going to stay in Maine for three days, really, but then my mother’s ride to the family reunion couldn’t get the day off so I ended up staying up here for two weeks, and then there was a death in family so I had to stay for the funeral, so another week passed, and then…. it was only a few days away from when a Viking ship was supposed to come into port, and you can’t expect me to pass up a Viking ship… So here I am!

We got out late this morning, my mother came with me, and drove the two or so hours to the coast. I wasn’t 100% certain where I was going because my GPS refused to recognize “Rockland Public Landing.” So I guess I can add public docks and piers to the many places which do not have an address to put in the GPS. I figured it couldn’t be that difficult, just go to Rockland and drive along the seaside until I find a Viking ship…. I’d pulled off similar stunts in the past. I was told there was a big jetty you could walk out onto that had a lighthouse at the end. That seemed hard to miss…. so where was it again?

I pulled in what looked like some sort of dock or pier, and it was, and it was public, but it wasn’t the right one. But I thought I could see what looked like a Viking ship in the distance, near a lighthouse…. so I asked the GPS where I could find a lighthouse and it brought me to Owl’s Head Lighthouse…. three and a half miles from the first unnamed pier and out in some residential part of town. It seemed to have its own park, a little swimming area, and you could crawl into the lighthouse for a suggested donation of $3. By this time I was so overstimulated from trying to find the place I totally skipped on taking a photo of the actual lighthouse…. so for this one time only I have taken an image from Google. SORRY.

The lighthouse was tiny, enough to fit ten or so people in at a time. There was an old man at the door letting people in who asked us to sign the guestbook and leave a donation and I smiled and said I would. He seemed to be getting a kick out of me, I think it was my fading but still bright orange hair. I crawled up to the top with no problem and saw the big rotating light bulb. Apparently it’s getting ready to be retired. Pity! I looked out over the harbor… no viking ship in sight. Hmmm. My bid to get a better look from a high vantage point was doing me no favors. I asked the attendant about it. She had no idea but someone else who went into the lighthouse with us did. “OH! We JUST got in at the 10AM showing! It’s PACKED! It’s at the Harbor Park, you know where the Pearl Restaurant is…. but we parked at the Y!” “GREAT, THANK YOU!” I smiled again. See, sometimes unscheduled detours have their reasons, what was the chances of getting directions anywhere else??

So back I went up that same three mile stretch of “main street.” For anyone looking for the Rockland Public Landing let me help you out. Just type in The Pearl Restaurant. It sits in the parking lot. You could also type in the Rockland Yacht Club which is also right there. I drove in the parking lot and it was PACKED, a huge queue formed off the Yacht Club and just beyond it…. A VIKING BOAT! The next twenty minutes was me trying to find parking somewhere nearby and the twenty minutes after that was my phone being an ass and taking me a preposterously unnecessary long-cut to the boat. But there it was, the Draken, sitting in all her glory, her pretty little dragon head peering up at us from below. I paid for tickets and off we went to wait for our turn.

It seems people from all over were checking out this ship. She was stopped in Rockport Maine for a few days but she’s on a tour down the East Coast from there stopping in Massachusetts and Rhode Island before going farther south. When we boarded we were shuffled in like sardines and listened to one of three speakers tell us about the bow. It was ornately carved. Ropes were draped everywhere from where they had to hoist the sails. They spoke about the wood used to make the mast, apparently at one point it snapped in half and they realized they had used the wrong kind of tree…. a replacement Douglas Fir stood in the old one’s place.

After this we were filtered to the next part of the ship to listen to the next speaker who told us all how dangerous it was to hoist the masses. I took photos of rope like I’d never seen it before (and perhaps I hadn’t.) The boat began to churn a bit as the water became the tiniest bit rough. I got a bit queasy. I really wanted to come out here today but truth be told I’m literally phobic of the ocean and being on it. The only reason I was standing here was because I knew it was moored to the dock! If it were sailing somewhere I’d be tweaking… Mum got a bit dizzy from the gentle back and forth. A footprint carved into the floor was pointed out. It was a replica of a footprint they found carved out of an actual Viking ship but no one could say why it was there…. lucky omen? Sign of the Gods? Sign of boredom? Who knows! I took more photos but it was pretty dang crowded.

At the other end of the ship we learned all about life on it. Apparently if they were doing this Old School there would be around 100 oarsmen chugging along when the wind wasn’t going. The oars were not in place today, probably to allow people to squeeze through. I was horrified and amazed to learn there were no sleeping quarters below deck. As it turns out Vikings specialized in somewhat quick voyages, lasting 30-90 days, where they would sleep on deck in seal skin sleeping bags which fit two crewmen each. I admired more little artistic embellishments and my jaw probably hit the floor again when they said this ship could creep up rivers in as little as five feet of water when need be. And then it was off the ship I went, snapping more photos and taking a small stroll onto the pier. I wanted to walk out to the lighthouse which I suspected was at the end of it buuuut by now it was getting SUPER muggy and I was drenched in sweat and we kinda just wanted to go home. I’d even forgotten about my desire for a lobster roll. Oh well! It was an awesome day! And I am certain I will be back…

July 24, 2018 0

The Turtle Gallery – Deer Isle Maine

And finally, after a good night sleep I can tell you about the third place I visited in Deer Isle – the Turtle Gallery. Again, it just happened to be en route so I decided to stop in and see what it was about. I had noticed this little coastal village seems to have a lot of galleries and I am already planning a visit just to do a tour of them! But in any case the Turtle Gallery is the one which I ended up at randomly after enjoying the Artisan’s Market and Nervous Nellies Jams and Jellies.

The Turtle Gallery was a swank little place, that’s for sure! The main gallery, as you entered, boasted a series of large colorful paintings depicting life in coastal Maine, as well as some intensely detailed very large charcoal sketches. Prices seemed to mostly stay within the $800-2000 range from what I could see. A door leading outside had a sculpture garden and when I went to check it out I found another “pop-up gallery” in a shed out there which had more folky art, mostly small sculptures.

I thought that was it but found myself wandering around the front where still more sculptures were being displayed, some metal sculptures were in brilliant colors and their shapes, texture, and color, really caught my eye. A private residence was sandwiched in between the main gallery, the outdoor sculpture garden, and the paper and glass gallery in the house at the far side. Here paintings on paper adorned the walls and a series of fantastically beautiful goblets for $800+ a piece glinted in the sun coming in from the window.

This was a peaceful and relaxed gallery displaying some really fine talent. I was happy we stopped by. I doubt I will ever be able to afford art from such a place but being around it calms my creative nerves. I must visit more galleries…

July 13, 2018 0

Nervous Nellie’s Jams and Jellies – Deer Isle Maine

This was possibly the most bizarre destination I have ever ended up at. It’d been suggested by several people, and of course the Internet, but no one had much to say about it, just that I needed to go. On this particular occasion I ended up with quite a carload, my mother, a cousin, and my great-aunt. We had five hours to waste so I suggested we go to Nervous Nellie’s. All of them looked at me blankly, “Suuuuure, we can go buy some jam…?” So off we went!

First off let me tell you the area it’s in is picturesque Maine seaside, absolutely beautiful, and there’s so many things to get happily distracted by including a series of high end galleries. Then there’s Nellie’s which… is so far from that scene it might as well be its own planet. When I drove in my mother didn’t want to get out of the car, “This looks scary!” She yelled, pointing at a heap of rusted metal lying haplessly in the woods. I made her get out. I always do. Besides everyone else was already bounding out.

Here, instead of the cute little jam shop I expected there was an entire Wild West village, run by an army of fronteirsfolk who happened to be made of scrap metal, recycled miscellany, and clay. They were both fascinating and terrifying, somewhere between sweet whimsy and an apocalyptic hellscape. And there was everything… a general store, a saloon, living quarters, a jail. Oh, we had fun in the jail, burbling to a couple who’d apparently made this a destination whenever they got bored. Very sweet people. I thought it was just a little mock village but this thing kept going and going and going. By the end I found myself out in the woods staring at a dead knight being loomed over by a dragon, a plywood castle half completed in the background. The Wild West town was more Whimsical but by the time I got to the knights and the dead Viking, being sent off in a half decayed boat, everyone was getting lightly unnerved. In fact the creatures drawing the wagons and carts had gone from quirky to “Soooo…. that last tab of acid is what did it, huh?” Clearly this artist had as many voices in his head as I do (which I can truly appreciate!)

I love places that encourage the desire to play in everyone from small children to the elderly. It just really brightens my day, but this isn’t even mentioning the jams! They really do have jams! And jellies! Preserves! And chutneys! All of which are free to sample at the little shop on crackers, or if you’d like to pay for a scone there’s a sweet little cafe sitting area to enjoy. Of course I sampled everything and ~~SWEET AMBROSIA! It was like the food of the gods!~~ it was DELICIOUS, easily the best jam I have ever had. Seriously, this jam didn’t need a tetanus-friendly amusement park to sell it, but I wasn’t complaining! Ended up with a jar of Blue Razz and Strawberry Rhubarb. It took all of my power not to eat it straight out of the jar on the way home. My mother didn’t resist temptation and ate it on a biscuit she got a gas station for dinner… SIGH.

Anyway, this is going to be a highly suggested destination from here on out for anyone who loves the quirky, bizarre, and downright delicious.

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July 13, 2018 1

Artisan’s Market – Deer Isle Maine

Well! I had quite an adventure today! I ended up in Brooklin Maine, attempting to visit family, but I got there five hours before her shift ended so I did what I always do, I grabbed a few unsuspecting passengers and went on an adventure!

I had heard several people say I had to go to Nervous Nellie’s Jams and Jellies, no one said why, but I knew it was in the area so I was heading out in that direction when I noticed an Artisan’s Market aside the road in the town of Deer Isle. I’d never heard of such a thing so of course I had to stop. What a lovely little detour it was!

I guess this is a common thing, happening once a week on Thursdays during the warmer months from 10-2. I was very happily surprised with the quality of vendors. They were all super sweet people, super excited to share their gorgeous little island. I have so many tips of new places to go that I know damn well I will be back! And the art these people were selling was varied and beautiful, all of it. There wasn’t a stray stitch or the slightest shoddy thing to be found. And since this was a small affair, only a handful of vendors, I took the time to take photos of each booth, a few snaps of products, and their information in case anyone might be interested.

The first two vendors were quilters with exquisitely sewn pieces. The first of which had a variety of aprons and miscellany. She was from the Forget-Me-Not Shop. which has a brick and mortar shop just down the street.

Not to be outdone The Dockside Quilt Gallery had a few full size quilts, made by someone with an innate sense of color, just absolutely stunning as well as some bags and other little things.

Maine Island Soap I stopped to talk to. They had a wonderful assortment, all sorts of delicious scents, at very reasonable prices! They must have been doing this a while because their soaps were all very uniform, something I find is uncommon among the other soapers I have come across. Anyway, they were very nice, asked if I was a photographer and I told them about the blog… and then we all took a few photos of each other which is always fun!

Next up was Nature’s Filigree Quilling, run by a another very talented and friendly woman who said she can spend up to three days working on piece. Quilling is apparently an art form where colorful paper is rolled and places together to make designs, her specialty seemed to be mostly native Maine birds and wow, they were gorgeous. If I didn’t know any better I would have never guessed they were made of paper.

From here I ended up really admiring the workmanship in Bagaduce Woodturning. There were very steam-punky looking pepper grinders, a phenomenal goblet made from an apple tree, and a bunch of wooden bowls, anything and everything that’d fit someone’s rustic lifestyle. She didn’t have a website but if something in the photos catches your eye here e-mail is cmsnow1939@icloud.com

Bluemoon Market Arts was another brilliant surprise. This was run by another very friendly and very chatty woman who told me all sorts of cool things about nearby places to go – which sadly I didn’t get to hit today but I will be back! She was “inspired by” my orange hair and insisted on finding a piece of glass to match which she did really precisely. She doesn’t have a website but she asked me to share her Instagram… which I can’t seem to find so I have e-mailed her to ask and will link it as soon as I get it. If anything strikes your fancy her e-mail is blumn@hotmail.com

The next few vendors didn’t have cards so I didn’t get their info but they had a wonderful mix of quilted things, more jewelry, some knitting, really nice sewing, some baskets and rugs made of recycled lobster trap rope (how Maine can you get??) and some quirky painted wooden pieces (including some flamboyantly neon pink roosters which were quite adorable.)

If you have enjoyed today’s adventure, or any of this blog, please feel free to donate to the gas money fund! Otherwise stay tuned as I write about Nervous Nellie’s Jams and Jellies and the Turtle Gallery, also on Deer Isle.

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July 13, 2018 1