I don’t know about you, but while I hate being late to work, I also hate arriving too early, especially this time of year when there’s so much to do!  I put my early minutes to use yesterday morning and took a photo down on the harbor of one of the remaining windjammers (see the first picture in the second row).  Then around 3pm or so, I happened to look out and see the rich afternoon light; I abandoned the gallery and ran down to the dock to take another shot.  THEN after I locked up, I saw the tree on top of the mast was lit up and the moon was on the rise!  (Sometimes doing “photo shoots” for this blog makes me feel like a real photographer.  Except without the nice equipment and expertise.)

The top three pictures are from Harbor Park at the Camden Library.  See the sailboat with the rust-colored sail?  Mainers are hearty souls, boating into mid-December!

Best wishes and Happy Holidays from Camden!

-Elizabeth

We’ve moved up!  Last year we were 6th, this year 3rd…I’m predicting a win next year:

Camden Named 3rd Best Foliage Town in New England in Yankee Magazine’s Online Poll

The below picture is a panorama from the top of Ragged Mountain (see my post from last week) as the leaves were just popping…I’ll add more as we hit peak!  Camden is a gorgeous place this time of year, and it’s also a bit quieter, which many visitors love.

To view a slideshow of winning foliage towns from 2010 and to share comments, visit Yankee Magazine.

Happy Fall!

-Elizabeth

Sometimes I live vicariously through my sweetie.  For example, he’s an excellent woodworker, so “we” made my dad an exquisite cutting board for his birthday.  Or he’ll do fancy tricks down ski slopes on his snowboard, while I ride along side him doing…non-tricks.  Or he goes mountain biking while I…don’t.

But I am usually there when he gets home from his rides at the Camden Snow Bowl - he’s always energized (and pretty slick) from the work out, pumped about the technical riding Ragged Mountain boasts, and psyched about the views he worked hard for; he usually also has a story about convening with fellow bikers mid-mountain and all agreeing it’s one of the best mountain biking spots in Maine.  By winter, a ski mountain, by the other seasons, a biking and hiking heaven.

Have you ridden Ragged?  Share your stories below!   Next blog post maybe I’ll tell you about “our” absolutely delectable lobster bisque…

-Elizabeth

As Labor Day races toward us, I realize that although I am sorry to see the end of summer, I am quite excited for another Camden Windjammer Festival.  Last year our festivities were only slightly dampened by hurricane Earl (did I use that same pun in last year’s post?).  This year’s line up is looking sensational - check it out here.  There’s too much to list on this post, but here’s a taste: the arrival of the (magnificent) fleet, fireworks, a pancake breakfast, a Maritime Heritage Fair, a chowder challenge, an outdoor movie and concert, a boat parade, Tim Sample, and tours of a Navy ship!

Join us!

-Elizabeth

PS  I took picture below last weekend - alas, i was not aboard a windjammer, but a lovely vessel (and a lovely pic of Curtis) all the same.

Today the most unusual thing happened: I found myself with an hour and a half completely free…

Naturally, I considered doing something productive, like errands; I even considered going into work early.   And then I realized Secret Spot #2 was calling my name.  (Secret Spot #1 isn’t so secret anymore; I’ll tell you about it some other time.)  SS#2, one of my favorite places in Camden, is a short distance down a discrete path through the woods.  The path is marked by buoys, and after about a five-minute walk it opens onto a span of the quintessential Maine coast - all rocks, seaweed, mussel shells, and sea glass.  I encountered exactly one canine and one human, the latter remarking that she’s usually alone on the beach.

It was absolutely delightful, a deliciously unplanned escape.

Leave a comment or email me at pictures@camdenmaineexperience.com if you have a “secret spot” in the Camden, Maine area. I may even be persuaded to tell you how to find SS#2…

-Elizabeth

It was a close call, but we did it! We welcomed the quintessential kickoff of summer with warm, sunny, summery weather! Pics are of Camden’s annual Memorial Day parade - it was a gorgeous morning. Yaaaaay summer!

As one of my friends so aptly said at a cookout at Rockport Harbor that evening, one perfect day in Maine truly does make up for ten mediocre ones…If you have any doubts, come see for yourself!

-Elizabeth

Hello readers!

Sometimes in winter, and even spring, Camden looks a little sleepier than it actually is; the sidewalks, for example, aren’t crowded, the harbor is in a most restful state, and a few businesses are closed for the season. On a drive through town, you quickly glance down Bayview Street, and assume nothing is open - perhaps because of the abundant parking that’s such a rarity in summertime - yet several stores are cozily waiting, quieter yes, but very much open…

Well now we have a visual solution: new “we’re open” flags. If you see one of these flags flying (pictured below), that means the business is currently open.

Thinking early spring (like last year!),

Elizabeth

After a short lull, it’s snowing again as I write this post!  We’ve gotten plenty of the white stuff this winter, that’s for sure!  While there’s a part of me that does long for spring, I don’t especially mind this latest storm–the snow banks need some freshening and my sled isn’t tired out yet…

Below are pictures from a walk I took one snowy morning a week ago.  The new ice skating rink in the outdoor amphitheatre is a very exciting winter addition to the town.  Here, at the Camden Public Library website, are more pictures of the rink in action and more information about free skating.  The picture of the skiers is two of my beautiful friends at our Camden Snow Bowl; do note the ocean view in the background.  We are one of the few ski resorts in the world with ocean views!

Stay tuned: I’m pulling together some of the best pictures from the 2011 Toboggan Nationals earlier this month.

Happy weather wherever you are!

-Elizabeth

Before 2010 closes, I had to get in one last blog about the very important topic of…the CDBG annual Yankee Swap. I must say, I’ve never gone to a Christmas party at 7:30am before joining this group, but the December meeting of our Camden Downtown Business Group is always devoted to fun and this good old fashioned tradition.

I did a little (read: a very quick Google search) research, and learned that the Yankee Swap may have actually come from Civil War days when the Yankees and Confederates once swapped prisoners in a game-like style in efforts to have some lighthearted fun (because, really, nothing says “lighthearted” like prisoners of war). Other names for the Yankee Swap are White Elephant Exchange, Chinese Auction, Dirty Santa, and Yankee Doodle. (If you’d like more details, such as the rules, this a good information source.)

Drawing our numbers from the coffee cup, I discovered Christmas luck was with me that morning: I picked number one! As always, we had a lot of laughs, and the gifts were ALL good–no “white elephants” with this group. For the final swap, I did a slow walk around the room, hovering here and there before settling on the adorable and artsy Santa decoration made from old quilts: I’m already looking forward to unpacking him next December!

Happy New Year,

Elizabeth

Windjammer Weekend got off to a late start due to “hurricane” Earl. We didn’t get much of old Earl: Friday night the fog rolled in thick and the rain started a bit after 9pm. By 9am Saturday, however, the sun was peeking through…perfect timing, because the festival schedule had been finessed to start on Saturday.

The Paranoid Social Club put on a free show that evening at the Camden Opera House. And this year we managed to meet my dad at the blueberry pancake breakfast on Sunday morning (stood him up last year). After our hearty helpings and fueled by coffee, we walked the docks and scoped out the windjammers in the bright sunshine, including one brand new lady called “Charm,” recently launched by Rockport Marine. The fireworks went off on Sunday night instead of Friday, and everyone’s been talking about what an impressive show we have for such a small town.

Below find pictures of the fleeting fog, the red & white vessel “Charm,” and the schooner Olad among others. And I just discovered if you click on a picture, it enlarges (duh!).

-Elizabeth