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

Windjammer Festival was a smashing success this year. From our gallery, I was able to watch the bustling set up on Friday morning and hear the Harbor Master kick off the weekend by announcing the arrival of each vessel.  From there, it was nonstop action all weekend with fireworks, a blueberry pancake breakfast, maritime activities and exhibits, and a boat parade! And the weather was perfect, absolutely perfect. I wish I had more pictures, but I got some great ones, especially of the “traffic” in the outer harbor lined up for the boat parade.

At the gallery, I find I’m often asked one of two questions: “Where should I eat?” and “Where do i see the oreo-cookie cows?”  I’m so used to it, in fact, that i felt initially flummoxed when a middle-aged couple from Minnesota asked, “What exactly do people do here?”  They wanted to know why people come to Camden; seeing as our gallery overlooks the stunning harbor, with the graceful mountains sweeping in from the west, I felt the answer was obvious: “People enjoy the beauty of Camden!”  But how?  How would they enjoy the beauty of our area?  The word “enjoy” is subjective, deeply personal–just like “relaxing,” or “fun.”  We have our own definitions.

I love talking to people.  I almost always ask folks where they’re from, and I usually like to know the circumstances around their visit to Maine and specifically Camden.  I also like to know how their visit is going.  And like a proud parent who desires for their child to be seen in the most positive light, I prefer to ask that question on our more resplendent days.  Those days I feel confident and satisfied before they even answer, perhaps even a touch smug: Camden is, after all, about as charming and picturesque as a coastal New England town can be.  I’m a bit more relaxed when conversing with seasoned visitors–they don’t seem to be as concerned about what the weather may or may not be doing.  Usually they’ve found their personal reasons to come back to Maine each year, regardless of what mother nature has in store for us.

As for the couple from Minnesota: I followed up their question with a few of my own in order to zero in on how they define a good vacation and what they might like to do.  Being a native, I happen to know that our area has no shortage of activities to suit just about anyone’s personal definitions (…unless one is looking for a taste of big city, I suppose…).  After learning that they’d been up hiking in Acadia National Park, I knew to direct them to our most spectacular nearby hikes and some casual dining spots with delicious views.  I hope they had a good few days here!