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’s about time for another blog post,” I’ve said to myself lately.  Immediately followed by, “Or maybe I’ll get to it next week.”  The problem this time of year—as any business owner in Camden will tell you—is time. I have a shortage of time to write the post, and unfortunately, to do activities to write the post about!

But, before I continue lamenting (and you all groan at the sound of the violins tuning up) I do have some highlights from the past month or so.

The 4^th of July: once again, I made my initial ocean-swimming splash of the summer on the weekend of the 4th. Twice. Fireworks were a smashing success this year, as was the weekend as a whole.

Father’s Day weekend: our family went up to the spectacular Baxter State Park. Ayuh, it’s a good piece up into Northern Maine, but worth the drive. And baby made his first splash ever into South Branch Pond.  The only disappointment was not seeing a moose.

The Harbor Arts Festival is in Camden this weekend.  I’m excited to cruise the booths tomorrow after work.

Okay, back to work!

-Elizabeth

Rumor has it Toboggan Nationals were spectacular this year–despite the cold winds and competing with the WhoDat! (or WhoDat?) fever of the Superbowl. There were even Saturday night fireworks (oh, how I do love my fireworks!). Unfortunately, however, I’m going on hearsay alone as, alas, I was not out there on the ice. But I’ve gathered a few nifty links that give an overall impression of the festivities, including a sweet (and fast!) ride down the chute…

Watch this to feel like you’re the toboggan’s front-man and click here for a Down East writer’s competition and costume experience.

As usual, I end my post ruminating on how lucky I am to live in such a cool place…Next year, you can be sure I’ll be reporting from the Snow Bowl live!

After going out twice last week on leisurely blueberry picking hikes, I set out today for a major blueberry haul.  Picking blueberries is one of the things I truly look forward to during our Maine summers, and I had Major Intentions:  Enough to have over my cereal in the morning for the next week, enough to make a hearty batch of blueberry muffins, and plenty plenty plenty leftover to freeze and last well into the fall.  As I walked up the path, I started noticing that most of the blueberries had peaked and gone by.  I knew it was getting late in the season, but I hadn’t realized our recent heat had pushed the berries over the edge.  I was so frustrated and disappointed; I was too late and would have no blueberries for all of my Intentions, my Good Intentions.
As I started down the hill, I took the alternate path. Doing so, I found something extraordinarily delightful: blackberries!  Our recent heat pushed THESE berries over the edge into ripeness!  This turn of events got me musing about life’s metaphoric lessons: how sometimes an unexpected let down can gracefully merge into an unexpected bonus!  And as if to reaffirm my musings, would you believe I found a four-leaf clover as I neared my car?  Another wonderful day in Maine.

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!

Welcome to the first entry of the Camden Downtown Business Group’s blog.  While I am a downtown gallery co-owner, for the record, this blog won’t be all about business or overly serious…it’s a blog, and I intend to have a little fun with it!  If you’re reading this, I’m imagining it’s because you’re home, which in my mind is the very specific place of “elsewhere,” and you’re reading either because you want a taste of Maine to remind you of your trip(s) here or you want a hint of what’s awaiting you in our cozy and quaint seaside village.  So welcome!

Now that an introduction is out of the way, I’d also like to make another entry for the record:
My first ocean swim of the season was on July 9th. It’s so tempting to take this opportunity to lament over the late start to summer this year–ALL THAT RAIN!–but, not to jinx us, I believe we’ve turned a corner… I was out at Beauchamp Point for lunch and a little reading, and though I had my suit on, I had no intention of swimming until someone else took the literal plunge–ah, the power of suggestion!  I had to go in!  Beauchamp is one of my favorite spots in the world; I always say, if Beauchamp Point–with its craggy rocks, rolling dirt road, serene woodsiness, views of Rockport Harbor and Indian Head Light–were a desert island and I were stranded there, I would be totally happy (with, of course, those five books and five albums I’ve hypothetically selected over the years to accompany me)!

I actually had a prime opportunity to take my first dunk over the weekend of the Fourth.  During brief respites from the rain storms, my sweetie and I managed to sail all three days of the long weekend, but it just wasn’t swimming weather.  (If you’ve never had the chance to dive off a (preferably slow-moving) sailboat into the ocean, I highly recommend it–to me, the experience screams Maine and refreshing and summer and freedom all at once, which is so apropos for Fourth of July Weekend, and, in fact, that was how I spent the weekend of the Fourth last year…)  Anyway, the first afternoon we barely left Camden Harbor due to a heavy bank of fog rolling back in with the tide–that, by the way, was the very same dense moisture system that sadly obliterated our fireworks–but by Sunday we were full-day cruising up the coast to Lincolnville!  These waters, also known as Penobscot Bay, are reputedly some of the best sailing waters in the world because of the scenery–there’s never a dull moment out there between the enchanting islands, watching the changing topography of the coastline, or looking for seals; I suppose one could argue that being a native makes me biased, but I’d argue that familiarity can also make one more critical.  Whichever the case, our area is truly magnificent.

The weekend of the Fourth is the official kickoff of summer.  Walking around Camden now there’s a palpable energy–the sun is shining and we’re all in full swing.  There’s something unique about living in a town that has the extremes of Camden, Maine; there’s a camaraderie no matter the time of year.  Right now, everyone’s busier; when we see each other at the bank or the local markets, we’re all a bit more frantic.  We’re definitely working longer hours; perhaps we have out of town guests we’re planning a lobster dinner for; or hurrying out for that picnic and hike on our day off; or rushing to catch up with friends sitting on a deck somewhere for a beer.  Or maybe we’re anxiously anticipating that first summer swim in the ocean!

–Elizabeth