~Saturday, September 4, 2021~
Day 447
Quite a bit of rain last night, so we were thrilled to wake up to beautiful, sunny skies (apparently the best weather day we’ll have while here). So we couldn’t wait to head to one of the harbor towns for a visit. Today was a visit to the charming, small community of Camden with a population of about 5,000. We would have visited Camden any day, but wanted to particularly be there today for their annual Windjammer ⛵️Festival. If we’d done a little more research, we would have found out that the festival had been cancelled due to the ongoing pandemic situation. 😢What a disappointment. It’s normally quite a celebration where more than a dozen schooners and windjammers parade into the harbor. There is also a narration of the history of each sailing ship and its master. And of course there are numerous fun activities, food, and music for all. We’ll definitely be marking our calendar to come back another time. Even so, there was still so much to see in this adorable town.
Camden, on the Penobscot Bay, is known as the “Jewel of the Maine Coast”. It is a historic town that boasts beautiful 19th century historic homes, restored Opera House, beautiful trails, and charming shops. The first shop we visited was a cool wine shop called Lily, Lupine & Fern. It’s a flower shop, deli and wine shop all in one. And wow, what a wine selection and must say it was very cool to see many of the displays consisting of Napa Valley wines. We enjoyed talking to the owner who saw us specifically checking out the sparkling wine section. We were looking for a bottle for our upcoming 30th wedding anniversary. He suggested a very special bottle that seems to be a favorite among his friends but at a very affordable price. We’ll definitely be keeping it in mind before we head on to our next destination. We’ll let you know the name of it when we purchase it.
Then we stopped in the really neat, delicious smelling Camden Deli with seating overlooking the harbor. All we wanted at the time were a couple of waters to go, but maybe we’ll be back to sample the food. Some other fun shops were Swans Island Company with terrific selections of blankets and apparel, The Smiling Cow-souvenier shop, Once a Tree-a jaw-dropping collection of woodworks created by east coast artists, and the Owl and Turtle Bookshop Cafe. One of the hit shops was the heavenly smelling leather shop of The Leather Bench. Canvas backpacks, leather jackets, leather bags, hats, belts, you name it. Now I wished I’d waited on the coin purse I recently purchased in Michigan, since I would have preferred leather. But, my hubby DID find a little something for himself…...a new leather hat, “Indiana Jones” style! Really cool! I’ll try to sneak a picture of him in it soon (he was being a bit camera shy today). Then we took a walk down to the marina.
It’s really amazing to see just how big these windjammer boats are, not to mention how tall their masts are. The harbor is beautiful, especially on a day like today. And we couldn’t have asked for better temps (mid 70’s). Our final stop in Camden was the Seadog Brewing Company. They don’t have great reviews, but we were just popping in for some great views of the marina, while sipping some local beer. We even ordered a few
beer pretzels to go with our beverages. Delicious!
When we returned to our campsite, we returned to full tanks in the RV (lots of fun!). What a great way to enjoy an evening and a task that takes about an hour. Unfortunately, by the time we got back from Camden, there wasn’t much daylight left, which made the chore even more interesting. So while Jeff took care of that, I made a delicious dinner of cauliflower Pecorino soup with a side salad. Of course, Sadie strategically placed herself where she could get any spilled morsels of cheese. In fact, she knows just by the sound of the grater coming out of the cupboard, to suddenly show up. So funny!