Fall Colors

   Tonight's dinner looked perfectly seasonal, & tasted really good while snuggled up on the couch, wrapped in a blanket, listening to the rainfall. Carrot-ginger soup with feta, two kinds of ravioli: lobster, and butternut squash, and garlic bread. Yum!

Random Hallmark moments: no pinching

   Upon investigating one of the alternate exits in our new studio, I discovered this artifact posted behind the double doors:

    I shared this with friends and Maureen said, "Pinches are delicious with a little lemon and clarified butter. I haven't gone looking for more yet, but I hope I will find some.

Goofin with Mom, part 2

   Next door to the Pemaquid lighthouse is a little cafe with some awesome curiosities in the yard. We ignored the rain & took the opportunity to have some fun:

I love me some Pirate:

   Whatcha see, Chief? (A couple of people on my staff call me "Chief." Hope that doesn't mean I have to dress like this.)

I love me some Chief!

And you've already seen proof of how I love me some lobster!

Mom won't eat it, but she'll pose with it:

Goofin with Mom, part 1

   Mom & I decided to leave China for a bit & have some adventures. We drove through small but beautiful Newcastle, which supposedly has the oldest church in the U.S. (We hope it was this one.)

 

   Mom took me to lunch at Shaw's Lobster Wharf, which she discovered after I had left last year. The REAL haddock sandwiches with cheese were delicious!

Maine: the food

   One of the best things about going up to Maine is the incredible food. On the left, wild blueberries that I picked in Acadia. On the right, blueberries from Stella's yard. Different varieties that are equally delicious!

   I made an heirloom tomato salad with fresh basil & mozzarella & a touch of balsamic vinegar, with the produce I bought at the market in Southwest Harbor:

   Martha scored big on the "Maine" course. She had stopped off in Portland to meet a couple of young guys who run a lobster business, with whom she plans to work through Heinen's. They sent her off with a cooler containing a baker's dozen of lobsters! Martha always comes through big time on the seafood! In case you missed the interview with her, here it is again.

Normally I try not to meet my dinner:

   And I was glad that Martha did most of the kill—er, cooking. (I did drop a couple in the pot, though it pained me.)

Brad was less squeamish than me:

We had so many lobsters we were running out of bowls:

And hands!

We also had baked sweet potatoes, fresh corn, and grilled scallops:

(But this is all you need, really):

   Ironically, of the 6 of us, only 4 eat lobster. So we shared 13 lobsters among 4 people. (Admittedly we had some leftovers.) But I polished off 2 myself! And for the next 2 days I enjoyed lobster rolls. They're even good for breakfast!

Brad preferred pasta.

But who had the carb crash later, smart guy?!

Jordan Pond: power lunch

   And though lunch was DELICIOUS, it could scarcely compete with the view from my table! Those mountains ahead are the two Bubbles, which I had just climbed.

Mainely Bar Harbor

   You can't throw a stick in Maine without hitting a lobster reference, and Bar Harbor is no exception. (Not that I mind; I had some delectable form of lobster for every single lunch AND dinner while I was there, and you didn't hear me complaining about it!) These beauties were "souvenirs" from Parkside Restaurant: a lobster bib, towelette, and a beautifully presented baked lobster, stuffed with lobster, crab and seasoned bread crumbs.

   I needed to walk off said dinner, so I did some shopping on the island. Although people I've spoken with complain that Bar Harbor is garish & touristy, I have to disagree. Yes, of course, it's where everyone goes for summer. But they really have some gems among the shops, restaurants and bed & breakfasts. Spruce & Gussy, for example, was a darling boutique filled with unique art & gifts, housewares and an incredible selection of baby items, including too-cute animal mugs from Japan (I wanted them all but only Panda followed me home):

For the most part I'm not a "Life is Good" fan (crappy drawings), however, they've clearly hired an illustrator or just come a long way: they had tons of adorable stuff! 

   There was also a ton of pretty Tourmaline jewelry, but of course the pieces I liked were all way out of my price range. Boo!