Western Atlantic - Part One

The first road travel day is a businesslike traversal, steadily northward, of four states - Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine. The first three were an interstate whitewash, though in friendly weather, but some factors emerged in the northmost state pretty quickly. First was the reliability of the gold-lettered sign in Ogunquit, Maine, including most lodgings, restaurants, and even the library:

Santa Fe has adobe, Ogonquit has its gold letters.

Second, the Rachel Carson Wilderness, near Kennebunk, is remarkably serene, particularly in transitional weather:

- although the birds were not cooperative, with the exception of one startled but unexciting dove. But maybe it's us.

Third, it's best not to annoy the local color when it's time to eat. An old salt in the comfort food emporium we chose for dinner, one handy to some beachside rides, instructed us on their essential dish.. and so we dutifully consumed the Mariner's Stew after we arrived at our lodging at the boardwalk town of Old Orchard Beach, commanding view from our room included:

The stew in question was impressively rich, very like a bisque, complete with lobster, the Maine signature.

The room had a kind of Twilight Zone feature, a tendency for the acoustic ceiling tiles in the bathroom to rise an inch or so suddenly, then resettle with a sigh. The management maintained it was a trick of the wind, but I remain unconvinced, and suspect the ghost of e e cummings may have some agency in the phenomenon.