Kicking back in Wells, plus another Light house!

Looking for our next stop, SeaVu West campground, we were apparently given directions for coming in the opposite way, and we totally missed it, and got a tour of Wells and Kennebunk, before finding a place where we could turn around and try again!  

We spent Sunday, and a lot of Monday, just relaxing, reading and doing some laundry, much as we would a lazy weekend at home, but by Monday we were ready for an adventure,  and we drove through Wells, Kennebunk, and Kennebunkport and walked around the towns and explored the shops. Here we experienced what they talk about on Rt 1 during the summer, with  the creeping traffic, and the search for parking.....even worse than Boothbay!   And it was Monday!  

 The boys thought a little relaxation  was a great idea!

Clem was thrilled to find that most of the stores were closed in Kennebunk!  But we walked the main street, and enjoyed all the lovely gardens and hanging flowers making the downtown so pretty. Flower pots along the sidewalks were little row boats!

Outside of town is the Wedding Cake House, built by a sea captain  lavishly decorated to take the place of the wedding cake the couple did not have! 

Kennebunkport is old, quaint, and very pretty, with a wooden sidewalk, and nice upscale shops, which WERE open, and we enjoyed browsing.
The Bush compound is on the point opposite town, and one of the shop owners told us the way to drive around and see the house, and a beautiful church, but we decided to avoid the crowded road around.  Another time.

Kennebunkport, from the back!  Shops were very nice, and old buildings very quaint, but I loved the water and reflections. 

Tuesday morning surprised us with some rain, and when I mentioned breakfast at a diner I had seen nearby, Clem jumped at the idea, so off we went!  Maine Diner has been there for 30 years, and was visited by Guy Fieri, so is of the Triple D fame!  We found it fun and super friendly,  but unimpressive for breakfast, though the rest of the menu looked really good.  I’m sure Guy showed up for some heart stopping concoction!  We may have to go back for the home made blueberry pie.  

The 2,2,2, was a bit more food  than Clem expected! 

The sky had cleared a bit by the time we ate, so we took a ride to York, through the seaside village of Nedick , and to Nedick Point to see the 1879 Nubble Light, one of the oldest in the country.  Sitting out on a rocky island, or nub, hence the name, with beautiful houses all along the rocky coast, and a really wide sand beach, which completely disappears at high tide,  we both agreed we were glad we decided to visit York, though we once again suffered through the Rt 1 slowdown.  

The Nubble Light has probably appeared on more postcards, calendars, and other souvenirs than any other New England lighthouse, with the possible exception of Portland Head Light. In 1977, when NASA sent Voyager II into space to photograph the outer solar system, it was also loaded with artifacts designed to teach possible extraterrestrial civilizations about our planet. One of the images it carried was a picture of the Nubble Light.

The finials on the gallery railing are miniature lighthouses.

This time  the congestion was Ogunquit,  a really charming place,  with lots of lovely shops and restaurants, and on our return trip, clogged even more with throngs of people.  Astounding the number of hotels and inns that line the roads north of town. 

I had kidded in the slowdown in Wiscasset that one of us could walk ahead and get one of Red’s lobster rolls, then get picked up when the other finally made it!  While crawling along on the way back through Ogunquit,  I spotted a mailbox, so jumped out of the car, dropped an  envelope, then trotted a short way ahead and jumped back in the slow moving car, giggling the whole time!  

 A little detour took us to  a hobby shop, where Clem perused the train supplies,   and I looked at the lovely merchandise made by local inmates!  Interesting shop! He bought a few supplies, and I got way more information than I bargained for from the clerk, of whom I asked a question about the area!  

Wednesday, Aug 16

A beautiful sunny morning for a walk, and surprised that Clem was agreeable,  we found Rachel Carson National Wildlife Preserve, where a pleasant one mile interpretive trail took us through some lovely salt marshes, where we learned about the grasses and ecosystem.  Got to chat with a few folks from Mass up for the day with their grand dog, and stopped in the visitor center to learn who Rachel was!  A child prodigy, to my mind, she read, wrote a book at a very early age, became a marine zoologist, and spent her life researching and  preserving, and the park was dedicated to her memory.  

The rest of our day was spent like most of our time in Wells, reading and relaxing!  I think we were just due, after having just way too much fun!  

Cell service is pretty poor, and the wifi is awful, so I am again writing in word processing for entering later.  I did find I could go stand on the porch at the office and get good wifi, and was able to download my book there!  Maybe I should take the laptop up there! 

 After dinner, a little Yahtzee outside as the evening cooled, and before dark set in!