Remember when I said of my cross-country move that I would never do it again? Well, as hideous as that experience was, that’s how nice the past week’s vacation has been. I can’t wait to get out to Maine again.
Things as previously noted started rather auspiciously with my flight to Boston arriving early (in sog terms; it was actually about 30 minutes late), followed by a great visit with a friend of mine I don’t see nearly as much as I’d like. Then, of course, there was my early rise the next day where my fishing prowess let me snag a striper within minutes (ok, maybe the fish was not too bright). I’m happy to say that these were merely the prelude to an excellent week.
Things looked a bit grim when Thursday and Friday brought with them the brutal heat and high humidity the rest of the Northeast is suffering through, toned down only slightly due to the our higher latitude, but that’s what siestas were made for. Saturday and Sunday brought blessed relief; temps in the low 80’s, low humidity, and lots of sun. Days throughout were a mishmash of striper fishing, boating, lunchtime naps, reading [1] and once a few friends of mine arrived on Friday, Wiffle ball.
The soundtrack for the entire week was Joe & Jerry [2] calling the Sox games over the radio, as there’s no TV here, no DVDs, no stereo (though for Saturday’s event I did get my iPod going through the radio via my iTrip). There’s nothing like having a dinner at home with no entertainment but a ballgame on the radio; it feels like you’re back in the 40’s.
Dinners, though, were typically out. Four out of the seven days I was there I had the pleasure of dining at my favorite venue – and to forestall the question, yes I’m one of those people who enjoys the same thing over and over. Tough to quarrel with the Osprey, however, which is one of the only places I’ve frequented where one can sit at the bar, get fresh shrimp and crab (or clams, mussels, scallops or lobster if that’s your thing), while watching harbor seals and 50 foot yachts not 20 yards beyond the bay windows in the bar.
This past Wednesday we took the boat through Gooserock Passage, crossing the surprisingly rough Sheepscot River (which, like the Kennebec, flows into the Atlantic) down into Boothbay Harbor for a fine day on the water; for my last trip on Thursday morning we took a quick spin up the cove where I caught (yet) another juvenile striper. While I intended to pull a Ted Williams and go out on that triumphant note, I was lured out of my temporary retirement on the way back to the dock when a two foot striper breached about 20 feet from the boat. No luck with that monster, alas. Too smart for the likes of me and my deceiver fly.
So anyway, this is a rather lengthy way of saying that the week out was excellent; saw friends, saw family, and had a bit of time to myself. Apart from a moderate case of sunburn (my nose is torched), I emerged relatively unscathed from the week – I didn’t even hook myself fishing. Unfortunately, my extended absence with minimal monitoring of information channels, I’m now faced with a predictable glut of blogs and email – but thankfully little voicemail – to deal with, but such is the price of a week’s peace of mind.
Because I’ve gotten questions on this before, for those seeking a nice spring/summer/fall vacation, I do in fact recommend Georgetown for trips long and short. About 2.5 hours north of Boston, it’s close enough to be easily reachable, but far enough and off the beaten track enough to avoid the absurd crowds that are now a given on the Cape or up on the North Shore of MA, or to a lesser extent Maine spots like Boothbay Harbor and Camden. There’s a legimate Five Star restaurant for the gourmets, great fishing June/July/part-of August for the outdoorsman, beaches at Reid State Park for the family, outlets 20 minutes away in Freeport for shopping, and lots of other activities (kayaking, hiking, etc). All in all, highly recommended. If you’re thinking about heading to ME, drop me a line and I’ll give you my take as a former resident of the area.
Anyhow, back to work. First up: resolving my OSCON schedule.
[1] Chabon’s Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clar is very good – best of the last three Pulitzer Winners I’ve read (Middlesex I thought was a bit melodramatic, while HWOSG was interesting, but not my thing and sort of trailed off). The new Harry Potter, as Havoc mentions, is quite dark and – IMO – not all that well written. Rowling’s very fond of certain words – everybody’s always ‘beaming’ at each other, for example (yes, I know I do that too, but my excuse is that I don’t have an editor here) – and her descriptions of adolescent social interactions are a bit ham handed. Still, she’s crafted an amazing compelling and original universe of her own with characters whose behavior may not reflect that fact they are nuanced and fleshed out better than some other works I could mention.
[2] Joe Castiglione and Jerry Trupiano, the Red Sox radio flagship color and play-by-play guys, who I frankly am not real fond of. I love TV’s Jerry Remy, but Joe and Jerry salt their otherwise inoffensive commentary with terribly unfunny, folksy humor.
