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| Woodland Trail on the Cove |
Today I drive down Old Farm Point Road. Some majestic old Victorians, a beautiful old cemetery, and old general store. Beautiful coastal homes on Cobscook Bay, at the end of the road one of the organic farms, where I stopped at their little stand and got some fresh micro greens and a little garlic. These trails are such a gift. Wonderful signage, well marked trails, picnic tables, and majestic views. Today, I had unwelcomed visitors. I have not had insect bites, not one since I arrived on the coast. Today, I was swarmed as soon as I got out of the car at Pike Lands Cove. They were vicious. I itched as I hiked. The "Pike" lands are beautiful and the first Mr. Pike brought a number of different trees and fauna to his precious land on Cobscook Bay. It was a good little hike and I managed to forget the itching in long enough intervals to enjoy the views, the smells and the light.
My day today started with lots of fog and a very cool breeze. It was a low, low tide and the fog lifted enough to see how much of the narrow flats were exposed and without water and now as I write, the high tide was at around 3:30 pm this afternoon, the next high tide will happen in the dark at 10:00 tonight. I spent the morning snuggled into my little loft, reading and allowing myself to absorb more of the my time away from home.
This is a Maine, that is not quite like the Katahdin Region. I live where the lumber mills and forestry boomed and busted, I am staying where the work happened on the ocean, and here too was a boom and bust. No more sardine factories, many delicacies of the ocean over fished and no longer here. The lobster keep moving further and further north, seeking cooler waters.
There are characters in both places. Maine is the oldest state in the nation (meaning we have the oldest population of any state in the USA) and I have seen a lot of old men as I have walked the town streets and sat on my deck. Many have longer white hair, not quite to the shoulders but very close. They wear shorts, and have the skinniest legs. They all look wizened by the sun and sea breeze. There are other old guys, who wear "hig hugger" jeans, have white hair in ponytails and wearing "Grateful Dead" tee-shirts. These guys walk in groups, no women around.
There is quite a lot of remodeling, upgrading and new building happening in the town center and other pockets along the coast. People say that real estate is "hot" right now. Prices and pandemic are driving people further north - and Eastport and Lubec are definitely being noticed.
I wonder what change this will bring. This is a community that struggles with a small year round population, declining fishing industry, and little other businesses. The small businesses, Lubec Brewery, artists, galleries, the hardware store are hanging in there, maybe even doing better than that.
The passenger ferry from Lubec to Eastport has stopped for the season. There are very few places to eat out or get take out Monday-Thursday. The weekend is better, and the options are good. I will be coming back for one more visit late next week. I am aware that I will leave on Thursday morning. I can feel the pull of my home, my porch, the vista's of mountains and forests and wide open fields.
I am enjoying the light, the fog that has once again settled on the water. The sun feels warm, the air is crisp, the water cold.
It is Tuesday. I am still hopeful. I ordered a lawn sign. The light is still magical. I am still in Lubec.
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