New2Maine.com

Acadia National Park, Maine, originally uploaded by idahobirder.

The more pictures I see from up there, the more I’m convinced that Amber and I need to take a camping trip this summer…

June has been a very mixed month up here weather-wise. We’ve had a handful of days in the 80s (I even set up the air conditioner in my office earlier this month). We’ve had a number of typical spring days in the mid 70s and partly cloudy (perfect weather, as far as I’m concerned). And lately, we’ve had cool, stormy weather. There was quite a thunder storm yesterday, and it was far from the first rain we’ve had this month. I would love it if Mother Nature could make up her mind and stick with a pattern (especially if it were the 70s and a few clouds pattern). But, as I told a friend the other day, it beats snow!

Chef Lee Skawinski of Vignola and Cinque Terre sends out an announcement for a special wine and food pairing dinner at the Portland Harbor Hotel tomorrow night.

Chef Jeff Landry (of Eve’s at the Garden at Portland Harbor Hotel) and I are excited to create this dinner that showcases the wines of California’s Wente Vineyards, and to welcome a guest - Bridgett Epp from Wente - whose passions for food and wine are contagious.

Bridgett loves to talk about wine, and you’ll enjoy her enthusiasm as she leads us through the evening. She has chosen four outstanding wines to pair with our menu, and Chef Landry and I believe you’re in for a treat.

Wente Wine Dinner Details
Date: Thursday, June 19 - reception begins at 6 pm.
Location: Portland Harbor Hotel - 468 Fore Street, Portland.
Cost: Four courses and four wines - $75 per person.
Tickets and Information: Reservations are required - call (207) 523-2079.

I am a bit of a volleyball junkie. I’ve been playing a couple times a week since last fall. I’ve played pickup ball at the East End Community School in Portland (no longer running due to lack of interest), Falmouth Middle School, Cape Elizabeth, and Gorham Municipal Center. South Portland on Sundays is also a great place to play. Most of these are done for the season, though, so here are three great places to play if you’re looking for pickup play this summer.

• Deering Oaks Park, Portland - Outdoor co-ed pickup play on Mondays and Tuesdays at 6:00 PM. This is fairly regular, but be sure to speak with Dawn Y. about getting on the email list.
• Gorham Municipal Center, Gorham - The only indoor co-ed pickup series still going strong into the summer. They play Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7:00 PM. Cost is $2 per night, but the level of play is generally good.
• Old Orchard Beach - The premier outdoor place to play north of Hampton Beach. Their tournament schedule is posted on the Official OOB Volleyball Blog. Pickup play is generally available outside of tournaments, though I haven’t found a regular schedule.

The Maine State Volleyball Association is the a great place to look for more information about volleyball in the Maine, especially tournaments and leagues. If you’d like to get a rating (I don’t have one yet, but might after this summer so I can play in fall leagues), Andy Winslow seems to be the person to talk to; he can be reached through MSVBA. The outdoor season is fully underway (I played outside twice last week), so get cracking…

If you organize or know of other summer pickup volleyball within reasonable driving distance of Portland, please drop me a line and let me know. I’ll happily add it to this list and might even show up and hit around a bit too.

This past Sunday (June 1) marked the 35th annual Old Port Festival in Portland’s Old Port (what, like you were expecting it to be in Saco or something?). With most of the Old Port blocked off to vehicular traffic, street vendors and bands set up everywhere to serve the throngs of Mainers and those From Away looking to celebrate the unofficial start of summer.

Amber and I were only able to attend for an hour or so due to other social obligations. We managed to get into the Temple Street parking lot (no mean feat given the snarled–by Portland standards–traffic and number of pedestrians exercising their right of way). A band was set up just outside, in front of the Nickelodeon Theatre. Several vendors were set up with food and merchandise along Middle and Exchange Streets.

We were looking for a quick bite to eat and didn’t really feel we had time to explore all that the Festival had to offer, so we grabbed two chicken and veggie wraps from a nearby vendor. After getting our wraps (which were piled high with veggies and really necessitated fork-and-knife consumption), we took a quick jaunt down Exchange Street and headed to Novare Res Bier Café for a beer to wash it down. The clouds you can see encroaching the scene in the photo above yielded two or three rain drops while we were seated on the huge deck enjoying wraps and some great beers, but the sun broke back through and made for a lovely afternoon.

If a quiet stroll through a “rustic” New England sea village is your thing, well, you probably wouldn’t be in Portland in the first place, and definitely should avoid it during Old Port Festival. However, if you’re looking for a good time, some food and live music, and a way to celebrate the arrival of nice weather to southern Maine, I think you owe it to yourself to try Old Port Fest at least once. Amber and I will be doing an extended visit next year.