New2Maine.com

My previous post about autumn arriving early appears to have been just what was needed to spur Mother Nature into sending a nice bit of summer weather our way. Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and now Monday have all been very August-y. Friday and Saturday, especially, were so humid it was uncomfortable. Thankfully, one of the nicest parts about moving to Portland is that we’re within easy driving distance to a number of lovely beaches. Saturday afternoon simply called out for a trip to one of them.

We’ve already been to Higgins and Scarborough Beach in Scarborough, so we decided we’d try Crescent Beach in Cape Elizabeth this time. We’ve read several positive reviews of Crescent Beach on sites like TripAdvisor.com, and we even saw a newspaper article at the snack bar touting Crescent being ranked the #10 beach in New England. Crescent Beach was nice, but I’m not sure I’d rate it so highly.

First, the pros. There was more than ample parking. We went in the early afternoon on a Saturday in August and were expecting to find full lots. There were many cars in the parking lot, but the parking lot at Crescent Beach is huge. Finding a shady spot within easy walking distance of the sand was simple. There was also a very nice snack bar and good bathroom and shower facilities right near the beach. These were both much nicer than Scarborough Beach, just down the coast. Being the end of the season, the snack bar even had a half-price sale on ice cream, so we had to indulge. The sea breezes coming off the ocean were just what we needed to cool down on a hot summer’s day, and the sun bathing was great while the clouds stayed away.

There were some very nice views to be had, though the beach isn’t quite as scenic as Higgins, Popham, or Scarborough were. See my Flickr photoset for the pics I snapped. There was also a good bit of room on the beach itself. There were easily a few hundred people out seeking relief from the dog days of summer, but we were able to find a spot to put our towels down very quickly. No problems there at all.
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So it’s only late August, but it is starting to feel like autumn already. She and I have taken to wearing long pants and even sweatshirts while walking our pooch around Back Cove in the evening. It’s not yet “cold,” but it’s certainly not normal late-summer weather either. Looking at the weather forecast shows that we’re supposed to be in the 80s again this weekend, so perhaps this is just an early cold snap. I checked the weather back in Albany as well, and they’re even colder today than we are. It’s apparently cool throughout the northeast.

Nevertheless, I’d rather it be a little cold than unseasonably hot. It’s much easier to put on an extra layer than to try to figure out how to cool off when you’re already wearing the minimum amount of clothing allowed in polite company. We moved to Maine because we like all four seasons. I just wasn’t expecting it to change over quite so soon.

I’ve received a few requests for more information on setting up WordPress websites. I am far from an expert at this, but I have set up several blogs using WP now, so I’ve added a page here listing details about my theme, the plugins I use, and my web hosting. I hope this helps anyone looking to set up their own little piece of the Internet.

She and I have decided that it is necessary for us to get out of the apartment during the week and meet some people. We’ve been pretty good about doing “social” things on the weekends, but our weekday evenings are generally taken up with the gym and dog walking. In order to do something about this situation, we ventured out to Portland’s Alive at Five concert on Monument Square. I neglected to bring my camera, so this shot taken on my cell phone will have to do:

We arrived around 6:30, after the opening band, but just as the headliner, Rebirth Brass Band, was getting going. Rebirth is billed as a New Orleans jazz funk brass band, and they were great. Two trumpets, two trombones, a sax, a tuba, and two drummers, and they were all a blast. We took some time to grab a sandwich at Louis VIII (highly recommended, by the way) and sat on their patio to listen to the music and watch the dancing. After we were done, we got up and joined in the fun.

The concert was a very mellow scene. There was lots of dancing, though nothing too crazy, more than a few dogs, and lots of people over at the Sam Adams beer tent. We didn’t arrive in time to get wrist bands for the beer tent, but we had a great time without any help from Mr. Koch. Unfortunately, this was the last Alive at Five concert of the season, so we’ll have to wait until 2008 to hang out in Monument Square and enjoy some outdoor live music with our fellow Portlanders.

After showing His mom and dad Prout’s Neck (and our dream house–see the header image at the top of New2Maine.com) and Higgins Beach, we were traveling up Rte. 77 toward Fort Williams and the Portland Head Light. It was 1:00 PM by this time, and lunch was definitely in order. Having heard about the Spurwink Country Kitchen from a few locals on previous trips north, She and I decided it would be nice to grab a bite there.

According to the waitress, Uncle Don had just recently acquired and re-opened the Country Kitchen. We had heard it was only a seasonal restaurant, so we hadn’t thought it odd that it was closed in February, the last time we drove by. Anyway, we were warmly greeted and told that Uncle Don’s had the best pies around. We were seated in a very simple, but pleasant, dining room and given a few minutes to look over the menu. Uncle Don’s menu is quite seafood-heavy, but there are some options for the non-fish-eaters in your party.
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