Up to Seawall

Lynne and George stayed at our house this past weekend to watch Callum and Lupine so Amanda and I could have one final (or only) getaway before the little girl arrives in a couple of weeks. This was our anniversary trip that we said we would take, and we headed up to (who would have guessed?) Mt Desert Island to the Seawall Motel. The Seawall Motel is one of our favorite places, and I have written about it before. The name "motel" is a misnomer in so many ways. Granted, it IS a motel....but it is a whole experience. David and Vicki Lloyd are fantastic individuals who we've gotten to know. And they have gotten to know Callum pretty well. Mostly because of Speedbump, who you'll see in a minute.

This was a pretty low key weekend for us--I had a pretty neat schedule last week; after a grueling start to the week with school, painting, and conferences at night, I had both Thursday and Friday off. So on Friday, we took Callum to lunch and to the Maine State Museum--where he has been dying to go--and then we made our way up to Seawall. We did NOTHING, and it was so awesome. We enjoyed great restaurants, took nice walks along the seawall and through the carriage trails in the park, got some Christmas shopping done, and drank great coffee. Here is Amanda at Scotty's Dockside in Manset--we both got the 'Scotty Salad' for lunch, and it was fantastic. Combine this with the clam chowder we had, and you were all set to go! Now dont get me wrong: I think Amanda looks fantastic and beautiful....but it is clear that she is also starting to look very tired. This has been a tough pregnancy for her. But many wouldnt know that because she never complains.

We strolled down to the town pier in Bar Harbor to check out the lobsterman measuring, clipping, keeping, or throwing out the day's catch. Cold, hard work. In Bar Harbor, we visited Sherman's Books and Stationery, Stone Soup, and other fun stores....and we made sure to drink some great Benbow's coffee....
Gatsby's Bistro: If you are ever up in Southwest Harbor in the offseason, GO. Most who know me know that, lately, I have been almost impossible to please when it comes to restaurants. I complain and find fault with service, food, etc. But this place was just marvelous. Very small and intimate, as you can see from the picture. But chef Denise Hilton makes each and every meal from scratch on just a normal, everyday four burner stove--no fancy "Wolfes" or Vikings or anything crazy like that. I had seafood pie with green beans (which were bathed in tarragon butter). I started off with a wedge salad that was solid. Amanda got a stuffed chicken breast, roasted red potatoes, and green beans. Now, when you hear "stuffed chicken breast," I know the norm is to think of some cookie cutter type of recipe...but this was anything but. And don't tell George, but I think Amanda is about to demote HIS recipe for French onion soup to a verrrrry close second.....just sayin. You need to work harder, George....
Dessert: Amaretto soaked cherry spice cake. I dont even like dessert. And I couldnt leave this alone.
We had an awesome time, and most of that time was simply spent hanging out at the motel, reading, watching QVC (ummmmm.....) and talking to folks. I took a nice 4 mile run along the coast--which is surprisingly more hilly than people would imagine. And who could forget Speedbump?

This cat is wonderful. When you stay at Seawall Motel, you get free continental breakfast. David and Vicki have turned their "office" into a sort of "hang out" place with a table, some games, some coffee, etc. During the busy season, it is busy with folks sitting, talking, planning their day, and getting tips on where to hike, etc. But in the offseason, which is now, David has a lot of his "local" buddies hang out and drink their morning coffee in the office; the conversation is quintessential "downeast" gossip, storytelling, etc. A true hoot, and enough to make us not even care about the beautifully rugged coast across the street. We can't wait to bring Callum and Maira up there....