Last Days at Camden Harbor

The usually quiet Camden Harbor became a veritable hive of activity on Friday.  The long awaited launch of the large sailboat Sceptre was quickly followed by the arrival of the first of what Liz calls 'gin palaces'.  The MY Paradigm quietly slipped into port and was then joined by two other large motor yachts.  Our speculation that it was in some way connected to a planned wedding on Saturday at the Camden Yacht Club proved false as the other two ships left harbor early on Saturday morning, without any fanfare.  It was just a port for the night with a refueling and ontake of fresh water, nothing more.


After the excitement of the Ephemere the night before, Jenny suggested a quiet dinner at the Atlantica, a restaurant we've never tried before in all the years we've been visiting Camden.  A short wait, wherein John and Liz sampled the locally made Mojitos, was rewarded by an excellent table right on the water.  The ensuing meal was later judged by Liz to be a tie with Ephemere and will likely see us return again.  Our last night on the deck was shortened by a rather cold wind and we all retired early anticipating the tips home.

On Saturday, I rose early as usual to greet the last sunrise of our visit and to again watch our morning Ospreys looking for breakfast.  Right across from our deck, a tall mast has proven to be among their favorite perches from which to search and sure enough, within minutes, one dove into the water and emerged successfully with a pretty large fish in its claws.  My camera skills were too late to capture this pretty unique moment of nature but the image is unlikely to be forgotten.

   
After what Liz now calls a 'Brunswick' breakfast...made with whatever remained in the fridge...we finished our packing, cleaned up the condo and posed for the last pictures on the deck.   The drive to the Portland Jetport was uneventful, but beautiful because of the weather and we bade tearful farewells.  Liz has promised to take charge of the Ireland plans for next year and I look forward to seeing her and John again.

The trip took a minor turn for the worse as our flight was delayed for about an hour with mechanical problems and we missed our connection in DTW.  But although we will not now get home until close to midnight, it pales in the light of what has been a most enjoyable week with Jenny, Liz and John.

Ephemeral Dining and Historical Conversations

While John, Liz and I were scaring ourselves on the Penobscot Narrows bridge, Jennifer was making dinner arrangements.  Her choice was the Ephemere on Bayview Street, 30 feet from our condo and a quick chat with the Maitre'D suggested that reservations would not be necessary on a Thursday evening.  Although one restaurant, the upstairs and downstairs sections are a totally different ambiance, with the former being far superior.  Upon arrival, our young host regretted that all the upstairs tables were gone and Jennifer was more than a little miffed, having been perfectly willing to make a hard reservation for 7:15pm.  We decided to dine elsewhere and Jennifer suggested to the young man that he ought to tell someone about this customer experience.  No sooner had we left and begun walking towards our next choice then along the street behind us comes the manager imploring us to return since she was confident a table was about to open up.  She even said she would buy us a glass of wine each.  Happily ensconced in perhaps the best table in the upper room, a really great meal followed accompanied by some excellent Merlot and Syrah.

Back on the deck for an after dinner glass and some night sky watching, not a single satellite showed itself, despite more than seven being spotted the previous evening.  Eventually the subject turned to quotations attributed to various historical characters ranging from Joan of Arc to Albert Einstein to John F. Kennedy to the mayor of Hiroshima and to John Lennon.  

Early Risers..and 'Fallers'

Another early riser greets me at dawn in Camden Harbor. Ospreys abound here and several are to be seen flying around looking for breakfast. Fish make up more than 99% of their diet and they are quite amazing to watch in action. When a fish is spotted, often from very high up, the Osprey swoops down and then hovers briefly before seemingly 'falling' on its prey. Alone among non-waterfowl in its ability to actually dive into the water and then emerge with the fish in its claws, the Osprey is a true work of evolution.


Going to the top of Mt. Battie was our first morning event and its views of Rockland, Vinelhaven and even to Acadia Nat'l Park are spectacular but the picture it presents of Camden Harbor is my favorite. Out in the distance the entrance to the north Atlantic can be seen. One can imagine the reaction the earliest sailors had when this very protected but tidal harbor was first discovered. Nestled into the west shore of Penobscot Bay, it avoids the brunt of the north or west winds that prevail in the mid-coast area.


Our afternoon trip took us to the Penobscot Narrows at Bucksport with its recently completed suspension bridge. Liz and I showed the common Walsh genetic flaw...acrophobia....as we stepped out of the elevator on the top of the tower into the glass enclosed observation deck. Reflected in this photo of Bucksport one can barely make out the image of the truly scared photographer...me. Situated at the northern tip of Penobscot Bay, Bucksport's main source of employment is the local pulp mill. The bridge represents both a technical and civil engineering accomplishment in that it went from conception to completion in less than five years. The old bridge, built in the 1930s, was being inspected in 2003 prior to some repairs when engineers discovered corrosion hidden inside the main suspension cables. They determined that the cables were too badly corroded and that the bridge would need to be replaced. As a safety measure, the weight limit of the bridge was immediately reduced from 100,000 to 24,000 pounds and the plans for the new bridge began.

Sunset...sunrise. All beauty

I'm not sure which I like best, but each is breathtaking in Camden. The sunsets were taken from the deck of the schooner Appledore II during their sunset cruise with John and Liz on September 15th, 2009. She winters in Key West, returns annually to Maine in June with the same core set of four crew members among whom Matt stands out as the 'character'! They specialize in very spicy Bloody Marys, but I cannot personally affirm, since my libation was a rather large can of Labatts Blue which lasted the full two hours of the cruise. Matt noted that they will take on additional crew from time to time, but that when ice begins to form on the rigging, the 'temps' head for shore.

Sunrises are just spectacular in Camden Harbor, even with a little cloud cover. Braving the 40 degree weather was worth it to Jenny and me. How many of these does one see?

Camden Harbor is very protected in most weather, but is sublime in the really calm conditions that prevail this week. A working port, it awakens shortly after dawn with most of the activity centering around the Wayfarer Marina, where currently, dismasting sailboats and craning them up to dry storage occupies most of the employees.

Camden sunrises in September 2009

Sunrises in Camden are never the same two days running. Sometimes the skies are clear and the horizon is lit up at the moment. Clouds may obscure another day only to open up and reveal another kind of beauty.