day 8: around portland, me

day 8: around portland, me

My last day around the Portland area today was a fantastic one. To kick it off in a most lovely scene:

By now you all know that wandering and stopping at random roadside spots to talk to strangers or nosh on something delicious is one of my favorite hobbies. So how excited was I when fabulous local (Shay) took me to meet a Lobsterman who lives right next to her house in Scarborough:

Exactly what you’d picture but even nicer, meet the man who catches the delicious fresh dinner so many love:

I had absolutely no idea the amount of work, training, certification, waiting, etc. that went into Lobstering. This is why I love doing what I do. I’m alway learning there is an art, a patience, and mad skill to everything- and I’m constantly meeting such interesting and driven people! Eric prepping piles of buoys as we chatted:

A photo of his boat from inside the shack:

The tank full and ready for purchase:

Up close for you lobster lovers!

Apparently Eric cooks the lobster for guests too and gets everything table ready so you just sit down and eat! Right next to the shack is his vegetable garden as well. This guy does it all and he couldn’t have been nicer or more welcoming. To top it off there was a big ol’ sweet brown dog named Sam who was lingering around to make the whole scene picture perfect:

A friendly and hard-working Lobsterman in an LL Bean t-shirt, a shack with rocking chairs outside with a trap as a side table, a happy dog, and a beautiful Maine afternoon; Awesome. Thanks for the tour and time Eric!

After lobster time, my tour guide Shay whisked me off to Dean’s Sweets; A chocolate shop. (Go figure!):

We walked in and chatted with a nice woman inside (Dean’s wife) who fed us some delicious samples:

Dark chocolate salt caramels. (Jackpot!) Just when we were about to leave, in walked Dean himself. I told him I loved his chocolates and in conversation, I mentioned that Honda had loaned me a car to go on an adventure and that’s what had brought me in his store. His face lit up and he told me he drove a Honda. I looked out the window and there it was; A very loved, very well-used and appreciated Honda Accord Wagon. Naturally that got me excited so we had to go out and see:

Thanks for letting me squeeze in a video of you and your car for Blue Lollipop Road Dean! Even more, thanks for being a fellow chocolate and Honda lover! It’s a good life eh?

After I totally geeked out about that serendipitous meeting, we crossed the street to Duckfat for some of their famous fries:

…with a side of truffle ketchup:

I know right? Truffle ketchup?! Yeah- it was that good. (Thanks to reader Eliza for the suggestion! Yum!) I had to of course have a cold Allagash White, to pair with the fries. Allagash is brewed in Portland:

I thought Duckfat’s sandwich board sign was funny:

The noshing afternoon continued on to Caiola’s which has an incredible outside back patio, complete with table around giant tree in the middle of it:

The must-have at Caiola’s? Polenta fries I was told:

That is polenta fries with smoked paprika, cheddar cheese and a tomato and Red Pepper relish. Holy motherload. I know I have talked about a lot of food, and I rave and rave about lots of de-lish things, but I am telling you this dish is one of the top 5 things I have ever eaten when it comes to restaurant appetizers. Maybe it’s because sharp, sharp white cheddar is my absolute favorite cheese, maybe it’s because red peppers are one of my favorite veggies. I don’t know. Either way those polenta fries were so smack-yo-mamma good I had quite a moment eating them. If you live in, are going to, or might ever go to Portland Maine- run, don’t walk to Caiola’s for this plate of heaven.

Stuffed and happy with fries and chocolate, we headed to catch the sunset at the Black Point Inn. This was the view as we relaxed in big white chairs from the lawn:

I just sat there thinking to myself how beautiful the scene was, and how we all probably could use to stop and watch the sunsets a little more. Sometimes it’s hard for me to believe sights like this are free. Quite a scenic way to wrap up yet another fun and interesting day on the road.

Thanks for being such a fabulous tour guide Shay!

Tomorrow? Oh yeah- you know it! I am off to meet the one and only Million Mile Joe. I’ve been looking forward to this for months and can’t wait to share stories, photos and video here.

***Total miles driven today, day 8: 75

***Total miles driven since trip start (9/2/11): 868

***Total blue lollipops gifted/left behind since trip start (9/2/11): 12