I finally left the cozy comfort of Nancy and Elric's farmhouse. It was hard, but I tore myself away, and spent all day yesterday paddling Tach through Maine. I don't think it let up once until late afternoon. I must have been traveling at the rate of the raincloud. Didn't bother me at all, really. I love the rain, and it just chases the wusses away from the beach so I have it all to myself. Glorious.
I've been having the most fun just tooling around and drooling over houses. They have the most beautiful places here, and I spent all day pointing and yelling, "oooo", then feeling silly. My mood kept fluctuating madly. I would see 20 houses, all fabulous, all exciting me and making me wonder what was around the bend, then I would see 1 that looked just the same, except it had a light in the window for the gloomy day, or smoke coming from the chimney, and all of a sudden I'd be homesick like mad and wishing myself inside that house.
That would last for a mile or so, and then a new wonder would pop around the bend and the bad mood would run away, not far, just to the back corner under my jump seat for easy access. Part of the reason for this must be attributed to the massive amounts of sugar I ingested yesterday. I had to stop at Dunkie's again before leaving Mass, and then as soon as I got into Maine I found a marvel of a store called "Yummies". Someone I met in a knitting shop reccommended this one to me, and it was as fabulous as she said.
Every single candy from the last 20 years is still available in here. Plus some I'd never heard of. I got wax lips, bottle caps, candy cigs, toxic waste, jelly hamburgers (actually I passed those up; I have a vivid memory of becoming horribly ill after insisting on having one on a long car trip when I was about 5), razzles (I thought "13 going on 30" made those up!), charleston chews, jelly eyeballs... It was an amazing place. They even had a solid chocolate foot. I would have bought 10 for gifts, if I thought they could make it through Texas. "Thank you for welcoming me into your house, please have a foot." Hee hee hee.
So my moodswings may have been a bit artificially flavored. I passed through Ogunquit, Kennebunkport, and other strange sounding cities I'd heard of and fantasized about. That's been one of my downfalls; I love strange sounding town names. I'll head for a town on the map just because it's called Onomotopeia, or some such, and end up finding that it really just looks like any other town. Intercourse is actually not all that cool. But Kennebunkport did not disapoint. It really looked... like a Kennebunkport. And I have no way to describe that. Cute, old, oceany, a bit posh... It's just kennebunkport.
Today: Halcyon yarnstore. Actually, they are open now and only 5 minutes away, so what am I doing here? Adios.
Hi Bethany, I introduced Rachael to the Lucy Maud Montgomery journals and must send you a prezzie too. Can't play favourites after all. Get thee back to New Hampshire! You will find the LONGEST candy counter in the WORLD (recognized by the Guiness Book of Records) in Littleton, NH. ANNNNNND a marvelous bookstore and a cool diner where they will make you yummy pancakes at any time of the day.
Posted by: Grace | May 25, 2004 at 11:54 AM
Yummies! Oooh, I so absolutely love that store. When my husband and I pass through Kittery on the way to visit my in-laws in York, ME, it takes the world's largest exertion of effort to keep me from stopping in there and eating every single last thing in sight.
I'm glad you had a great time visiting southern Maine and the seacoast of New Hampshire -- the little corner of the world that I call home. When someone new discovers so many reasons to love the place that I love so much, it gives me a warm glow that just lasts for days. (And, I just realized how much like some sort of Chamber of Commerce ad copy I sounded like, and that just made my toes curl. *snickers at self.*)
Posted by: Kim | May 25, 2004 at 06:24 PM
Oh my, that candy store sounded like...mmmm. Heaven. Chocolate Feet. Yum.
By the way, your map is amazing. I can't believe how many places you have been. Go Bethany go!
Posted by: Carrie | May 26, 2004 at 07:58 AM
How was Halcyon?!
Posted by: Nancy | May 26, 2004 at 05:24 PM
You amaze me.
I haven't left the house all day. Not sick. It's not bad out. I've got the car. I've also got an ever growing list of tasks I have to leave the house in order to accomplish, and yet ....
Go, Beth, go.
Posted by: rachel | May 26, 2004 at 05:40 PM