Crisp air, wild blueberries, lobster, and hiking – that’s Maine is all about…at least for me. But this year is different.
Our day started as most do here – with a bowl of fresh blueberries. There’s something about having blueberries and a cup of tea in the morning while looking at what’s happening on Clarks Cove (sometimes it’s folks taking out kayaks or canoes and sometimes just peaceful blue).
BUT…Omg…it’s hot!!! All the windows are open. The fan is on. And I bought one of those “air-conditioner boxes” I saw advertised on TV. Everything makes it a little, but nothing is really helping the hazy, hot, humid weather. It’s freakin’ hot – and too hot to hike. CheezLouise – it’s too hot to move. And almost nobody has air conditioning on the island. I mean, this is MAINE. I should be needing heat, not A/C!
It’s too hot and humid to hike – the humidity is the worst of it! So midway through the afternoon, Joseph and I decided to get out and drive around the island. The one good thing is that MDI is so beautiful almost everywhere that driving around is a pleasure. And the other good thing is that my car has air conditioning. It would be a good way to spend the afternoon.
We went to each of the three main harbors on the island – Bar Harbor, Southwest Harbor and Northeast Harbor – to see what was going on in the tiny towns. For the most part, people weren’t out and about – except in Bar Harbor where a cruise ship docked and the cruisers were clogging up the streets. The cruise ships are fabulous for the stores, crappy for everyone else.
When Joseph and I got to Southwest Harbor, we walked around a bit and then, with sweat dripping down the backs of our necks, we stopped for a drink in the air-conditioned Sips bar. It cooled us down, but only for the hour or so we were sipping our drinks. We had to leave the air conditioned comfort sometime…
It was late afternoon when we got back to the cottage. And, a few minutes later, I heard the chugging sound of Ollie’s golf cart. It stopped at our cottage. I went out to see what was what. Ollie had gone out on his boat that morning and had lobsters…and did I want any…
Seriously? Of course I did!
A few minutes later I was in possession of two huge hard-shell lobsters. I think Ollie said they were about two pounds each. Yayyyyy!!! Lobster was on the menu for dinner – at least for me. Joseph doesn’t eat fish – including shellfish. Boo-hoo – more for me!
However, Joseph is such a good egg that he cooks the lobster for me. He boiled those two bad boys for me while I made him some tasty chicken tenders – and spicy the way he likes them. It’s the least I could do while he readies my dinner!
The lobsters were so hard-shell that it took me over a half-hour to clean them. And I don’t clean them like true Mainers do. I only take the lobster meat from the tail and claws. But the two two are so big that I’ll have lobster meat for day!
And those lobsters saved the day! I can’t hike, but I can eat a fabulous dinner! I’m a happy woman!
