165 Congress Street in Portland is a John Calvin Stevens building. Stevens (1855-1940) was Portland’s most prolific architect. He was known for Shingle-style and Colonial Revival designs.
My son and I took a trip to Portland in July 2021, when he was a 20-year old college student. We rented an AirBnB in the historic Munjoy Hill neighborhood of Portland (which is where these cool indigo doors are located). We had a nice time walking around, eating, and shopping. We also went to the outlets in Freeport, Maine and got a bunch of clothes.
A lot of mothers say that it’s hard to stay close to adult sons once they get busy with their own families and careers. I hope that doesn’t happen to us. My son turns 25 next week. My baby. We’ve got a shopping trip planned for next Friday.
Good GOD I’ve taken a lot of photos of church doors over the years—especially for a Unitarian.
Here’s another one in the Protestant realm:
This is the entrance door of St. Ann’s Chapel in Kennebunkport, Maine, which has to be one of the most beautiful—perhaps THE most beautiful— seaside chapel in all of New England.
Built in the late 19th century (The Gilded Age), this church operates in summer only, when the well-heeled WASPy residents of Kennebunkport are in town (including the Bush Family).
What really got me was the OUTDOOR chapel with the sweeping views.
The rocky coast of Maine near the chapel
Nice view
Seriously, this chapel has the best New England location I’ve ever seen
As descendants of “peasants” from Italy, our ancestors were more likely to have hauled the rocks to build this church than to have ever visited it.
Multiple Bush family weddings have taken place here. They are longtime, generous supporters of the church and their compound—Walker’s Point—is close by. Not to get political, but I can’t believe I’ve lived to an age where I think of the Bush family with some fondness. Thirty-year old me would not have believed it! I’ll take Walker’s Point over Mar-a-Lago (and all it represents) any day of the week.
I just turned my house upside down looking for our “America the Beautiful” National Parks Annual Senior Pass that we bought last year to go to Yellowstone and Grand Tetons. It lets people 62+ get a whole car full of people into any national park for free. (It only costs $20, if you buy it in person.)
Good news! I found our pass in my husband’s wallet, even though he checked there himself. (Senior citizens cannot be trusted in these matters!) And even better, it’s good through September 30. So, I can book a post-Labor Day trip to one of our great national parks. I basically have to, right? I can’t let that Senior Pass go to waste!
I thought about Yosemite, because it’s such a wildly popular national park, especially for international travelers, but that’s a big commitment for people from the East Coast.
So, the national park I’ve most wanted to return to for many years (I haven’t been there since 1976) and that my husband has never been to is….
We’re getting pretty lousy weather for Memorial Day weekend—the kick-off of “summer” here in New England. It’s currently 43 degrees F and raining. My heat is running. (They’re saying it’s a slow moving Nor’easter.) Last weekend wasn’t much better.
I was in Portland (Maine) last Friday and Saturday. We saw some sun on Friday, but by Saturday the downtown was misty and chilly.
We could see the MSC Meraviglia, operated by Swiss/Italian MSC Cruises—the world’s third-largest cruise line—docked in downtown Portland, Maine last Friday from our hotel room window.
By Friday evening, the chilly mist had rolled in. It almost looked like part of the ship was on fire in the dark. There was a darker eerier blue/black mist coming from one section of it.
My friend Gail and I like to investigate mysteries we encounter on vacation. Here’s what we learned (but feel free to skip this part and go right to the food photos at the end):
The dark, smoky mist being emitted from the ships exhaust stacks was due to the ship’s use of exhaust gas cleaning systems, commonly known as “scrubbers,” during maintenance operations. The MSC Meraviglia was docked in Portland for emergency repairs, specifically to replace damaged propeller blades. Since the ship couldn’t return to a dry dock, dive teams conducted underwater repairs, utilizing hydraulic grinders to remove and replace the faulty blades. During this period, the ship operated its engines to power onboard systems, leading to the activation of its scrubbers. These systems are designed to reduce air pollutants by “washing” exhaust gases, but they can produce visible emissions, especially when the ship is stationary and undergoing maintenance. The emissions sparked concerns among local residents and environmental groups. While scrubbers reduce airborne pollutants, they can transfer contaminants to the water, potentially harming marine ecosystems. In response to over 50 complaints, city officials engaged with the ship’s captain, resulting in a switch to cleaner-burning fuel to mitigate the environmental impact. (It didn’t look much cleaner to me, but I didn’t see the smoke earlier in the week.)
This blog explains what was happening with the MSC Meraviglia and how some states (like California) ban scrubbers near the coastline.
Honestly, the cruise ship industry seems so environmentally harmful and disease-prone, I’m not quite sure why cruises are so popular.
We saw the MSC Meraviglia leave the harbor on Saturday, but another huge ship had pulled in. (At first, we thought the Meraviglia had just moved to a different spot, but then we saw it was the MS Zuiderdam.)
The MS Zuiderdam, operated by Holland America Line, was docked in Portland, Maine, as part of its 15-night “Atlantic Seaboard & Colonial New England cruise,” which began in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and ended in Quebec City, Canada.
PORTLAND FOOD
Given that the weather was bad, we abandoned plans to take the ferry to Peaks Island and decided to try as many of Portland’s popular eateries as possible. We ate our way through the Maine mist.
Maple bacon, honey lavender and toasted coconut donuts from The Holy Donut—made with Maine potatoes
We had fantastic service at Isa Bistro. I don’t even remember telling them it was Gail’s 60th birthday, but a lovely mango ice cream with candle appeared at the end of our delicious meal.
Not pictured, but highly recommended: Gelato Fiasco on Fore Street. The gelato is delicious and they also have great coffee and tea. They’ll even make you an affogato—a single or double espresso shot poured over gelato.
The Portland Observatory on Munjoy Hill
A dense fog on Casco Bay from the Eastern Promenade in Portland
Portland is less than two hours from Boston, so it’s not a bucket list destination for me. I’d been there before and I’m sure I’ll go there again at some point. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Portland in warm sunny weather though. It’s always misty and grey for me.
But hey, it’s Maine.
One final note: the city gives liberal/hipster vibes. I saw not one MAGA hat, shirt or sign, which is a major plus for me. In the 2024 U.S. presidential election, Kamala Harris won Portland with approximately 80.5% of the vote, while Donald Trump received about 15.6%. Good job Portland. I’ll be back.
I’m thankful that I got to have lobster (“lob-stah” – if you’re from around here) last night. I typically have one lobster dinner per summer, so I’m glad I got this one in before Labor Day—the unofficial end of summer.
Growing up in New England, I’ve eaten many, many lobsters. And yes, as a kid, I was extremely concerned about the seemingly cruel manner of death – by boiling. But once I had that delicious claw meat dipped in hot, melted butter, I got over it.
For those who have never had a lobster, the best ones are from the cold New England waters, especially Maine. (I made the mistake of ordering a lobster in Hawaii once. It was a totally different experience.) In my opinion, boiled lobster is best accompanied by a baked potato and either fresh corn or good coleslaw.
And if you’re a GenXer like me, you must recall a certain song, whenever lobster is served. (You know the one.)
![A logo for "50 Happens," [a site dedicated to Gen X women with children and grandchildren] [who embrace life's challenges with humor and resilience], [featuring a modern and uplifting design] [that embodies strength and positivity] [with an elegant and playful style] [and a harmonious blend of colors like pink, fuchsia, purple, and blue].](https://50happens.blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/img-5uorrxvwartomopcpuhjfjd0.png?w=300)
50 Happens 