GoodBye Emily

It is hard to believe this is the last week of August. We must say Good Bye to Emily, she is back to her Senior Year in College. We hope that she comes back to us full time next Summer.I did not have to make the girls lunch today because we celebrated Emily's last day with TakeOut and even her Mom came. The kids here start school on Monday. Danny in First Grade, Josh in Nursery School and Terrence 1 day a week at Time for Two's.

We had some unbelievable Storm Surge from Hurricane Bill on Sunday. There was more traffic at Lands End than I have seen in a long time watching the surf. More than 12 people got swept away by a Rogue Wave at Acadia National Park when they were to close to the edge and a poor 7 year old girl died. If it wasn't bad enough for the Lobstermen they continued to lose traps from the storm. One fisherman in Penobscot Bay lost 120 traps. Now it looks like Saturday we will have a little rain from Tropical Storm Danny.

Sue just told me that another Yacht went by the window headed for Cooks. This one is about 80ft and has a Blue Hull. She will be happy to know that I was working and therefore did not get a photo. What I do have is a photo (above) of a gift from the O'Hara's one for each of us. I thought the Santa Claus Suit was the strangest gift of the year but this ranks right up there. I am going to read off the label from the spoon because even I can't give it a good description. "Pennsylvania Dutch Bean Spoon" Directions: Place Spoon in pot while cooking any kind of beans. Do not remove Spoon,it will help take the gas out of the beans. The little farts will climb the ladder and jump over the side. OKKKK so I am not making this up. The Newcombs brought us some Homemade Chocolate Sauce and I just may stir it up with my new wooden spoon.

This week we have been very busy in the Dining Room,lots of people eating and that is what we like. I picked some lettuce, cherry tomato's,rosemary,cucumbers and parsley for Dinner tonight. Speaking of Dinner I am making a pistachio crusted Wild Salmon.

The answer to last weeks poll is Massachusetts which 46% of you guessed right. The next most popular State is NH and then NY. Speaking of MA rest in peace Ted Kennedy.
Our schedule is changing now so I will have to do my blogs on Saturday. Just in case I really have any followers start looking for me on Saturday's.

Alicia

Dahlia's

I realize the Men are saying what's with the Flowers bring back the Yachts. The flowers are such a trademark of the Inn I figured they deserved some credit. The Large Yellow Flower is a Dahlia which is a tuber. They are dug up in the Fall and stored in a dry cool place and we replant them again toward the end of May. Once the blossoms are cut the flower will re bloom and we have some awesome dahlia's til first frost. I Love these so much that I had Sue grow all Dahlia's for our Wedding 7 years ago. No these tubers are not 7 years old...Sue doesn't have that much patience. The other small vase Sue gave me many years ago for a Birthday present and I make her refill it each week with new flowers. Even though she didn't mention me as a great friend in her blog we are.

I am still complaining about the low price of lobsters and urge everyone to eat Maine Lobster. This week the Chef at Bowdoin College hosted a special Lobster Luncheon to help out. In addition to the luncheon they were also selling live or steamed lobsters to go for $5 a piece. They sold over 250 at this special.
This Saturday night is a Shore Dinner Fundraiser for the Fishing Families of Harpswell. This is their main fundraiser to benefit the Harpswell Community Scholarship Fund. Last year they awarded $7,500 to local students. Of course this is another thing I am making desserts for. On Sunday we also have the Old Fashioned Picnic at the Orrs-Bailey Island Yacht Club. All proceeds will benefit the Mid Coast Hunger Prevention.

The heat of Summer has finally arrived. The past few days we have seen temps toward the 90's. Even with our sea breeze it has been Hot. Just imagine how many extra pool towels we have to wash. I think we may get a break this weekend. With the 90 deg temps I was in the kitchen today making the girls Eggplant Parm with prosciutto and leeks, accompanied by an avocado and onion salad with fresh lettuce from the garden.

Congrats to all who guessed Sue's age right, 65% voted on 59. She will be 59 in October and she is very happy at the 20% who voted for 29. We still have some openings the first week in September so come for a quick getaway and have some homemade ice cream.

Alicia

Windjammers and Yachts

Wow what a Summer for Yachts and Windjammers on Merriconeag Sound. I can't recall a Summer that we have seen so many Big Yachts anchoring in Stovers Cove. As many of you know this interests me because I spent about 13 years crewing on a Yacht as Chef and first mate with my husband. My husband, Jon actually is still a Yacht Captain on an 80ft boat based out of Kennebunkport in the Summer and Key Largo in the Winter. That is why Terrence and I have a nice Winter vacation in Florida. I wasn't quick enough to get a closer photo of the Yacht above but I would guess it is about 130ft and it is 3 stories high. Earlier in the week we had a 180ft Yacht anchored at Stovers Cove owned by a banker from Scotland. I know just the 130ft boat would easily cost $20 million. The fuel alone and crew expense is unbelievable.
Maine has some wonderful Schooner Trips that leave form the Rockland/ Camden area and do the Penobscot Bay Region. This area is a must see if you dare venture away from Bailey Island.

On the Inn front I got an interesting call from one of the room guests at 7:30am that they did not have any Hot water. I went over to check the tank and yup it was burst and spilling water all over the ground. So Thank You to the 3 rooms that bared with us while we replaced the water tank. Also we got a brand new bed in the Casco Bay Room so come try that out. Matt was fasting for about 1 hr today in preparation for the Topsham Fair and all that Carnival Food. He said he goes to take the kids on the rides but I know the real reason is the Sausage Sub and Fried Dough. Speaking of Food I made Sue and Emily a Summer Squash Casserole for lunch today with Shrimp and Artichoke Quesadia. Sue will be some sorry when we change the schedule in the Fall and we are not on the same shift.

Thank you to the Hanson's for our awesome Lake Champlain Chocolates as I am literally eating the last one. Also the Lemonicks for the great Chocolate covered Blueberry's from LL Bean. You see a Chocolate theme going on here.

One last note Congratulations to all of you who took part in my pole last week. Only 50% got it right. We have been an Inn 14 years!!! Sue is going to kill me with this weeks poll.

All the best Alicia

Camera

I have been bugging Sue for awhile now that we needed a camera at the Inn. Every time something funny happens that I want to show on my blog no one has a camera here. Last week Matt had the Gator Tractor with the BushHog trimmer on the back and he was trimming the hedges on the waterside of the lawn. Next thing you know he is inside looking for a tow rope. The bushhog was down over the embankment and the Gator was stuck. Matt was able to back the truck up to the handicap spot, and then tie the tow rope on. Then Matt got in the gator and I got in Matt's truck and we towed it out of the bushes. This is when I wish I had the camera. An hour later Sue had gone to Brunswick and came back with a new digital camera. This is of course something I have to figure out. She also came back with a video camera which I can figure out how to run but seem to be having trouble actually getting it transferred. So next time we have a computer geek guest come maybe they can do it.

August has actually brought us some warm weather finally. Hence my pictures of the kids in the pool. Danny is on the right bottom and Josh on the Left. Then Terrence is in the photo on the top. It will be nice come the day when I do not have to go in the pool with him. I have a hodgepodge of stuff to say... Another Lobster War started in Owls Head, vandalism and a boat sinking check it out at www.knox.villagesoup.com. I do continue eat lobster as much as I can and hope they stop fighting. Today is the Orrs Island Book Sale, this is one of the Harpswell's Biggest Events of the year. When I came to work there were about 40 cars in line 1/2hr before it opened. They sell both new and used books, CD's, DVD's and a great selection of Children's Stuff. There is also a bake sale (which they hit Aimee and I up for)and library clothing. They are planning for the expansion of the library this year. They have a great section in the back with free computer use and WI Fi. We even have regular guests that are library card holders. So next time you come check out our library.

In keeping with Sue's request for a different vegetable for lunch each week, today we had Bok Choy. I made a Chicken and Peanut Stirfry. Then I had to stock up on some Seafood Sauce and Crab Melts. Now I am headed in to see what kind of Ice Cream to make..I think Caramel Pecan.

Have a great week everyone.

Life long friends

This past weekend my very good friend , Deb and her beau, Ray came to visit. We have been the best of friends since we were 10 years old. Not to give my age away, but that is for 48 years!!! (This is Sue by the way--not Alicia)

If you have been following the blog, you know that the weather has been horrible this year. The prediction for the weekend was "iffy". But, the good Lord must have decided that Deb needed a nice, fun, sunny day. That is just what we got on Saturday, the day of this picture. We had a lobster bake and visited with friends and family.

Debs beau, Ray, I have also known since age 15--when they dated in high school. Their lives went separate ways for many years, but they have reconnected once again, all these years later. This is very exciting for me because Ray is a great guy and Deb will be very happy.

This week Neal and I will drive over to New Hampshire to see Debs parents, who are my "second" parents. They are the nicest people in the world! They also love lobster so we will of course bring some along.

Friends are a real blessing. To have a great friend for 48 years is a priceless gift.

Thanks to all of our friends!! Sue

Harpswell Festival

Hi All..if you are thinking that my blog is late it is.. but that is only because I did do it Wed and now it is somewhere in Cyberspace. So just think of today as Wed.

This weekend Harpswell is celebrating its own Festival. It will be held Sat the 25th and Sun the 26th. It is a great venue for non profit organizations and Business to promote their causes,products and services. Aimee is heading up the Nursery School Raffle with Grand Prize a night at the Log Cabin. My sister has the Flamingo Table fundraiser for the Elementary Swim Program. The Fireworks will be Sat night and a Big Parade ( yes dogs included) on Sunday. Last year over 5,000 people attended, best part the parking and admission is free. Actually the best part is the food. Last year I entered the Pie Contest.

Another thing we all ( actually Matt)looks forward to is the 71st Annual Bailey Island Tuna and Sportfishing Tournament. This is the longest continuous tournament on the East Coast. In recent years the Tuna have been scare so they have focused a lot on Striped Bass, Mackerel, and BlueFish. They have a great program for the kids and they give out a lot of prizes that keep the kids happy. This year there actually has been some Tuna caught. Typically this is the week for fog.. but now that the rain is back it is keeping the fog away.

I was busy cooking today, lobster newburg, seafood lasagna, key lime pie, yummy salad. Also lunch for Sue, Emily and I roasted tomato, goat cheese, and pesto sandwich's with a yummy Rainbow Swiss Chard on the side.

Thanks Marcia for making us the awesome gift cards and ceramic coasters. The Sea Shell Mirror is something we will look at every day.

Have a great week everyone. Alicia

Lobsters

Guess what everyone the sun is out, people are in the pool and I am not complaining of the rain, Yeah ! I am very excited that Lobster Season has arrived. The Lobstermen are out fishing in the Bay right in front of the Inn. You can even see the different color buoys that each lobster man has. The good news is that the price of Lobster is Very low right now. One of the local seafood stores is selling the 1 lb lobsters for $2.99lb. For $3.99 lb you can get them a little larger. It is cheaper to eat lobster than Hotdogs. The bad new is that the Lobster Men are only getting paid $2.50 or so from the dealers for their catch. What with the rising cost of fuel, bait and other expenses it is really a tough time for the Lobster Men to break even. So please the next time you are thinking of a real yummy meal pick up a few lobsters and think of Maine..or better yet come to the Log Cabin and I will cook you up some.

I would like to thank Doreen for bringing us some of her homemade Baklava. Then to Marcia for my stuffed pink flamingo, at least I know someone is reading my blog. We still have a few openings left for this Summer, looking forward to seeing you all.

Alicia