Good Morning!
Did you miss us? We dashed off to Maine on Sunday to attend the funeral of our friend in York. We couldn't have asked for better weather, and in spite of the sad circumstances, for us it was particularly interesting to be there in May and find things so very busy. The weather has been kind to the beach area and beaches were busy when we arrived on Sunday afternoon.

On the way through Bretton Woods area, we came upon a long line of cars alongside the road. A young moose was trying to get some lunch in the brushy marsh area, and he looked like he could use a good meal! He was distracted by all the onlookers and finally gave it up and wandered back into the brush out of sight.

We stopped at Jonathan's, a small restaurant on Rt. 16 outside of Conway and our car thermometer was reading something like 81 degrees. As we continued through Rochester, N.H. and the into the Berwicks in Maine, it dropped slightly to the high 70's, but as we came closer to the coast, the temperature was suddenly in the 50's. We could see a dark fog bank over the water all along the shore. It was about 3 o'clock and there were some spots without fog, particularly along the beach areas, but the points of land jutting into the ocean were obscured by the fog.

The beach at Short Sands where our hotel was, was crowded with people, some in the water. At Long Beach where were surfers and more swimmers. We have never seen that many people around York in May. It was nearly as busy as mid-summer, when we never go there! However, everyone seemed to disappear Sunday evening and Monday was pretty normal, with only a few locals walking the beach or running along the paths.

On Sunday we took one of our favorite walks to the Nubble Lighthouse. From our hotel it is probably a little over a mile, and we have usually had to bundle up against the cold winds, but this time were were really hot. It was tempting to stop at Brown's Ice Cream Parlor, but we resisted, wanting to save our appetite for a nice seafood dinner a little later on at Cape Neddick Lobster Pound and Restaurant, a favorite spot.

The Nubble parking lot was packed and there were people everywhere. We went again before leaving the area on Monday, and there were only the usual three or four cars with people sipping coffee and reading their morning papers, apparently a favorite quiet place to go for their morning coffee. We had a nice breakfast at another favorite stop, Lobster Cove Restaurant, and then headed off to say goodbye for the last time to our dear friend, Polly, stopping for a moment at the little York Harbor beach where I used to play when I visited as a child.

There was a small group at the graveside service, all good friends of Polly and her late husband, Chester. We met people we'd heard her speak fondly of often, and found many were had been recipients of the Cabot cheese we used to bring to Polly when we visited in the fall. It was a congenial group - we all had stories to tell - but there was an undertone of sadness that our sometimes eccentric friend was gone. Someone will buy the lovely property with the little house she and Chester had purchased from Sears, Roebuck Company back in the 1940's, and it will all change. They'll tear it down or change it, and few will remember the love and care Chet and Polly gave it. They had no close relatives; but they had close friends. This is a picture of Polly and Chet's house. It is several miles from the bustle of the beaches, set in a wooded area overlooking York River in the distance. They loved this spot.

After the service, everyone met at "Norma's" where, at Polly's instructions, there was a nice luncheon for us. Typically, she had, several years earlier, made explicit instructions with the funeral director - another friend - even picking the person who would speak, a local veterinarian. Owen and his wife, Margaret, were both dear friends and Polly knew Owen would do a the job perfectly. She was right on with all the arrangements, and none of us was surprised.

We stopped briefly at Fred's brother Tom's in Laconia, N.H., and although Tom and Ellie urged us to stay for a meal, we were both tired and anxious to get home, so we continued on. We arrived home around 6 p.m. Woody was happy to see us, but I think we were happier to see him and to get home. We'd been awakened at the stroke of 6 a.m. by bulldozers on the beach across the road from our hotel, and that made a really long day for us with everything considered.

If you've made it this far reading the blog, here is a slide show of where we were in York:

Slides, York, Maine

Here's an announcement from Deb Stresing:

Weds. May 26th
DANVILLE COMMUNITY CLUB ANNUAL METING

6pm Potluck dinner, 7pm Business Meeting

at the West Danville Methodist Church

Bring a dish, bring a friend & help plan for summer 2010.

Membership $5 ind. , $10 family

PS The Beach gate will open Weds. May 26th.

I also want to mention that I'll be working with some of the ladies doing census taking around the pond. This is a particularly difficult area because so many places are seasonal, so I'll try to help them verify who is where. You may receive a phone call this week from one of the workers: Claudette Swett, Karen Moran, or Kim Merriam. I'm meeting Kim this afternoon.