DownEast Trip

7:00am this morning the telephone rings and I hurriedly jump out of bed. My husband is up and ready to start his day. His agenda included a trip to Machias area. Of course, as the lady of the house I had to make sure my work is done and house neat. So I scurry around and finally off we go by 8:30am. We had breakfast about 25 minutes away from home and then made our jaunt through all the little towns. It was a very quiet day and the scenery is so barren at this time of year. A highlight of our trip and always quite a site to come upon and cross the bridge at Bucksport. It is very impressive and something you might like to do if you come to Maine.

Penobscot Narrows Observatory Open May 1st - October 31st
A one minute ride on the fastest elevator in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont will take you to the top of the tallest public bridge-observatory in the world. The others are in China, Slovakia and Thailand. Just opened in May 2007, the observatory is already proving to be a popular attraction. The beauty of the Penobscot River and surrounding countryside is immediately apparent as the elevator door slides open to a dizzying view from 420 feet up. Ascend two more levels up to find 360 degrees views, complete with identification panels showing you how to locate nearby mountains, lakes and towns.

Then we were off to Machias where I found a quilt shop 'Gingham' and of course I had to stop for a 'few minutes' and make a purchase. This is the easternmost fabric shop in the whole U.S.A. and also as a guild member I get a discount. It is always fun to see the different shops and the fabric lines they carry for their particular clientele.

Pictures below are the inlets we passed. They are so quaint and peaceful looking. But these boats represent a lot of hard and dangerous work for the men that fish with them in all kinds of weather in the Atlantic Ocean.

The person my husband wanted to see was not home so we decided to go onto Calais an hour North of Machias. I had heard that the Marden's there carried a lot of fabric so wanted to check it out. The Canadian border is just a few feet from them. There are hundreds of bolts and everything is very neat and accessible. I got a couple yards of baby material and a piece that matches a teal/black quilt I want to make using BQ2 quilt pattern by Maple Island Quilts.

It was a very long day. From Machias to Ellsworth it rained very hard and was difficult driving. After leaving Ellsworth we looked up and the stars were out and then when we arrived in Augusta they had salted the roads because they had been icy. The saying goes, 'just wait the weather will change'. We did stop and eat at 'Barb's restaurant' a place where a group of quilters ate last week. Their lobster stew was scrumptuous. Arrived home at 9:00pm. It was long and tiring but a great day to get away and change the scenery. You always feel renewed afterwards.