Portland

On Sunday, July 24, we left our “borrowed” mooring in order to arrive at the DiMillo’s Marina in Portland. Since it costs about $90 to stay at a marina overnight, we maximized our time by arriving around 8:00 to use the showers and laundry facilities. After getting our chores done, we headed to the Maine Mall in order to get our cell phone situation sorted. Since I am going back to Houston, Jared needed a cell phone for the remainder of the trip. It was a quick stop since we had a lot of other things we wanted to see in Portland. After rushing in between cell phone stores and getting new cell phones, we took a taxi back to the downtown area.

Our first stop was the Henry Wadsworth-Longfellow home (picture above). Built in the late 1700s, this was Henry’s childhood home that has survived many centuries. Members of his family continuously occupied the home. His sister donated the home to the Maine Historical Society in 1901 when she passed away, and all the furniture and decorations are original. She lived in the house until her death and even continued to use the outdoor plumbing when she was 90-years old! It honestly felt like we were stepping back into time when we entered the house. The children’s old rocking horse, now battered and used, was still standing in the entrance.

Here is a picture of the Portland City Hall:

After our history lesson, we decided to partake in some beer sampling at the Shipyard Brewery. This FREE tour allowed us to view the bottling process and sample about 10 different kinds of beer (my favorite being the Sea Dog Blueberry Beer). Our tour guide, Hannah, was full of beer knowledge, and we learned all about the brewing industry. It was definitely worth the walk!

Since it was my last night in Maine, Jared and I decided to celebrate our 3-year wedding anniversary by going to DiMillo’s floating restaurant. This restaurant, which is attached the marina, used to be a ferry servicing the New England coast. It was decorated with all of our favorite sailing memorabilia. We indulged in clam chowder, steamed clams, champagne, blueberry cobbler, and of course, lobsters. It was a perfect way to celebrate our anniversary and our last night of the boat trip together.

Monday, July 25 was a sad day. I had to leave the sailboat trip in order to start my new adventure as a high school counselor. Before I left for the airport, Jared and I had lobster rolls at the local fishing dock one last time. We will definitely miss the amazing seafood (I think I blogged about it enough to convince you haha)! Jared and Morgan waived good-bye as I headed to the Portland Airport. As the plane flew over the harbor, I was able to see Jared and Morgan below, sailing up the coast towards their new destination.