Camden Maine loves dogs

When I moved to Camden Maine, I felt it imperative to get a dog. Everyone had a dog and and having a dog meant meeting everyone. Last year there were 602 dogs registered in Camden. The town is only 18.5 miles long with 5, 400 residents (probably a little less that half of those residents are not year round). This meaning that there are 33 dogs every mile in Camden. Downtown has 3 stores dedicated to pampering the pooch. Most of the dogs in town are full breed dogs. Really fine animals, nicely groomed and a pleasure to see.

The dog I chose to get was a labadoodle. I own an Inn (Camden Windward House)and it is important to have a good dog as well as a "clean" dog. I certainly chose the right breed for us, because she is a wonderful creature. Her name is Moxie. Most people in town know her name, but still many do not know my name. My children over the winter have been training Moxie to enter her into the Windjammer dog show in September. We have discussed what kind of costume she should wear and which one of the children should be her master at the show. I was hesitant to enter Moxie last year because the sign said "good dogs may apply" at that time Moxie was still a pup and we didn't know what she would do around a big crowd. The children are still debating whether she will be dressed as a belted Galloway cow (belted -doodle) or a lobster. We are working on the tricks of stick'em up and holding a treat on her nose. I certainly think Moxie and her selected child master for the day will steal the show at Windjammer Weekend.

Camden and Ice Cream

This winter Haggan Daz had a contest for the new ice cream flavor. I myself love ice cream, as do my children. Camden Maine has 3 ice cream stands and New England is the ice cream vacation place. Every little village and town along the coast of New England has quaint ice cream shops or stands. There is a store in Bar Harbour that sells Lobster Ice Cream, they say the taste is disconcerting, but thousands each year feel compelled to buy it. This contest caught my attention and in my spare time I would dream up ice cream flavors. My children would often be my sound boards & tasters for my ideas and they were always supportive of my ideas. My first creation, which I tagged as "Camden Cream" was an interesting mixture. I wanted to mix elements of our coastal village and create a cream that screamed Camden. I went to Maine Gold to look for ideas. Since there are so many creams already out there, I had to push to be different. I bought a bottle of Maine Gold's cranberry chutney with walnuts (sounds good doesn't it?). To me this was going to bring color, flavor and original ingredients. My husband could only say "Isn't chutney what you put on pork?" I did not let his doubt deter me from the ultimate Camden Cream. I made a vanilla ice cream from scratch, added my chutney and froze. The next day I let my assistants have a taste. As you may have guested, no one, not even our labradoodle dog liked it. It tasted like it should be on pork, not mixed with cream. Try 1 shot down. I have to say that experience has deterred me a little in my quest to make the best Camden Cream. Although I do from time to time try to think up new ingredients for my Cream. The contest has closed and I think Sarah Moultin is deciding between 3 flavors for the new Haggan Daz flavor. Needless to say, non of those flavors include lobster or chutney.

New Wedding Venue in Camden

There is a great new website in Camden Maine that is dedicated to helping brides choose Camden Maine as a venue for their wedding weekend destination wedding. This site that outlines the finer points of Camden very nicely is www.mycamdenwedding.com.

Cold Cold Winter in Maine

The weather started to get warmer last week but this week we are back below zero degrees. Believe it or not, I saw a girl today at the gas station filling up her car and she had no jacket on and her hair was wet. She did not even look cold. The temperature on my car thermometer read 2 degrees. It is hard now to imagine the schooners in the harbor and people hiking up Mt. Battie. The children do not go in the playgrounds and recess is held in the gyms because it is too cold to go outside. The Mid Coast Magnet Group, the group of young professionals in the area, held a meeting last week at one of the bars in town and in the email invitation it said, get out of the house and into the light, that's right I called you pasty ! Everyone is ready for a little sun and fun again here in Camden Maine. The ducks seem to be the only ones that are still content. I was in the Camden Deli last month and witnessed the mating ritual of the ducks right in front of the big window overlooking the waterfall. As we were getting our dose of nature, right in front of our eyes while eating our lunch, someone was throwing bread crumbs out a top floor window to the ducks. So - the duck were mating and eating, what's better than that in the bitter cold months in Maine.

Brides coming to Maine

At the Inn we get many calls to host weddings here. Many lucky beaus must have proposed over the Christmas holiday because the Camden Windward House has received many inquiries about using the Inn as the place to celebrate their wedding next year and even looking for 2008 dates. The Inn is a great place to have a downeast family wedding. The Inn is on an acre lot in - town. The Inn is walking distance to all there is to do in Camden Maine. The house has that historic feel but has all modern amenities. Every room has air conditioning, TVs, private bathrooms, some with Jacuzzis and claw foot tubs. I like to think that Camden is a unique place because it does not have the bells and whistles of a fluorescent-lighted town. It does not have the high rise buildings and impersonal catering halls. It is a beautiful harbor town where the mountains meet the sea. Lots of nature trails, Schooner day sailing, fishing, swimming in lakes, swimming on small beaches and reading in a library that overlooks everything and is called the castle of dreams by the local children. All of these things makes having a wedding fun for the bride and the guests. It is an event that is more than a couple of hours, but a fun weekend.

Camden Maine in the Winter

The Harbor in Camden looks quiet to the local or passer by. The windjammers and schooners are wrapped in protective white covering so they are not damaged by the cold and wind. The water however in the harbor is not frozen. The ducks still come around and look for tourists. The waterfall still runs and I anxiously await the return of the eels. The fisherman will be putting out their nets to try to catch the teeny tiny eels as they try to migrate up the waterfall. The fisherman can be seen sitting in anticipation of the prize. The seals can also be seen swimming around looking to see if anyone is looking for them. Many come to Camden and Rockport looking for seals because of the (true)legend of Andre the Seal. Yes, the harbor looks quiet and unbusy but the true workers of the harbor, the ducks, seals, eels, and fisherman are still here and in full force making the harbor a working winter harbor and a wonderland. The Camden Windward House looks quiet and empty also to all that pass. Inside repainting, decorating, cooking, baking, relaxing is happening. From time to time a traveler will appear at the door and be welcomed into the warm comfortable Inn. It doesn' t take long before the traveler discovers that Camden in the winter is a wonderful place. A quiet inn and a wonderful working harbor make for a great getaway. The Inn is also 1 block from the Mr. Battie Trail were a fun .5 mile hike can work off any holiday stresses.