The Last Leaf Fell

I didn't realize how much I would dread the end of fall before I moved to Maine. The Camden Windward House Bed and Breakfast is an acre in- town property that has lots of trees. I kept asking my husband to go out and rake the leaves but he said - "I'm not doing anything until the last leaf falls." Yesterday November 20th 2007 - the last leaf fell and my husband spent the whole day cleaning up the yard. The yard looks awesome now, everything is dead but it looks so clean.
Now that the leaves are cleaned up it is time to decorate for Christmas. Oddly enough, the town of Camden noticed the last leaf fell yesterday also. The town trucks were out and the work men were busy hanging the Christmas wreaths on the light posts and decorating with twinkle lights. The coastal village looks so quaint this time of year. Almost like a Norman Rockwell picture. The Festival of Lights Celebration is this weekend in Rockland Maine and Christmas By The Sea is the weekend after that, November 30th , December 1st and 2nd. The Inns in Camden have a wonderful Christmas Tea and Inn Tour that weekend here in Camden. The Opera House has a great performance of The Nutcracker and Santa arrives by Lobster Boat.
I wonder if my husband will have a cute answer when I ask my him to clean up all the Christmas and Holiday lights and decorations. I can hear it now, "I'm not going out there until the last snow flake falls. "

Will the Little Old Lady Dance?

I read a review recently that likened Camden Maine to a nicely kept little old lady. Which strangely enough, I agree with. There is a kind of respect for such a person. The title of this blog entry is in reference to Camden Maine and the conversation that I had with a guest today at breakfast. We were discussing the changing face of Camden, which is a common topic around here, and where the future of Camden is. Among many things that were discussed over coffee, one was the upcoming event being sponsored by the Camden Harbour Inn - Weekend with Edie. I think it is fantastic. Weekend with Edie is a dinner and show that features a drag queen (Edie). This is not a typical show to be seen in Camden Maine. It will be interesting to see if the community supports the show (dances) or blushes and turns a polite cheek. The Camden Windward House is doing a special around this weekend, because a dancing old lady is fun and funny.
Spend the evening at the Camden Windward House and we will provide you with discounted tickets to the dinner and show. Saturday November 17th 2007.

The Leaves Are Beautiful - Where is Everybody?

The leaves in Camden Maine are in full peak color this week, October 21 - October 28th. The colors are fantastic. As innkeepers we try to predict when the leaves will peak so that we can help guests make their vacation plans. We predicted the 2nd week in October - I guess we were 1 week off - not too bad, but we don't have any guests to see the leaves. The last 2 weeks in October are usually a slower time here in Camden. The Pop tech conference (which is the 2nd week in October) left and the 600 people that came for it - left also. If you have a minute and want to see some awesome color and have a great Inn and town to yourself, come to the Camden Windward House.

southern Hospitality?

Someone accused me of Southern Hospitality. In our rooms we have a little book that we welcome our guests to write a message about their stay. In one of our rooms at the Camden Windward House, someone wrote "great stay - and thank you for your Southern Hospitality". I do not know if perhaps these people were from Canada, where we would be seen as southern, but I don't think they were. I truly think they meant this as a sincere term of endearment and compliment. When you come to the Inn, it is my pleasure to make your stay as comfortable as possible. I am sorry that Northerners are not seen as hospitable, as I am as northern as they come. I grew up in New York and speak Staten Island-ese, a special dialect of English - that only people in Staten Island speak.
I took this comment as a compliment because just the other day we had a true southern bell at the Inn and believe it or not, she asked to help me with the dishes. I almost fell over because she was so sweet, and her accent was so charming. I did not let her do the dishes but she made me smile because the Southern Hospitality she showed me at my Inn.

The Aussie and the Animal Communicator

We are getting ready for high season, and have very little time. The house painting is behind schedule. Late spring early summer are really special times here, and we have had some absolutely amazing weather. Just look at this picture of the lillacs, and also the baskets that one of our guests helped us pick out.

We had a return guest from last year, a sailor from Australia. He's a sun and wind bleached trim fellow, hard working and fast talking, and immensely practical. He doesn't have too much time for frivolities, mostly while he's here he takes apart and puts back together his entire sail boat for racing season, takes a break now and then for cigarettes, and has a few beers at the end of the day.

I decided to take him to Barley Joe's green house to help me pick out some hanging flower baskets.

I said, why don't we divide and conquer, you go that way, and I will work on these herbs and flowers for the cutting garden.

It wasn't long before I noticed he was intent upon conversation with a well dressed, slender and dignified older woman with neat short hair. I walked over to see what progress he was making.

He was examining a wave petunia basket from underneath, as if inspecting its hull.

"This lady seems to know an awful lot about this stuff and she's been really helpful."

The woman smiled coyly and gave our sailor a look with her very blue eyes.

"Are you his employer?" she asked me. "The plants here are so beautiful, and" she says "the woman is an animal communicator."

"What's that?" says the Aussie sailor.

"My cat had some trouble a little while back, just before my partner and I were planning on a trip to Machu Pichu... I wasn't sure I should go."

"What - had puss been watching too much cat t.v. or something?"

"No." she said, "It wasn't that at all.. you see..." and as the woman began to explain the complexities of her cat's emotional troubles, and their diagnosis and treatment by the animal communicator, -, a treatment that took place over the phone no less (because the animal communicator had actually met the cat in person before) I watched as my guest's face turned from suspended disbelief, like he was waiting for the punch line, to indignation as in "she's having me on" to, "no really, she's serious", to "that lady is f!@#ing nuts!" Which he actually exclaimed aloud, along with a few more saltycomments, both to, before and about the lady, in his brand of english so fast I am pretty sure only I under stood him, and only because I had been talking to him over the last few days.

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.