August 5, 2014

Fort Point

With the boys in mind, our side trips are purposely short.  A lighthouse and boat lover at heart, Michael finds one of the former nearby, Fort Point, with the Penobscot Marine Museum in Searsport on the books for the afternoon. Here’s hoping Kevin and Owen are prepared to endure a days worth of adult entertainment.

As Mike drives down the turning twisted country roads leading to Fort Point State Park, Heather and I try to determine where we can have a kid friendly lunch to make up for the museum to come. Driving through a seeming wilderness when it comes to restaurants we pass one called Just Barb’s.  I do the Trip Advisor thing on my phone.  People either love it or hate it.  Convenient to our route, we are hoping we will be five who love it after our lighthouse expedition is at an end.

Walking around the fenced lighthouse we find signs that say Private; our adventurous spirits are successfully dashed .  Short and squat in comparison to many others, Maine lighthouses seem like a painless climb–I’m almost disappointed. However, being situated in a state park there are trails to explore.  We follow Kevin and Owen’s lead  down a path to the sea. 

The tide is conveniently out, uncovering a plethora of small flat stones. The bay is satin.  Mike picks up a small smooth rock and skips his stone across the water.  Heather follows his lead.  Soon the family, minus me, are having a rock skipping contest.  Me, I’m sitting on the damp dirty stones in my clean white pants inhaling the day.

Just Barb’s

Just Barb’s is a hit with all for the family, except for Heather. She has been concentrating on the healthiest items in every restaurant and grocery store.  Here her healthiest choice is a hot dog with fries.  Mike and I are happy; prices are several levels below reasonable, servings are abundant, and my fried shrimp are so lightly battered and crisp they are on the verge of tempura.

Penobscot Marine Museum

I have worried, needlessly, that the boys will be totally bored at the Penobscot Marine Museum, not even considering that the opposite might be true.  This is one kid-friendly place. The gift shop lures with pirate paraphernalia. The first thing they grab is a shiny curved plastic sword; at the Fort it was a gun.  Heather says, “No,” before they even open their mouths to ask. Spread over several houses and various buildings in downtown Searsport, even the portions of the museum not geared to kids catch their fascination and imagination.

We walk into a room of photographs of sea captains that lived and served in Searsport.  We discover too that many times their wives also went to sea, even giving birth to a brood of children on ship.  Kevin can’t believe what he is seeing.

“That’s a woman?”

Some of them do look a bit rough.

We walk on to a portion of the museum which seems like total nothingness to me, but catches the imagination of the youngest among us. Loving costumes forever he is into the action and plays the part of a lighthouse keeper well.

Michael has disappeared.

Lighthouse Keeper’s Log 

Walking in and out of buildings and various marine displays we find a picnic table in the shade.  Michael having reappeared, we both decide it is not a bad place to be and plop our bodies down. 

We linger too long–too long for rambunctious kids anyway.  Our group of five is down to two.  We begin scouting buildings.  We find a haven of imagination. Lobstermen at work. Friends.