Maine – Slow Lane Musings

The call of the sea

Imagine yourself, on a sunny day, sitting comfortably on a chair, a bench or a rock, with a gentle sea breeze blowing toward you. You are looking out to the horizon where the blue sea meets the blue sky, listening to the waves lapping on the sand or the rugged shore below you. You may start to feel relaxed and happy, just remembering and visualizing an experience you had of being by the sea.

Dr. Wallace J. Nichols, an American scientist and marine biologist coined the expression “blue mind” to describe that feeling of calm and general happiness triggered by the “dreamy state of involuntary attention” that is experienced beside the water.

Many years ago, when we lived in Ireland, we were never more than a short drive away from the sea. We went there often, sometimes just for an evening stroll on the beach. Where we are now, we have access to lovely lakes and rivers, and we are grateful for them. But there is something magical and enticing about the open sea.

Walking through history

When we visit a new city or town, we often walk by an interesting building that stands out from its surroundings. Sometimes, there is a plaque that identifies it as a “historical building.” If we are lucky, the plaque says a little bit more about its history or which famous person once lived there. There is rarely sufficient contextual information to capture our attention for very long. The background history is available somewhere, no doubt, if we had the time or the interest to look for it.

We visited many cities and towns in Maine for the first time this summer. Of those, three stand out in our minds: Augusta, Biddeford, and Wiscasset. This is because, in those locations, we were treated to a new and enjoyable experience called The Museum in the Streets. We found it by chance because it was not mentioned in our guidebook.

The Museum in the Streets is an innovative and permanent public installation along a designated heritage walk. Each town’s local history is brought to life through large, illustrated, and instructive panels. We had to find out more…

A jewel in Maine

A short but persuasive article in the Washington Post caught our attention recently. It was titled “Add some beauty to your summer travel with a trip to a garden.” In the article, the author shared her memories of being transported by the beauty and peacefulness of gardens she had visited. Although we personally tend to gravitate toward wild natural sites, we too enjoy a stroll through a lovely garden. This post is about one of them.

All gardeners can testify that every ornamental garden, big or small, has a story, and that story is a blend of love, patience, and steadfast labour. This is certainly the case for the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens (Gardens). The Gardens opened in 2007, after 16 years of dedicated effort by a small group of visionary community builders who not only conceived every aspect of the project but also made, we were told, a significant personal financial commitment to fund it.

Their foresight and patience were rewarded since the Gardens have become one of Maine’s major attractions, despite being situated a little bit off the beaten track, in the small town of Boothbay. The saying “if you build it, they will come,” associated with the movie Field of Dreams, surely applies to those beautiful gardens.