My Trip to OOB

It’s gloomy today and I don’t have any news to share with you, so I thought I’d take you to the Maine Coast with Mom and me. We went last fall to Biddeford to see our friend Sandra who grew up with my brothers and me. We got a room in a motel in Saco, just up the road.

Sandra had left me an email just before we left, stating that she would be in OOB that day, and we could call her there. That was a mystery, but whatever! We called her and went out to dinner with Sandra and her handsome son. Seafood, of course! I finally asked her about OOB. Silly me, that’s what she calls Old Orchard Beach!

Saturday we got up early and Sandra took us riding in her car. I had seen a very intriguing picture that a friend had taken at OOB and wanted to get some pictures myself. I loved it there off season! The amusement park was closed up, as was the boardwalk. I found them both to be especially intriguing in this state. No crowds and cotton candy. No noise, no shoving. Just us, seagulls and a stiff wind.

The weather started much like today--cloudy and drizzly in the morning and clearing up when we finally got to Portland Head Lighthouse. I say finally, because we got lost and went back to the same intersection and started again at least 3 times! Sandra was mortified that she kept losing us, but we spent the afternoon laughing at ourselves and had a great time.

The lighthouse is beautiful and historic. It is on the site of an old fort from the Revolutionary War era. There is notice of a wrecked ship just off the shore there. It probably hit the rocks the Maine coast is notorious for. The rocks make up the rugged shoreline that you see on calendars and postcards. I could stand for hours watching the waves crash up on the rocks and the seagulls reeling in the wind. As you can see from the slide show I did!

Mom and I split a “lazy lobster” dinner that night. Lazy lobster is chunks of lobster meat already shelled and prepared. Dipped in melted butter with simple side dishes of coleslaw and French fries. A treat seldom afforded with my meager paycheck!

I wanted to see OOB again in the evening light, so we drove around a bit, and took even more pictures at OOB and the lighthouse,  Back at our motel we slept very well.  On Sunday, we got an early start and stopped to shop the outlet stores in Kittery. They call them outlets, but very few are. Most are higher-end retail stores. No great deals there, I’m afraid, but I found some wonderful fuzzy pajamas and a pretty ¾ sleeve shirt.

We had a great time, made some discoveries, found some treasures and got good pictures--A good weekend haul! It was also fun to reconnect with our old friends and tell and retell the stories of our pasts! Check out the slideshow on the right for more pictures of OOB and the Portland Head Lighthouse.