40

Ken and I celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary yesterday.

I swear, if I didn't know for a fact that we were married on August 15, 1970, I'd guess we've been married 15 years or so. But nope, it's 40.

Since we spent our wedding night at the Snow Hill Motel, in Lincolnville, just up the road from Camden (with two elderly gentlemen sitting in the lawn chairs on the porch outside our room late into the night, exclaiming about the traffic "comin' up over the hill" on Route 1), we often go back to Camden on our anniversary.

We couldn't have chosen a prettier day to be there this year. As you can see from my photos, the sky was clear; what you can't see is that the temperature was just right.

I think Camden is my very favorite Maine coastal town. Maine has many pretty coastal towns: Kennebunkport, Ogunquit, Wiscasset, Boothbay Harbor, Rockport, Blue Hill, Bar Harbor...), but Camden is #1 on my list.

The plan yesterday was to arrive in Camden by late morning (It's a two-hour drive from our home.), visit some shops, sit on the public wharf and watch the harbor activity, then drive to the top of Mt. Battie in Camden Hills State Park for the spectacular view up and down the coast.

We went down to the wharf first, though, and our plans suddenly changed. As I ogled the many schooner and private yachts in the harbor, I mentioned casually, more to myself than to Ken, that sometime when we're in Camden, I'd like to take a boat cruise.

Ken got up, walked over to one of the schooner ticket sales tables, inquired about that ship's sailing schedule, came back to me, said "The Olad's next cruise is at 12:00 and there are two seats left. Want to do it?"

I actually hesitated for a minute, because this hadn't been part of the day's "agenda," but then I thought, what better time? What better weather?

Fifteen minutes later we were aboard the Olad, motoring out of the inner harbor before the first mate hoisted the sails and we were on our way.

It was a two-hour cruise among the islands in Penobscot Bay. We met several other sailboats, saw the Curtis Island Lighthouse, relaxed, and let the wind whip through our (thinning?) hair.

The captain and his first mate obviously enjoy their "job," if you want to call daily sailing trips a job. The first mate, Matthew, came to Maine originally to attend Bates College, graduated from there and went to San Francisco to work as a well-paid chemist. He hated that job because of the daily monotony, so this past spring he quit, applied to be first mate of the Olad, and loves what he's now doing.

The Olad was built in 1927, so she's no spring chicken. She's well taken care of, though. Each fall she's pulled from the water and every square inch of her is sanded and lacquered. This the captain does, and that part of schooner-ownership must surely be a job.

Once we got back to the harbor we drove to the top of Mt. Battie, then stopped for lobster rolls in Spruce Head, then fought the traffic on Route 1 all the way home.

It was a great day.