A Few Days In Kennebunk

Our return trip starts tomorrow. Today we got off to a slow start. In fact, every day we've been here we got off to a slow start because this is a vacation. And on a vacation you sometimes treat yourself, right? So we went to a Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream shop for some of their offerings. We found these signs on the door ... It reads like a Quebec sign telling you when you can turn right on red. So much for that idea. But treats were also being sold at a quaint store around the corner, so we walked over there. We found this sign in the window ... You guessed it. The place was closed. So we settled for a Tic Tac from Carol's supply and began our exploration of Ocean Avenue. A very beautiful area. Did I already mention I like New England houses? Here's another example of what I mean ... Among the houses along this stretch of coastline is one belonging to the Bush family, of US Presidential notability. A modest parking spot is provided at a distance so one can stop and gaz...

 This morning we were up, dressed in our best, and off to the local Kingdom Hall for the Sunday meeting which started at 9:30am. A congregation of about 80 publishers, they had a very pleasant meeting and I was called on twice to comment. Afterwards we chatted with various brothers and sisters. One brother introduced himself to me as Dan. I told him I had a brother also named Daniel. "Oh, my name is not Daniel," he said. "My name is spelled D-A-N-apostrophe-L, Dan'l, as in Dan'l Boone."    Got it. A photo of the Hall ... The design is not of the New England salt-box style but a very attractive structure all the same. Later we went to an antique village. Not sure if that's a correct name but it was a cluster of 6 or 7 antique shops offering an amazing variety of ... well, you just never know what curious things you might find. I kept my eye open for a figurine of an elephant. I found six different ones all made of glass. Who wants a see-through elephant? ...

It was mostly that - at Kennebunk Beach, the close one, only ten minutes away.  Last night I finally emailed out my list of scriptures for the woman I had a discussion with a few days ago. She wrote back thanking me, then she sent a second email with material from the Catholic Church about why they believe hell to be a place of fire and torment. Her question was, "What about this?" I shall be pleased to respond. A short note about a visit to a men's room in Old Orchard Beach yesterday, and the curious installation of hand dryers: As the photo below shows, they are about 2-1/2 feet from the floor.  This is the perfect height for drying my knees. Not that this presented an insurmountable problem, but it was the first time I've dried my hands, in a public washroom, down on my haunches. The day at the beach today was the epitome of serenity and calm, wonderfully relaxing. Many people bring their dogs here and many people even have twin dogs, which has a charming look to i...

 A Visit to Old Orchard Beach ... among other things. Old Orchard Beach is a half hour from here. Since we don't recall ever seeing that place we drove off for a peek after brunch. The beach is a long stretch of agreeable beige sand and the weather did a beautiful job of imitating summer. Beach population was sparse due to being off-season, so all that was a bonus. Here is a view of the pier ... As for Old Orchard Beach, the town, particularly in the neighbourhood near the beach, I can sum up my general impression in one short word:  no. After a couple of hours sunning ourselves on the beach and walking a distance through inches of the Atlantic we started back toward Kennebunk, planning on visiting along the way a couple of huge buildings we'd seen. They were close together, and both filled with an enormous variety of antiques for sale. The photo above gives you the general idea. What frequently caught my eye were very well made statuettes of horses, some in plaster, some in m...

After a leisurely morning in our rented apartment we drove off to explore. Ogunquit and Wells Beach are not far away so we trailed along Route 1 that takes us through the local main streets. At one point I decided to switch on our GPS and pulled into a parking lot to do so. As serendipity would have it, we had stopped at a used book store. This one had books galore and  I could have browsed for hours. But it was a warm and sunny day, unmistakably created for being outside. If sometime we have a rainy day I'll go back. I spoke with an older gentleman manning the bookstore cash register. He was the owner and a Canadian, born in New Brunswick. Years ago he bought a few tons of books at an auction thinking he'd prosper in the bookstore business. He had way too many books for his building. He bought another one, further along the road, and opened a second bookstore there. These two properties are now worth a lot of money. He said, "I've prospered far more in the real estate...

Carol and I arrived at our accommodations yesterday afternoon after a chance meeting, at a highway rest area, with an old friend I hadn't seen since 1981 during a road trip to the western USA. He's a conscientious fellow but a little stiff. We had a seafood supper at a restaurant called "Duffy's." And right next to Duffy's is a waterfall with a dead tree stuck in it ... Today we drove down to the closest beach, 10 minutes away, and walked along the sand enjoying the splash of the surf, a sky full of sunshine, and the sight a water horizon. We made our return trip along the raised, paved sidewalk seen on the right and yes, we took a rest on one of the many park benches stationed there. Soon an older lady, accompanied by a young man, walked by us and the lady gave me a card. On it was handwritten "1 Chronicles 22:13. 'Do not be dismayed.'" I said, "Oh, this looks like you might be a Bible student." She said, "I'm doing the Lo...