Some Memorial Day weekends ring in summer unmistakably – there’s that sunny energy in the air, the excitement of a vacation town reawakening to its busy season – and some whisper more quietly, nudging the idea of summer gently into the mind with the silent welcome of flowers and the slow bell-curve rise of temperatures during the day. We lucked out weather-wise this time, with the extra-long weekend being pleasantly sunny until our final day and a half. The flowers seemed to appreciate it, throwing off blooms in fantastic fashion.
While the sights were pretty enough, Ogunquit also has some amazing food and drink, and even during our rainiest weekends the highlights have always been the dinners. This time around we found excellent meals at the Old Village Inn, Walker’s, The Front Porch, and Caffé Prego. Being near the ocean has a way of making me even more hungry than usual.
And oh what a delight it is to be on the sea – to look over the Atlantic reaching all the way out to Europe and Africa – to feel the vastness of the world, and also to dwell upon its finite expanse. We are so far and we are so close. To step into the icy water and think that this same body of water is lapping upon another shore halfway around the world makes me feel connected to this place in ways I don’t always feel. It’s a sense of belonging somewhere – something that has too often eluded me over the years.
Our time here passes too quickly, but it is just enough to satiate us until next time. There’s a calm and contentment that has been shared which I will access on more troubling days. We are always better for having touched the sea.
For our final breakfast, a warm dish of Shakshuka is the ideal antidote to the downpour of rain.
Even the rain is prettier in Maine.
Until fall…
