New England Travel | Hole In The Donut Cultural Travel

Maple Sugar Making at Sugarbush Farm in Central Vermont

Published February 21, 2009 | By Barbara Weibel

I’m thinking pancakes. It’s not my normal breakfast – most days I just scarf down some fruit and a cup of coffee. But pancakes have been calling to me lately. Perhaps it is a longing for simpler childhood days when Mom mixed up a batch of buttermilk batter and lured us out of bed with the delicious aroma of flapjacks sizzling on the griddle. Sometimes Mom threw in bananas or chocolate chips for variety. On occasion she got really creative and made pancakes with Mickey Mouse ears. Ah yes, my sisters and I were pancake gourmands. Or so I thought until I visited New England.

Quiet during the fall "leaf-peeping" season, the Sugar House roars to life every spring as the sap is boiled down to produce pure maple syrup

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Posted in New England travel |

Tagged cheese, maple trees, pancakes, photos, pure maple syrup, Sugarbush Farm, Travel, Vermont, woman, Woodstock |

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Wordless Wednesday

Published November 5, 2008 | By Barbara Weibel

Fall foliage at Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine

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Maple Sugar Making at Sugarbush Farm in Central Vermont

Posted in New England travel |

Tagged Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, fall foliage, leaf-peeping, Maine, Mount Desert Island |

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Midcoast Maine – From The Jewel Of Camden To The Sophistication Of Kennebunkport

Published October 25, 2008 | By Barbara Weibel

For my final day in Maine I chose to wander south on US Rt. 1 along the coast, sampling the various towns from Penobscot Bay to the New Hampshire state line. I started in Camden, which one local resident described as “the jewel in Midcoast Maine’s crown.” It is a lovely village, with the requisite picturesque church steeples, sailboats, and a waterfall that cascades down a rock outcropping in the center of town before emptying into the harbor. Its streets are lined with perfectly manicured shops and brick-laid sidewalks lead to alleys and nooks with more shops and restaurants.

Lovely little harbor in Camden, Maine

Downtown Camden, Maine

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Posted in New England travel |

Tagged Boothbay, Camden, fishing villages, Freeport, Kennebunkport, Maine, midcoast, outlet shops, photos, Shopping, Southport, Travel |

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I Feel Just Like Fanny Brice

Published October 24, 2008 | By Barbara Weibel

Remember the movie Funny Girl? The one starring Barbra Streisand as Fanny Brice? Remember the scene where Nicky Arnstein takes her to Maine and introduces her to lobster? And she eats herself stupid?

Since arriving in Maine I’ve had lobster in just about every way it can possibly be prepared. I’ve had lobster bisque, lobster stew, lobster pot pie, and a lobster sandwich. I’ve had lobster atop a Caesar salad. But until last night I hadn’t splurged on a whole lobster. Since I will soon be leaving Maine, I figured it was now or never. My server suggested a 1 1/4 pound lobster, which sounded just fine to me. A few minutes later, she plunked down a giant plate in front of me. On it was an entire lobster – claws, head, body, tail and all.

Now, I’m not a particularly squeamish person, so the antennae and the itsy bitsy feet didn’t really bother me. My problem was Continue reading →

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Maple Sugar Making at Sugarbush Farm in Central Vermont

Posted in New England travel |

Tagged Barbra Streisand, Fanny Brice, Food, Funny Girl, lobster, Maine, seafood, Travel |

7 Comments

Penobscot Narrows Observatory – One Small Detour Provides A Big Surprise

Published October 24, 2008 | By Barbara Weibel

My car is headed south now, as I gradually make my way back home to Florida. However I am still traveling in an unstructured manner, so when I came around the long curve of Route 1 leading to Penobscot Bay and spied the Penobscot Narrows Bridge, I just knew I had to stop for a photo. I pulled off Rt. 1 and discovered that there was a visitors center for the bridge. To my surprise, the tallest upright of the bridge houses an observatory in the upper tip of “the needle.” Five dollars bought me the right not only to ride to the top of the tower, but also entry into the adjacent Fort Knox.

Penobscot Narrows Bridge

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Tagged bridges, Fort Knox, Maine, Penobscot Narrows Observatory and Fort Knox, photos, Prospect, Travel |

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Acadia National Park – One Good Reason Why Mainers Are “Mainiacs”

Published October 23, 2008 | By Barbara Weibel

God was a careless artist when he created Maine. He did not dab with a paintbrush. He did not splash. He poured beauty over the State. Nowhere is this magnificence more evident than in Acadia National Park, which occupies nearly half of Mount Desert Island and a scattering of smaller islands off the coast of northeast Maine.

Fall colors in Acadia National Park

I could live here for years and still not sample everything that Acadia National Park has to offer, much less see it in its many moods and seasons. As it was, I spent the better part of two days viewing the spectacular fall foliage, which may have been the showiest display in years because of the abundant summer rains. On day one I began by driving the 27-mile loop road in the eastern section of the park, which is the easiest way to see spots like Sand Beach, a turquoise jewel of a cove tucked between two rocky arms that is a favorite of summer beach-goers, and the historic Jordan Pond House, known for their tea and popovers as much for the view from their floor-to-ceiling windows.