Blog Memories: A Fun Memorial Day Weekend in Maine
If you're planning a Memorial Day Weekend gathering for family and friends, I hope you're following our Instagram page @MarthaStewartGoodThings - it's filled with so many great ideas, clever tips, and helpful solutions for entertaining all season long. And, I hope you have a copy of my 98th book, "Martha Stewart's Very Good Things: Clever Tips & Genius Ideas for an Easier, More Enjoyable Life," published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. For the next few days, I'll be posting some of my favorite holiday weekend blogs to inspire you. Here's one from May 31, 2018.
There’s so much to do in Maine.
Every spring and summer, I make several trips to Skylands, my home in Seal Harbor. While there, I do a lot of entertaining, and spending time with my family and our many good friends who visit. Here are a few more photos from my Memorial Day weekend. Among them, images from this year’s holiday parade in the charming town of Northeast Harbor. I love this event and always try to attend. And, pictures of our fun boat ride aboard "Sea Smoke" to visit the magnificent harbor seals that love to sunbathe on nearby rocky outposts and islands near my home.
Enjoy.
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- It was a beautiful day for a boat ride. Here I am with my grandson, Truman, aboard “Sea Smoke”, the Hinckley Talaria 55 Flybridge Jet Boat previously owned by my friend, the late David Rockefeller.
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- We headed toward the Duck Islands. Little Duck Island is about 90-acres in size and filled with maritime spruce-fir forests, rock outcrops, and rock jumbles.
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- Little Duck Island is also well known for its large population of harbor seals, also known as the “common seal”. We slowly approached the island to have a closer look.
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- Here is Truman pointing out the seals sunbathing on the rocks.
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- Look closely and you can see several on the rocky coast. Seals congregate there at low tide, sunning themselves and resting happily in between feedings.
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- Great Duck Island is a bit further out. Owned by the Nature Conservancy and the State of Maine, the island provides habitat for nesting seabirds. The lighthouse was constructed in 1890 and all the original buildings are still standing. The lighthouse and 12 surrounding acres are owned by the College of the Atlantic, a small but wonderful school where all its students major in Human Ecology.
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- And here I am aboard “Sea Smoke” with Kevin and a friend. It was a lovely ride – we all had so much fun.
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- Here’s Kevin and my granddaughter, Jude. After the lovely boat ride, we docked at Great Cranberry Island – the largest of the five islands of the Town of Cranberry Isles, Maine. It is roughly two miles long and one mile wide. Notable locations on the island include the History Museum, the General Store, library, Post Office, and the Whale’s Rib Gift Shop.
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- On Memorial Day morning, we went to Northeast Harbor for the parade. It starts at 10:30 every year and runs down Main Street. It’s a great opportunity to get reacquainted with the year-round locals and many of the summer season residents. It’s also a wonderful time to visit all my favorite shops and eateries in town.
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- Attending the parade is especially fun now that I can bring my grandchildren, Jude and Truman, along with me – they are so curious, and love learning about everything they see. Here is one of the local school bands playing their instruments for the crowd.
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- If you follow my friend Hannah on Instagram @hannahcmilman, you may have seen her videos of the parade. Here she is in the middle of the crowd taking a video of the band.
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- Next was another local elementary school band – all the kids enjoy marching in this event every year. The students play saxophones, trombones and other woodwind and brass instruments.
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- This young man playing his saxaphone is Kaden, the grandson of Gretchen Sweet, who works for me at Skylands.
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- And following the woodwind instruments were the drums. Here is a band member with his heavy marching bass drum.
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- Members of the military who are in the area always participate in the parade.
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- There is always an ambulance, or two, in the parade as well.
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- And, the fire departments always make a great showing – proudly displaying their shiny equipment – that hopefully won’t have to be used.
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- I was able to get up really close to the grill of the fire truck to take this photo.
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- Here is one of the local police patrol cars. Because the town is small, everyone knows all the patrol officers.
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- Here are some of the “cyclists” from the local elementary school.
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- The parade also included some vintage cars.
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- Here is a handsome old car in pristine condition.
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- Of course, during the weekend, we had some delicious meals. Here I am back home at Skylands with a platter filled with delicious steamers from Parsons Lobster and Seafood Shop in Bar Harbor.
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