Good! Here are some more pics of our Sunday afternoon in Castine.
Hungry for lunch, we looked for a place to eat in Castine. We had no idea how tiny and quiet a town it was. Apparently most places were closed until next summer!
We stopped at this house because I wanted to take a picture of the ship, and when the yellow lab came out barking, the lady who lived there came out to see what all the racket was for, and then talked and talked, giving me hints on where we might try to get a bite. (Basically, 2 spots: a sub sandwich counter at a gas pump, and a place she referred to as “The Variety”.)
The ship was quite a surprise as we came upon it. I knew that the Academy had a teaching ship, but truly I had no idea where to look for it. We drove further and there it was! They were changing companies. Different groups of students inhabit the ship for a week or two at a time, and apparently they change on Saturday afternoon.
I don’t know what is inside the building on the left, but there was an observation deck on top, which was easily accessible, and from which point I took a few pictures, some of which I posted last time.
If you have exceptional eyesight, you can see the name “State of Maine” on the bow. You can see the brick wall of the deck I’m standing on, and I just really loved the tugboat. Wasn’t there a tugboat starring in a very old children’s book? Anyway, that’s what it reminded me of.
We found The Variety and ate there. I had a crab roll, Jeff had a haddock sandwich, and our only Maine-born boy (who won’t eat seafood) had a turkey club sandwich.
I met a couple of students who had just gotten off the ship, and came by The Variety for a slice of pizza. They told me they didn’t mind if I included them in the picture (although I may have failed to mention that the pic might end up on my blog). They are first-years, my Evan’s age, so I wanted to make sure they were eating right, studying hard and getting enough sleep. But I didn’t. Okay, maybe a little. I did ask if they were homesick, but they aren’t really too far away from home. And as future merchant marines, they had better not be homebodies – they’ll be traveling all over the world.
Inside, The Variety was tiny, and looked like it had once been a soda fountain/ice cream shoppe. There were even those rotating stools at this counter. There were about 4 tables in the place. TiNy.
All the walls had that beautiful wood that you see behind the shelves. It was heavily and beautifully oiled or something. It reminded me of well-cared for yachts. Ship-shape and all that.
Just a little more of Castine next time.
