Head of Tide

[Editor’s note: I attempt to post pictures that correspond to each blog post. Please visit the photos section of the website to view them. Photos]

One of the things we decided to do while in Bar Harbor was to hire a sailboat with a captain for a two-hour outing on Frenchman Bay. We boarded the refurbished vintage sloop, Chrissy and our captain was a young man (isn’t everyone now) from Florida. He comes north during the summer to sail boats in cooler climates and then travels back south every winter to pilot tourists in Florida. That cool place in the summer, warm place in the winter kind of thing is what we are trying to do so we got along fine with the young captain. He told us about the bay and lobstering while we looked for porpoise. The weather was delightful, the bay was calm and we floated and motored more than sailed, but didn’t mind at all.

When we arrived at the campground near Gardiner we started spending most of our time looking for evidence of Maxcy’s. We met Dawn, a local historian, and employee at the library. She provided us with access to records and was willing to spend time with us as she shared her knowledge of Gardiner and the Maxcy family who lived 100 years ago. She is a delightful person and a great resource. We also met with two cousins whom I had never met before. They were kind to meet and talk about family too. Each of them had pictures, letters, and journals to share. I also visited the University of Maine where I found the original plans for the house my great grandfather built on Cape Elizabeth. The plans were part of the architects estate which had been donated and the archivist at the university was kind enough to have the plans scanned and then provide me with the electronic version of them.

While in Gardiner, we ventured out to the cities of Bath (shipbuilding), Lewiston (wasn’t impressed), Freeport (home to one of the best chocolate companies – Wilbur’s of Maine), Augusta (state capital), Litchfield (Litchfield Fair), Manchester (home of Maine Cabin Masters) and others. There were things to see in every location and getting to each was often interesting because there are so many rivers, lakes and streams to navigate around.

I found a connection to Gardiner specifically and Maine in general that I had not expected. Learning about my family’s origins and finding relatives I didn’t know about was fun and satisfying. I came away with a better sense of where my family came from and how we evolved. And to do all of this in beautiful surroundings was quite enjoyable. So much so that I need to know if this was just a one-time feeling or if this ‘euphoria’ will last. We are headed back to Maine this fall in part to find out. Stay tuned.

[Next: Heading to Texas]