June 23, 2023 We ran the heat last night because it was going to be chilly. On Wednesday after we arrived in OOB, we reached out to our FL neighbors and friends, Patti and Mike, who live in Rochester, NH to see if they were interested in meeting us for a late lunch in Kennebunkport while we are here. They were available, so we made plans for today to meet at Federal Jacks at 1:30. We left at 11:30 to drive the 30 minutes to Kennebunkport on Highway 9. We wanted to walk around in Kennebunkport before meeting Patti and Mike for lunch. Highway 9 took us through Saco and Biddeford, considered twin cities. In Biddeford, we crossed over the Saco River that runs through town.
The river divides into 2 falls providing water power for the textile mills back in the day.
Out in the country, someone had a sense of humor when they placed all these colorful plastic flamingos along this stream.
Traffic was very light on this country road. This beautiful church sat on the outskirts of Kennebunkport.
We arrived in Kennebunkport around noon and found parking just of the main street in town.
We circled the parking lot once before someone pulled out and we could take their spot. This time, the parking fee was more reasonable at $4.00/hour. The town was busy with shoppers and tourists. The sun was out and it had warmed up to 72 degrees.
We walked along the main street to the bridge in town over the Kennebunk River. The tide was coming in. The swing in tide is 10 feet in that area.
We crossed over to the other side of the street and stopped on the bridge to look in the other direction at the boats in the marinas there.
Sitting in the river was this double-masted sailboat with people on it. We stood there, trying to figure out what was going on there. Was it a tour boat? Was it a private party on someone’s boat?
While we tried to decide, these two boys fishing underneath the bridge along the water’s edge, caught a striped bass. It was a big fish and they were thrilled! Everyone watching on the bridge took a picture and then the boys released it back into the river.
We continued walking along the street past the Clam Shack which was very busy with a long line of people waiting to get food.
We began looking for a way to get closer to the sailboat and see what was going on. We walked through the parking lot and found a gangplank that led us to the boat.
We asked some people who were leaving if it was a private party or tour boat and they told us it was a floating bar. They told us we should have the “special of the day” which was a tangerine margarita. We found a seat at the bar and asked how long this Spirit of Massachusetts has been docked there. They said about 8 years and we wondered how we had missed it the last time we were here in 2018.
We decided to share a margarita “special”.
It was so delicious that we had to share another one. We sat in the boat at the bar under the protective covering of the canvas. There was other seating at small tables and on the exposed deck. The bar also serves food from the food truck that is parked on the dock by the giant crab claws.
I decided to use the restroom that was below deck just so I could see what the inside of the boat looked like. The restroom doors are on either side of the wooden maiden.
It was an awesome setting for a bar. The bartender told Bob that they actually haul the boat out of the water to do a major overhaul and scrape the barnacles off the hull and paint it every two or three years. They have a diver dive on it regularly to keep the hull free of barnacles. After all, it is a boat!
About 1:20, we left the boat and made our way through the parking lot to Federal Jacks to meet Patti and Mike.
They were already there and had a table waiting for us. After some hugs and handshakes, we sat down at a table in the perfect location overlooking the river.
We enjoyed catching up with conversation and a few laughs. The food and drinks were good, but the time spent visiting was better. After about 2 hours, we said our goodbyes and were off in our own separate directions. I’m so glad we got together even if it was for a short time. We’ll see them again this winter in Florida. We took Highway 1 back to Old Orchard Beach, but not before we made a slight detour to Walker’s Point. The highway took us along the rocky coastline and past some large estates with phenomenal views of the ocean.
We passed a beach were many people were enjoying the nice weather and sunshine, but not in the cold water.
We rounded the bend and could see the Walker’s Point Estate or summer retreat of the Bush family. They have owned property on Walker’s Point for more than a century. The estate served as the Summer White House of George H. W. Bush, the 41st President of the United States.
While either Bush presidents were present at the compound while in office, the presidential flag was flown below the national colors.
The entrance is gated and guarded by Secret Service officers. The last time we were here, there was an officer in the guardhouse who came out because we tried to turn around in the driveway. We didn’t try that today.
There was a little more traffic going back on Highway 1, but nothing to slow down our progress. We got back before 4:00 and just relaxed. We didn’t have to fix dinner so there was lots of time to take it easy. The campground was almost full for the weekend. Many campers had arrived while we were away today. I’m sure it will be busy this weekend. The temperature dropped quickly when the sun went down and we watched a movie on TV. We’ll do some more sightseeing around the area tomorrow. Tropical Storm Cindy has taken a turn to the north and will hopefully head out to sea. That’s a good thing, but we may still get some of her weather as she swings past us. We’ll keep an eye on the weather.
Love the old mills in Biddeford/Saco. Huge spaces with some repurposed as housing, art studios and the restaurant Mill on the River.
Yes, those buildings are huge and it’s nice they are able to use them for other things.