The Old House by the Lindens: Goodbye to Portland, Maine

Seaweed in Boothbay Harbor, ME

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The old house by the lindens
  Stood silent in the shade,
And on the gravelled pathway
  The light and shadow played... 

...The birds sang in the branches,
  With sweet, familiar tone;
But the voices of the children
  Will be heard in dreams alone!

And the boy that walked beside me,
  He could not understand
Why closer in mine, ah! closer,
  I pressed his warm, soft hand!

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, from "The Open Window"

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Has it been over a year already since we left Abu Dhabi, since we arrived into Maine?  At this time last year were we just preparing to leave the Eastern Promenade and move into our dear "house by the lindens"?  Is it really my last Saturday, my last weekend here?

Yes - it's all so.  And next Thursday we load up the Tahoe, hand over the keys to the green house on Linden Street and start on our cross-country trip to the Mile High City.  We've known about this move to Denver almost since we moved to Portland, but that doesn't make leaving the place we've called home for 14 months any easier on anyone.  There's a lot we've come to love about Portland - friends, favorite spots, memorable restaurants, and new-old-habits that we'll have to re-make in our new city.  And while we're all very excited for the move to Colorado - desperately excited for the place we hope we'll stay permanently! - I can't help but feel a little nostalgic about the memories we've made in Maine: the good, the bad, the salty.

There's a lot I could say on the subject, but instead, here's another pictorial list of our favorite and most-to-be-missed impressions from our year + in the land of lighthouses and lobsters.

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An "Open Window" into Our Year in Maine

very Longfellow, I know :)

After leaving Maine we will sorely miss...

10.  ...sunsets on the Eastern Promenade...
Heck, sunrises, mornings, noons and nights too...

 

Sunset on the Eastern Promenade
Munjoy Hill, Portland ME

9.  ...that amazing view of Portland you get while walking on Back Cove trail...
It's pretty in the sun, rain, snow, and mysteriously striking in the fog...

That View from Back Cove

8.  ...the beautiful harshness of the Maine winters...

Harris Farms
Dayton, ME

7. ...the best fried whole-bellied clams around
(served with homemade tartar and cocktail sauces, of course)...

Fried Clam Plate at The Lobster Shack
Two Lights, ME

6. ...Maine's incredible oysters - raw & fresher than you can imagine - with mignonette...

Our favorite place for fresh oysters in Portland is:
Street & Co on Wharf Street

5. ...the abundant, verdant forests; trees, trees everywhere...

Deering Oaks Park
Portland, ME

4.  ...walking in the Old Port on a beautiful day...

Custom House Street
Old Port, Portland, ME

3. ...the beach, and beautiful proximity to that healing salty smell...

Pine Point Beach, Scarborough ME

2. ...dipping our feet and watching seaweed in the frigid water off our favorite dock...

The Dock on the Eastern Promenade
Portland, ME

1. ...our green house by the lindens, and all the memories it holds...

Linden Street
Portland, ME

PS: For those of you who noticed the small tweaks in appearance, my new peony blog title picture is also a shout-out to Portland; it was taken on my front porch and the flowers were picked from our wonderful garden.