Ogunquit, Another Flavor of Maine (Part 1- A Photo Essay)

Last week I was invited by my sister Fran to come up to Ogunquit, Maine, a lively fishing village only an hour drive north from Boston.  For the past twenty-five years, Fran and her family have called Ogunquit their "summer  retreat".  The Abernaki native tribe described Ogunquit as "the beautiful place by the sea" and the name is most appropriate.  Ogunquit is absolutely beautiful. Where Flye Point has a laid back rural flavor of Maine.....Ogunquit is just the opposite.  Ogunquit is bustling with life...tourists crowd the streets of this hamlet and the beautiful three and half mile beach.  Whereever you go, there are just scads of people!

I love the sea of colorful umbrellas dotting the powdery white sands of Ogunquit Beach.

Over a century ago, artists discovered the breathtaking views of this seascape and came flocking to Ogunquit with paint and brushes in their suitcases.  I believe they drew inspiration from the quaint fishing hamlet where lobster boats plied their trade as well as the stark granite cliffs, the rolling surf and the towering fir trees.   All these things combined drew their attention and transformed Ogunquit into the seaside resort it is today.

My sister Fran stays at the Beachmere, a resort on the Marginal Way.  

The Beachmere is a large Victorian manse with beautiful manicured lawns. Fran, along with my 90 year old Mom and I stayed in the end suite, closest to the ocean. 

We had a large living room with a fold-out couch, a galley kitchen,  a large bedroom with a kingsize bed and one gigantic bathroom you could get lost in...or at least Mom did. 

We like to say that Mom is in the early stages of alzheimer's, but that's really not the truth.  Over the last several months her mind has gradually lost all that is famialiar.  Although she still recognizes all three of her daughters, she confuses her grandchildren and great grandchildren.  Her short term memory is almost completely gone...she can ask you the same question several times in ten minutes.  For the most part we try to be very patient with her and answer each time as if it was the first.

This is the bedroom Fran and I shared...one huge big king-size bed ...  so much roomier then the twin size bed we shared as kids.  (I was afraid of the dark so I always slept with Fran as a little girl.)

 Notice how we stole end tables from the living room to set up our "painting area" ...after all when you go to Ogunguit, shouldn't you be an artist?

My sister Fran also rented another suite close to ours to house two of her five grandchildren.  Alyssa is 21 and a senior at Simmons College and Faith is 16 and a sophmore in high school.  Faith also brought two school friends, Nicole and Meghan.  So there we all were...seven girls all sharing a holiday!  Fran and I certainly had our work cut out for us....watching a 90 year old who could disappear at the flip of a coin and three teenagers, bubbling over with hormones!!!  Must say, Alyssa kept us all sane...being an RA at Simmons has given her leadership and organizational roles and she certainly put them to use herding the young 'uns and keeping track of her grandmother, great aunt (that's me) and Mom.

The Beachmere as well as several other resorts, The Anchorage by the Sea, The Dolphin and The Sparhawk all border the Marginal Way, a meandering path that winds along the Ogunguit River.  From the Beachmere, you need only to cross the lawn and go out through the gate and you are on the path.  Across the river is the three and half mile long Ogunquit Beach.  During low tide you can cross the river easily on the sand from the many tiny cove beaches below the Marginal Way. If you are not staying in one of these resorts, you can gain access from Shore Road by several paths.   

  This is one of the many access paths.

In the early mornings we would take Mom in a "borrowed" wheelchair for a stroll.   

At first she gave us a hard time.  "I'm not an old lady...I don't need this wheelchair.  I can walk with my two canes."  I soon convinced her that "no wheelchair, no adventure, that's that".  She complied and hobbled into the chair she detested!

  Fran pointing out that we are having high tide right now...and you are unable to walk across to the beach from one of the little coves below the Marginal Way.

Mom and Fran taking a rest on the Marginal Way. Mom is spinning stories of times long past.

If we go south on the marginal way, we will come to Perkin's Cove.

In the early days when fishing and shipping were the main means of livelihood, Perkin's Cove, or Fish Cove as it was then called, was an integral part of these growing industries.  Perhaps the best known feature of Perkins Cove is the unique draw-footbridge which spans the entry to one of the loveliest little harbors on the Maine Coast. Today, visitors to the Cove can enjoy a myriad of art galleries, fine specialty shoppes and boutiques and numerous fine restaurants.

But today we are going north past some of the fine resorts that grace this scenic path.  

The Gazebo at Anchorage by the Sea.   

The Anchorage also has two large swimming pools as well as a kiddie pool.

  Mom loved watching these little boys in the kiddie pool.

They were having so much fun "stopping the volcano"! 

On the lawn in front of the hotel, people were lounging, talking, sunning and reading books. 

Being extremely hot and humid, we decided to rest awhile in the gazebo before continuing on our journey.

Back on the Marginal Way, we could see the tide gradually going out...a much larger beach across the tidal Ogunquit river was opening up.

Our next stop was to show Mom the beautiful waterfall and gardens. 

The Sparhawk Resort is known for it's well tendered perennial gardens. 

An array of colors are a feast for your eyes. 

I spotted a beautiful monarch butterfly having his own feast. 

At the Sparhawk I left Fran and Mom to continue viewing the flowers and I got back on the Marginal Way to cross the bridge that spans the Ogunquit River.

Crossing the arched footbridge, I see all kinds of bathers on Footbridge Beach. 

  And then I am on the long expanse of beach....bathers everywhere...all enjoying their time in the sun.

I look across and can see the Beachmere, our hotel.

And then I look towards the open sea. 

Bathers, surfers and sailboats all enjoying the gifts of summer.

I take a quick dip in the ocean to cool myself off and then I take more pictures of people enjoying their time on the beach for another essay and walk back to the parking lot to catch one of the trolleys that will bring me back to the Beachmere. 

Traffic is horrendous in this little beach town so you either walk or take the trolley for $1.50.

Home again, I find the three teenagers watching a movie as their great grandmother takes her afternoon nap and so I decide to join Fran and Alyssa down at Cove Beach. 

For now, the beach is the only place we want to be!