Monday, July 5, 2010

This morning about 10:00 a.m., the West family and we went over to Booth Harbor about 10 miles from here. It is a really quaint littletourist town. John was telling us that during the summer the population really swells, then it drops back down after the season. There were plenty of people out along the docks, on their boats in the water, walking around the shops. We stopped in a little store called The Hutch where Alicia West worked before having children. This is a touristy shop—lots of everything imaginable. We did find a pretty green peasant skirt Sara liked, so I bought it since she does not normally like the choices of clothes available. It was on sale also, so that made it better. I got a couple of Maine magnets and a wind chime in the shape of a light house.  

 

The little West girls were getting fussy, so they returned home and we stayed around the wharf area and decided to take a whale watch tour boat in the afternoon. We ate lunch at a restaurant that served crab cakes and chicken fingers side dishes. Enough for a meal and they were good. I am hankering for some lobster before we leave this area though.

  We took the boat on the tour. As we slowly cruised through the inner harbor the guide pointed out some of the buildings on shore including one that belonged to Billy Burke – the wicked witch of the West in Wizard of Oz. There was also an island whose inhabitants do now have cars on the island; everyone walks and another one that had a Bed and Breakfast you could rent, along with 19 of your closest friends for the bargain price of $35,000 a week. Shall we book that for next spring?


The tour was over 3 hours, but by 4:00 p.m. we did not really see any whales or other swimming mammals, but finally one was spotted when we were about 20 miles out. There were some dolphins swimming also and I did see them and maybe got some photos. I did see the whale blow and breach the water, but maybe not in a photo. So since we were really late, we got back to port about 6:00 p.m.

 After getting off the boat we headed back to the house and found that John had gone out and dug clams, so we were having boiled and fried clams for dinner. His parents came over and we all ate on the deck outside. Those clams were small and very good. Henry said the Japanese ladies should have had this dinner—you can't get that many clams for the price he did—practically nothing. I was very delicious. Sara, however, opted for the mac and cheese.