During my annual July trip to Coastal Maine with my sister Janet, our week-long stay was at the Holbrook House (www.holbrookhouse.com) in Bar Harbor – an amazing B&B operated by Eric and Michelle Allvin. While there, we take in many other places in the region from the Acadia National Park to the array of shops as well as the superb local eateries.
On one day, we journeyed to the town of Southwest Harbor (www.harborhousemdi.org) to experience the Harbor House Flamingo Festival. This annual event pokes fun at the bigger harbor as being the better town. It is all in good spirit.
Plastic birds were everywhere as far as the eye could see, the scene made us laugh which is the best ingredient for having an enjoyable day.
The local library puts on its usual excellent book sale. People could take as many books as they wanted and make a donation. It is easy to strike up conservations with others from around the country; in fact, a woman from one of the ships donated two bags of paperbacks, left a donation and carted away two filled bags.
After we deposited our own treasures in the car, we walked to the park to check out the art exhibits. It always amazes me how creative people can be using scraps of fabric. One artist utilized her knowledge of animals to make beautiful ‘collage’ images in framed art and cards of equal excellence. There were other displays arranging from pottery to sea glass jewelry. Each artist had their own unique vision.
In the world of high tech, it is gratifying to see the human spirit is alive and well.
Review by Pat Rayman