Friday, July 27, 2012

Down East & Buried Treasure



This past week my husband, Duke (our 8 year old puppy) and I spent 5 days in Down East Maine!  This was our first trip Down East, and it was heaven on earth!  Down East is an old sailing term, it means sailing downwind, to the east.

We were lucky enough to be invited to spend Friday through Tuesday at our friends camp on Donnell Pond in Franklin, Maine.  The camp was built by her dad over 50 years ago.  They've made "upgrades" over the years such as indoor plumbing & electricity!  More recently they have added new siding and a stunning green metal roof!


The camp & boat house

The Great Room
The interior of the camp remains much the same as it did when her dad and mom built it back in the 50's!
This stove still works & makes great baked beans!

The camp is water front with 150 feet of shoreline.  The house sits up on a little hill overlooking the pond.  They have lovely dock and a 17 foot motor boat.  We also enjoyed a boat ride!



We also toured the area, by visiting Arcadia National Park, which is the first national park east of the Mississippi.  Words can't describe the beauty that we got to see in our short visit.  I can't wait to go back!

Looking out to Cadillac Mountain

Looking out towards Europe!

Buried Treasure - was found by Duke! He unearthed an old tennis ball along the shore that belong to our neighbor's late golden retriever!



I can't believe it's taken this New England girl so long to go Down East!  I'm looking forward to making it an annual trip!

I have many more photos to post that I'll save for another day!  I hope you enjoyed visiting Down East Maine!

27 comments:

  1. How beautiful Down East is. I have always wanted to visit Arcadia and with your glowing recommendations I know it will be so worthwhile. Good for Duke!!

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  2. Hi, Oh what beauty! I love the coast, regardless of which side of the country it is on. Duke is such a handsome boy and looks just like what I envisioned before we got Hunter. How old is he? He looks tall for a miniature-so handsome though. I'd love to have another pup just like him-then I would have a white and a black dog-salt & pepper.
    Have a wonderful weekend and thanks for sharing.
    Hugs, Noreen

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  3. I did enjoy my visit and am happy to hear where the term "down east" comes from. It wasn't until we moved to the Chicago area (I'm from the south) that I heard the term "out east". I'm not sure where that came from. I love your photos of the rugged coast.

    Best,
    Bonnie

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  4. How fun. Maine is such a lovely place, especially this time of the year. I'm glad to know what "down east" means.
    Sam

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  5. How beautiful. Here is some irony for you. We also have a Donnell Pond in our community here in Ohio. It was built by the Donnell Family of Marathon Oil fame. It is my understanding that Margerite Donnell of Franklin Maine was a daughter of our Donnell's and was born here. Interesting little tidbit (smile) I love Maine and look so forward to visiting, possibly as early as next month! Thanks for sharing!

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  6. I have cousins in live in Franklin. I'm thinking that they need me to visit. Ha! An aunt lived on her own in a year-round cottage on the lake until she was well into her 90s. Beautiful photos! Glad that you had a wonderful time Down East.

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  7. What did I say?! Talking too fast again...I meant to say Cousins who live in Franklin.

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    1. LOL!!! My mind read it the way it was supposed to be written! LOL!!! Don't you wish you could "edit" your comments at times!

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  8. They have a very beautiful spot. It looks like the perfect retreat to relax and unwind for a few days.

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  9. You have not seen Maine until you get down east. I am a maine girl who went to her grand parent's farm in Pembroke maine every summer and holiday. My parents were in lubec Maine after they retired.
    That is the true Maine So glad you got to spend some beautiful time in Maine I can't wait to see more.
    Cathy

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  10. What a special treat!

    Looks like a very lovely place to visit!!

    Happy weekend, my friend!

    Kerin

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  11. It looks like you had a wonderful vacation, Mary! I love the state of Maine--it has such stunning scenery.

    I'm on vacation myself this week and having a fun time in the west.,,,busy, busy days!

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  12. What an utterly lovely, lovely place to spend a summer weekend at! The house looks wonderful, and I love that they have kept the good old things along with the improvements, and are still using the kitchen stove. Great place, great pictures, thank you for sharing, Mary.

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  13. I could tell you were looking out towards me!... I was waving... did you see? Glorious days!

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    1. You were the 1st person I thought of as I looked out towards Europe! LOL!!!

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  14. One of the places I would love to visit and I will someday will be Maine. What a lovely time and lovely pictures. I can't wait to see more of your trip.

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  15. What fun! We're supposedly going up later in the summer to visit a friend that works at the hospital in Bar Harbor ... let's hope the plans work out! Looks like you had a snug little place to stay and relax in!

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  16. Your pup is adorable! And Maine is a lovely state, still wild and wondeful in many areas.

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  17. Lucky you! I'm sure it was fun in that great cabin and the surrounding area. A perfect vacation spot. Duke is a cutie and I bet he misses his neighbor!

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  18. Lucky girl!!
    I love that place!

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  19. Indoor plumbing and electricity are NEVER over-rated ;) What a lovely place to go with the family and just relax :):)

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  20. Arcadia National Park, in my opinion, is one of the prettiest places on God's green earth. Down East Maine is a hidden gem. What a lovely, relaxing camp your friends have, a perfect way to spend the week. Good boy Duke! Greetings, Julie.

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  21. What a beautiful place to spend time. I'm sure the weather was nice there, too. I've never been to Maine...would love to go! Enjoy your weekend, my friend!

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  22. How nice to see such a beautiful little area such as this! I’ve never been to Maine at all but if/when I do, I would love to visit places such as this-thank you so much for sharing!

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  23. Oh, I love Franklin! Our first visit to Maine was in nearby Sullivan and I adored it there. So glad you finally got to see it. I think the camp is perfect ~ thanks for stopping by my place today, too! It's nice to be home . . . but I wish I was still in Maine.

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  24. What wonderful Images and I hope that you folks are having a great time in beautiful Maine. Richard

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  25. What a lovely place, I can see why you'd want to go again and again! I would love a stove like that, very cool :) Your pup is adorable.

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I'm thrilled you've stopped by and I always enjoy your comments! Thank you!