Magic of the Marginal Way

After living in Ogunquit for many years, I never get tired of the Marginal Way. Yes, the wide sandy beach of Ogunquit is a favorite of many, but the Marginal Way is something special.

The Marginal Way is an old trail (some say Native American trail) that hovers the coast. Starting in the village off of Shore Road after Cottage Street, the trail ends at Perkins Cove. The trail is @ 1.25 mile each way (1.8 km).

Runners, surfers and walkers use this path daily for exercise and recreation. Best time is morning before the afternoon sightseers. The Marginal Way provides solace for many each and everyday. I enjoy running on this trail at sunrise. the air is fresh and fragrant scent of salt and flowers!

The strip of land along the water's edge has a an abundant variety of plants and birds. The high tides leave tide pools  filled with marine life: crabs, barnacles, shells, sea urchins and Sea Anemones.

The cliffs are grand and magnificent and are a geological wonder. Igneous and sedimentary rocks were formed when ancient continents collided 385 billion years ago. Other rocks were leftover from the last ice age.

The Details:

Marginal Way off of Shore Road.

Free to all. No pets from 01 April to 01 November

Walk at your own risk. Cliffs, trails, views and benches.
Steep rocks and dramatic tides.
From Ogunquit Beach Inn walk down School Street, to Shore Road.

Tremblement de terre

Autumn is a special time in Maine. I, like many Mainers, take advantage of Adult Continuing Education that the local school district offers in the fall. This year I am taking French.

French is an important language in Maine. Maine borders two Canadian provinces: French speaking Quebec, and bilingual New Brunswick. Many of our visitors to our community are French speaking. Franco-Americans also make up the largest population in Maine. The first European settlement in Maine was by the French in 1604 on Saint Croix Island, by Pierre Dugua, Sieur de Mons, 16 years before the pilgrims "landed" on Plymouth Rock.

While sitting in French Class last night going over "ER" verbs,  the floor started to shake.  First,  it was the floor,  then the walls, and then furnace pipes. Not being in to many earthquakes in my life, I had no idea what was happening. The shaking lasted for about 10 seconds, but seemed longer. I thought something smashed into the building. It was an odd feeling, like being on a fast moving train going over an old bridge.

The French Professor started saying:  tremblement de terre, tremblement de terre. Not knowing what this phrase meant, we quickly learned the meaning!  I guess this is a new one we need to know: Earthquake!

Earthquakes are  extremely rare in Maine.  Reports show that moderate earthquakes take place in Maine once every few decades.  This earthquake registered at 4.6 on the US Geological Survey. The earthquake was located in Waterboro.  I was in a classroom in Wells Maine, about 22+ miles from the epicenter.

Needless to say, this French class was memorable!

April Textures in Maine

Every season in Maine brings a change. April is a pivotal month. Gray skies fade to summer optimism. The brilliant sunlight shines and shows the many weathered textures of the Maine Coast.

Winter weather and spring rain create new scenery for the upcoming season. Rusting, crackling and fading show mother nature's true colors.

Travelling on US Route One throughout the Maine seacoast area, there are signs from roadside America that capture the eye and wonderment . The textures reveal the age and beauty from a bygone mid century era.

Coastal salt air changes structures, colors and the character of people as well as things...

Seaside roads are quiet, yet ready for the summer onslaught.....

The Last Phone Booth......

The telephone book is full of facts, but it doesn't contain a single idea.

                                                                                -Mortimer Adler

The 20th century is more than a decade ago, and certain objects from life in the last century are disappearing. There are virtually no phone booths in New York City, there may be two or three left in Manhattan. Before strip-plazas dominated the American landscape,  general stores, filling stations and farm stands were the norm during mid 20th century.  On Route One in Ogunquit about a half a mile north of the village sits a small micro-mall called Brewster's. This tiny filling-station/general store/Western Union,  has the last phone booth in Ogunquit.

When we bought our first house in Ogunquit during the 90's, people used the last four numbers of their telephone number to call each other. Everyone in the state (even today)  has the same area code of 207. The exchange for Ogunquit and Wells is 646.
Today on my morning run, I realized that, the lone phone booth on Route One standing there like a bright beacon of communication is the last phone booth in Ogunquit, complete with a phone book. Will phone books be obsolete in the near future?

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies,....OBI style.

One of my earliest memories of fall was the smell of my mother baking cookies. Summer we had peanutbutter cookies,  oatmeal  cookies in the fall, and  sugar cookies around christmas time.
Every Saturday from May to the end of October, I make cookies for guests. Over the years, I have developed this recipe. Hope you like it:

2  sticks of unsalted butter
1  cup of brown sugar, packed
1  cup of white sugar
2  eggs
3  teaspoons of vanilla
3  cups of sifted flour
2.5 Cups of quick oatmeal
2 Tablespoons of peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 Cups of choclate semi-sweet morsels


optional: 1 teaspoon cinanmon,  M and M's

Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well. Add sifted flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda and mix well. Add oats and mix. Add chocolate morsels and blend. Drop by tablespoon on cookie sheet. Bake in preheated oven for about 15 minutes ~ and then enjoy!

Baked on 10/03/2009

Autumn Colors, Ogunquit style.....

Its the season of autumn that the local people seem to love the most. Long walks on uncrowded beaches. Quiet time to reflect life in a village that bustles in the summer time, and becomes sleepy and relaxed in the fall. As the colors of the trees change, so do the colors on the beach.
The late afternoon sky cast a spectrum of blues, grays and red.....


The beach plums cast an autumnal glow to the sand dunes...







I am at the beach usually a couple of times a day. Usually once in the
morning for a run. I like how the sun emerges over the Atlantic and wakes the town.

I like to walk the beach around sunset, when the bright sun slips beneath  the tidal dunes, and the day evolves into night.



Ogunquit Beach Inn