Catching the End of an Era at Lowell Mills in Massachusetts

Lowell is one of the finest examples of nineteenth century mill architecture in the United States. We jumped on an old trolley car which passed along the canal zone in town to get to see one of the original textile mills. Upon entering pass the gates, one can’t help at first sight standing in the courtyard being awed by the clock bell tower and size of the brick buildings at the old Boott Cotton Mill. Today the Boott Mill Museum stands as a focus on the industrial revolution, labor, and the rise, fall and rebirth of Lowell.

Entering the 1920s weave room we were able to see the features of the operating power looms as they noisily roared their cogs and gears. Cloth of various yarn designs was being woven at great speed off the looms in bolts.

 
 In the Lowell Mills heydays of 1890-1950, it was young girls ages 15-30 from New England farms who worked in one of the ten operating textile mills along the Merrimack River in Lowell. They lived in boarding houses and worked 12-14 hours days at the mill for a dollar per day.

 By 1960 most of Lowell’s ten textile mills ceased to exist in operation. Most of the empty historic mill space now is being redeveloped for modern use as office space or condominiums. So guess where cloth is being woven today?

Robert Frost Farm in Derry, New Hampshire

 
The journey has lead us to the farmhouse where the poet Robert Frost and his wife Elinor once resided. They raised their four children in this farmhouse here from 1900 to 1911 which was given to Frost by his grandfather. 

Frost wrote several poems in his kitchen

 A docent tour through the farmhouse enlightened us a lot about the poet laureate and his life. It became a wonderful stepping stone into the world of Robert Frost and his poetry.

“Mending Wall”, “The Road Not Taken”, “Stopping By On A Snowy Evening” and other Frost poems have certainly become part of modern American culture. Being at the farmhouses where he once wrote, it is easy to see how he used the pleasures and trials of rural New England life to create poetry of universal meaning and appeal. Focusing on the landscape, for Frost, became the terra firma of his imagination.

JR reading Robert Frost poems aloud along the trail to Christa

After touring the Derry farmhouse and barn,  an enjoyable walk in the woods along a  path at the farm lead to a pond. We passed several points at the farm which once became inspirations for a few of Frost’s poems such as the pasture, the apple tree, and the stone mending wall. 

Having visited his summerhouse in Franconia, NH last fall as well, it is easy to see why he loved and wrote so much about rural New England.

Along the South-Coast Region of Maine

From Freeport to Kittery, the Maine coastline doesn’t jet out with peninsulas and sounds like the Mid-Coast. Just a few of our peregrinations along the southern coast are noteworthy mentioning. We found Kennebunkport to be a quaint and more affluent community. It is where the Bush families enjoy their summer vacation residence.

The Bush Family Compound

 
Large wealthier waterfront properties with grand views overlook the Atlantic Ocean. Several old colonial inns and resorts are popular destination spots in this coastal town.

Colony Hotel  and Pool in Kennepunkport

 
Biddeford, ME to Hampton Falls,New Hampshire made for a smooth and quick trip south on the Maine turnpike without having to make any stops JR and I seem to have a difference of opinion about using toll roads.

Throngs of people have been migrating to coastal beaches for relief to beat the heat. Thankfully a light summer rain has arrived to break the god awful heat spell. Taking advantage of the last few days in Maine, we drove north back up along the scenic route from Kittery"the Gateway to Maine" to Ogunquit on Shoreline Drive. At Cape Neddeck Lighthouse, just north of York, the view is excellent from the rocky cliff.

A visit to the Ogunquit Museum of American Art if one likes modern art isn’t bad. The best part about the museum is the garden and view of the Atlantic Ocean on the grounds. The reflection pond has lots of dragonflies fluttering about the cattails and pink lily pads. Butterflies and bees compete with one another sucking nectar off the flowers in bloom.

For a final hurrah in Maine we took a three hour steamship cruise from the Portsmouth River Harbor ten miles out into the Atlantic around the Isles of Shoals. Gliding pass several lighthouses, legendary tales were heard of pirates, buried treasures, and shipwrecks around the eight small islands forming the archipelago.

White Island Lighthouse

Portsmouth Harbor Steamship

Exploring the Coast of Maine

After a lovely stay in Acadia National Park, there have been numerous highlights along the way as we've begun our journey along the Atlantic coast. Maine has brought an intimate beauty unfolding from Down East to the Mid-Coast region thus far.. Each coastal town has its own charm, unique to only that geographic region and its various peninsulas. The views of sea, sand, rocky coasts, saltwater farms, ship captains’ homes, quaint shops and artist galleries, historic buildings, lighthouses and museums all form a lasting impression.

It is the perfect place to unwind, the ultimate place to explore. Anyone can’t help but love the unspoiled beaches, picturesque lobster shacks, boats, buoys, quiet bays and harbors that dot every mile of coastline. Old salts have put the sea to work for themselves. 
 
Shipbuilding, fishing, and trading have been the tradition and way of life here for years. It is an area where the environment has molded independent thinking people, people who know how to live the older simpler way of life, the way life used to be and as Mainers’ say “the way life should be,” contentment. 

 July 4th celebrations with hometown parades and festivals spread out seem to continue lasting for weeks. It is amazing and like something you’d never want to end, nature and man at their best. 












 Along Route 1 from the Down East region to Bucksport we crossed an amazing bridge
overlooking the Penobscot River and stopped at the historic site of Fort Knox, Maine to explore the underground battery bunkers. Re-enactors kicked off upcoming July 4th events by firing canon rounds several times.

We find locating a campground to park the motor home for a week at a time works well. This enables us to take day excursions roaming around in the Jeep a la dory atop within a sixty mile radius. In Northport JR continued to work on his dory project to better weatherize it. 

The dory he built at the Wooden Boat School is still a work in progress

Christa likes to find the local farmer markets which often have great produce, goat cheeses, fresh herb breads, and assorted yummy bakery goodies. One day at Southport we even came upon a young violinist playing at the dock while her family was busy selling garden produce, homemade baked goods, seafood, and flower bouquets off the family's farmer market wooden boat tied up. We watched the boat sail off to make its round at other ports of call to peddle its goods.

 
 Lobster, even though it is abundant on the east coast, tends to be expensive. On a boat cruise from Port Clyde to Eastern Egg Rock we had a chance to watch lobster traps being brought aboard, baited, and reset back out on float lines. Puffin nesting sites are found on four small islands off the North Atlantic coast accessible only by boat. Being scientific preserves only scientists are allowed on these islands. Our binocular and camera telephoto lenses did give us a chance to see lots of puffins, peregrines, eagles, and other seabirds from the boat.

 

Lobsters by law must measure 4 to 5 inches on the thorax to be keepers

We loved Bayside, a small quaint community with gingerbread houses, off the beaten path discovered by happen stance not on the map, and then were off to find the next lighthouse. 

 
Rockland and Camden, both charming ports where modern sailboats glide past 19th century windjammers and a blend of boutiques, art galleries, museums, and restaurants that easily entice one to spend money, were favorite places to visit.

  










Thomaston celebrated with a huge parade on July 4th in grand style

 





















Driving up to the summit of Mt. Battie in Camden HillsState Park brought spectacular views early one morning and later on for evening fireworks overlooking Camden Harbor.

Sunset at Mt. Battie before watching the fireworks

A brochure about old tools and antiques in the Historic Village of Liberty enticed us on a mission to locate and check it out.A country drive through winding narrow roads found us lost for miles before we finally reached the destination. 

We can attest to the fact that Liberty was pretty historic alright. The entire town consisted of nothing more than its 1769 post office building, five dilapidated, dusty buildings filled with old hand tools and junk, and at best perhaps about three houses.
Wiscasset rated like so many others as “ The Prettiest Village in Maine” has become the jumping off point for our current adventures. Not far away on three outer peninsulas we made several discoveries. In Waldoboro we stumbled upon a yard full of recycled art made from old rusty metal junk by a creative welder.

 A stop at the picturesque Pemaquid Point Lighthouse was a must see. 

Bowdoin College in Brunswick provided a chance to see the Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum, Images of Inuit life, and Edward Hooper landscape art exhibits.

One of Admiral Peary's five wooden dog sleds that made it to the North Pole was on display.

Mere words can not do justice to the beauty, color, and nautical charm of the Boothbay Harbor Region. There is a wealth of sights, sounds, and scents to savor--- the lobster wharves, clams and mussels steaming on the dock, the gull’s incessant cry, vistas of beautiful, alluring, tranquil bays, lovely waterfront homes along scenic drives, etc.

Freeport, home of the L.L. Bean Store, had us going gaga over kayaks and canoes.

Beach time hopping around cold waves one day was a kick.

Yikes it is a big one, I am out of here!

 Five Islands Lobster Co. on the wharf sharing fish and chips for lunch, and gawking at boats come and go made for a great day. Even better yet was devouring the two cooked lobsters brought back to the motor home for dinner that evening.

 JR captured a beautiful sunrise after a previous night thunderstorm.

As the journey in Maine continues along toward the South-Coast region, just imagine what other possibilities await to be discovered. 

Okay I am on to my next project... stay tuned for the next up date!