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Misfits, Not Castaways (Boothbay Harbor 2022)

We have some pictures that we want to share but really don't fit into other categories but that were not of castaway subjects. That is where this page comes in! First up will be this bench at Porter Preserve. It is made from the trunk of a fallen tree. Here are two pictures, one from the back and one from the front. They split the trunk in two. One half is the seat, and the other half was flipped around (so the knot is at the top) to be the back. The sides are also two halves, with an armrest notched out. It makes an attractive bench that has minimal waste!

tree trunk bench, back view

tree trunk bench, front view

In this next photograph, Paul is patiently waiting to see if the osprey in the distance will come into range. (It did not.) The osprey had nesting material dangling in its talons, while it was perched atop a post. Eventually it flew off to an island where it was making the nest. Although Paul got pictures, because of the distance the subject is a bit small. We were at Sand Cove Beach in South Bristol. Cute spot but it stank of fish.

Paul sitting on a driftwood log with his camera

And here is Anne sitting on a downed tree at LaVerna Preserve. It looks innocent but was actually a bit sappy.

Anne sitting on a downed tree

Since we are posting pictures of us, here is Paul in a tiny little park, Nahanada Park, on Spruce Point (the eastern part of Boothbay Harbor). It is just a little bit of land made into a cute spot to gather and perhaps play croquet.

Paul standing in Nahanada Park

We liked this tree and its reflection. This was along the Saint George River trail in Payson Park, Warren.

tree with reflection

A picture of a multi-decker house in Boothbay Harbor. Each one of those 3 decks has a picture-perfect view of the harbor, able to see the comings and goings, fog and sun, locals and tourists.

three levels of porches

And here is a bridge we thought was interesting, near Murray Preserve in Lincolnville. The bridge reminded us of a Roman aqueduct, with the many arches.

Bridge near Murray Preserve, Lincolnville, Maine

We discovered a fun spot to have lunch one day. Our standard lunch on these vacations is fluffernutterellas: a sandwich with Fluff, peanut butter, and Nutella. It is delicious and full of energy. The spot we found is the Thompson Ice House. If you visit in the winter, you can actually participate in an ice harvest. The location has a small pond, which is a necessity since that is where the ice comes from.

pond at Thompson Ice House

And you need a spot to store the harvested ice. Notice the three columns of doors which each have multiple levels. This allows pulling out the ice a bit at a time, top-down.

barn used to store ice; looks like a regular barn but has multi-layer doors.

Those top layers are very high up, so a method to stack the ice is needed. This is where the clever ramp and pulley system comes in. This drawing was on the information board there.

diagram of how the ice ramp is used

In the following photographs, you can see the ramp from the side. The ramp's face has boards that are adjusted to drop the ice off at the desired level. As shown in the diagram above, the horizontal boards (slightly sloped down) that lead from the ramp face towards the storage barn create paths for ice to travel into the barn. They start with the bottom level, adding a board that goes from that bottom level on the ramp to the barn. Once a couple of layers of ice are in the barn, they adjust the ramp and board to the next level up to slide more blocks of ice into the barn, creating more layers. When it is full, they cover with straw for insulation.

ice block ramp

ice block ramp

The blocks are pulled up with pulleys. Here is a view of the front.

the front of the ice ramp

The large blocks of ice can be crushed. The equipment might still work, since the website mentions an ice cream social where the hand-crank machine uses ice that was harvested in the winter.

ice crushing machine

close-up of ice crushing machine

Back in the day, that ice had to get delivered to customers. This seacoast area had (and still has) a strong fishing industry, and ice was essential for that. The storage and transportation of fish and shellfish required a good supply of ice. The ice was also available for home use. The ice truck is still there although it definitely is not driving anywhere.

ice truck

steering wheel of the ice truck

The gas and brake pedals are very small, and there seems to be a knob to turn the gas on and off.

gas and brake pedals of the ice truck

the ice truck

Here are a few other misfit photographs: an couple intimate looks at beaches, some buoys, and a look down at the water.

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Updated June 2022