July 30-August 6           Southwest Harbor, Maine

Northeast Harbor is a small, quaint village with a few tiny shops, several upscale boutiques, and an incredible home shop that stocks fabulous china, crystal, and home accessories.  The antique store is a treasure for discerning buyers and the market (although rather disheveled) carries wines to please any oenophile.  Residents of the expensive homes on the hills surrounding the little town are not deprived of their luxuries.

For fifty years, Northeast Harbor has hosted a series of chamber music concerts during the summer months.  In the beginning, they featured musicians who were faculty or students of renowned schools in the East but recognition and support increased and the concerts now are by professional performers of international standing.  Financial stability is provided by the generosity of numerous donors including David Rockefeller, Robert Bass, and Charles Butts, all residents.

The venue for the concerts is a Tudor-style building within the town, built more than 100 years ago, that serves as a community center.  The high-beamed ceiling of the auditorium, with seating for 500, encloses a room with many high windows to let in the cool evening breezes.  We arrived early and enjoyed watching the hall fill with an audience of casually dressed people who were eager to talk with one another.  It was a delightful scene.

The concert featured the Shanghai Quartet with a program by Beethoven, Verdi, and Schumann.  The music was superb and the musicians were amazing.  It was a rare and beautiful experience for us.  We had been told the acoustics of the hall were excellent and amplification was not needed.  We marveled that the full, rich tone of the strings was clearly heard despite the open windows.

 

On Wednesday, we took advantage of the beautiful weather to drive to Bangor.  Ostensibly, we were going to Sam’s Club to pick up a new dock cart ordered from the internet, but we also wanted to see Bangor.  The drive, a little more than ninety minutes, was on two-lane roads, through small towns, and lush, green countryside dotted with granite outcroppings.  Most homes were early twentieth century vintage and pristine in appearance. We rarely saw trashy relics of old cars and decrepit shacks.  Bangor sits high on hills overlooking the beautiful Penobscot River and its buildings and homes reflect its historical significance and its current status as a business center of the state.

I was delighted with my new aluminum dock cart.  It is identical to the one sold by West Marine and, at $49.50 was $250.00 less expensive.  I couldn’t believe it when I spotted it on the internet!  Quickly assembled at the marina, it functioned perfectly to bring our purchases down the dock to the boat.

We are enjoying the wonderful parade of boats into our marina.  Most of the large yachts stay several days, some even longer.  Their crews, often on board while the owners are absent, spend considerable time cleaning and polishing the boat.  Activity increases when the owner and his guests are due.  We see flower arrangements and boxes of food coming down the dock.  Some boats come directly in from Canada and custom officials are summoned to the marina.  On weekends, we often see magnificent runabouts with sleek hulls and polished mahogany interiors come in so the occupants can visit some of the local restaurants.