A little R & R
Posted on Friday, November 7th, 2008
Last Friday night brought us to the Dutch Treat Restaurant in Franconia, New Hampshire to celebrate Halloween. The owner John paid us in shrimp, lamb and filet mignon…..definitely a treat. It was a pretty short set, but we still managed to meet some really friendly folks and Ammie got a few really good shots behind the lens. We chose to not sleep in there parking lot for the night and took a late night drive through the White Mountain National Forest, taking our time to ensure we wouldn’t hit a moose. We found a parking lot to sleep in just outside the Maine border and we hunkered down for the night.
Ammie's Good Eye
John & Kelly at the Dutch Treat Restaurant ~ Franconia, NH
The next morning I woke up early so we could make it to the Naples, Maine post office to pick up some mail (bills) that my dad had sent earlier in the week. I couldn’t resist stopping at Moose Pond on our way to capture the foliage, even though the locals say we missed the peak by a few weeks…..you could have fooled me. Luckily we made it to the post office minutes before they closed and found the Colonial Mast campground which would be our refuge for four nights. We had originally planned on staying one night, but after finding our campsite on the shores of Long Lake we couldn’t resist choosing calling this beautiful place “home” for a few days. After a soak in their indoor hot tub/pool, we were off for our Saturday night show at the Freedom Cafe & Pub in Naples, Maine.
Moose Pond on our drive through Maine
Our lakeside campsite at Colonial Mast in Naples, Maine
Darryl has been running the Freedom Cafe & Pub for a few years and had been commuting between Naples, MN and San Diego, CA until just recently relocating to Maine permanently. He was extremely interested in our project and had been telling a lot of people about our show and his restaurant/cafe/pub is inviting with its fireplace, delicious food, tasty drinks, and rustic atmosphere. We were thankful not only for the pot roast and fresh baked onion soup, but for the group of musicians from the area who came out to support our performance. We met Chris and Walt Bannon, brothers who grew up playing music together and currently perform in a band called the Highland String Trio. Chris took me up on my offer to play my new Taylor and was joined on stage by Sarah, a local singer with a gorgeous voice. It’s so nice to hear others music on this trip and I thank everyone in Naples for sharing so much with us.
Darryl, owner of the Freedom Cafe & Pub ~ Naples, Maine
Enjoying the atmosphere of the Freedom Cafe
The next day Ammie and I had planned on spending the Sunday relaxing on the shores of Long Lake, but we were pleasantly surprised to get a call from the Bannon brothers! They offered to pick us up from our campsite and take us on a tour around the area and show us an authentic Maine farmhouse that Chris care takes. It was simply amazing. The house was incredible and the constant sense of history was overwhelming. The house was built in the 1700’s and even though much of it has been restored over the years, the owners have made sure to keep it as original as possible. There were so many doors, steep staircases, a creepy attic with dusty antique chests, an “in-house chair” for lack of a better term, and stories in every room. The barn was completely original and though it was possibly on the brinks of complete collapse, it stored farming equipment from the 1800’s, stables, ladders made from small trees and so many hidden treasures. Our imaginations ran wild as we dreamed of the people who had once had the barn and stables in full operation.
The authentic farmhouse we toured in Maine
Chris Bannon, Ammie, & Walt Bannon
The deed to the farmhouse that Chris Bannon shared with us
The "In-House" Chair
I asked about some of the old bottles in the kitchen windowsill and was shocked to find out that they were old bottles that Walt had dug up. He’s a bottle digger. Seriously. I was so intrigued by his hobby that my mouth couldn’t keep up with all of the questions I was thinking. Basically, Walt has been a bottle digger for a few years and has become extremely good at it. He’s even been diving in local ponds and lakes where he will retrieve perfume bottles, whiskey flasks, old pipes and a variety of other historical artifacts from decades ago. He is primarily interested in pre-1900’s glass bottles as they were hand made and beautiful work of art in his eyes. We couldn’t agree more. Walt invited us in to his home and his wife served us hot apple cider, fresh apples, apple sauce and apple bread! That’s a good thing considering apples have become my favorite snack of choice on this trip. Walt and Chris played some of their songs for us and Walt’s wife sang on one of the tunes with them. The three singing together was so harmonious and I was glad that they allowed me to record the evening. Before we left, they stocked us up with vintage records (vinyl), apples, a perfume bottle from the late 1800’s from the company that would soon be known as Avon, and I talked Walt into selling me a copy of his book Digger Down. It’s filled with stories about the adventures of his bottle digging and I would really recommend anyone picking up a copy!
Bottles that Walt had found in the area
Walter Bannon with vintage pipe he found diving a local pond
Pond near the farmhouse in Maine
The next few days were spent trying to catch up on rest and booking. We lounged around in the hot tub, Ammie carved an awesome Miles to Knowhere pumpkin, we finally had ourselves a couple of proper campfires, and soaked up the beautiful November sun on the dock. Tuesday morning we woke up to find a huge paddle boat on the shore. I guess the boat is parked at the campground for the winter and we were happy to get such a close look from our site. I woke up Wednesday morning at 6 a.m. feeling so relaxed, refreshed, and excited to drive to New York City to meet Lucas! I took a picture of the calm lake before hopping in the driver’s seat. I should have made some coffee before trying to leave because I had a bit of an accident. To Be Continued……
A fine display of Ammie's art
Paddle Boat on Long Lake in Naples, Maine
The calm morning before my storm