It is officially summer. You can tell by the traffic on Route 1/Atlantic Highway, as our summer visitors explore the coast. Long days, and I am assured that we will see summer heat at some point.

When I was a kid, on those stifling hot afternoons, my dad would invariably decide it was time to go to the beach. He always meant Ducktrap, at that time still mostly known only to locals. As a kid I would have much preferred sandy Lincolnville Beach, but fewer people was always the draw for my father.

It was always a good 10 degrees cooler at the ocean, making it the perfect place.

My childhood is full of memories of picnics at Ducktrap, of swimming in the channel (always a bit warmer than the ocean proper), gathering with family and friends. Searching for sand dollars and crabs at low tide, and building sandcastles on the sandbars, before the tide wiped them out.

Lincolnville, formally French Beach, has always been more popular. I understand that Lincolnville is he only place where Route 1 runs along the shore. Here you can have a lobster, a pizza, ice cream, or basket of fried clams at one of four separate eateries. You can watch the lobster catch coming in, or hitch a ride over to Islesboro on the ferry Margaret Chase Smith. 

If you take the 11a.m. ferry, you can spend some time at the beach across the bay, and return on the 1p.m. back to Lincolnville. Pack an Italian from the Beach Store for a picnic in the shade of the Islesboro lighthouse.

As Ducktrap is no longer as undiscovered as it once was, there is a new spot on the shore — Penobscot Park, just before the Northport Town line.

Penobscot Park was acquired by the town a couple of years ago from the Coastal Mountain Land Trust. It boasts large grassy fields overlooking the ocean, covered picnic tables and grills. If you are seeking a beach experience with a little more seclusion, this is the place to check out. The gates are open from dawn to dusk.

But I cannot neglect my favorite places to swim when I was a kid — our lakes and ponds. 

Fernald’s Neck is fabulous, and a short hike to that most erratic of glacial erratics, Balance Rock, where you can take a dip in Megunticook Lake. Also, come late summer, look for monarch caterpillars amongst the milkweed field.

Breezemere Park at Norton’s Pond has been a favorite swimming hole for generations of Center kids. Levenseller Pond at the Searsmont town line is wonderful, and my absolute favorite as a teenager, Moody Pond. Moody is one of those rare ponds not surrounded by camps, and there is public access, but I think I shall speak no more of it. Locals need our secrets.

Whether you visit our waterways to swim, fish, skip stones, or just take in the view in mindful silence, enjoy and don’t make a mess. Happy Summer.

Save the Date

Saturday, July 8, from 10-1 is the 30th annual Strawberry Festival, put on by the United Church of Christ, an open and affirming congregation, in Lincolnville Center.

The parade kicks off down Main Street at 10, and then get your hot dogs and church-lady-made strawberry shortcake, get your face painted and enjoy live music. I’ll get more into one of my favorite annual town activities in this space next week!

A Tragic Fire

Saturday morning the questions went out on Facebook and the Lincolnville Bulletin board. Where is the fire? An ancestral fear, the smell of smoke in the air. The Lincolnville Fire Department was joined by their colleagues in Camden, Rockport, Hope, Northport, and Belfast to battle a fully involved structure fire on the Belfast Road.

Condolences go out to the person who lost their life in the home. And thanks to the firefighters, largely volunteers, who did not hesitate to suit up and face the blaze. 

OK Lincolnville, have a wonderful week. Be sure to take some time for yourself, just to breath and take in this glorious place where we live. As always, I can be reached at ceobrien246@gmail.com.