Adieu Maine..

Last Maine post - back to Paris tomorrow/demain je te promis.

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Alison is my Maine food guide - provider of all the best, cheapest deals in the state of Maine -she could write a book. We go for the BEST seafood chowder on the planet - chock full of lobster, haddock, native baby shrimp. *Alison warns me not to order anything else until we have finished the chowder.

Naturally I pay no attention whatsoever and order a clam roll, but it was not quite as good as Rockland's Sharpie's roll, which I ate in haste and forgot to shoot :(
This is the view at the Harbor View in South Thomaston.

Cupcake Flow

Who knew?

I just made cupcakes!

This morning!!

Lemon-scented Blueberry cuppies with lemony icing.

Yay

I now bow down in sheer idolatry to all cupcake makers including Parisien bakers.

Painting Color with David Dewey

What I painted yesterday in watercolor workshop with David Dewey. My willing subjects.

What David painted.

First the thumbnail.

The 'color beginning' as Turner would call it - a big atmospheric wash of colors mainly yellow.

Painting with David Dewey

What I ate for lunch at the Shack at Mechanic Street. OK, we got that over with. On to PAINTING! Day #2 of watercolor painting class with David Dewey, my teacher for like 14 years - a superb artist and an excellent teacher. We start off with a good look at Homer. The model for today by Winslow Homer.
What David is going to paint.The whole scene.

I Forgot 2 Shoot My Food...

Heading up to Maine on Sunday morning, I had at least 8 hours on the bus to think about lobster... Alison said, "I know a great place where the lobster rolls are only $6.95". Off we go in search of the cheapest lobster roll in the USA. An hour or so later after circling and circling the same route over and over, Alison says,
"I know it was here last year, just over this hill ..."
I beg her, "Can we ask somebody puleeze?
Can we stop in there and just ask?
No, they won't know" she responds.
I am ready to take a bite out of Alison's arm.
Finally Alison admits defeat.

We head back into Rockland and go to the local's hangout, The Rockland Cafe on Mechanic Street... Naturalment in my ravenous haste I forgot to shoot my seafood chowda' for you. I did remember to shoot the excellent ($12.95) very fresh (with not too much Mayo) lobster roll. Packed inside a Kaiser toasted bun by the way.

Petit dej' at the General Store used to be quite fab.

They had something called a 'breakfast pizza'. It sounds disgusting but it was just bacon and eggs on top a crispy crust. Miam-miam!

Instead I got just eggs over-easy with toast. *Note the jar of home-made strawberry jam dangerously left on the table.

They do still have my favorite cookie and the price has not changed. Yay. I show great restraint and get just one.

I am not the least bit tempted by these whoopie pies - if only London bakers knew about the General Store in Owls Head they would be rushing here...

I admire the local brew of blueberry and raspberry jams, but somehow or other I resist. It's just the first day of my week in Maine. Plenty of time to indulge.

Lunch is simply a peanutbutter sandwich. I'm saving myself for dinner. A bunch of us arty girls leave painting class early to go off to an opening somewhere or other near Boothbay. We get lost, Maine signage not being all it could be.

Later we end up at a tres authentic local eatery. OK a shack-like joint that Pam remembers has terrific crab rolls. And yes it is still there since she went just a week ago. YAY!

We park ourselves on la terrace and enjoy the scenic view of the draw bridge etc.

The crab roll is everything we dreamed. Tons of fresh crab piled on toasted hot dog buns. And again, very easy on the Mayo. 'Chips' come with it. There is a heaven on earth. I order an extra slaw, remembering to get my much needed daily 4-5 veggies up here. Do chips count as a veggie?

We go off to another local joint for dessert. And let's face it really, can Moody's Diner on route 1 be topped?

They have been baking lemon meringue pies since 1927, When I spotted these mashed numbers on sale for $1.50, I said we had to try it. It tasted very mashed.

My rhubarb-strawberry pie a la mode with Round Top Ice Cream was out of this world. Extremely tart and combined with the vanilla ice cream...well words cannot do it justice. And Round Top ice cream has to be the best there is. No question. Super creamy in an old-fashioned way.

Pam ate up her coconut cream pie without saying a word.

Alison and Margaret 'shared' a portion of raspberry pie a la mode. This is what a HALF! portion looks like. The best pie on the planet. Oh why did I not get the raspberry? Please do get it and think of me when you go to Moody's.

Moody's is the perfect end to a perfect Maine day.

Enjoy your breakfast. I hope it's a breakfast pizza.

More to come on painting in Maine

BONJOUR MAINE EATS!!

Fr Girl's B'day!

Guess who's B'day it is tomorrow?

Yep that's right.

It's FRENCH GIRL'S BIRTHDAY!

All together now PBers give a shout-out svp.

HAPPY ANNIVERSAIRE FR GIRL!

Fr girl, I hope yr gonna finally light up those macaron candles of yours on top of the frigo... Will certaines personnes will be making mini-madeleines for their B'day? I know for sure certaines personnes will eat comme habitude, a huge hunk of beurre with a petit morceau of toast for petit dejeuner on their B'day...

Do You Shoot Your Food?

Tea with M. plus Religeuse, watercolor, 9" x 11"

Who doesn't shoot their food?

Tea at Carette - Place des Vosges with Amy Thomas AKA Sweet Freak, could only mean shooting our food like mad. When bloggers get together better duck.

Tea at Carette, watercolor, 9" x 11"
I naturally shot Amy's tea with plans to paint it.

This is Amy's shot of her clafouti and I did not even taste it.

I shot our neighbor's fraise compote after asking permission. I would have liked to taste this if he had offered, but he did not.

Do not covet thy neighbor's macarons.

Carette's terrace is a free-for-all for shooter/bloggers.

Amy and I went inside and started shooting like Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid. Duck for cover everyone!

I shot the strawberry tartelette.

And these glass jars full of macarons.

But I like Amy's glass jar shot better.

Maybe because I once painted a mini macaron jar.

We both shot Carette's macarons bien sur.

Amy took this of my box of 9 macs being packed. I should have eaten them onsite.

BONJOUR FOOD SHOOTERS!