This past Saturday there was line out the door at King Eider’s Pub in Damariscotta. Likewise, just across Main Street, there wasn’t a seat to be had at Bred in the Bone.
We love the sight of local businesses doing business, but the lines of people waiting remind us that our friends from away are almost here. Soon we will need to share our beautiful home with visitors who love it as much as we do, only differently.
Although summer and winter gets the lion’s share of attention, Maine is renowned as an all- weather state. Mainers scoff at the concept of just four seasons. We could have 12 or more. Spring alone can be divided into wet and dry season, black fly season, and mud season.
Here’s the thing, now is a great time to prepare. This stretch right here, the weeks leading up to Memorial Day, is an undersold part of Maine’s charm. The weather is nice and getting nicer, businesses are opening up, the roads aren’t as crowded, and the black flies are friendlier.
Stock up on supplies you’re going to need and mentally prepare to take more time than usual when running errands. Some of us might want to say goodbye to a favorite spot for the next few months.
Quite a few local residents deal with the summer crush by avoiding it altogether. After Memorial Day, practitioners of the seasonal fade typically won’t see downtown Damariscotta or Wiscasset again until September at the earliest.
Of course, this is also prime time for cyclists, runners, and pedestrians of all ages to get out and about. Motorcycles are going to be everywhere, again. Be vigilant, be careful.
Summer always seems to take forever to get here and it always seems to leave so fast. This coming summer, too, will be gone before we know it, and we’ll have our wonderful home to ourselves again, until next year.
