So.Free.Me

The idyllic harbor of So.Free.Me—South Freeport Maine—contains the mix of lobster trap buoys, fishing vessels and pleasure boats seen in every Maine harbor. But the town center of South Freeport, 3 miles away, is the home of LL Bean and a raft of outlet stores, and as such, is the another popular built environment along the coast. When in So.Free.Me. freedom can include shopping and eating lobster.

Delfina is moored on the Harraseeket River, at Brewer Marine, next door to Harraseeket Lunch and Lobster, an aptly named establishment where we enjoyed sumptuous steamers and our first lobsters of the trip. We took our folding bikes ashore in the dinghy and rode to a nearby Maine Audubon site, where we forest-bathed among oak, birch, aspen and pine, stepping between tree roots on narrow trails carpeted with pine needles and moss, the pungent scent of pine wafting through the air, birds calling out to one another in bursts of delight. Jonah’s Sosne Niggun, Pine Melody, accompanies me whenever I walk in a forest.

We never expected to see so many friends up in Maine, but they are appearing everywhere we go. In Portland, after taking in the fabulous David Driskell retrospective exhibit at the Art Museum, we met my friend and colleague Steve Blattner and his wife Fran for dinner at Blue Spoon, Our beloved Mo and Jess stopped by to see us here before leaving nearby Harpswell for Gloucester, MA. As we approached the harbor, we recognized our friend Edwin’s sailboat, Frog’s Leap, and he and his new love Karen came on board for sunset and conversation.

And today, after being enticed by the crystal-clear blue sky and abundant sunshine of the past couple of days, we’re settling in under the blanket of rain for a day of reading and writing aboard Delfina. It’s a welcome relief to have no maintenance projects, owing to Christoph’s meticulous repairs prior to our departure, so we can allow ourselves to be lulled by the rhythmic sound of rainfall as the wind picks up and swings Delfina toward the southwest.