The snow is finally starting to melt here at Summer Village. The staff is anxiously awaiting opening day!

 At just over a mile, it may not be the most challenging walk you’ve ever taken but it may be one of the nicest.  The Marginal Way in Ogunquit, Maine, is one of New England’s only paved, public shoreline footpaths.  It moves along the “margins” of the coast and links Perkins Cove and Ogunquit Beach and offers magical views of the Atlantic Ocean.  There are beautiful plants and flowers along the route and if you find a view you really like, you’ll probably find a bench nearby so you can enjoy the sight at your leisure.

The Marginal Way began through a donation made by Josiah Chase of York in 1925.  Through the years, many other Ogunquit landowners gave parcels of land that lengthened the footpath by another 1/4 mile. 

The Marginal Way has survived hurricanes, development booms, and municipal budget shortfalls.  Credit goes to Ogunquit’s Marginal Way Committee and the non-profit Marginal Way Preservation Fund.  The town, with the help of the Army Corps of Engineers, has maintained the property for decades—using techniques, like the donation of memorial benches, to raise the needed funds.  After the federal government reduced/eliminated funds, the non-profit Marginal Way Preservation Fund was established.  If you would like to make a donation to this Fund, please go to The Marginal Way Fund.

I know, it’s still summertime, but fall will be here shortly.  And with it comes beautiful weather and a peacefulness that is hard to find in the summer.  A lot of guests have already booked cottages for Labor Day, Canadian Thanksgiving, and Columbus Day—so please make your reservations as soon as possible.  Don’t miss your chance of being in Maine in the fall.

Fall is a great time to visit Maine.  My favorite time is during the week—the traffic is minimal, I can find a place to park, and I can go out to restaurants without waiting for a table.  I especially like to meander among the stores and restaurants in Ogunquit and Kennebunkport looking for just the right gift or a peaceful meal of mussels or haddock.

There’s also a lot to do outside.  The ocean is still warm, the sun still shines (you’ll be the envy of your friends with your renewed tan), the beaches are less crowded, and did I mention, less traffic.  There are also a number of walking and biking paths throughout the Wells area.  If you are determined, you can even ride your bike all the way from York to South Portland!  So give us a call, make your reservations and enjoy all that fall has to offer.

A few days ago, I was writing about apple picking for The Cottages at Summer Village Newsletter and thought that it might be fun to blog about Maine apples.  There can’t be that many; heck, most of us can only name 5 or 6 apple varieties.  It should be easy. 

Then I started to do a little research, it turns out that there are over 7,500 varieties of apples in the world; 2,500 varieties in the United States alone!  Guess it won’t be that easy. 

So instead of making a list and a description of each apple in Maine, I thought it might be more fun to look at some apple facts.

• The apple was first discovered in the Middle East by Alexander the Great and was brought back to Macedonia as root stock.  Archeologists have found evidence that humans have been enjoying apples since at least 6500 B.C.
• The science of apple growing is called pomology.
• Apples are a member of the rose family.
• The crabapple is the only apple native to North America.
• Apples were brought to North America with colonists in the 17th century,and the first apple orchard on the North American continent was said to be near Boston in 1625.
• In colonial time, apples were called winter bananas or melt-in-the-mouth.
• The apple is the official state fruit of Rhode Island, New York, Washington, and West Virginia.  The apple blossom is the official state flower of Michigan and Arkansas.
• Apples are a great source of the fiber pectin. One apple has five grams of fiber.
• Apple trees take four to five years to produce their first fruit.
• At least 64 million tons of apples were grown worldwide in 2008.  Forty-two percent of all apples produced were grown in China.  The United States produced approximately 6.6%, followed by Iran, Turkey, Russia, and India with approximately 3.3% each.
• To keep potatoes fresh and prevent sprouting, put an apple in the bag.
• Americans eat approximately 19.1 pounds of apples a year.
• Apples are eaten with honey at the Jewish New Year of Rosh Hashanah to symbolize a sweet new year.
• To prevent discoloration of peeled apples, place peeled slices in a pan of cold water to which a pinch of salt has been added (for each whole apple peeled).
• When making salads, dip apple slices in fresh lemon juice to prevent slices from turning brown
• It takes about 36 apples to create one gallon of apple cider.
• Every wonder why you can bob for apples?  Fresh apples float because 25% of their volume is air.