Cottages at Summer Village Blog

Come Celebrate the Season

November 17th, 2011

The cottages may be closed, but there’s still things going on in and around Wells. Beginning December 1st, Kennebunkport will begin its 26th annual Christmas Prelude. Two days later, Ogunquit starts its 25th annual Christmas by the Sea Celebration and on December 11th, the Southern Maine Christmas Parade takes place in Wells.

Christmas Prelude

Each year the business community and local residents recreate the spirit and joy of the holiday season for the Annual Kennebunkport Christmas Prelude. This year, the events take place on December 1-4 and December 9-11. This is an ideal time to visit Kennebunkport and warm up to the spirit of the holidays–crisp fresh snow (maybe), warm log fires, and a nip in the air.

The events include:

• Tree lighting ceremonies in Kennebunk, Dock Square, and Cape Porpoise (lobster trap tree)

• Santa arrives by lobster boat escorted by two very special “lobster elves” in Dock Square

• Candlelight caroling at the Franciscan Monastery

• Prelude champagne reception at The Nott House

• Holiday shopping at boutiques, shops, and galleries with festive holiday refreshments and seasonal sales

• Bonfire and Christmas carols

• Prelude craft fairs featuring hand-made Maine products

• Blueberry pancake breakfast

• Down East lobster bake

For more information about this event, go to Christmas Prelude website.

Christmas by the Sea Celebration

The festivities begin on December 3rd with a Santa’s Workshop, ice skating, and a holiday tea party and continue through Sunday the 4th. The celebrations start up again on Friday the 9th and end on the 11th with the Southern Maine Christmas Parade in Wells. The Christmas by the Sea Celebration is very family-oriented, so bring the whole family and enjoy this very special time together.

Among the many events planned are:

• Family scavenger hunt all weekend

• Gingerbread decorating class

• Spirit of Giving holiday party

• “The gift of the Magi” musical

• Chowder and Chocolatefest

• Marginal Way Preservation Fund meatloaf competition

• Christmas caroling by the local Daisy and Brownie troops

• Town tree lighting ceremony

• Ornament making and cookie decorating

For more information about this event go to the Ogunquit Chamber of Commerce website.

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Apples, Apples, and more Apples

October 6th, 2011

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.

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The 24th Annual Laudholm Nature Crafts Festival

August 24th, 2011

Looking for something to do on the weekend after Labor Day. Check out the 24th Annual Laudholm Nature Crafts Festival at the Wells Reserve at Laudholm. It will be held on September 11th and 12th from 10 am to 4 pm.

This prestigious event brings nearly 100 artisans, selected by jury, to exhibit their arts. Sculpture, jewelry, pottery, painting, clothing, and photography are among the crafts being exhibited. Add music, food, and environmental education to this mix and you have a wonderful round out the 2-day festival.

During the crafts festival, Dr. Chifuru Noda will play acoustic guitar to set the mood. Lunch fare will feature chowder, sandwiches, pizza, hot dogs, ice cream, and scrumptious desserts.

There is also a raffle. Many of the exhibiting artists contribute a handcrafted item to the Laudholm Raffle, which also features a beautiful handmade quilt created by Laudholm volunteers. Raffle tickets can be purchased online.

“The crafts festival benefits Laudholm Trust, which supports the research, education, and stewardship programs of the Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve and the care of the Wells Reserve’s historic setting. “The crafts festival is our most important fund raising event of the year,” said Diana Joyner, president of Laudholm Trust. ” The money we raise helps us maintain our beautiful historic site while supporting the science and education programs of the Wells Reserve.”

Admission is $7 per person ($5 for Laudholm members). The Wells Reserve at Laudholm has a no pets, no smoking policy. For information, call 207-646-4521 or visit www.wellsreserve.org

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Fall Specials

July 28th, 2011

Fall is one of my favorite times in Maine. The days are still warm, the air is clear, and the evenings are pleasantly cool. There’s less traffic and I can finally get into my favorite restaurants around town. It’s more peaceful–a perfect time to sit on the beach and read a book or go to a Spa and have a massage. Later, as the leaves start to turn, it’s a pleasure to just wander on trails through the woods.

September Spa Special*
Come any two nights, or more, Sunday through Thursday and receive 20% off your cottage rental. Bring some friends along, walk the beaches, attend Stonewall Kitchen’s cooking school, or go to our special spa, Naviina in Wells and receive a 10% discount on all their services. Or , during September 5th through the 17th, come to Capriccio in Ogunquit. Capriccio is a town-wide festival of art, music, poetry, ballet, live theater, concerts, design at various venues and architectural tours.

October Fall Foliage Special*
Come any two nights, or more, Sunday through Thursday and receive 20% off your cottage rental. Go to the Fryeburg Fair, Maine’s largest agricultural fair complete with six days of harness racing, a farm museum second to none, the world’s largest steer and oxen show and a reputation known throughout North America. Or, on Oct 21-23, 2011, come to the Annual OgunquitFest, a weekend festival that includes a scarecrow contest, a haunted house, a classic car show, the Bridge to Beach Bed Race, pumpkin decorating, ghost stories, a craft bazaar and much more. Or you may want to go for a hayride, or pick some apples, or simply drive around and view the lovely foliage. Whatever you want to do, why don’t you let The Cottages at Summer Village be your home base.

Barbara
*All specials begin on September 5, 2011 and end on October 26, 2011. Specials can not be combined with any other offers or discounts. Not applicable to previously reserved cottages.

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My “Secret” Beach

July 14th, 2011

After reading Yankee Magazine’s recent article on the “Secret Beaches of Rhode Island,” I began to think about which beach in the Wells area was my favorite. Some people love Drake’s Island Beach with its long sandy beach ideal for walking and others love the hustle and bustle of Ogunquit’s Beach Street Beach with adequate parking (most of the time), toilet facilities, and restaurants. But I love the Wells Harbor Beach the best.

You can get there by going north from Summer Village on Route One. Go through four sets of lights and then take the 1st right onto Harbor Road. Just before you get to the boatyard and town dock, take a right and you’ll come upon a circular road with a Gazebo in the middle. Go to the top of the circle and you’ll see a lower parking lot on your right (or left, if you came in the other way). Park your car and find the opening in the sea grass, walk down the path and you’re there.

It’s a small beach and there’s not much sand to sit on at high tide but it’s wonderful for children at mid- and low-tide. There are lots of sand bars and tidal pools with crabs. Around the time of the full moon, an adult can even walk (with maybe a little swimming) across to the more frequented Wells Beach. Around the north corner of the beach is a deck that let’s you get off the sand and have a dry place to eat lunch. Or you can go up to the covered picnic area and eat lunch in the shade. If the kids get tired of the water, there’s a playground area with lots of things to swing on, climb on, and jump on. Or walk over to the town dock floats and take the kids crabbing. All you need is a little string, something for the crabs to grab on (like an onion bag), and a little bait (sold at the boatyard store). There are also public toilet facilities next to the boatyard.

I really like this little beach. The people are friendly, it’s less crowded than most beaches around and most of all, parking is free.

Tags: beaches, crabbing, less crowded, playground, vacation
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A Few Lobster Facts

June 30th, 2011

The Maine Lobster industry is the model of a well-managed fishery — ensuring that both the lobster resource and the environment are protected for generations to come.
Lobstering in Maine is worth more than $300 million a year to its roughly 6,000 licensed lobstermen. 75 million pounds of lobster was hauled in 2009, and the estimated 2010 catch is expected to be close to 100 million pounds.
Marine scientists have identified many species of Homarus, but only two of commercial importance: H. americanus, found most plentifully in the Gulf of Maine; and H. gammarus, the European lobster, found along the western European coast. You can recognize members of the Homarus genus—true lobsters—by their five sets of legs, including a pair of large, meat-filled claws.
Lobsters normally feed on sea creatures that thrive on the bottom of the ocean like crabs, clams, snails and mussels. However, they do feed on tinier lobsters.
A lobster grows by molting its outer shell and replacing it with a new soft shell. Before a lobster molts (usually in June/July), it is known as a hard shell lobster. After molting, the shell is soft and the lobster grows into their new shells. Many people think soft shell lobster meat is sweeter and more tender than the meat of a hard shell lobster and it is significantly easier to remove from the shell.
Harvesting in Maine is by trap only — no dragging or diving is allowed. Traps include escape vents for under size lobsters as well as biodegradable escape hatches to free lobsters in lost traps.
Lobsters are sometimes called “bugs.” The name makes sense, since the lobster’s nervous system has been likened to those of grasshoppers, ants, houseflies and mosquitoes. Its brain is no larger than the tip of a ballpoint pen.
Female lobsters with visible eggs cannot be harvested. Before releasing her, the harvester notches her tail to identify her as a good breeder, thus protecting her for life from being harvested.
Berried females carry thousands of eggs attached to their swimmerets. Depending on water temperatures, the eggs will remain attached for about a year on average. Only 0.1% of the eggs will make it over six weeks after being dropped.
Despite its rich, buttery taste, it is a low-calorie, low-fat source of protein: 3.5 ounces of meat has only about 96 calories and less than 2 grams of fat.
A lobster will drown in fresh water.
A lobster’s teeth are in its stomach.
Lobster blood is a clear fluid. When the lobster is boiled, the blood turns to an opaque whitish gel. It has no discernible flavor and is perfectly safe to eat.

Tags: lobsters, Maine
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Juno Special

June 12th, 2011

June is the month of “JUNO,” the goddess of the Roman Pantheon. Feel like a goddess: grab the girls–mother, daughter, sister, aunt, friend, or whatever, just grab them and make your reservation at the Cottages at Summer Village. Make your reservation for a minimum of two nights any Sunday-Thursday, June 5-23, 2011, and enjoy 20% off.

There’s no better way to feel like a goddess, than to kick back in a completely furnished cottage, swim in our adult only, heated pool or lay back in our hot tub. And if you feel up to it, exercise in our complete fitness center with sauna. Take advantage of our natural, peaceful setting, take a walk on our 1.8 mile perimeter road, enjoy a game of tennis, borrow a book from our library or do absolutely nothing. Just enjoy your time with your fellow goddess’ before it gets too busy and summer is gone.

Tags: rental cottages, vacation lodging, vacation rentals, wells me vacation rentals
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Kennebunkport Festival–5/31-6/4

May 21st, 2011

A quick note to those of you who might be thinking of coming to Maine at the end May, or the first part of June.

The town of Kennebunkport is holding its annual Kennebunkport Festival on May 31st through June 4th (www.kennebunkportfestival.com). It will be a long weekend of art, food, wine, and music. There will be art events, bands, dinners at a variety of locales, after-dinner events, along with beer and wine tastings.

There are still some tickets available for The Art of Dining Series. 100% of the monies collected at these dinner will be donated to support Share Our Strength of Maine‘s efforts to end childhood hunger. With your help, they are teaching more families how to cook healthy, affordable meals through Share Our Strength’s Cooking Matters™ program and by funding other nutrition education programs. And they are bringing more good people to the cause through their No Kid Hungry Campaign and Pledge. Your participation in the Kennebunkport Festival is helping them spread the word about how, together, we will ensure that no child in Maine goes hungry.

Come on up, have fun, eat and drink well, and help support a truly worthwhile organization.

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The Cottages at Summer Village BLOG

May 14th, 2011

Welcome to the new Cottages at Summer Village Blog. Starting with this issue, we’re going to focus on the usual, the unusual, and the just plain different activities, restaurants, and places to go in southern Maine. But I need your help.

Some of you have been coming to the Cottages at Summer Village and southern Maine for years and know a lot more about the off-the-beaten path restaurants, beaches or activities than I do. (I came here from Massachusetts via Colorado). Would you be willing to share some of these ideas? If you are willing, please email me at bgarrey@cottagesatsummervillage.com. I’ll take your information and share it with our wider audience through our blog, newsletter, or on Facebook.

To start things off, I thought you might like to know that there are 2 new restaurants in Wells as well as a new store that opened up last fall.

Yank’s Franks is a small, casual restaurant near the Wells Post Office. They opened towards the end of last summer. It serves all-meat hot dogs with natural casings, custom made in New England, by the Hummel Brothers. When you bite in, the casings give a real snap and tell you that you’re about to have some fun. Whether you take your hot dog straight-up or accompanied by any combination of their toppings, you can be sure that you are eating the “real” thing. Yank’s Franks also serves chicken. Address: Yank’s Franks, 1738 Post Road (Route 1), Wells, Maine 04090, (207) 251-4002. Open daily May through October. Yanksfranks.com

Perkins Cove Candies makes some of the finest handmade chocolate candies in the area and now has a store in Wells. Enjoy their delicious selection of almond bark, peanut and coconut clusters, caramels, and butter crunch—all in dark, milk and white chocolate. And in the summer, don’t forget their homemade salt water taffy! It’s delicious. This summer the Wells store, which is on route 1 (next to CVS), plans to demonstrate the art of chocolate candy making. Be sure to drop in and say welcome. Perkins.com

Moe’s Italian Sandwiches opened in Wells on April 27^th. They’re located on Route 1 next to the Laundromat and in front of Hannaford’s. While the parking is not great, the sandwiches are delicious. The flagship sandwich is “Moe’s Original Italian”—a combination of salami, provolone, onions, tomatoes, black olives, dill pickles, and sliced green peppers. Quite a mouthful! The shop also sells turkey, ham, veggie, meatball, tuna, and chicken salad sandwiches.

Back to the parking situation. There are only a few parking spaces next to Moe’s and those are shared with the laundromat. So if you plan to go to Moe’s, it might be easier to go into the Hannaford’s upper parking lot. Park there, and then it’s just a few steps to Moe’s. Moesitaliansandwiches.com

That’s it for this week.

Barbara

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Just when we thought Spring was here…

April 1st, 2011

Not again! This would’ve been a cruel April’s Fool joke if it weren’t so real. We were in the process of getting the property ready for our May 1st opening and what happens–6-8 inches of snow. But don’t worry, we will be open on time and we look forward to greeting old friends and making new ones.