Maine - chocolate, wine and the Thomaston Historical Society

The trip to Trois Riviere was uneventful and boring but the drive down from there to Maine was absolutely lovely.

It rained off and on but that seemed to heighten the fall colours

which were at their peak and better than anything currently in southern Ontario.

We arrived in Rockland early enough to pick up groceries and get to South Thomaston before dark. This is my second time staying at Heather and Don's friends house and it felt like coming home. It is a welcoming house with lots of art on the walls, family furniture and collections.

A big oak on the property, there are pictures in the house of when it was small.

We walked down to the Keag ("gig") for breakfast and I snapped away at the local architecture.

Cedar shake homes are common,

some newish looking and some weathered by time, rain and the salt air.

Many homes have porches with ornate woodwork

Lots of clapboard, for which the time, rain and salt air are not as kind.

Lovely Inn next to the post office which is next to the Keag. That and a scattering of homes is South Thomaston.

Heather looking out the window of the Keag and the construction trucks reflected in the window, as the bridge over the river is being replaced.

On the notice board in the store.

The tidal river is still

pretty

photogenic

even without the bridge.

We drove into Rockland and stopped in at the Tourist Info Centre and learned about wine tours and a new chocolate tour. Had to check that out.

We were a bit early for the tour

so walked around the harbour. This is the Windjammer dock but only a few are still sailing (the season ended last weekend) and those are taking out 3 to 6 day cruises.

Map of Rockland Harbour. The line sticking down from the top is the breakwater that we plan to walk tomorrow.

Back inside the chocolate factory we met the co-owners (a mother and daughter) and watched a presentation by a young woman who explained about the growing, harvesting and production of their chocolate bars. This picture is of the pods that grow one or two to a tree and are full of the white sticky cocao beans. After harvesting the beans are fermented and then dried.

They buy organic beans from specific areas and she explained that, just like wine, the terroir has an impact on the taste. They use a single source in a bar; Haiti, Dominican Republic or Guatemala. They make Bixby chocolate bars in the adjoining factory but showed us the dedicated kitchen for their "bean to bar" chocolate bars.

In house they roast the beans, husk them and then take the insides (the nibs) and blended with sugar cane make them into bars of dark chocolate.

We got to taste 2 different chocolate bars made from beans from Dominican Republic and from Haiti. They were distinctly different and the language was very like wine tasting, they had a different "nose" and one had hints of rasberry while the other had hints of raisin. Both were made from just cocao beans and cane sugar. Of course after the presentation, we shopped.

This little place was recommended by the chocolate lady for a light lunch. I had home made baked beans, corn bread and coleslaw.

Each napkin was different. This pic is for Pam.

On our way home we stopped at the Breakwater Winery

with its view over the harbour.

We sat, warm in the sun, on the patio that overlooked the vines

and tasted various wines,

cider and mead. More shopping.

We were still full from lunch so had a light dinner too; baguette, cheese, olives and wine.

We had seen this poster in the Keag, at breakfast, so made our way over to the Farmhouse Museum in Thomaston for pumpkin loaf and cider (the reception part)

and an excellent presentation by a man who curates the photographic section of a large local museum, Penobscot. He had cowritten a book about the collection of Eastern Illustrated Company's glass plates. The company had taken photos of much of New England for use as postcards, "the original social media" was his quote.

He was very entertaining, talking about the history of the company, how he and the glass plates came to the museum (quite a circular and often fraught route)

and what had changed or stayed the same in the images of places we were seeing on the screen.

It was a very full first day. There is so much to see and do here.