Aug. 17 – Sawyer Island, ME

Coastal Maine Botanical Garden's Mooring

“This is the real secret of life – to be completely engaged with what you are doing in the here and now. And instead of calling it work, realize it is play.” – Alan W. Watts

Today we went back down the Sheepscot River to an anchorage called Sawyer Island. We picked up the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens mooring located near the Barter Island Bridge. This bridge is one of only two manually operated swing bridges left in Maine. Our purpose in stopping here was to visit the Botanical Gardens and to eat at the Trevett Country Store.

As soon as we were settled we dinghied over to Trevett's for lunch. The store is about as old fashioned as it gets, you feel like you've stepped back in time. It's a local spot, not a tourist trap. They’re famous for their fried haddock sandwich and fried clams. At lunch we had the lobster roll and clams. They were so fresh and delicious we decided to go back for dinner. At dinner Stan tried the haddock and I had another basket of clams. Everything was so fresh...their seafood comes right off the dock located in the building next to them. We sat outside overlooking the bridge...it just doesn't get much better than this.

Our lunch

We spent the rest of the afternoon walking through the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. They have incorporated wonderful gardens into the natural settling of the Maine countryside. The gardens encompass 270 acres and include a Rhododendron Garden, with a multi-level waterfall; a 2-acre Children's Garden, inspired by Maine children's literature; the Garden of the Five Senses; and Slater Forest Pond to name just a few of the nine beautiful gardens they have. The park also includes miles of hiking trails through the woods and along the water. It definitely was a wonderful place to spend the afternoon. I'll let my pictures show you just how pretty it was.

The Meditation Garden

The Fairy House Village where kids can build their own houses for fairies.