Meeting House Farm

MEETINGHOUSE FARM

GUEST INFORMATION

 

Meetinghouse Farm is located approximately 1 1/2 hours north of Portland, Maine, and 30 minutes south of Rockland, Maine. The Farm is a five bedroom farmhouse built in the 18th-19th Centuries. The address is 706 Bremen Rd. (aka Route 32) and is a little over one mile off the Atlantic Highway, State Route 1. The property is approximately 12 acres and is just north of Meetinghouse Cove on Muscongus Bay, which empties into the sea around the Medomak River.

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Waldoboro

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You reach the Town of Waldoboro by traveling north on Rt. 32, turn right at the country store (McGreevy’s) at Main St., and then another right at Friendship St., in all, about a 5-minute ride.  Waldoboro is a small town. Its claim to fame is that it issues more clamming licenses than any other town in Maine with the most productive tidal flats in the state, almost 850,000 lbs. of clams harvested each year.  The good news about this innocuous fact is that the local clams are delicious and so are the oysters.  The only notable commercial establishments in Waldoboro are a pharmacy, The Narrows (good for cold beer, a burger/fish-n-chips, and occasionally live music), and a decent place to buy a NYTimes -- that’d be the country store at West Main and Rt. 32, so you gotta turn around.

 

Waldoboro’s real claim to fame is Moody’s Diner and Gift Shop, which is just one mile more north on Rt. 1. People travel from far and wide to eat at Moody’s, which to my mind is only above-average but with good pie.  Stop in so you can say you “been dare.”  Best if you get there early to hear the old clamdiggers talk about the weather, the tides, and their aches and pains.

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Restaurants

 

Used to be that restaurants in this part of Maine fell into two categories: those that serve starch and fryer fat and those that did it poorly. Which is to say you were not destined to lose weight or be bedazzled by the food there. Over the last 30 years though the food has improved enormously. Our personal favorites are:

 

• King Eider’s Pub in Damariscotta: 207-563-6008; kingsiderspub.com.  Do not miss the fresh oysters, which are delicious

 

• Anchor Inn in Round Pound: 207-529-2600; theanchorrestaurant.com, recently renovated

 

• Long Grain in Camden: (207) 236-9001; longgraincamden.com, excellent eatery serving Thai fare

 

• Suzuki’s Sushi in Rockland: 207-596-7447; suzukisushi.com, which comes highly-recommended

 

• In Good Company in Rockland: 207-593-9110; ingoodcompanymaine.com, modern but homey

 

• Miranda’s in Rockland: 207-594-2034; cafemiranda.com, where you should arrange to sit at the counter

 

• Rock City Coffee in Rockland: 207-594-4123; rockcitycoffee.com

 

People swear by Red’s Eats in Wiscasset where folks “from away” (not born in Maine) line up by the hundreds to snag a lobster roll or a piece of fried dough (go figure). Since you are from away, you are permitted to wait in line if you want. I will take up the issue of lobster shops below.  Of the restaurants listed above, excepting Moody’s, you’ll need reservations in the summer and perhaps in the fall.

 

If you travel to Waldoboro through Portland, it has become a mecca for artisanal food, beer, etc.  Some of the restaurants approach world-class.  Check out your favorite website as the establishments are too numerous to list: tripadvisor.com, google.com, zagat.com.  Recently one of our family members praised Empire Chinese Kitchen (207-747-5063).

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Everyday Shopping

 

There is a Hannaford’s right up at the intersection of Route 32 and Route 1. If you need more advanced fixings, head back south on Route 1, take the turn off to Damariscotta, and there’s a very large and well stocked Hannaford’s on the left before you get to town. Rockland’s quite large and has a Lowe’s at one end and a WalMart at the other. Waldoboro also has a decent hardware store, left at Friendship St. There’s also a fine vegetable stand on Rt. 1 in Waldoboro (Spear Farms), a great vegetable-lobster-pickle stand called Beth’s on the way to Rockland and Borealis Breads, across from Moody’s, which are to die for.  Unbelievably, there’s a first-class German deli called Morse’s (after the famous sauerkraut) on Rt. 220, about 15 minutes from the house. It’s a must to check out: http://www.morsessauerkraut.com/. It has a small restaurant attached – try the kraut balls, they’re heavenly or at least devilishly good.

 

To buy fresh ocean lobster, head down to Round Pound where there are two prominent lobster pounds (see Shaw’s below). If you haven’t ever had live lobster, start with eating one on the picnic tables on the wharf. Then you can work up to talking them home, refrigerating them until ready to eat and immersing them in boiling water for 12-15 minutes.  If you are the humane type and which human isn’t, there’s a pre-spa treatment for your lobster that makes sense.  Although no lobster has ever reported the effects of being boiled alive and there is good evidence they don’t experience pain, having watched a lobster or two try to crawl out of boiling water is not a savory experience.  The humane treatment is to get your water boiling, freeze your crustacean for 20 minutes, remove and turn belly-side up, and then cut right from between the eyes through the head in ‘one fell swoop’.  This video shows you how: https://www.finecooking.com/article/video-how-to-kill-a-lobster

 

 

Automotive Issue or Emergency

 

I should also mention Hillside Auto, 409 Atlantic Hwy (back towards Damariscotta) if someone has vehicle problems or, perhaps in a Chardonnay haze, locks his/her keys in the car.

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Outings

 

It really depends on what you want to do. You can travel the short distance to Camden or Rockland and finger the pretty gee-gaws in the tourist shops and art galleries and eat in one of their nice restaurants. Or you can head south on Rt. 32, hit the Pemaquid lighthouse, and eat dinner at Shaw’s Lobster Pound on the wharf (207-677-2200). You can also take the Hardy boat tour from there, visit historic Monhegan Island, walk the trails, enjoy lunch and maybe get a glimpse of the rare Puffins (colorful seabirders).  Both Boothbay and Camden are pretty touristy in their own right but are kind of Maine “right of passage” experience you will not regret.  The botanical gardens in Boothbay are worthy of rave reviews.

 

Other enjoyable trips include: the Farnsworth Museum on Rockland, home to some lovely Wyeths, Acadia National Park, L.L. Bean (in Freeport), the Bath Iron Works (you can’t miss the crane on your drive up), the Maritime Museum (also in Bath), and Mt. Katahdin (Maine’s highest peak – so for Californians we’re talking mole-size). Recently a number of wineries have cropped up around mid-coast Maine, which are quite fun to check out.

One of the nicest outings is just to walk down to the ocean on the property. In summer, you’ll need some bug spray. But the woods are beautiful and the walk’s a good constitutional.

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Tidies, Untidies, and Questions

 

You will not need to bring a single thing with you. The house is thoroughly stocked though the frig is generally empty except for condiments, sheets, towels, pillowcases and washrags, etc. When you leave the house, strip beds you’ve used and place the detritus by the washer/dryer. A lovely young woman/man will come after you’ve left and clean up.

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Advisements, etc.

 

The house is heated by wood and heating oil through the thermostat in the dining room. There should be wood in the wood room. If you leave for the day, don’t set the thermostat too high; fuel oil is just black money.

 

The house is on a well so don’t leave any faucet or hose running.

The new table in the kitchen is made from the 250-year old oak tree that used to grace the front of the house. Please don’t place hot items on it and, obviously, don’t cut on its surface.

 

If you’re staying during the summer, you may need bug spray, which you can find under the sink.  Important (but don’t panic) advisement: on the rare occasion some of our guests have experienced exposure to Lyme Disease. Although the bite often presents as a round rash it often doesn’t.  Here’s is a link to the Mayo Clinic’s overview of Lyme disease and its preventions, which are generally: covering up when in wooded or grassy areas (such as the bottom of the field); using insect repellent (there’s some under the sink – but buy more if needed); examining your clothing and skin for ticks after a walk in the field or elsewhere.  https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/lyme-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20374651

 

 

If you have any questions, please call Tom or Sally Morrison who live across the street. Their number is (207) 832-6855.  Or you can call Thornton at 559-476-5066, dir. off., or 559-916-6055, cell.

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Lastly

 

This is just a partial sampling. Guests always manage to find new and exciting places. If you find something worth visiting (or not), tell us so we can inform other guests.  Please make sure you sign the Meetinghouse Farm Guest Book.

Enjoy your stay,

 

The Davidsons