Fall Excursion to Maine & NH

 

Maine and New Hampshire with Friends

October 2025

 

            As summer has turned to fall it seems a good time for a short trip Down East, combining sightseeing & leaf peeping with visiting good friends we haven’t seen in a while. We’ll head 1^st to Maine for a stay with Robert Lehman, a regular visitor 35 years or so ago when Matt was in the Empire State Youth Orchestra and Robert was Conductor of the Repertory Orchestra. In something of a reprise, Robert & wife Kim have come thru Albany to reach their son Alex at Eastman School; and Alex himself has stopped along the way to & fro. Hopefully we’ll see Alex & other son Eric on our visit. We’ll work around Robert’s schedule. He won’t be home Thursday until dinnertime, so we have plenty of time to explore along the coast. Friday a treat: he’s performing in a concert. Saturday he’s playing at a wedding, but he didn’t get us an invitation.

We last visited Robert & Kim in 2022. Unfortunately, we won’t see Kim this time. She’s on an adventure, walking the 500-mile Camino de Santiago in Spain! We’re able to follow her progress via a link from her Facebook page; Robert can give us more details. We visited the beautiful end of this pilgrimage at Santiago de Compostela in 2022, but we reached there by bus.

We’ll return home via New Hampshire and an overnight with Alice & Rick Galuppo, friends from my college days at the U of Rochester, Rick a fraternity brother. It’s way too long since we’ve seen them; last visited them in 2016.

            We’ll be combining socializing with some repeat sightseeing along the Maine coast and across southern NH & Vermont. Don’t know what to expect for fall colors. A very dry summer was followed a couple weeks ago by a summer’s worth of rain in 3 days, almost 4½”! Our grass finally starting to green up, so we skipped the Seasonal Affective Disorder Seminar at St. Pius. Been having lovely summer weather, highs in the 80s! But it looks like welcome cooler fall temps ahead. As usual, our calendar is too full. While we’re away we’ll miss some good events: Colonie Seniors’ Fallallapalooza, the joint ASO/ESYO concert, an outdoor Mass and a dinner to benefit a Dominican orphanage at St. Pius. We arrange for grandson William to have one of our cars while we’re away. He’s using our garage to store items he has bought on-line to sell for sizable profits; needs to drive over from Siena (now “University”) to rendezvous with deliveries & buyers.

 

Thursday, October 9: “The Way Life Should Be”

            A clear, cold (43°) morning under a setting Harvest Moon. First a stop at the Post Office to send a care package to grandson Miles at Ithaca College. Sunny for the 3½-hour drive to Maine, nice Fall colors along the Mass Pike. Sign says “Welcome to Maine: The Way Life Should Be.” 

         

First to Kittery, oldest town in Maine, incorporated in 1647. Outlets & lobsters. Lunch at When Pigs Fly: Breads and Pizza, recommended by neighbor Barb for wonderful breads, some of which (especially orange/cranberry bread) we get for us and our hosts.

A short drive along the Piscataqua River, pretty houses & docks, and the river seems to change color from green to blue from different sides! A short drive out to Fort Foster Park. A small fortification, active 1901-1946. The pier is under construction, but nice views of the rocky shoreline and a lighthouse in the distance. 

Then to Just Us Chickens, an artist coop. A beautiful shop. Marjorie especially taken with alcohol ink creations, extending her own efforts in unusual ways.; she gets contact info for the artist.

We continue to work our way up the coast, plenty of views & pretty towns. York to Cape Neddick. Nubble Light, an iconic “shining gem” that’s one of the most photographed on the coast. I take a bunch of photos, of course, and offer to take a photo of a giggling group of women. 

Thru Kennebunk, Kennebunkport, Cape Porpoise. A stop in Biddeford at brew pub Sacred/Profane; a tasty snack of klache, a sweet Czech pastry. 

A resort hotel with what seems a local version of “Elf on the Shelf”: a huge witch perched on the roof! Another building has skeletons climbing up the walls. A view of Ogunquit Beach, but we can’t find a convenient access point for the Marginal Way, a seaside cliff walk we’d enjoyed on a stay in the area with Marjorie’s Uncle Bill in 1995.

Time to move away from the coast, west to Gorham. Our GPS takes us thru school grounds, lots of sporting events going on, to Robert & Kim’s duplex in a pretty neighborhood at about 6pm. A lovely house, including a roomy studio for these two musicians to practice, store their music, etc. Robert cooks up a nice light salmon supper. We get an update on Kim’s adventure. Robert talks about how much effort went into prepping & packing. She’s having quite a time, despite some aches & pains. I, on the other hand, am quite wiped out by all the driving, to bed at 8pm. I discover next morning that I missed a big upset by the Giants and their rookie QB over the Eagles.

Friday, October 10: “Musical Performance and Connection”

           

A sunny AM, 33°, some frost on the car! A line of trees with gorgeous red leaves along the yards outside the house. Joined by Robert, we head out thru Gorham. ICE agents ahead of us! Past houses with pretty Halloween decorations. 

To Saco Heath Preserve, described by Down East magazine as Maine’s “Best Overlooked Gem!” 1200+ acres with a beautiful woodland trail to a boardwalk through a peat bog. Many different trees and pretty undergrowth. A very lovely outing.

            A short drive into Portland. Robert wants to show us around the University of Southern Maine, where he is on the faculty of the Osher School of Music. The highlight: the beautiful brand-new Crewe Center for the Arts, costing $63 million. Its 43,000 square feet include rehearsal & practice spaces, a 200-seat concert hall, classrooms & offices for the various arts, even “book art.” Robert has a very nice office, tho he complains about all the rules that limit decorating. We meet Josė Manuel Lezcano, who will perform with Robert tonight. He shows us a beautiful guitar from Brazil. Actor Tony Shaloub was here for the grand opening of the Center, which includes a Tony Shaloub Performance Plaza.

            It’s time for lunch. Driving around, a sure sign we’re in New England: a “Bernie for President” bumper sticker. Robert points out the old (with chickadees) & new (with lobsters) license plates; later we notice Kim’s VLA (for viola) plate. To Taj for a very comprehensive & filling Indian buffet. After lunch reading & a nap (for me), work on Christmas boxes (Marjorie), and prep for tonight’s concert (Robert).

            Back to the University for the concert, Robert on violin joined by Josė on guitar and Rebecca Hartka on cello. This is the 1^st Faculty Recital of the season in the new concert hall. A mix of Latin American, Middle Eastern, and Paganini. A wonderful concert! Beautiful compositions, 3 instruments blending so well. It’s amusing that José needs Rebecca’s help with his tablet several times. We enjoy sitting next to Robert’s mother and her friend.

            Back to Gorham to hang out with Rebecca & Alex, who have now joined us for overnight stays. Wine, cheese & crackers, ice cream. A “small world” experience: Rebecca overlapped with Matt & Robert in ESYO, something we’ve encountered before with Matt’s connections.

 

Saturday, October 11: “Market to Coast”

            A good night’s sleep. Another pretty morning and gorgeous day! I take a little walk around the neighborhood, a few skeletons and other Halloween decorations. Relaxation & chatting with Rebecca & Alex at breakfast. Robert has his wedding gig with a quartet, so we head out for more sightseeing.

            To the nearby high school for a small Mennonite farmer’s market. Friendly entertaining corgis. 

Along pretty roads, past Tender Touch Veterinary. To Kettle Cove & Two Lights State Parks. Beautiful views of the rocky coast overlooking Casco Bay and the ocean, sparkling blue water, sea gulls, pretty plants & flowers. 

We try to get to Portland Head Light, but it’s too mobbed. Oh well, can’t se every lighthouse! A nearby contractor has a ghoulish arrangement at his parking lot. Nonesuch Brewery for some lunch; we remember being here with Kim. Back to Gorham and a disappointing Goodwill, no frames for Marjorie.  

Back about 2:00 before Rebecca leaves. Time to relax. A nap for me, more reading (Dean Koontz, The Watchers, a good read like Stephen King). Robert returns for pizza with Alex. Robert & Marjorie enjoy the Great British Baking Show.

 Sunday, October 12: “A Teenage Saint”

            A nice morning, partly sunny then cloudy, mid-40s headed to high 50s. We’re up in time for 8am Mass at nearby St. Anne’s. A mix of modern and Down East ambience. A small choir with guitar, and unlike our church they sing all the verses! It’s a Feast Day for Carlos Acutis, canonized in May, referred to as “God’s Influencer,” “the 1^st gamer saint,” and “the 1^st millennial saint.” An English-born Italian teenager known for use of digital media to promote Catholic devotion, he died in 2006, only 15! The Bishop will be here later to dedicate the chapel.

            Back “home,” following my earlier request in jest, Robert has made pancakes, from scratch! Alex joins us for breakfast. Uh oh, weather report says a Nor’easter is headed up the coast, bringing heavy rain & high winds tomorrow! We planned to stay overnight with Alice & Rick, but it seems prudent to head home tonight rather than drive thru the storm tomorrow. As we get ready to depart a deer & fawn come into the back yard, joined by another deer. The 3 watch across the street as I load up the car.

            Pretty colors as we drive along the Maine Turnpike toward New Hampshire. 

Driving thru Chester NH we’re intrigued by Halloween figures along the road, pull into an area of town buildings with many figures, from Ruth Bader Ginsburg to Snow White and the 7 Dwarves. It’s the “Chester Scarecrows” aka “The Village People,” altogether about 150 figures, an annual fundraiser for the Chester Historical Society. Another surprise: gas for $2.79!

            We get to Alice & Rick’s about 2:00. Some snacks, tasty chili. It’s good to catch up with them and meet adorable little dog Sadie; their also adorable Scooter passed away a year or two ago at age 18. We are sorry to have to forgo an overnight stay. Rain all the way home, back at 10:00. A rendezvous with William to retrieve our other car.

 

A very enjoyable 4-day fall weekend. Nice colors, beautiful coastline panoramas, pretty towns and Halloween decorations, Almost perfectly timed for the weather. And best of all, time with good friends, and meting new friend Rebecca.