Not up for biking and kayaking? Plenty of options in Maine
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The Olson House, a National Historic Landmark in Cushing, Maine. The house was where artist Andrew Wyeth painted his famous Christina's World.[Photo/Agencies] |
The modest clapboard farmhouse is where Andrew Wyeth painted his most famous work, Christina's World, in 1948.
No elevator, but there's a delightful docent-led tour of the first floor (you can sit for most of it), chock-full of details about Wyeth's relationship with Anna Christina Olson and her brother Alvaro.
The high, wavy grass in the painting can be seen in a patch in the front yard, where everyone takes pictures, occasionally in the prone. We didn't. Too hard to get up.
Museum admission is $15; another $5 gets you in the Olson House.
Monhegan Boat Line
Double kayaking was out. But we wanted to be on the water, sowe chose a 2.5-hour lighthouse survey out of Port Clyde with Monhegan Boat Line, which is $30 per passenger.
Easy to board, even on only one good ankle.
It came with a fascinating demonstration of lobstering by a 19-year-old tour guide and third-generation lobsterman.
At a lighthouse now owned by Jamie Wyeth, someone came out - we were told it was Wyeth himself-and fired off a cannon as a salute. At that distance, it could have been anyone. But he's in our story and we're sticking with it.
Antiques at 10 Mechanic Street
A throbbing ankle can be a good way to judge Maine's many antiques shops.
After a while, you've had your share of distressed buoys and shellback lawn chairs, and clomping through another store with a clunky orthopedic boot can feel more like a chore than an adventure.
Not so, however, with Antiques at 10 Mechanic in Camden, a former movie house where Peyton Place, which was filmed nearby, had its world premiere.
Antiques at 10 Mechanic feels like a grandfather's attic crossed with Beatrix Potter's pantry and, perhaps, an old set shop from MGM. You can't walk 2 feet without wanting something.
The day we visited, Lou Bega's A Little Bit of Mambo was playing on the stereo, and broken-ankle girl was practically dancing through the store.
Bonus: Saturday Cove, a popular spot for Flax clothing, housewares and art in Northport, which closed this spring, has an outpost in the back of the store.
