My Visit With Amity in Dixfield, Maine

The following series of pictures were shot this morning. Amity and I were eating breakfast and brainstorming when a car pulled in the driveway. It was Peter Stowell and his friend Palmer, two local historians coming to the Dixfield Historical Society to do some research today. They invited us out for breakfast, so we got dressed and headed downstairs. First, we got a tour of the Historical Society Museum, housed in the same building in which Amity rents her apartment.

We then traveled on to the Front Porch Cafe, also known as the Stowell House. Sammie and Clint own the house and the restaurant now, having bought in in 2005 after the death of Peter's great-aunt Phoebe, who lived in the house until her death at the age of 93. Sammie claims Phoebe still haunts the place, although she didn't die there.

The Front Porch Cafe is right next to the Eustis Cemetery. Amity and I rambled over there for a bit before Peter joined us and gave us a "Who's Who" of the deceased buried there. We then came back over to the Historical Society and Old Chapel Antiques next door. Bill opened the store just for us, so Amity could get the bookshelf she'd bought. I bought some amazing plaster-of-paris icons and some other odds and ends. Oh, and flannel sheets and a quilt on sale at Marden's later on.

It was a funny detour of a morning, and very Maine: from the antiques shopping to the overly-decorated family restaurant, and from the local history to the cold clear November morning.

Otherwise, we've been cooking incredibly healthy and hearty meals (as always. I am staying with Mainegirl after all). I'm catching up on blogging, as you'll notice, and the decor in Amity's house is coalescing into the charming cottage feel she wants for the place. It's been a good weekend. I miss having cell phone reception. But otherwise, a good weekend indeed.