New blog location

We have officially moved our blog over to the LimeRock Inn website. you can continue reading about our exciting adventures here!

Land & Seascape Package

We have partnered with the Maine Windjammer Associate to provide an exclusive Land & Sea Package. This package includes all the elements for a getaway you won't soon forget. Click here for more details.

Maine In America celebration

The Maine in America Celebration is a ten-day festival starting June 18th in the midcoast that celebrates Maine's role in American art. This year's recipient of the Maine in America award goes to world renowned artist, Robert Indiana. Among the many events taking place over the course of the 10 days will be a new play about sculptor Louis Nevelson called The Occupant by Edward Albee. Saturday the 20th, Rockland celebrates Summer Solstice. Main Street will be closed to traffic and music and festivities will abound. Rooms are still available at LimeRock Inn. Please click here for the full schedule of events.

Rent your own lobster trap!

Captain Jack Lobster Tours here Rockland Maine has a great offer for you. They will now rent a lobster trap for the season and you get all the lobsters caught in the trap. They guarantee a minimum of 25 lbs! The price is $250 and they will even invite you on board for a free ride to see your trap hauled. They may even let you help!! Shipping is available at an extra cost. Captain Jack also provides lobstes boat tours of Rockland Harbor wherein they will explaing how the lobstering industry works here in Maine. I've been out with him several times and it a great fun. this is one of the many exciting and fun things to do during a stay at LimeRock Inn.

Pink Lady Slippers

This is an amazing time of the season where you can see a rare site in the Maine wilderness. Pink Lady Slippers, a native wild orchid, are in bloom at the Coast Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay. They have a research project that monitors the populations of these beautiful plants. The Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens is just an hour drive from the LimeRock Inn and makes for a wonderful day trip during your stay in Rockland Maine.

Limestone Quarries

You can't talk about Rockland without mentioning its' deep ties to the lime industry. Rockland had the deepest lime quarry in the world at one time. Lime quarried and processed right here in 1800's has been used all over the world. At one time, there were 125 lime kilns along the water front. There are many abandoned quarries along a stretch of road approaching the west side of town. For more information on a wonderful book on the subject entitled "Rockland Area Lime Industries", click HERE.

Lobsters, Lighthouses & Luxury Offered During the Month of June

Join us to celebrate Maine lighthouses in the month of June. We provide the luxury. Our beautiful and rugged coast provides the lighthouses and lobsters. All that’s missing is you! This great getaway package includes ALL of the following:

•Two tickets to the Maine Lighthouse Museum (special guided tours will be available Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10am)
•Guided tour of Rockland’s Breakwater Lighthouse and autographed copy of “The Lighthouse at Rockland Breakwater, Then and Now” by Ted Panayotoff on Wednesdays at 10am (weather permitting)
•Official Maine Lighthouse Map and driving map for six area lighthouses
•Illustrated Commemorative Maine Lighthouse Book
•Two tickets on Captain Jack’s Lobster Adventure, so you can learn lobster lore from a real Maine lobsterman
•$50 in Mid-Coast Money redeemable for an authentic lobster dinner for two at participating restaurants
•Two whimsical lobster hats
•A chocolate seascape prepared by local chocolatier, Safe Harbor Chocolates
Two-night packages range from $395 to $493 (add a 3rd night and save 25% off the published room rate). If you want even more, Windjammer sunset cruises, scenic plane rides to view remote lighthouses, or a beach picnic can also be arranged. Click HERE to check availability or book a room. Or click HERE to visit the LimeRock Inn's hompage for other offerings.

Jamie Wyeth Exhibit Starts May 16th

Jamie Wyeth's exhibit, Seven Deadly Sins, opens May 16th at the Farnworth Art Museum and Wyeth center in Rockland. From the Farnsworth website, "The exhibition of Jamie Wyeth’s 2007 series of paintings, The Seven Deadly Sins, is a rare example of a contemporary artist taking on a subject long associated with the history of Christian art. The subject’s focus is human frailty, specifically the sins of pride, envy, anger, greed, sloth, gluttony, and lust, codified as the seven deadly sins in the writings of the late thirteenth-century Dominican, Saint Thomas Aquinas." The exhibit runs through august 30th. Learn more here.

Spring is here!!

The grass is green, the birds are chirping and the heat hasn't come on in four days!! It was a long winter.

4th Annual Chocolate March

Ok folks, the time has come for LimeRock Inn and The Historic Inns of Rockland's 4th Annual Chocolate March. This year's event will be the best yet! We've added about 20 chocolate samplings and demonstrations throughout town which includes tours of the inns. It's more chocolate than you could ever want. All Aboard Trolley will be providing continuous service throughout the day so even if the weather is uncooperative you can still get around. We are offering two day packages that include all kinds of goodies. Click here for all the details on the fun filled day of chocolate!!!

Winter Sunset

Well, it has been a snowy winter here in Maine. There are times when it feels like spring is a million years away. Then there are days such as this one when you're driving and see the most beautiful sunset. There's something about that sun setting on a snow covered winter evening that is truly beautiful!!

Frank on TV....again!

Today, Frank went down to Portland to do a cooking segment taping for the WCSH6 show "207". It's a daily news magazine that focuses on all things Maine. Frank has been on before demonstrating how to make gingerbread houses and was invited down again to demonstrate how to make his Key LimeRock Pie. The segment will also help promote this years Pies on Parade event that takes place on the 25th.

On on interesting side note, while Frank was on the way down to Portland, he got a call from the local NBC news reporter for some quotes on the Cruise Ship industry here in Rockland. Frank is the chamber cruise committee chairman and he was featured in a story on this evening's news. Since Frank was already in the Portland news station, they just interviewed him there. Leave it to Frank!

Pies on Parade 2009!!

We can't believe it is 2009 already! What a great year 2008 was. We have already begun planning for our 5th annual Pies on Parade event. It will take place from 1 - 4 pm on January 25th. The most exciting part is that for the first time, we have partnered with 6 restaurants downtown to also participate in the event. That will bring the total number of venues serving pie to 10!! Each venue will be serving sweet & savory pies and many of the restaurant chefs will be onhand to discuss their techniques. We've also partnered with the All Aboard Trolley Company to do a continous loop throughout the day and take people around.
This year will also mark a milestone for our group. We will have donated more than $10,000 to the Area Interfaith Outreach Food Pantry. In an economy like this, there is a greater need than ever! If you want to read more about the event, please click here. We still have several rooms left at LimeRock Inn for the event.

Home Sweet Home! Snow White Snow!

Wow! It's hard to believe we've been gone for almost three weeks. It's also hard to believe we have not updated the blog since Mason, OH.

Well, we drove eight hours to Rochester, NY after leaving Mason on Saturday morning. As luck would have it, we managed to slip our travel into the one pocket of mild conditions. Rochester has about a foot and a half of snow Friday night with another 4 to 6 inches of "lake effect". Apparently, lake effect does not count in Rochester, but trust me, shoveling another six inches on top of the other stuff in that small back yard at Louie's was quite interesting.

My "favorite" sister-in-law, Jamie, made beef stew for dinner. As soon as we walked in the house, what a yummy scent to welcome us. It was also interesting arriving with only Louie and Jamie at home as Tim didn't arrive until yesterday and Nick got home this afternoon after we were gone. It's amazing how quiet the house can be when they are not around.

On Sunday, we slept in and had bagels, again, yum. Before we knew it, it was time to leave to go to Webster to meet Uncle Don and Aunt Linda (PJ's mom's sister and husband) for a visit and dinner. Aunt Linda made yummy Chicken Cacciatore, and we got to visit with PJ's cousin, Patty too. She just graduated from Robert Wesleyan College this weekend with a Masters in Education. Well, it's good to know someone got the smarts in PJ's family, ha ha.

Don and Linda's house is beautiful. It is located on a bluff overlooking Irondequoit Bay AND Lake Ontario. Lots of window and a fire place made it both open and homey. It was a wonderful visit, and PJ will see them again in Tuscon in January for Nanny's 90th birthday celebration.

So, what a surprise, we slept in Monday morning too, but yet there was more snow to shovel and no time to waste as Tim was flying up from JFK Airport and arriving at 11am. Louie and I jumped in the Mercedes to pick him up. At first, we thought it was all the snow that made the car steer funny. As it turns out, it was the flat tire I apparently had that made the car drive funny.

Louie and Jamie have a wonderful mechanic. Anyone in Rochester look up Sam LoVitro. He's awesome. Jamie called ahead; he pulled my car right in the garage; and I was ready to go in less than 30 minutes. Turns out, we picked up a nail or something, but Louie and Tim were home shortly after me. Then, it was off to Len and Carolyn's in Penfield for lunch.

Len used to work with Louie at Xerox, and he and Carolyn have visited LimeRock Inn on a few occasions. Len has had some health issues this year, but it was great to see him up and about (and even a few pounds lighter). Wish I could say the same for PJ and me. Oh well, lunch was great and we talked for hours and managed to solve most of the problems of the world if only others would listen.

After returning to Rochester, we dropped off Louie and headed to Craft Company #6 on University Ave. This place is awesome. It's an old firehouse converted into a residence and gallery space. The owners then turned the whole thing into a neat store highlighting local and regional artists as well as a whole bunch of other fun stuff. It is a must see if you go to Rochester.

So, it was an early night last night to ensure our awakening at 7am to get on the road. Unfortunately, we had to postpone our visit to New Haven to see Uncle Frank and Xandi as the weather and early arriving guests have summoned us home. But I have to say, it was a great drive and a beautiful clear day. That is not the forecasted weather for tomorrow.

I speak for the both of us when I say a very "heartfelt thanks" to everyone for a wonderful vacation and visit over the last 20 days. After pulling in the driveway, I can report that we clocked over 3,800 miles in those 20 days and covered every state east of the Mississippi except VT, DE, FL and KY. Oddly enough, our trip consisted of a giant circle around the state of Kentucky. Let me just go on the record to say that there's nothing wrong with Kentucky. Well just have to get there another time. Maybe the derby.....hmmmm

Mason, OH

This will be a short post as we are getting ready to head out for Rochester, NY. We had a wonderful two days here in Mason visiting the Kraatz clan. Yesterday, Aunt Lisa and Uncle Rich brought us to The National Air Force Museum in Dayton. You can't believe the number of planes they had here. Afterwards, we met Matt and Katie at an Ohio food institution, Gold Star Chili. I had no idea that chili was so big in Ohio. We had chili and coneys which are small hot dogs with chili and cheese. Yum!
Last night, we went to a local farm called Niedermans which is a Kraatz family tradition. This farm does a large holiday light display every year. As Frank put it, it was the midwestern version of the licve nativity we saw in Italy last year. At the end of the light display you enter a large barn where they serve hot chocolate and cookies and local church choirs perform christmas carols. It was all very Norman Rockwell!! Then it was back to the house for pigs in a blanket and crazy gin. A good time was had by all. You can check out some picture here.

In the land of Lincoln

Today was day two of our jaunt in Springfield. After breakfast, we went over and to the Gustafsons and Terri took us to the Abraham Lincoln museum. Most everything in Springfield has some sort of connection to Lincoln. It really is a beautiful museum and we highly recommend it as a stop to anyone passing through the area. Of course, I almost got kicked out for taking a picture of Lincoln's stovepipe hat. You're not allowed to take any pictures in the exhibit areas. I though I was being sneaky by waiting until no one was around and turining the flash off but apparently there are hidden cameras all over the place. Shortly after taking the picture a security guard tracked me down and me delete the offending shot (deja vu Christa?) We went to a great little restaurant and met Tom for lunch and then came back to the hotel to relax a bit.
We had venison for dinner at the Gustafsons. Tom is an avid bow hunter and has tons of meat, in fact a whole freezer full in the basement. Everything was delicious even though I don't normally care for venison.
Afterwards, we went to the middle Gustafson sons, Will, basketball game. Dad Tom is the coach. They creamed the other team and we were very impressed not only with Will's ability but with Tom's coaching. After the game, it was back to the house for one more lemoncello martini and then back to the hotel for the evening. Check out some photos of our day here. Tomorrow, we head for Mason Ohio and the Kraatz family. It's been four years since we've seen them and we are very excited. We're getting out of dodge just in time too as an ice storm is making it's way into town. Until later.....

P.S. - Had to take a shot of the R2-D2 mailbox. How cool is that!!

Find the Frank!

So after a blissful night's sleep and a hearty buffet breakfast, we moved on from Cape Girardeau (also found out this is the hometown of Rush Linbaugh, ugh). Although overcast, we thought the storm of the previous night was behind us, or well, past us anyway. After an hour and a half drive, we pulled into the parking garage in St Louis.
Not really surprising, it was a pretty slow day at the arch. We were able to walk into the museum area and get right on a tram. Can we talk about that for a second. Let's just say, you better not be claustrophobic if you want to get to the top of the arch. Check out the pictures. We road together in a tram car (the size of a commercial dryer bin) with five seats. Where the other three people were supposed to sit is hard to figure out. Again, even if you aren't claustrophobic in general I would think that five people in a tumble dryer might put you over the edge.
The observation deck is really neat. On a clear day, they say you can see for 30 miles. We were not so lucky, but we still got to see about 3 miles or so. It's really an amazing structure.
Upon coming down, we hit the museum and the two shops; bought some souveniers; and headed back up above ground. The picture in today's blog is of me and the arch. Yes, if you look closely for a white speck in the lawn area, that's me. Onto the courthouse which was beautifully restored, it was full of information about St Louis' history, who knew?
By now, we were hungry. So we stopped in the Hyatt for some lunch and headed toward Springfield. Well, we started to, but much to our dismay, Heidi (MB Navigation) and TomTom actually had their first fight. Only the two of us would bother to run both systems at the same time and then get ticked off when they give conflicting information, so we don't know which way to go. I felt like Chevy Chase in the original Vacation movie. We finally figured it out and off we went.
Well, what should have been an hour and a half turned into much longer because once again Mother Nature felt compelled to dump freezing rain on us. Although Jim Cantore of The Weather Channel assured us the front had moved on, apparently it had not. FYI, I'm coming back as a weatherman in my next life. There's no other job where you can be so wrong, so often and still have a job.
Anyway, the car handles the bad weather really well. I don't regret not having all wheel drive. Our biggest problem was the freezing rain was so pervasive that we could never get the windshield clear above the halfway point. We went through three gallons of washer fluid in about 50 miles. Ugh.
The good news is we arrived safely at the hotel; had a chance to relax; and then went to see the Gustafsons. It was great to see them and see their house (kids and dogs too). Tom mixes a mean cocktail, so Terry was nice enough to drive us in the Gus Bus to pick up Aunt Evelyn for dinner. Saputos is a great italian restaurant right downtown. Dinner was wonderful and the conversation lively. After yummy desserts, we headed back to the house and hotel for a good night's sleep.
Today, we see the Land of Lincoln. More about that later........

ELVIS ROCKS!

Yes folks. We made our pilgrimage to Graceland today. Well, it started last night. Sunday was great. We slept in at Barbara's; were couch potatoes most of the day; went to Barbara Panuska's (oops, Bender's) house for dinner and chatted with Claire Bear there too. There could not have been a better way to end our visit to Gwinnett County. Mrs. Bender made great chili; the conversation was lively and fun; and the photo album, ugh, let's just hope Claire looses it somewhere soon.

We left Summit Chase around 9:30pm after deciding to drive part way to Memphis. It mostly worked out great. TomTom and Heidi (the car navigation system) had a disagreement about how to get to I-20. After a time out, they made up and we were on our way. The drive was about 4 hours to Jasper, AL. We stayed in a Hampton Inn.

The trip (mostly on I-20) was uneventful. After getting off the interstate onto US-78, we decided to stop for bathroom and beverage break (smoke break for PJ too). Imagine my surprise when I came out of the truck stop to find he had made friends with someone. Only after a moment did I realize it was a crazy street person pan handling for money. Well, we got away quietly. By the way, bingo and fireworks are all the rage in Alabama although most of the places we drove by seemed empty. Perhaps, people take Sunday nights off.

So after a good night's sleep, we enjoyed our "breakfast" at Hampton Inn. Let's just say I am not worried about losing business to this chain. Not sure what the eggs are, but the sausage and biscuits passed the edible test. By 9:30am, we were on our way.

The pilgrimage would not have been complete driving through Tupelo, MS without stopping at the birthplace of the King. I was there about 30 years ago with Jay Cook and his family on a trip to see his grandparents. Let's just say it has changed some since that time.

Onto Memphis where we emerged at Graceland to start our tour after an energizing fried lunch at Captain D's Seafood. Yummy hush puppies and sweet tea. Gosh, am I easy to please or what?

Well, I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. Graceland was great! The King would be proud to see how well his surroundings are being taken care of. After departing the King's compound, it was still only 3:30pm, so we decided to put some more miles behind us. Rather than staying in Memphis, we thought we'd go all the way to St Louis (so we thought). Can you say, "30 degree temperature change in one day coupled with freezing rain, sleet and snow."? Let's just say we got most of the way to St Louis, but opted out at Cape Girardeau, MO about 100 miles south along the Mississippi River.

You may have heard of it since most of it was underwater the last time the river flooded. The Drury Motel has turned out not to be dreary. We have a nice room; we checked in around 5:30pm; and enjoyed a complementary cocktail in the bar before deciding to go to a movie. We saw "Four Christmases" with Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughan. It is short, but had some quite funny spots to it. All in all, it's been an awesome day.

So now we are back in our room; out of the cold and bad road conditions; and it appears that the storm will be over by morning as to not dampen our trip to the Arch in St Louis followed by a visit with Tom and Terry in Springfield, IL. The home and birthplace of Abe Lincoln (the first republican president I might add). Good night everyone..........