The Adventures of Fric and Frac: Adventure 540: Brunswick, ME/Post N

Bowdoin College Chapel

The border guard said, "Passports please." "Any fire arms?" No. "Any fruit or vegetables?" No "Any raw animal meat or meat parts?" No. "More than $10, 000 in cash?" No. "Anything to declare." No. "Welcome home. Drive safely." Our border inquisition, mild as can be. lasted less than five minutes, which was nice, because it lessened our six plus hour travel time back to the States. Canada, in a word, was blissful. The Maritime Provinces provide a sense of genteel ease, warm hearts, and indomitable spirit. We stayed in five Air B&Bs. Each had something to offer. We rated the view, the beds, the kitchen, the pillows, the showers, the comfort, and the location. Our over all favorite was the cottage on the water across from Charlottetown. The whole two weeks spilled new experience over us like maple syrup on hot flap jacks. We decided to stop for the night in Brunswick, ME in order to ease our journey through the traffic snarl called Boston, MA tomorrow. We arrived in Brunswick early enough in the afternoon to wander this quaint city, which included a nice stroll through the campus of Bowdoin College. Bowdoin College was chartered in 1794 when Maine was still part of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The college has a student body of around 1,800, has a tuition a little over $65,000, has an admission percentage of just under 15%, and a graduation rate of nearly 93%. Notable alumni include Henry Wordsworth Longfellow, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Franklin Pierce, George Mitchell, and William Cohen. We met a young lady on our walk who agreed to answer a couple of "personal" questions. I asked, Are you a student here? "Yes". Where are you from? "New York." What was your SAT score? "I didn't take the SAT, I took the ACT". What was your score? "34" What's the highest possible? "36". She was simply delightful. I was simply trying to verify the school's mission statement, which prides itself partly in its rigorous standards. After our walk, we chose a place for dinner called the Odd Duck, an upscale place which sources its food stuffs from local merchants and farmers. It also boasts the services of Elizabeth DiFranco, an acclaimed Maine chef who is in her mid-eighties. I snapped a picture of her preparing our dessert. While the picture doesn't do her justice, it does capture her intensity. I suppose any person still working in his/her mid-eighties must have a great deal of passion. For us, the beneficiaries, her intensity helped make our lives good, especially today.

First stop today was in Alma, NB for sticky buns. Kelly's Bake Shop makes 1,000 sticky buns each day. They fortified us for the long drive back to the U.S.