LimeRock Inn's Blog

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.

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.

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’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.

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

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!!!

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!!

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.

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

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.