“I will sleep no more but arise,
You oceans that have been calm within me!
how I feel you, fathomless, stirring, preparing unprecedented waves and storms.” ~ Walt Whitman
Our autumn trip to Ogunquit was blessed with some of the nicest weather we’ve had on our fall excursions – full sun and breezy days, with only one bout of gray and a bit of rain near the end. Staying at the Anchorage, our group of three – me, Andy and Mom – was right on the shore, and the backdrop of the ocean provided a calm setting for the long weekend.
While the pumpkins and gourds and corn stalks were on their fall display, summer lingered in the blooms that were till going. Like our cleome at home, the cleome here was still blooming, along with cosmos and roses and that October showpiece the aster.
While our last trip to Ogunquit was our first without Dad, this one felt a little lonelier. Back then we were just finding our way – and it was all new and uncharted – enough so to distract us. This time we were also back at the place where he and Mom always stayed, which I think made it a little sadder for her. Still, there was beauty, and someone was smiling upon our quiet and pretty weekend by the shore.
The weather looked to be best on our first full day there, so we made that our Marginal Way day, taking our time walking along the majestic stretch of shoreline, pausing on a couple of benches and taking in the brilliance of the day, and the ocean.
And so the other days passed – the weather turned for the better when storms were predicted, holding off until the end. We napped, and we sat by the ocean, and I made a few solitary walks and shopping excursions about town. A welcome break from our fade-to-black fall, even if the cowboy hat remained.
Fall unfurled its golden hour moments – the golden hour of the day, the golden hour of the year.
Saving our favorite restaurant for last – the cozy Walker’s, where a couple of fireplaces staved off the cold night – we arrived and peered into the warm environs.
We were seated near the main fireplace, which was kept stocked with fresh logs throughout the evening. I had one of the best duck dinners I’ve tasted in years – something Dad would have ordered and loved.
We closed out the holiday weekend as the weather turned to something similar to spring, and since spring will come again that feels like a fitting place to close this little chapter.
“Whenever I look at the ocean, I always want to talk to people, but when I’m talking to people, I always want to look at the ocean.” ~
