8/9/08 Livermore Falls and Jay

The sun did shine today! At least for a little bit. I felt like getting out in the sunshine so I headed to Jay. It's only 15 miles away but it takes "pert near" to half an hour to get there. It was a pretty drive. I stopped at Hannaford's Groceries to see if they had any of the silverware or dorm-sized cookware that was out of stock at my Hannaford's. I lucked out on the tiny pot and pan but not on the silverware. I ran into Ashley in the parking lot! I've never run into Ashley at the Hannaford's in Farmington but I run into her in Jay. What's wrong with this picture? It reminded me of the stories that my students tell about teachers they know that drive to other towns far away to buy liquor so their students won't see them. It's not that it's illegal, it's just not the image that you want. Sometimes when I'm checking out at Hannaford's and one of my students is the cashier, I take a second look at what's in my cart and worry if I'm making a good impression. Fortunately, I'm usually buying fresh fruits and vegetables at Hannaford's so not only do I not have anything that makes a bad impression in my cart, but I look like I eat a lot healthier than I really do. The stuff with preservatives and additives I usually buy at WalMart where I don't know any of the cashiers. LOL. Price and food quality is actually my motivation for splitting my purchases the way I do, but it works out well for other reasons, too.

Here's what sunshine in early evening before sunset looks like from the Hannaford's parking lot:

I didn't really know where I wanted to go next but I still felt like driving around. Just south of Jay (they practically run together) is Livermore Falls and in LF, I always take a right where Route 4 jogs across the river to go to Lewiston/Auburn. I decided this time I would go straight and get into Livermore Falls and see what it was all about. I saw the famous Chuck Wagon Restaurant that everyone refers to and to which I just nod my head feigning recognition. Next time it comes up in conversation, I will at least know where it is and what it looks like on the outside. Some day I'll even come back and eat there. I continued into LF and then remembered that Rodney's relative Terry had told us about a place in LF that she really liked to eat. I vaguely remembered the directions with landmarks that had no recognition for me, but her directions and my memory worked together to take me right to it. The Lunch Pad. I didn't stop as it looked like they were closing up for the night, but now I know where it is and it is just as quaint as she described.

I drove on a little further not sure what I was looking for and just randomly decided I should turn around and head back. When I turned around (made the U-turn, Lindsay), I saw an incredible sunset just out of sight. So I made another U-turn, headed just a little further to the top of the hill, made another U-turn (are you counting, Lindsay? That's 3 of 'em) and parked on the side of the road. I got out of my car and wandered around taking photographs of the sunset, the clouds, and the fog. I don't think the photos do it justice, but it was beautiful. There was also a nice little moonrise.

Since I didn't really have a destination in mind in the first place, I decided that this sunset was the purpose of the trip and I had accomplished it. I drove on back to Farmington and the rain started to fall. I sure hope they got a little bit of sunshine and dry air at the wedding.