Freeport, Maine

Fast forward to June 2002.  We wanted to again visit Maine and see Acadia National Park.  Flight wise, the easiest way for us was to fly into Portland.  As it worked out, we caught some late afternoon flights - after work - and arrived in Portland about 9PM, and stayed over night at Freeport, about 20 minutes north of the airport.

A quick aside - June in Florida is a lot warmer than early June in Maine.  All I packed were shorts, and I needed some blue jeans for the Maine weather.  So, a quick trip to L.L. Bean was in store.  From the time we left our hotel, drove into town, parked, into the store, tried on the jeans, and walked to the cash register - cut the tags off at the register, and out the door in 15 minutes.  Guy shopping at L.L. Bean!
Back to the story... this page shows the wonderfully quaint town of Freeport, which is typical of so many of the other towns we found on our drive through Maine.

Pictured left and right, are two of the many charming Bed and Breakfast establishments sprinkled throughout Freeport.  New England is more than a place - it is a way of life grounded in a sense of tradition.

Among the many preserved buildings is the one pictured to the left.  At first glance, it doesn't seem too remarkable, and probably isn't from an architectural point of view, but what makes it unique is its contemporary usage.  This is the Freeport McDonald's.  The front rooms on the first floor serve as one of the dining rooms.  There is a single story addition in the back, architecturally complementary to the main building, but this business is quite representative of the New England colonial architecture that identifies Freeport and the towns and villages of Maine. Just to wrap up the quaintness of Freeport, is the local Family Doctor - with his shingle hanging on the front lawn - reminiscent of another time.