Today we traveled a short distance to Lucerne In Maine, Maine, to have a farewell dinner with friends Dorothea and Charlie from Camden. We are staying at the aptly named Lucerne Inn in Lucerne in Maine, Maine. Before we left St. Andrews we took a short jaunt to Minister’s Island. The tides were in our favor as you can only cross the causeway at low tide. We’ve never driven on the bottom of the ocean floor before today. The island is famous as the summer home of Sir William Van Horn. He learned the railroad trade with the Illinois Central Railroad and rose through the ranks. In 1882 he was appointed general manager of the Canadian Pacific Railway and oversaw construction of the first Canadian Transcontinental Railway. He brought the project in under budget and half the allotted time for which he receive a bonus of $1,000,000 in the 1880’s. He used that money to build Covenhoven, his summer home which after multiple additions has 50 rooms, 11 fireplaces, and 11 bathrooms (all built with flush toilets). The house and the barn are the few remaining structures on the island. He bred cattle and Clydesdale horses, farmed vegetables, made butter, cheese, and milk so the enterprise was self sustaining (no doubt due to the workers who made $93 for an entire season).

We’ve covered over 1,800 miles and had a wonderful vacation. We are very fortunate. But there was one last surprise. When we checked into the Lucerne Inn we were told there was a wedding this evening and our windows looked out onto the tent. Okay, not great but no big deal. Well we didn’t look onto the wedding we looked into the wedding. Literally.

Dinner was wonderful with one last lobster for the road (a two pounder).

We made it back to our room just in time for the electric slide.

Farewell and safe journeys.