A Visit to Kennebunkport, Maine

Good day to you all. Travelin' Man, USA motored from Atlantic City to Kennebunkport, Maine. No not to visit with former President Bush, although like many visitors I did motor to the former president's compound. This old traveler went to be part of a wedding for a young man who is the son of a close friend. Travelin Man, USA started out from his apartment on New Hampshire Avenue in Atlantic City at around 8 a. m. on Thursday. Following Mapquest directions, he took the AC Expressway to the Garden State Parkway and onto the NJ Turnpike.. Following I-95 all the way to Maine and Kennebunkport, the trip to approximately 8 easy driving hours. In Kennebunkport, he met with his friend at the Colony Hotel, a beautifully kept hotel that boasts being "Maine's First Environmentally Responsible Hotel." The Colony is located at 140 Ocean Avenue, and has a beautiful ocean view.A bit of hotel history tells us the hotel is kind of Atlantic City and Philadelphia. Charles Boughton, a surveyor in Troy, New York, moved to Atlantic City, with his wife, Jestena, and son George. Boughton owned and managed The President and Claremont on the Atlantic City Boardwalk. George was a member of Atlantic City High School's swimming team, the Wonder Mermen. George Boughton graduated from Darmouth College in 1928, before attending the University of Pennsylvania Law School. During the Depression, George worked at the Admiral Hotel in Cape May as general manager before marrying Agnes Cherry, who was born in Philadelphia, and raised in Atlantic City. Agnes was a teen-aged golf champion. After returning from an Havana honeymoon (yep, you could have done that then) the couple discovered the hotel in Delray Beach, Florida, was for sale, and invited George's father, Charles, to partner in the purchase of the hotel, which they renamed The Colony. For a while George Boughton searched the Northeast for a complimentary northern hotel to the Delray southern hotel. In 1947, he found the hotel he had been looking for, the Breakwater Court. He changed the name to The Colony Hotel and opened for the summer of 1948. Today, George and Agnes Boutghton's daughter, Jestina Christy Boughton, operates both hotels. Enough history, although it does show that local people own the hotels. Inside the hotel is an old and charming lobby with enough chairs and sofas to entice a wandering man to sit down and relax by a late evening fire. It's always relaxing by a crackling fire. In the morning, we went to the large dining room for a breakfast buffet, and were happily surprised with the offerings. Sterling silver servers offered Maine blueberry pancakes, a fluffy egg omlet, sausages and bacon, hot oatmeal with brown sugar accompaniment, and fruits. There also were cherrios and other cold cereals for children. The buffet is complimentary for guests , although you could order room service for a nominal price. We must tell you service during breakfast was exceptional. After breakfast, Travelin' Man USA caught up with the hotel's executive chef, Darren Watson, a local resident residing in Rumford, Maine, who aspired to be a chef at the age of 15. He always enjoyed preparing a meal with his mother, Rosemarie. Darren has been with the hotel for 25 years, but got his start with a family-run restaurant in Rumford operated by two brothers, Albert and Eddie Pomalo. Chef Darren learned from the brothers, and got more cuisine knowledge from the Colony exceutive chef Howard Dickinson. On the day Travelin' Man, USA interviewed Chef Darren he told that he was preparing an exotic fish entree fr evening dinner guests. "It's a seafood entree made up of scallops, shrimp, and halibut," he confided. "These are placed in a pastry puff over spinach leaves, then covered in a spicy tomato sauce." The next morning Travelin' Man USA went with his friend to see some of the attractions in Kennebunkport. His friend suggested first going to H. B. Provisions, a store located in Kennebunk, Maine. As we parked, a creation looking a lot like former president George Bush, sat on a bench outside the store and take-out restaurat. Naturally, I suggested she sit alongside the former chief executive and placed his arm around her. A photo was snapped. Inside, an employee told us the president would come in of a Sunday morning to buy a newspaper as the secret service stood nearby. It was almost a ritual, she said. At the take-out food section, several pots of soups were beckoning. One was a New England clam chowder, which we tasted. The broth was delightful and filled with potato and clam pieces. Another soup there for the tasting was a vegetable soup. The chef, Heather Dorr, said she preferred the vegetable soup to the chowder. I agreed. This soup was filled with assorted vegetables, and the broth was a delicate blend of tastes, light and sweet. The menu board nted meat loaf was the entree of the day. Travelin' Man had to return for that luncheon special. Chef Dorr also said she had her own catering business called Sola Madre, and often worked with other caterers serving area people. As we left the store, we traveled through Kennebunk along Route 1 and went into a driveway to make a U-turn. The driveway was the entrance to the Franciscan House, a guest house for travelers. As we drove around the driveway, we saw a sculpture hanging on a wall. What a surprise. The piece was created by a German sculptor for the 1964 New York World's Fair.