Well as I mentioned last week things have been busy and it is summer time. With the daily temps in the sticky 90′s . I am thankfully inside for the moment in the ac. Last week I mentioned going up to Maine for a brief holiday. The desitination up there was Portland. Famed historic New England sea port. Its got heaps of interesting things to do. From the hand made custom built amphibious Duck Bus. Which turned out was not only a very interesting and informative ride around Portland but also incredibly amusing thanks to the tour guide. One of the things you will hear on this tour between literal quacking by the bus crew and passengers is that Portland is a town loaded with tasty destinations.
Now I was only there for 2 nights and 2days which is no where near enough time to get to a small portion of eateries. However I was lucky enough to get to a couple of them.
First of lets talk about the Exchange Street Cafe. Tucked away amongst the shops on the cobble stone covered Exchange street. The cafe which shares this name is amazingly tasty. The fare here is not what you probably would think about in Maine. You wont find lobster on the menu but Italian food. From G I A N T sandwhiches filled with Italian cold-cuts turkey or roast beef. Stuffed to the limit with tasty fillings such as roasted peppers or a spicy Italian Pickle mix. These sandwhiches are
alot more then a meal and perfect to share with some one..Allowing you both a little more room to try some of the other items on their menu. They serve up an fantastic chicken or eggplant parm. The meat balls here are large.Hand made and deliciuos. Do not forget to try one of their deep fried Italian Style rice balls. Had the brocolli one and it was amazing as well. Crispy and golden brown on the outside. A perfect blend of spices and ingredients and served with home made red-sauce. The owner operator is a very friendly fellow by the name of Mike and his happy to talk shop with you. I could go on and on having visited this place twice in as many days. But I have a few more items to cover.So should you find your self in Portland stop by and say hello to Mike and his crew and get something to eat. You wont be sorry.
Next up we go from food to metal. Saturday in Portland finds the streets ,restuarnts and cafes jammed with tourist and locals alike. And you literally never know what you might find as you walk around downtown. Having left the hotel to visit the beach at night with so of my fellow vacationers. We heard an odd sound for this time of night.Being pretty sure there wasnt an outdoor industrial music concert..the clang of a hammer on anvil was a little confusing..Listening and walking with eyes open for a minute turns out it wasnt a concert for a scarpyard, but rather a giant with a hammer playing with fire..
Or specifically a blacksmith demonstrating his name sake of Smith by fashioning tools and utensils. Looking around we saw a giant of a man bashing away with sparks flying. We crossed the street and sure enough it was a Blacksmith. Turns out his name is Sam Smith. His family name perfect for his chosen trade. Sam towers over most even myself who is use to towering over most. And is quick witted. Upon introducing ourselves we struck up a random conversation.Asking some questions and watching. As we drifted away towards the beach we promised to come back .Which is exactly what we did.
There had been a bit of a crowd around the fire despite the nights warm temps. But Sam is not only skilled but clearly loves his work.Answering questions between hammer blows.
we picked up some hand made wrought iron spikes. Turns out Sam has been doing this for quite awhile. Specializing in hand made tools and utensils. Sadly I had left my camera in the hotel room that night so I dont have any pictures of Sam or his forge to share. But according to Sam he takes his forge on the road to display his trade and various out door famer’s markets around New England. So if you see him on the road or in Portland on your way to the Exchange Street cafe tell him Peter from Vermontdesignandmarketing.com sent you. And love the iron spikes we purchased as a tool, a hair stick and conversation item.
Well as I keep saying its has been and maintains to be a busy summer..So off to get some more design and SEO work out of the way..
thanks.
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