Portland was rainy and cool when we arrived this afternoon. It seemed appropriate to walk around downtown and take in this great port city under a gray, wet sky. After two hours of window shopping we had dinner at Central Provisions, which is housed in a building that once served the West Indies Trading Company. We had reservations for many weeks and I’m glad that we did. Wet, hungry diners were turned away one after another almost all evening. Dinner was small plates — sturgeon caviar, tinned sardines served with sourdough, toasted pork served over apple brown butter and a small selection of cheese and honey. It was all very impressive. A young couple seated next to us was excited to learn we were from Austin and we had a great time comparing travel notes and recommendations.

After dinner we set off in the rain to the LL Bean flagship store in Freeport (open 24 hours) and then continued on to our hotel in Boothbay Harbor. I visited here many times as a child, and not much has changed. The drive was dark and wet, and I look forward to walking through town tomorrow morning. Even though we were here just last year, I can never spend enough time here.