Changing Tides and Times

We are on vacation in Ogunquit for my annual ritual of close to 70 years.

As a child in the family, it was steamers and lobster at the beach,after expo 67,it was work and the hippie days of lying nude on the beach soaking up the sun and without consideration for the depleting state of the dunes. Fortunately environmentalists set foot and preservation resulted in an amazing recovery. Today with global climate change,the dunes are still preserved but sand cliffs,not as high as those of Dover,stretch the length of the beach until Wells(5 miles) as tides are ever higher.

The sun is hotter, the ocean breezes can be stronger and because of the heat, a walk on the beach or Marginal Way must be done early while covered everywhere with resilient sun tan lotion.

The Marginal Way is still brilliant, a 2k walk winding along the coast lush with flowers,birds and landscape. The same can be said about walking the beach to Wells when the tide is low, the sand is hard and the off shore breezes are relentlessly comforting. It is a time to think of life your past,the future and in the moment. For me it is time to think about how I can contribute and mitigate the uncertainty of this world. From warm salutations to anybody on the street to teaching people how to ask questions to empower and to release their unspoken angers or emotions more broadly. It's about helping others in the most rudimentary way.

The charm and pastoral experience of Oqunquit is not without interruption. The excessive and eccentric rich are able to find the few remaining seaside lots to build their epic structures often at the visual expense of the homes of history and previous generations. Yes the beeping of the construction trucks backing up can still be heard on the pristine  Marginal Way.

Another change that is seen in Oqunquit but not particular to this location, is body size. The younger generation of a certain kind are eating healthier and their bodies sculpted at the gym. To dwell on obesity has no merit. Suffice to say that a lot of bodies could use a significant reshaping!

We are not beach goers anymore. We are fortunate to be able to hide from the sun and sand on a balcony overlooking the Oqunquit River and the Ocean.

This week with glorious sun in mid July, the beach is remarkably empty. The family contingent near to the left and right of the entrance is still occupied but gone are the days where there was a fight for space in the sand. The LGBTQ part of the beach was surprisingly quiet but pride/ proud is everywhere in town including the color of the crosswalk on the main intersection in town.

Are we in a global recession? Don't think so! Why then are there vacancy signs and unfilled seats at restaurants everywhere in contrast to the past. With lobsters at US $40 for  1-11/4 lb,.or rooms on the water at $400 a night, has tourist pricing finally met its Waterloo? Don't think so though I  can and do buy hard shell in season  female lobsters for US $8/lb. steamed on order and available at many of the large grocery chains in the US.

As a tourist trap resister, I look to restaurants on the road and north of Ogunquit as far as Kennebunk. One restaurant that stands out as good food and value is the Mekhong Thai restaurant which I have written about in the past. We ate there one night and I recommend the fried tofu appetizer with peanut butter sauce(2) and my wife's red curry bowl of a shrimp/veggie combination. My  traditional Thai dish of Kra Pao Gai, minced chicken with extensive vegetables in a brown garlic sauce was good but ironically was even better when I borrowed her red curry sweet and spicy sauce that provided levity( maybe crazy)to the sustained garlic of the brown sauce.

An other observation is that takeout business at Mekhong Thai is hugely busy and therein lies a partial reason for more empty seats at every restaurant. Eating in the comfort of home,ordering on the internet while enjoying your alcoholic preference and vaping (not recommended) in peace definitely has merit.

More to come