Alewives Fish Ladder Restoration

In early May the Alewives start their annual run. The fish are gathering in the Great Salt Bay, but as of yesterday none of them have started the climb which ultimately leads to Damariscotta Lake, their final destination.

At the end of the month, over Memorial Day Weekend, the annual Fish Ladder Restoration Festival takes place in Damariscotta Mills. It is a fun weekend, and an impressive thing to see birds of prey scoping things out looking for their fish dinner. Photographers come from all over the world hoping to get that perfect shot.

Hospitality for Habitat Continues

Just a reminder that the Hospitality for Habitat special is happening right now! This is the fourth year that Newcastle Inn is participating in this event which raises money for Habitat for Humanity. The money that is raised stays right here in Maine. You can find all of the details on the Specials Page at the website.

Here at the inn progress continues on the remodeling in the Pemaquid Point Suite. The shower and the bathroom floor are being tiled this week. I have been busy painting and that is almost finished.

Yesterday I took a trip to one of my favorite garden centers to buy some plants. The weather here in Maine is pretty unpredictable at this time of year in terms of temperatures at night, so the back hall is a temporary greenhouse for all of my new plant treasures. I can't wait until it is warm enough to get them into pots for the front steps and the back deck.

Seal Island Redecorating Completed

At last the redecorating is finished in the Seal Island room. Please excuse my feeble attempts at photographing the room, but these pictures give you a little bit of an idea of what is going on in there. The walls are a lovely gray/lavender color from my new favorite paint company, Farrow and Ball. The Heron Neck room is in the final stages. Just waiting for the plumber to come in tomorrow and finish things up connecting the radiators and the bathroom sink.

The Pemaquid bathroom remodel is moving at a snail's pace all because we have been waiting for the shower pan to arrive. It goes in tomorrow and then the framing work can continue in there. I will start removing the wallpaper in that bedroom later this week.

Never a dull moment here at Newcastle Inn. Just a reminder that the Hospitality for Habitat special starts in a few weeks!

In Like a Lion

That wonderful old saying about the month of March, "In like a lion, out like a lamb" is certainly true for today. Although there are other areas getting hit with far worse snow than here in MidCoast Maine, it is once again a winter wonderland outside the doors of Newcastle Inn.

Inside the work is progressing on the re-decorating. The wallpaper is off in the Heron Neck room. The drywall repair is continuing in Seal Island and getting started in Heron Neck. One of the dining rooms here at the inn has been turned into a sewing room and I have been busy creating new window treatments, shower curtains and bed skirts.

Seal Island Room Under the Knife

The Seal Island is a room on the third floor of Newcastle Inn. Like the other two rooms on this floor, there is a cozy little reading nook tucked under the eaves. It is time to freshen it up and give it a new, cleaner and more up-to-date look.

So, yesterday afternoon I hauled all of the needed supplies to the third floor. The most important of these supplies is the wallpaper removing gel/goo/glop. I stripped three walls yesterday, and finished the rest of them today. The sloped part of the ceiling, in the reading nook, was also wallpapered, but thankfully that paper came off pretty easily and I didn't get too much goo in my hair.

Tomorrow morning, Sean, my drywall guy comes to take a look at what is going on over the double window. I know that water has gotten in there previously because the wallpaper, and window treatment were stained and watermarked. Sean is great at what he does and I know that he will be able to get things fixed up for me. He will also make some other repairs needed on the ceiling and another wall. Because Sean needs to get in the room to do his thing, that means that I won't be painting for a while yet.

However, I have the fabric for the room, just can't quite decide what to do with it - bed skirt, window treatment, shower curtain? I don't think that I have enough fabric to do all three, so I need to choose wisely. I will make a decision and start sewing tomorrow, if all goes according to plan.

It was a beautiful, clear and cold day today. This picture was taken through the little "port hole" window in the room. Wonderful views of the Damariscotta River from the third floor!

Winter? in Newcastle, Maine

Last week Friday we woke up to a winter wonderland here at Newcastle Inn. During the night it snowed and it was that wonderful, light, fluffy snow with just enough wetness to make it stick to everything. These two pictures don't do justice to the beauty that was there as the sun was starting to rise across the river. Everything was purple-y, blueish with shades of gray and white.
 
The calendar says that it is January, but yesterday it was Spring for one day when the temperature reached 50 degrees here in Newcastle, Maine!! I turned off the heat and opened up the doors of the inn to get some fresh air moving through the place. Today it is sunny and clear once again, not quite as warm, but beautiful. The colder weather returns tomorrow for the rest of the weekend.

The "Hospitality for Habitat" special returns in April. The link will take you to the page with all of the details. Yesterday definitely hinted at Spring, so start making plans to visit MidCoast Maine!

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens Christmas Market

Today it is December 1 and so that means that the Christmas Market at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens is just around the corner on Saturday, December 10, 2011. The market features the wonderful work of Maine artisans.  I see that Black Dinah Chocolatier will be back again this year - yum!

The inn is decorated for the holidays and I have plenty of  wrapping paper, bows and tape for you to use and get your purchases wrapped before you even get home.  In addition to the Christmas Market, the shops in Newcastle and Damariscotta are stocked with wonderful one-of-a-kind items just perfect for gift giving.


So, consider a visit to Newcastle Inn, located in beautiful MidCoast Maine, for a little weekend getaway before the holiday craziness really swings into high gear.