MY GRANDMOTHER'S LAST GIFT

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MY GRANDMOTHER'S LAST GIFT

STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVID McBRIDE

BOOTHBAY HARBOR, MAINE

The summers of my childhood always seemed to revolve around the two weeks my family and I would spend each year along the coast of Maine in Boothbay Harbor. We spent our days playing Wiffleball games, climbing the rocks at Pemaquid Point, or taking a boat trip out to see lighthouses or seals. Life couldn’t be better. Or at least so I thought.

As long as I can remember, we would drive through town and talk about how great it would be to have a place there to escape to anytime we wanted. And each time our vacation would come to a close, the inevitable chorus of “I wish we didn’t have to leave” would sound from everyone. This beautiful place seems to live in all of us as a retreat from our troubles. The sound of a seagull calling, the haunting bellowing of a foghorn, or even just the smell of the salt air sifting through pine trees conjures up for me memories of carefree times and puts me at ease.

BOOTHBAY IS THE HOME OF SUBLIME SUNSETS

Recently, my family has finally made good on a generations long dream of owning a house in Boothbay Harbor. My grandmother, someone who was very much an integral part of my lifelong memories of Maine, recently passed away. She was mentor and hero for all of us she left behind, and it was her achievements in life that left us with the ability to fulfill this dream. Her legacy will always be felt inside the walls of our new summer home, even if she never lived to see it herself. I know she would be proud of the fact that she helped make our lives even better than it was when we were kids belting another homerun into the woods. Now we all have the chance to escape to Boothbay Harbor whenever we need to just breathe a little easier.

McSeagull's in Boothbay Harbor, ME as seen in American Public House Review

McSEAGULLS MOVED INTO A NEW BUILDING AT THE VERY END OF THE PIER. IN DOING SO, THEY PERHAPS EXCHANGED SOME ARCHITECTURAL AESTHETIC FOR A DRAMATIC VIEW OF A MAGNIFICENT PANORAMA. A GREAT TRADE BY ANY MEASURE!

Deck at McSeagull's Water Front Restaurant in Botthbay Harbor, ME as seen in American Public House Review

WHERE DID YOU HAVE LUNCH TODAY?

Pub art at McSeagull's in Boothbay Harbor, ME as seen in American Public House Review

More pub art at McSeagull's in Boothbay Harbor, ME as seen in American Public House Review

Taps at McSeagull's Waterfront Restaurant in Boothbay Harbor, ME as seen in American Public House Review

FINE MAINE PUBLIC HOUSES ALL SEEM TO HAVE TAP OFFERINGS THAT CATER TO THE BEER AFICIONADO. McSEAGULLS FOLLOWS SUIT!

An immediate benefit of our new home has been experiencing the Harbor in the winter, after the vacationing crowds have all left until spring. It is a much different place then the one I have been used to for all those summers, but it is equally as beautiful. After all the resorts have closed for the season, and the yachts have all sailed to warmer latitudes, Boothbay Harbor becomes what I suppose it has always been, a small seaside village whose heart beats to the rhythm of the tides. Instead of tourists in flip-flops, the docks are prowled by lobstermen who are on their way to a day’s work at sea. There is an intimacy to it that can often be hidden for many months of the year beneath the t-shirt shops and ice cream stands. (Not that I don’t fully appreciate t-shirt shops or ice cream stands!)

A BEACON OF HOSPITALITY FROM THE BAY

And like many seaside villages, the center of attention is the public house. Sure, it is true that Boothbay Harbor has many great places to relax and watch the ocean go by, but there really is only one place that can be called “the local”, and that is undoubtedly McSEAGULLS. During the off-season, this is even more pronounced.

For over thirty years, McSEAGULLS has served the harbor well. It sits perched upon Pier One in the heart of town and it has always had the reputation among us tourists as the place where everyone, locals and vacationers alike, come together. In the summer months the sound of laughter or a live band, or even the aroma of good food seems to float across the water and beckon to people throughout the harbor to come in and enjoy.

I have spent many a summer afternoon at the bar in McSEAGULLS. It is a vibrant and welcoming place for vacationers during the peak tourist season, filled with good food, an inviting bar and often great live music. When my father and I were driving up this November, I was pleased to know that even though most places I would normally hang out in were closed for the season, McSEAGULLS is always open. And in the winter, when the hotels have gone dark and quiet, McSEAGULLS truly becomes the hub of Boothbay Harbor. Instead of a bar filled with tourists, you can see the delighted faces of locals who have finally got their bar back, if only for another few months.

Thanks to my grandmother, now the only thing standing between me and an afternoon at McSEAGULLS in Boothbay Harbor, Maine is some motivation to get in the car and drive. I only wish she were still around for me to thank her.