Winter in Camden

By this point, Laura and I have explored much of mid-coast Maine, with Freeport having been as far south as we’ve ventured and Belfast being as far north. In terms of sheer photographability, I’d rank the locations of Camden, Acadia/Bar Harbor, Rockport, and Boothbay Harbor from best to still the best, but not as good as the previous best. This is depending, of course, on what someone hopes to capture. If dramatic nature and sweeping views are your priority, Acadia is unbeatable. But for classic New England coastal charm, Camden wins hands down. I expect Kennebunkport will join the list once we visit, but for now, this is it – and it’s a big reason we return to Camden time and again. Simply put, there’s a lot to photograph. It offers the perfect mix of rugged coastline and human-made elegance.

Today is Thursday, and the trip I’m about to describe took place yesterday, Wednesday. The weather was a perfect 35°, with skies shifting between sun and clouds. As Laura and I sat on a bench overlooking the harbor, I remarked that the overcast sky was actually more appealing. The farther the sky stretched out over the water, the hazier it became, lending it a certain fierceness – if that makes any sense. Put another way, bright sunshine would have been boring; the clouds gave the scene character and depth. I’ll show you what I mean in some of the photos below.

The reason we return to Camden so often is, as I’ve mentioned above, its sheer loveliness. It’s a place people clearly care about, and that care shows. There are hotels and restaurants, libraries and churches, along with enough natural beauty to keep a photographer busy for as long as he or she wishes. Many coastal Maine towns can’t claim the same – or even comparable – appeal. Camden is special: diverse, well-kept, and genuinely unique.

I think I’ll share some of the photos I took yesterday and add a bit of commentary alongside each one. We truly enjoyed the day, and I’d like to tell you all about it.

We usually park on Elm Street, just southwest of town, so one of the first landmarks we encounter is the Camden National Bank, which is unfailingly decorated for the holidays. Every year I tell myself I won’t take yet another photo of their decorations and every year I end up snapping away at something like the bow you see above. I have very little self-control.

Camden is full of upscale shops, at least by the standards of coastal Maine. Laura and I stopped into Maine Sport Outfitters, which carries L.L. Bean and Patagonia, as well as a few others: Once a Tree, Star Bird, and Lily, Lupine, and Fern. The first two specialize in home goods, while the last is a wine shop.

Lord Camden Inn

After visiting the outfitter, we stopped by the Lord Camden Inn. I’m not entirely sure why I enjoy visiting hotels as much as I do. Perhaps it’s because we so often find ourselves drawn into interesting conversations with both guests and front desk staff. Yesterday certainly lived up to that tradition. Laura and I spent a good amount of time learning about the area, as well as how the town functions in terms of business regulations and zoning. I know, it’s an odd topic. Still, it’s what I asked about, and, as luck would have it, two architects happened to be on hand to answer every question I threw their way.

I also asked about Camden and coastal Maine weather, and once again our fellow conversationalists were more than happy to share what they knew.

This is a glimpse of the lobby at the Lord Camden Inn – a wonderful hotel perfectly situated in the heart of town.

Beside the tree stood an old E.C. Morris & Co. safe. Before I show you the photo, though, here’s a bit of interesting history about the company.

E.C. Morris & Co. was a Boston safe manufacturer from the late 19th century, known for producing durable safes, including for banks and towns. The company faced financial ruin and fraud issues around 1897, with E.C. Morris himself disappearing after charges of embezzlement. The reputation of the safes remained though, leading to successors like Morris-Ireland Safe Co.

If you’re looking for cozy, I can’t overstate how much I enjoy simply spending time in this hotel’s lobby. I honestly didn’t want to leave. Staying for a longer visit strikes me as a perfect way to spend a weekend or two during the holiday season.

Camden Public Library

A visit to Camden isn’t complete without stopping by the library. It’s a building and property that’s notorious around town. Laura and I enjoy the views, and judging by the steady foot traffic in and around the place, our enthusiasm seems to be widely shared.

We’re not from Camden. We’ve never lived there, and we don’t know the full story behind the library’s cost, how it came to be, or where it’s all headed. What we do know is that it’s a passionate subject for locals. Perhaps if we ever find ourselves living in Camden, we’ll join the debate, either criticizing it for being too expensive or defending it for its indispensable role. For now, we’ll simply continue enjoying the views and the grounds, some of which I’ll share below.

There’s currently some construction on the library’s north side, which explains why the far portion of the building is wrapped in white plastic. If you’re busy admiring the scenery, try to ignore that part. I probably shouldn’t have mentioned it at all, since it’s not too visible anyway.

The next photo shows the rear of the library, including the staircase that leads to what’s known as the amphitheater.

This is the view of Camden Harbor from the amphitheater. It’s almost surreal. Who gets to live like this? Places like this feel like they shouldn’t really exist.

Below are a few more photos showcasing the craftsmanship of the amphitheater and its surroundings.

This statue is considered one of the amphitheater’s “hidden treasures.” It’s called Two Little Fauns. Would you like to learn more about the clever features tucked throughout the library and its grounds? Just click.

Here’s another view of the harbor from the road just outside the amphitheater. Truly gorgeous.

I’m not sure I’d ever noticed the statue of Edna St. Vincent Millay in Harbor Park before. Nevertheless, there it was, and I took a photo. I also made it my mission to find out who she was.

Harbor Park

We spent far too much time in Harbor Park. What began as a brief sightseeing stop quickly turned into an extensive photo session between Laura and some ducks, pigeons, and gulls. Yes, I snapped a few photos as well, but nothing compared to my seemingly eternal betrothed. While Laura was busy capturing every angle, I took advantage of the downtime to gather material for this blog. After all, we were sitting comfortably on a park bench and I had little else to do.

Let’s start with a duck or two. Right in front of us, they busily searched for food among the rocks and tangled seaweed.

In previous posts, I’ve shared photos of the three most famous ships in the harbor. This day, their character remained, notwithstanding the fact that they were all wrapped up for winter.

As we sat on the bench enjoying the view, I began noticing that we were being barked at, but for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out where the sounds were coming from. A bit of careful scanning revealed the culprit. Can you spot the dog in the next photo? As it turns out, it wasn’t barking at us at all – it had its sights set on the ducks.

Two final photos, simply because the sun finally appeared, and I couldn’t resist capturing the town and church, as well as another of the harbor itself. The harbor shot is probably my favorite of the day.

Once a Tree

The women who run Once a Tree are incredibly kind. They let Laura and me take photos inside the store, and when we ask, it’s clear they hear the request every day. They don’t bat an eye at what a photographer might do. Honestly, I’m not sure why so many other stores post signs forbidding photography. In our case, we simply want to show off what the stores have to offer. Once a Tree is the best, though. They carry so many interesting items, and yesterday, nearly everything caught my eye. So many shiny things! I’ll share exactly what I mean below, with the photos coming rapid-fire.

I love pocket knives. I used to purchase them from the many flea markets I attended as a child. These below caught my eye immediately.

These are some interesting keg taps made of stone.

Once a Tree also sells enough drinkware to keep a person busy for a good while.

These magnifying glasses are perfect Christmas gifts for just about any man. These are the first items that I noticed upon walking in the store. I love the wood and the brass.

I made something similar to this embossed copper clock back in high school. I didn’t make a clock, though – rather just a piece to hang on the wall.

And finally, I snagged this nice photo of a wooden puffin for Laura. She’s a fan of puffins, so I did what I had to do.

As you can see, Once a Tree is quite an adventure. It takes time to meander through everything, but it’s well worth the effort, especially if you’re on the hunt for a unique, high-quality Christmas gift.

Around Town

For this final section, I’ll share some photos of things I found interesting while walking around town. I took Laura to lunch for her upcoming birthday, and on the way to the restaurant, we couldn’t resist capturing the sights of Camden. The town never disappoints.

This is an outside shot of the Lord Camden Hotel.

Each year, the town of Camden hangs Christmas wreaths along Main Street. It’s the kind of detail worth noticing as most towns in the U.S. and beyond don’t have the resources to decorate so extensively. Camden’s wreaths are truly outstanding.

I take the same photo of the sidewalk along Main Street every time we visit Camden, probably because it captures the quintessential view of a small coastal Maine town.

This is the back of the 16 Bay View Hotel. We walked past on our way to the restaurant, and I thought it looked interesting.

A series of docks stretches along the southern portion of the harbor, offering some of the best views in town. In the next photo, you can see the Camden Public Library and Mount Battie in the background, with Megunticook Falls in the foreground.

These next two photos offer views of the harbor from slightly different vantage points.

This is a very cool looking sailboat across the harbor from the docks.

For the final two photos of this long post, here’s a glimpse of some Christmas decorations at a store on Bay View Street, followed by a shot of the Water Front Restaurant, where we enjoyed lunch.

I hope you enjoyed all the photos I shared in this post. We had a wonderful trip and had a lot of fun taking so many pictures. It’s always a treat to get out and gather content for blog posts like this one. Wishing you a very Merry Christmas!