We Are Too Small For Big Ships

I was driving up to Camden this morning to meet my friend Sheppy for lunch. After Labor Day I expect things to be quieter. As I turned the corner out of Owl’s head heading into Rockland I saw it. A giant Cruise ship in Rockland Harbor. Giant is not an exaggeration. It was mored out past the breakwater, which means that the passengers had to take tenders quite a ways to get to shore.

As I approached town I saw them… Old people with red lanyards around their necks and plastic Id cards, walking Willy Nilly through the town. One man who must have been in his seventies stepped into traffic, not at a cross walk and proceeded to wave cars past him as he attempted to cross four lanes. Traffic will stop for you, as long as they can see you. No one coming toward this man could see him behind the Maritime energy truck he was standing behind in the middle lane. Oh lord, I thought. Please let this ship be leaving soon.

There were busses driving passengers up to Camden and people were already lined up at Claws for lunch at 10:45 AM. Don’t those people eat enough on the ship?

As I got into Camden the same scene was repeating itself with cruise goers marching two by two down the tiny sidewalks. There were couples who had Farnsworth museum stickers on their shirts at 11:00 AM. How in the world did someone get off a ship onto a tender, walk to the Farnsworth and spend anytime whatsoever looking at the art, get a bus and drive 20 minutes up to Camden all by 11:00? Pick a quaint Maine town and look at it, don’t try and go to all the towns.

Thankfully cruisers don’t have cars so parking was not a problem for me or Sheppy. We had no trouble finding each other and went to try out the new, and highly regarded Buttermilk Kitchen. It was good, even if I had to pull an Easy Rider order. I was getting a scramble mash up, of sun dried tomatoes, spinach, peppers and cheese with eggs. I asked if they could add grilled onions. “You can’t add anything, only subtract things.” It was a mash up so I did not know how adding onions was a problem.

“Then I want a side of grilled onions.” Not a problem. The onions came in a tiny condiment cup so I just dumped them on top of my mash up. Adding Onions was not a problem.

Sheppy and I had a great time telling stories. She is leaving Maine this weekend too. We promised to have lunch together next year.

I had to dodge the cruisers on my way back to the car. I had planned on stopping in a store or two, but was turned off by the scores of husbands standing outside the doors waiting for their wives.

At home around 4:00 the giant ship cruised past our house. Good riddance. I hope a another one does not take its place tomorrow.