Thanks for hanging out with me these past few days in Lubec. This will be my last vacation post for now. It’s time to put the town to rest and return to my ongoing projects.
I grew up in Massachusetts and spent a bit of time on Cape Cod and along the New Hampshire and Maine coasts. There are a few defining images of New England that still offer a small but noticeable sense of comfort whenever I return: faded red barns, Fenway Park, and cedar-shingled houses along the coastal towns are the big ones.
Sentimental and maybe a bit cliche, I know. But once in the blood, as they say, always in the blood.
Unlike many coastal tourist destinations, Lubec doesn’t exploit its weather-distressed fishing shack look for a cheap buck. No faux anything about Lubec.
I get the impression that these buildings, some more than a century old, will remain more or less as they as they are for as long as the nor’easters and the town’s ever diminishing tax base allow. Lubec is for Lubecians just the way they like it, thank you very much.
No, there’s nothing faux about Lubec. Either they’ve given up or they never tried to attract outsiders with anything more than the claim — which is documented by Wikipedia but, truth be told, not universally accepted outside of the town limits — of being the easternmost inhabitable point in the lower 48. Either you want to visit Lubec for that reason alone, whether true or not, or you don’t.
I took these images one foggy morning along Lubec’s downtown waterfront.
(I want to clarify, should you wonder, that the images are not processed in black and white or with any filters; the colors — such as they are — were muted by the fog and dawn light.)
There’s more of course to the town’s architecture and businesses than I’m representing here. There’s a gift shop and a couple of cafes and restaurants. There’s an Inn and a water taxi that sometimes shows up around noon on weekends. And there’s a phenomenal and thriving Saturday market that seemed to bring every family together for Lubec-grown produce and baked goods.
But it was these cedar-shingled buildings that best defined the town for me.
Like I said, once in the blood…
I hope you’ve enjoyed my summer vacation as much as I did.
Thank you for looking.
My Previous Lubec Posts
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These images are beautiful. Maine always gives a good haunting vibe.
These photographs are fantastic. I love the mood. Could be the start from a Stephen King novel... Well done.