Here’s a look at the weekend roadtrip the Chef and I made to the eastern most city in the continental U.S.–Lubec, Maine.  Along the way we couldn’t help but stop when we saw something unusual–a historic home, a fort complete with Civil War reenactors or a candy-cane lighthouse.

Looks mighty similar to a certain Normandy chateau…

Historic home Searsport, Maine.

Fort Knox–the original–and not home to America’s gold vault.

Time warp back to the Civil War

seriously unusual

Once we reached Lubec (charming little coastal village) and saw Canada just across the bay, we continued on.  Truth be told–we really wanted our passports stamped.  The nice Canadian customs agent asked just a few questions and then proceeded to hand us back our passports (not stamped).  Apparently it takes a 20 minute immigration check just to get the stamp.  Not wanting to hold up the line behind us, or endure what ever the immigration check entailed, we continued, disheartened into Canada, without the stamp.

West Quoddy Head Lighthouse… farthest eastern point in the US!

There on the island of Campobello, we discovered the one time summer home of the 32nd President of the U.S. –Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Campobello Island, New Brunswick became a summer destination for America’s elite during the late 19th and 20th centuries.  It was here they built sprawling summer cottages to accommodate their large families, close friends and to enjoy coastal living.  I’m not sure if my expectations were too high because I’ve become accustomed to touring elegant chateaux that radiate grandeur and wealth, but I was  astonished in the furnishings, very modest.  However, I can quickly understand why–this was a home situated among the most scenic of areas.  How could one remain indoors when the seashore and forest beckon just a few feet away?  Not I!  It was nice to see the amount of dedication and enthusiasm for the preservation of an American heritage site–a joint effort by the United States and Canada.

FDR’s mother Sara purchased this house for $5k in 1909. Built in 1897 for Mrs. Hartman Kuhn, another city dweller who called Campobello home for the summers.

View from the beach

quaint kitchen–all original

Returning to the U.S. of A., our thoughts turned to food–and not Maine food, but food from home–Tex-Mex.  Guess we were feeling a tad bit nostalgic. Like searching out a needle in a haystack, we somehow found just what our tummies were craving.  A darling of a place where we filled up on salsa, tacos, rice and beans amidst a 1960s Volkswagen bus.  This is where the journey ended and the eastern most shore of the US all too soon became just a Traveling Pear memory.