Seal Harbor, Little Long Pond and my neighborhood...

Along Route 3, before arriving in the village of Seal Harbor, I came upon Bracy Cove on my right (above) and Little Long Pond on my left.

Little Long Pond has 17 acres of meadows, 12 acres of marsh, a bog, crystal clear streams, and nearly 1,000 acres of forest.  On a one-hour walk you can hear croaking frogs, watch an osprey fish, spot a pileated woodpecker, and take in breathtaking views of surrounding mountains. John D. Rockefeller Jr. purchased the land around Little Long Pond for its scenic value. The land was privately owned until 2015 when, in celebration of his 100th birthday, David Rockefeller Sr. donated it to the Land Garden Preserve. Martha Stewart has a mansion nestled in the hillside above Seal Beach, and you can read about it and see pictures here:   https://flowermag.com/martha-stewarts-summer-getaway-skylands/

It was originally built in 1925 for Henry Ford's son, Edsel. 

Instead of following Rt 3 into the tiny village, I hooked around to the south onto a winding residential road call Cooksey Drive because it hugged the water and looked more interesting. It was a thick forest,  hilly with huge homes and beautiful views. Worth the detour... 

                                   An old cemetery on the way back into Bar Harbor... 

A few blocks up the hill from the house where I'm living is the Kebo Valley Golf Club. It's a public course now, very challenging, with an interesting history. 

It is currently the 8th oldest golf course in the United States and was started in 1894. Among its amenities were a Shingle-style clubhouse with a theater/ballroom, reading room, dining room, horse racetrack, and the golf course. 

The popular summer club was typically the first to announce the official start of the social season for Maine’s summer visitors, and the New York Times often published the results of Kebo’s weekly golf tournaments. Herbert Leeds, sportsman, golfer, and golf course designer, laid out the first six holes four years after the club was incorporated. Following national trends, in the early 1920s, this course was expanded and revised to 18 holes. Here's an old post card/photo:

 A block down the hill is one of the many "lobster pound" places. This one is a bit more reasonable than some. They only had live lobsters and I couldn't imagine boiling it myself, so I got blueberry jam instead ;)