On Sunday....

....I was reminded of why I live in Maine.  About an hour north of Portland is Wiscasset, a town that refers to itself as "the prettiest village in Maine".  Saccharine though that sounds, it really does live up to the moniker.   And while I have several favorite spots I could recommend,  the day's magic turned out to be non-commercial and truly serendipitous.  While driving slowly through the neighborhoods, marvelling at the nineteenth century manses (and even a replica of a villa!), I found on a quiet side street, a house that must surely belong to New England's answer to Miss Havisham.  Decaying grandeur at its best---overgrown bushes, wild flowers everywhere, sagging draperies, aging paint---and just beyond the house, this is what I saw.

 

Miss Havisham has a swan.  Wiscasset is not only pretty, it's enchanted.