Evenrood's Restaurant

Image from the BDN.com

Last night Christopher and I tried one of the newest restaurants in Downtown Bangor, Evenrood. It is in the circular building attached to the back of Paddy Murphy's. The restaurant had mixed reviews online, but we decided to give it a go anyway.

Image from Evenrood's Facebook

Christopher had a New York strip and a glass of cab while I had a gin and tonic and their special- a filet mignon with avocado fresca and chipotle sweet potatoes. We finished off our meal with their Guinness cheesecake. Everything was delicious. The service was a bit slow, but I would rather wait for a fantastic meal than receive a bad meal in a hurry. If you are looking for a new restaurant in Downtown Bangor, we would definitely recommend checking them out!

The Old Brick Schoolhouse

Two weeks ago, I heard a rumor that there was an early-nineteenth century schoolhouse in Aurora, Maine. With my camera, husband, and dog in tow, I went searching for that school. Half an hour and two wrong turns later- we found it. The schoolhouse is closed during the winter, but we were still able to get a few pictures of it and the surrounding blueberry fields.

Aurora is a small town, but there are apparently quite a few buildings on the endangered list. The schoolhouse was built in 1827 and is the oldest standing brick building in Hancock county. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. Most buildings were made of wood at the time, however one of the town founders had been educated in brick-laying in Connecticut. It is an incredibly unusual building considering the time period it was constructed in and the material it is made of.

I think getting out of town is good for the soul and I was thankful for this little jaunt. Perhaps I will get a proper tour in the summer!

Bangor Bucket List

A local radio station recently posted a Bangor Bucket List and personally I did not care for it. It was one of those articles you could tell had been inspired by some local sponsors. I decided to create my own bucket list for the Bangor area. Enjoy!

1. Stalk Stephen King: Ok, don't literally stalk him, but do go take a peak at his house on Broadway! Whenever we have visitors we always make sure to drive by his super cool house.

2. Say hi to Paul Bunyan: If you drive down Main Street, you will not be able to miss the giant Paul Bunyan in front of the Cross Insurance Center. Go take a picture with this larger-than-life statue.

Image courtesy of wikipedia.com

3. Attend the American Folk Festival at least once: Bangor hosts the American Folk Festival the last weekend in August every year. Even if you are not a huge folk music fan, this is an event that takes over the city for a few days and is worth checking out.

4. Get your breakfast at Dysart's: It is the ultimate truck-stop diner. What more do you need to know?

Image courtesy of www.dysarts.com

5. Grab a bite of lunch with the Friar's: The friars of St. Elizabeth Monastery run a bake-shop in downtown Bangor full of huge, delicious portions. They do not have a website, but they do have a active Facebook page.

6. Say hello to the Duck of Justice: Bangor has a incredibly popular police department Facebook with the Duck of Justice as their mascot. They are known for having a great sense of humor and a huge number of followers. The Washington Post , the Huffington Post, even BuzzFeed have all commented on their popularity and success. Go say hi! This is one friendly bunch.

Image courtesy of the Bangor Daily News

What do you think? Would you add anything to this list? Did I miss anything quintessentially Bangor?

A Week in California

I was recently in California to help my family during my dad's surgery. I got to spend a lot of time with my little brother and sister.

Logan and I enjoyed a lot of baking.

We also worked on Logan's mission project and visited the Riverside Metropolitan Museum. 

I had the pleasure of meeting and grooming Maddy's horse Copper.

Last but not least, I got to cuddle a lot with our family dog Leia. 

It was a lovely week and my dad's surgery went really well. See you later California!

Reeds Brook Trails

Christopher and I started the new year with a short hike on the Reeds Brook Trails. These trails are located behind Reeds Brook Middle School in Hampden. This an excellent place for a brisk hike.

2015 Recap

2015 was an exciting, challenging, trying, and rewarding year. I thought it would be nice to do a bit of a recap to say good-bye to a year that was chock full of change and major life events.

January-March

During this past winter we joined a new church which has become a huge part of our lives. Right before we left for PAX East we learned that Christopher received a wonderful promotion.Christopher also started his own business, Riverside Computer Services.

First Congregational Church of Brewer

April-June

April, May and June were incredibly trying but ultimately wonderful months. Our apartment in Brewer flooded and we lost many of our belongings. This trial however led us to search for a home of our own and we closed on a remodeled nineteenth-century home in Hampden in early June. To learn more about this experience read here, here, and here. I also celebrated my 25th birthday on June 5th. 

July-September

This past summer was full of academic tribulations and rewards. I attended a conference at St. Lawrence University for the second time in July, defended my thesis and received my Master's degree, visited Canada for the first time for a travel grant (I have a four part series on my travels there), and began my Ph.D. program. We did sneak in some fun and relaxation with an awesome 4th of July weekend, a Red Sox game, and our first time blueberry picking. 

October-December

On October 11th we celebrated our first wedding anniversary with a trip up to Moosehead Lake. To boot, Christopher also started free-lancing for a tech site and I decided upon a dissertation topic and committee. We were also blessed this season to host guests on Thanksgiving and Christmas. 

How will we ring in the new year? Our plans are a up in the air. We might join in the festivities in downtown Bangor, or we might stay warm and cozy in our lovely home. We wish you a very happy and safe new year! 

Best Restaurants in Bangor Part III- Pubs

Here is the moment you have all been waiting for-the best pubs in Bangor! Everyone loves good food but good drinks even more so.

1. Geaghan's Pub & Craft Brewery 
This place has been opened since 1975 and is run by the descendants of the original owners. It has good old fashioned pub food and excellent beer. I personally like the Bangor Brown.

2. Sea Dog Brewing Company
Sea Dogs was founded in 1993 and now has multiple locations Maine, New Hampshire, and Florida. Their mascot is a dog named Barney who once belonged to the family. The food is fantastic and their drinks are equally so. Both my dad and father-in-law love the Owl's Head beer.

Image from http://www.seadogbrewing.com/beers.php

3. Paddy Murphy's
A small classic Irish pub. Give their awesome Guinness stew a try.

4. Nocturnem Draft Haus
Nocturnem is a German-themed bar. The drink list is VERY extensive. They have also just started a brewery-bus tour which sounds like a blast.

5. Orono Brewing Company
This is actually one of the few breweries I have not been to, but everyone I know loves it. They have a very impressive collection of IPA's.

Image from http://oronobrewing.com/

6. Black Bear Microbrew
This microbrewery has been around since 2008 and is a favorite of the University of Maine student. Their Gearhead beer, a dark amber, is delicious.

7. Penobscot Bay Brewery
Penobscot Bay Brewery is about twenty minutes south of Bangor .They are owned by the same people who run Winterport Winery and Bay Brew Ice Cream. My favorite beer from them is their Brownie-Chocolate Milk Stout.