SHOPPING ON THE BLUE HILL PENINSULA

What fun we had browsing in my favorite shops in nearby Blue Hill, just 11 miles from Oakland House Seaside Resort!

A beautiful spring afternoon is a great time to visit the town of Blue Hill just a 15 minute drive away. We traveled the "scenic route" (a bit longer) up over Blue Hill Mountain via the Mountain Road to check out the spectacular views of Blue Hill Bay. Not surprising for a sunny Saturday there were two cars parked along the road at the base of the hiking trail to the top of the mountain.

Not far away is Rackliffe Pottery Shop situated near the main road and easy to spot with it’s hanging sign and cheery flag waving in the off shore breeze. Rackliffe Pottery is owned and operated by three generations of the Rackliffe family. It is not uncommon to catch any one of them at work on the potters wheel forming beautifully shaped bowls, plates and mugs. Or, you might find them hand painting the details in glaze on pieces already fired to a deep red in their on-site kiln. I could spend hours pouring over the many different creations found in their showroom. Their signature glaze color is popular "Blue Hill Blue" but they also show some lovely items glazed in yellow and white. I made a "wish list" they will keep on file so now friends and family looking for the perfect gift for me know just where to call! They even ship right from their store!

Once Sean peeled me away we drove on a bit, parked and walked down through the little village of down town Blue Hill. We stopped at The Meadow Gift Shop to look at the new arrivals of soaps, hand-made dried wreathes, table linens and fun gifts for the spring. It’s tough to walk by without peering into Blue Hill Wine Shop next door. It’s always fun to try a new bottle of wine! We chose a new Zinfandel that we took home and enjoyed together the next night.

We wandered further: past the post office and up to Blue Hill Books (turn up rte 15 by the Exxon and it’s on your left). The card selection is great and the book selection so diverse. I love to browse book stores and this is one of my favorites. Many times Blue Hill Books has autographed copies of local classics. Really, Blue Hill's entire downtown Main Street is lined with exciting and interesting shops all well worth a browse.

We stopped for a quick look at the artwork on display at Leighton Gallery. We checked out Merrill and Hinkley’s store just off Maine Street and grabbed some juices then continued walking another 5 minutes down to the Town Park. We sat overlooking Blue Hill Bay as we devoured a spectacular lunch. There are pleasant benches and a view worth the extra 5 minute walk.

Sally McGuigan