We awoke to yet another rainy day! This is getting ridiculous. It wasn’t raining very hard yet, though, when I went down to Mount Dessert Bakery to pick up two croissants (plain and almond—just to try it) for breakfast and a sticky bun for later in the day.

While we were eating our breakfast on the porch, the rain began. Fortunately it was light, and remained light throughout the day. (And it was on and off, not constant.) The almond croissant was an unexpected treat, with a small amount of lightly sweet almond filling and some almond flakes on top. It still doesn’t beat a plain croissant, but it’s nice for a change of pace.

We didn’t have any good ideas about what to do for today. The weather was so unpredictable, and it was chilly in addition to the rain. We tossed around a few ideas like maybe trying to get to the Seven Sisters Bridges, which would require a 4-mile walk on the carriage roads, something Rich wasn’t sure he wanted to tackle today, even though he was game for at least a short walk.

We eventually decided to take a long walk around town, check out the sandbar and then walk the full extent of the Shore Path. This worked out very well, and gave us a total of over 2.5 miles, by far the longest distance Rich has walked since his back and leg began hurting.

Near the southern end of the Shore Path, I made a point of looking for the site of the 1890s Musgrave Tea Tower, which we learned about last year when we saw it on an old postcard. Nothing remains of the tea tower or the attached estate (cottages Edgemere and Mare Vista) but it was neat to be able to line up the postcard view with what we were seeing. The Shore Path has changed a bit and has been reinforced, but the same basic curving shape remains at this location, as well as the rock outcrops on the shore itself.

The weather remained pretty tame, with just some light sprinkles while we walked and a cold breeze in only a few spots. Even right along the shore on a drizzly, chilly day it was calm overall, which was very welcome.

We reached the end of the Shore Path and, coming out to the main street, decided to check out Havana’s menu. We haven’t been eating many big meals this year, but I really wanted to have one meal at Havana before heading home. And tonight sure felt like the perfect night for it. As soon as I got back to the room, I made a reservation.

Being unaccustomed to all that walking, Rich wanted to rest in the room while I went back into town to do my shopping. (I hate shopping! But I enjoy picking up some treats for Dad and Elaine, and this year for Donna, who is watching my plants, so it is a necessary evil.)

First we shared the sticky bun as a very light lunch. Then I headed back to town. I ended up doing quite well at the Acadia Shops, picking up various blueberry jams and honeys, and a new “Great Trails of Acadia” t-shirt to replace my current one that is many years old and quite worn. I found a variety pack of New England-themed teas for Donna at the tea company shop, and then found a new local history book about Bar Harbor sites for Rich. And I finished off the rather successful trip by purchasing some tumbled stromatolites and a beautiful celestine crystal for Elaine’s rock collection.

Back at the room, we rested for a while before dinner. The hotel locksmith appeared at one point to investigate my report of a sticking lock (he said he would replace it tomorrow). Then it was time for dinner, and I was hungry!

The rain became a little heavier this evening, but we still managed to walk down to Havana. We were the first to arrive, and secured our favorite table in front of the window. We started with the traditional mojitos, of course, and an amuse bouche of cucumber slices, whipped cream, blueberries and raspberry sauce.

We ordered the mushroom spring rolls, “as is tradition,” and they came out simultaneously with the bread basket (multigrain and blueberry cornbread, with a variety of dips/spreads: romesco hummus, rosemary-infused olive oil, and maple cinnamon butter). The mushroom spring rolls are always beyond awesome, pure umami, and we always say we could eat 100 of them.

Then our entrees came, looking beautiful as always. I’m always impressed by how perfect the portions are here. They may look small, but they always fill us up just to the right level, and not beyond.

I got the coffee-rubbed beef tenderloin with potatoes, cauliflower, and green bearnaise sauce. And Rich got the grilled shrimp and seared scallops with basil grits and peach-dressed arugula salad. Perfect!!!

I had to save room for one of the desserts, which I had heard was guava creme brulee. Of course when the dessert menu came, there were three desserts we wanted to try: not only the crème brûlée but also a passionfruit mousse and a lime tart. We ended up getting both the creme brulee and the lime tart. They were also beautiful and the perfect end to a delicious meal.