A whole lotta beautiful nothing...

Today we journeyed through a whole lotta nothing - and it was beautiful - hundreds of tree lined miles and stunning ocean coast. Last night we arrived in Bath - a lovely little arts town on the Atlantic - and walked by the water, ate lobster (after all this is my FIRST trip to the great state of Maine) and stopped into the Chocolate Church. This local performing arts and music center was once Central Congregational Church - a vibrant church built in 1846 - that ceased serving the community as a sanctuary in 1971. We visited with the young house manger who gave us a tour, enjoyed his celebration of the history of the community theatre and took some great pix that Di will post later. For more information, check it out at: http://chocolatechurcharts.org/

Today we drove into St. John, New Brunswick - another small arts town striving for renewal in the brave new world beyond manufacturing - and saw some of the community's strengths and challenges. There is a vibrant downtown renewal - and lots of small galleries and niche shops - as well as obvious poverty and areas in need of renovation and attention. We took in the local "St. John IDOL" on the boardwalk while sipping organic lager from British Columbia and feasting on Thai goodies. A rockin' young woman won the show with a smokin' acoustic version of Stevie Wonder's "Bury Superstition." This is a spunky and interesting place.

We'll spend a little more time hoofing around the city in the morning before driving another four hours to our destination in Halifax, Nova Scotia because after three days we're ready to settle in for some serious exploration.