Maine Olympians

With the winter Olympics officially underway. The Augusta Econolodge would like to mention and congratulate Luger Julia Clukey. She is a great athlete. I know some people who were quite excited that she gave up basketball in high school for the luge. (She was very good at basketball as well.)

Julia was born right here in Augusta and graduated from Cony High School. She is currently ranked 5th in the world in the Luge and is also competing in the Vancouver Olympics. She has 2 runs on Monday February 15 and 2 more on Tuesday.


We wish her the best of luck at the games.

You can check out her blog here



Also, Megan Sweeney from Portland, Maine is sliding tonight in the same event. Good luck to Megan as well.

Pumpkins

Now that Halloween is over we need to figure out what to do with all the pumpkins. It just so happens that I have quite a few ideas to help you out.

First a little pumpkin history:
References to pumpkins date back many centuries. The name pumpkin originated from the Greek word for "large melon" which is "pepon." "Pepon" was nasalized by the French into "pompon." The English changed "pompon" to "Pumpion." Shakespeare referred to the "pumpion" in his Merry Wives of Windsor. American colonists changed "pumpion" into "pumpkin." The "pumpkin" is referred to in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater and Cinderella.

Native Americans dried strips of pumpkin and wove them into mats. They also roasted long strips of pumpkin on the open fire and ate them. The origin of pumpkin pie occurred when the colonists sliced off the pumpkin top, removed the seeds, and filled the insides with milk, spices and honey. The pumpkin was then baked in hot ashes.

Source: The History Channel


Now that you know all about them here are just a few things you can do with them.

You can of course make them into pies, breads, and even waffles as my good friend Dayna Riley at the Courtyard in South Portland has proven here. http://courtyardportlandmaine.blogspot.com/2009/11/pumpkin-waffle.html

Here is a great recipe for pumpkin pie from Maine Goodies. http://mainegoodies.com/recipes/one-piepumpkinpie.shtml

Here you can find a spot to pick your own pumpkin right off the vine in the Augusta Area.
http://www.pickyourown.org/MEA2E.htm

Also check out the many microbreweries around Maine that make pumpkin beer.

http://www.shipyard.com/taste/
http://www.seadogbrewing.com/

They are only available in the fall though so hurry.

And if you’re really feeling crazy here is a recipe to brew your own beer in the actual pumpkin.

http://www.sloshspot.com/blog/02-25-2009/How-To-Brew-Pumpkin-Beer-in-a-Pumpkin-in-20-Easy-Steps-125


If you have any other things to do with pumpkins or recipes leave them below.

Fall is awesome in Maine.

10 things to do in Augusta Maine in the fall.

With the summer over and the cold coming soon I thought it would be good to remind everyone that there is still plenty of time and good weather to enjoy Maine. Here is a small list of things to do in Maine before the snow flies.


Fishing/Hunting
There are great places all over Maine to hunt or fish, from the ocean on the coast to lakes, rivers, and streams farther inland. Make sure you have the right license or permit before you go.

Canoeing/Kayaking on the Kennebec
Doesn’t get much better than canoeing down the river on a nice fall day. Keep an eye out for wildlife especially if you are in the deep woods.

Picking apples
Picking your own apples is a great tradition in Maine. If you are really feeling rambunctious you can try to make your own apple cider.

Golf
There are still many golf courses open throughout Maine. Check out the course in Belgrade for a treat.

Fairs and festivals
Local fairs and festivals are going on throughout September and October all over the state.

Museums
Check out a museum or two while you’re here. We have everything from the Maine state museum to Colby College’s art museum to antique auto museums and maritime museums. You can’t go wrong with any of them.

Antiquing
If you like old stuff we have tons of it and it’s for sale.

Acadia National Park
When is it not a good time to go to Acadia National Park?

Seacoast/boats
You can find many harbors and boats to check out in Maine. Camden, Boothbay and Bar Harbor are definitely sure things if you are interested in boats.

Leaf peeping
Of course we can’t forget how ridiculously beautiful the leaves are when they change colors. You can just drive around all day checking out the leaves and not get sick of it.


If you would like more info on anything here are a few great sites for you to check out.


www.visitmaine.com
www.augustamaine.com
www.getrealmaine.com (apple orchard search)
www.visitmaine.com/resource/pdf/brochures/golf.pdf (golf brochure)
(You will need adobe PDF viewer to view)
www.visitmaine.com/resource/pdf/brochures/art.pdf (Art brochure)
(You will need adobe PDF viewer to view)
www.nps.gov/acad (Acadia National Park website.)
www.state.me.us/ifw (Maine hunting and fishing)
www.augustaeconolodge.com (what are you waiting for? Make your reservations now.)



Have a great fall season everyone and we hope to see you on your travels in Maine.

The Augusta Econolodge

Summer is here.

Okay, first blog from the Augusta Econolodge. Here you can find all the latest happenings in the Augusta area and some great deals only for bloggers. The sun in finally out and we are having wonderful weather. Perfect for a swim or canoe trip down the river. Its about time too. After about a month straight of nothing but rain, we are happy summer is here. We are filling up fast so make your reservations at http://www.augustaeconolodge.com. You can also check out what we have to offer on the page as well.

Thanks and we hopw you have a great summer.


The Augusta Econlodge staff.