Wax Those Skis

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! I just rolled back into Maine after an outrageously fun trip south. I spent Monday hanging garland, decorating the tree, and stoking the woodstove. I was thankful to have made it home safely after 3,000 miles in the car and two wild weeks down in Dixie, and here’s to a snowy, old-school Maine winter. It’s been awhile, and we need it up here in ski country.

Thanks, Heather

I hope you kept reading “Inside Bridgton” in my absence. Heather Kerby’s columns were so sweet. She has such a fulfilling life with her big boisterous family, and I think she gave a perspective on the holidays that I can’t. Thanks too to my dear friend Lynne Talbot, who also helped out while I was gone. I love these women; we bring out the goofy, silly sides of each other that so often have to be suppressed. I don’t think in all the years of friendship with them that we haven’t laughed ourselves to tears over some ridiculous incident, usually involving me doing something stupid. It’s nice to have friends you can count on to help out in a pinch, and I’m so lucky to have them.

The best-laid plans…

My trip to Tennessee was a whirlwind of visiting friends and family. My mother and I had hoped to drive down to New Orleans after Thanksgiving for the weekend, but there was so much going on in Nashville that we just couldn’t get away. I’ll be spending Christmas in Maine this year so I had to fit all of my holiday festivities into Thanksgiving. Plus I’d promised Veronica Kugelman and Melissa Boxer a honky-tonkin’ high time, which involved lots of stops at Nashville’s finest dive bars. You’d have been proud of these Maine girls, they really showed the Southern Belles a thing or two about kicking up their heels. My only regret is that we didn’t get Melissa on a bull…

Detour to D.C.

En route to Nashville we stopped in Georgetown for lunch at Filomena’s, a favorite haunt of politicians and celebrities in Washington, D.C. who don’t want to be gawked at by tourists. The list of icons who’ve eaten there is endless. So there we were, three random girls from Maine, wandering in on the recommendation of my brother-in-law. We had homemade raviolis, manicotti, stuffed mushrooms in a perfect baarnaise sauce. The maitre-d, Jorge Racines, stopped by the table, and we asked him about the famous people he’d served. He regaled us with tales of Bono, Tony Bennett, Bill and Hillary, and was both discreet and hilarious, a great host.

We mentioned that we were heading to Nashville on a road trip celebrating a birthday and the next thing we knew a monstrous slice of tiramisu, with a sparkler atop it, was heading our way! It was heavenly, and gone in a minute. Then an even bigger slab of dessert came at us, triple chocolate mousse cake, the house specialty. As we oohhed and aahhed over all the lusciousness, Mrs. Filomena herself came by and took us on a tour of the “Back Room”, where the real luminaries are whisked to dine in peace.

Throw down at the Loveless

If you watch the “Today Show,” Conan O’Brien or the Food Network with any regularity, you’ve probably seen Carol Fay, the “Biscuit Lady” at the famous Loveless Motel Cafe in Nashville. We bee-lined it there the first morning in town, so the girls could get a true taste of Southern food. Nashville isn’t called Music City for nothing, and country music singers have to eat too, so it isn’t unusualto see Toby Keith, EmmyLou Harris, Faith Hill and Tim McGraw ordering up biscuits and gravy there.

What was a surprise was that Iron Chef Bobby Flay himself showed up there the day before we did to challenge Mrs. Fay to a biscuit-making “Throw Down.” The Food Network’s film crew was there under the pretense of filming a segment on Nashville, and no one expected Bobby Flay to show up. I won’t tell you how it played out, but the episode will air in January and I’ll let you know the airdate when I do.

Another sad loss

I was so sad to hear about the passing of Bob Dunning. With all the mediocrity and indifference out there, truly passionate and involved humans like Dunning are a blessing. Some people just glow with a true love of life, and make the world a better place. His spark, genius, and enthusiasm for historic preservation were unmatched here, and his death is a loss for all of Bridgton. My sincere condolences to his family, and the many, many friends he leaves behind.

A memorial service for Dunning will be held Saturday, Dec. 8 at 1 p.m., at the First Congregational Church on South High Street in Bridgton.

Gallery 302 Gala

Jewelry designer Evelyn King has a stunning collection of sterling silver and blown-glass works on display at Gallery 302 through Jan. 4. King will be feted at an opening reception on Dec. 14 from 5 to 7 p.m., and will be demonstrating her unique techniques in silversmithing at Gallery 302 on Sunday, Dec. 9 at 2 p.m.

Her art has been displayed in museums across the country including the Heinz Center in Pittsburgh and the acclaimed Fire and Ice exhibit in St. Paul, Minn. She has apprenticed with master glass blowers in Murano, Italy and worked with Lauren Fensterstock, who is one of my favorite visual artists in Portland. Gallery 302 is decked out in its holiday finest and is always a great place to see artisans at work and buy lovely, one-of-a-kind gifts for Christmas.

Easy riders

With winter off to a promising start, why not fire up the snowmobile and hit the trails with the Bridgton Easy Riders Snowmobile Club? Not only do they have miles of trails that connect to towns far and wide, they also act as trail stewards, maintaining and improving conditions throughout the year.

Plus they have a monthly meeting on the second Thursday of each month at the Central Maine Power building on Portland Road that involves a potluck dinner. What a great way to meet your fellow snowmobilers and have a delicious dinner. Potluck is at 6 p.m., the meeting starts at 6:45 on Thursday, Dec. 13.

Carrye Castleman-Ross starred in her own version of “The King and I” while visiting Nashville at Thanksgiving.