When you think of spending summers at a lake in Maine, it might include an early morning in a canoe on the calm water. With a paddle in hand, you could be gliding through the quiet water just off the shore. If luck is with, you could spot a beautiful loon swimming nearby or hear it’s haunting call in the morning mist. Others might think of the lakes as a source of adventure with plenty of lakeside happenings both on and off the water.
My husband and I spend our summers in Naples, Maine which is a quaint summer community of small cottages, large homes and campgrounds on Long Lake. As you enter town along the causeway, the lake is on one side with the mountains off in the background. This is where you can rent a jet ski or a pontoon boat to explore the eleven mile long lake or perhaps take a water skiing lesson. There are several causal restaurants and ice cream stands, a few shops, an arcade and a miniature golf course. A couple of miles away there is a regular golf course.
An annual event in town is the Antique Classic Wooden Boat and Car Show. The beautiful wooden boats docked at the town pier are true works of art. Parked on the causeway in front of the boats, there are classic cars with their owners standing by to tell you how they have lovingly restored their vehicles.
If you would like a better look at the lake and the beautiful hills and mountains surrounding it, you can take a seaplane ride with the Naples Air Flying Service.
We love watching the seaplane as it takes off and lands right off our dock.
People spend most of their time in or on the lake. Many of the homeowners have a small private beach on their property for sunning and swimming. (I do more sunning as I think the water is cold until late summer but I am in the minority.) There is also a town beach for residents.
Boating is the main sport with jet skiing almost as popular. The largest watercraft on our lake is the Songo River Queen II, a stern drive paddle wheel replica riverboat. It passes by our dock many times during the day…often with the seaplane flying nearby.
It doesn’t matter if you have a super fast boat that could compete in a Miami to Nassau race, a classic wooden boat or a small Hobie Cat…you will see these boats on our eleven mile lake having fun on the water.
Sitting on our dock with a cocktail or at one of the restaurants in town can be very entertaining just watching others enjoy life on the water. Maybe it is not quite what you imagined lake happenings to be. On our lake in Maine, you can do as little or as much as you like but one thing is certain…you will have a nice time.
Back Road Journal 
Lovely photographs Karen.
Hi Gary, I’m glad you enjoyed the post…thank you.
I love your images. Maine does look like a lovely place to have a holiday – so relaxing. But I’m like you – I don’t like cold water so I do lots of sunbathing and only the occasional trip into the ocean xx
Thank you Charlie, I’m glad you liked the photos. Maine is a lovely place for a holiday. It takes until August for the temperature of the lake water to reach the 70’s…refreshing for some but I’ll be sitting on the beach.
Love, love the photo of the loon. What a gorgeous place to spend summers, relaxing among such beautiful scenery.
Hi Norma, I was really happy with the photo of the loon. The lake is a wonderful place to spend the summer…we are very lucky.
Beautiful photos, as usual. Love the paddlewheeler…….I wouldn’t have guessed that would be there!
Hi Sue, I love to see the paddle wheeler pass by our dock. There used to be boats this large that would bring summer visitors all the way from Portland through a series of locks. Tourists love going for an hour ride to see and hear about the history of the lake.
Awesome as always and I got a glimpse of Maine. I plan to take a vacation soon to one of my favorite places, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Hopefully, I will be able to share that experience as well as you do.
Thank you Southern, for your nice compliment. I’m glad you enjoyed the post. Enjoy your visit to Hilton Head.
Sign me up!!! What a beautiful set of summer scenes!
Hi Natalia, Thank you for your compliment. There is lots to do on the lake…you would have fun.
Looks like you found a jewel in Naples..I had never heard of it..Looks so nice!
Hi Monique, Thank you for your compliment. I think we were very lucky to have found Naples…it is a perfect little summer getaway. I don’t think that most people know about Naples…the population is only about 5,000 persons although that number changes with the seasons.
that little runabout in the foreground of the first photo is EXACTLY like one we found in a barn in Nebraska back in the 1980s, and lovingly restored. LOVED that boat. Great post, I can feel it there, In Naples, Maine.
Hi Kathy, I’m glad you enjoyed the post. Your runabout must have been lovely. I so enjoy the show each year as the wooden boats are absolutely beautiful…lots of shiny mahogany and gleaming brass.
Looks fabulous and a great place to be. Im with you though at the cafe with a glass of wine
http://www.mykitchenstories.com.au
Hi Tania, I’m glad you enjoyed the photos. It is a short walk from our cottage to Freedom Cafe. I love sitting on their back deck with a glass of wine and watching the happenings in town.
Beautiful photo essay of lfe at the lake. Your love for the place shines through….
Thank you Marie. I’m glad you enjoyed the photos. Life at the lake is so enjoyable…it’s a nice way to spend summer.
Beautiful photographs dear Karen. Seems that it was a great fun. I loved this red old car… Thank you, love, nia
Hi Nia, I’m glad you enjoyed the photographs. The red pickup truck has been beautifully restored and fun to see. Thank you for your nice compliment.
Lovely photos of the lake. I hope you’ll enjoy the rest of your summer there.
Hi Laura, Thank you for your nice compliment. This summer has been nice so far even though. We have another few weeks to enjoy the lake.
I love Maine. It’s gorgeous. I actually lived there for six years, summer is lots more fun than winter, but still. Glad you are enjoying your time on the lake. Beautiful photos.
~FringeGirl
Hi Fringe Girl, Thank you for stopping by for a visit and your nice compliment. You are right…Maine is beautiful. Summers are a lot more fun than winter. We have to make the most of each day of sun and warmth while we can.
How lovely, thank you for sharing your beautiful summer home with us Karen. My in-laws used to come up to the family cottage with his Lake Buccaneer . He had a dock built for it so that he could pull the plane right out of the water. He flew until his 81st birthday. He took us up around the area a few times and it was a thrill; seeing all the little uninhabited lakes from above was so cool, some were so vibrant teal from the copper content.
It’s amazing that you were able to get so close to that loon (or was it the lens?). They usually freak out when we paddle by with our paddle boat, but then again, it’s pretty noisy. It’s the cry of the loon that really makes you feel like your on summer holidays, isn’t it?
Hi Eva, Thank you for your nice comment. Flying over the lakes in your area must be wonderful. There are two people on our lake that have their seaplanes in their back yards. Across the causeway there is a seaplane base where several more planes are stored. Once a year a group of five fly together in formation around the lake. The loons don’t seem to be afraid of people on our lake…I don’t know why. I think you will enjoy a future post I’m going to do about them.
The lakes in Maine are beautiful! We got to spend 5 days at our friends camp in Franklin, it was wonderful!
Love the wooden boats! They are amazing!
Hi Mary, The lakes in Maine are beautiful…picture perfect as a matter of fact. I’m sure you enjoyed your stay at your friends camp. I love the wooden boats too. It really is a labor of love for those that own them. The are a lot of work to keep looking so beautiful.
A lovely visit to your summer locale! I’m so drawn to the pictures of the lake – it’s great to see all the ways people enjy the water. We’re in hour one of an eight -hour drive to visit friends at their cottage on Lake Lauzon in Ontario’s ‘near north.’ We’re taking our boat and looking forward to getting out on the water. Your pictures have made me even more excited to get there!
Have a great time Marlene…I hope you have perfect weather while visiting your friends. I’m glad you enjoyed the photos.
I always think of the old musical Showboat whenever I see a steamboat on the waters. Perfect sunny weather and an opportune time to get outdoors. I agree, more sunning than swimming! 🙂
Hi Alli, Showboat does come to mind when you see the Songo River Queen. Several times over the summer they have jazz bands on board that you can hear as it cruises around the lake.
Perfect, I thought I heard some music in the background of your picture, 😉 (joke!)
Perhaps I can make a request for them to play show tunes. LOL.
What a difference the sun can make .. remember you photos when dock where all flooded. Some activities going on our lake and ashore … wonderful photos – that red car talks to me. *smile
When I see photos like this .. I really want to go to Maine – have been on and off my bucket list time after time. Have to re-think .. *smile – Thanks for bringing Maine to Sweden.
Hi Viveka, Happy that I could send a little bit of Maine to Sweden. The lake really has changed from the flooding waters in early summer until now. Isn’t the red pickup truck great…wish it was parked in my garage.
It will go great with your … tomatoes … standing on the driveway. *smile ..
Hi Viveka, Thank you for your nice comment. Wish you were standing on my driveway. We could go for a boat ride and then have some of our tomatoes when we returned.
That would have been great … a tomato, bacon and loads of mayonnaise.
I totally agree.
Karen, you didn’t mention you would be writing about wooden boats, as well as old cars! My husband is absolutely enamored of wooden boats. He has a Wooden Boat magazine on our living room table right now. He says he won’t ever buy one (due to how much work they are) but he loves to admire them. Thank you for sharing this post. I will try to remember to show him your pics.
Hi Kathy, Yes wooden boats plus cars. If you clink of the link there are nice photos of the boats from last year. That post made freshly pressed for almost a week. If the boats weren’t so much work, I know my husband would have one. It sounds like our two husbands are a lot alike.
Lovely post! I enjoyed reading it and all the beautiful photos!
Thank you Sibella, for your very nice compliment. I’m glad you enjoyed the post and photos.
Beautiful Karen. I think I’d like to people and loon watch and knit.
Hi Bonnie, Thank you for your nice compliment. I’m glad you enjoyed the photos. I know you would enjoy sitting on the dock under the umbrella with your knitting.
It looks and sounds simply charming and just what you would imagine a summer in Maine to be. Delightful!
Hi Meg, There is a saying on the signs that greet you when you drive into the state of Maine. “Maine, the way life should be”. I think the saying is so true. Quaint towns with people enjoying a simple life in the outdoors…the way so many of us grew up no matter where we lived.
How fortunate you are to enjoy such a lovely location … you can be active or just sit and watch the world pass by on your lake. 🙂
Hi Boleyn, you are so right. We are very lucky that we found a little spot that is so lovely. It took a lot of work to make it nice and it was so worth it.
Karen, you make me want to hop on a plane right now. Your images are so very appealing.
Hi Victoria, You should buy a ticket. This is a lovely time of the year to visit Maine. I’m glad that you enjoyed the photos…thank you for your nice comment.
A beautiful place to relax and enjoy the summer!
Hi Angie, I have to agree with you…my husband and I do enjoy our summers at the lake. It is like we want to pinch ourselves to make sure it isn’t a dream.
How lovely and relaxing! My husband and I both would have enjoyed every bit of that day! I love the little T-Bird…always wanted one of them from the late 50s early 60s! The lake is gorgeous and I can see why you’d spend as much time there as you can before winter sets in! I can’t see a loon on a lake without thinking of the movie “On Golden Pond.” I haven’t seen one up close and personal, but your beautiful photo will have to do for now! 🙂 Debra
Hi Debra, My husband and I aways look forward to the annual show with all the beautiful wooden boats and the classic cars. I love the T-Bird, especially its lovely pastel mint green color. I know what you mean about relating loons to the movie “on Golden Pond”…especially when you hear them. I’m going to do one more post about the loons that I think you will enjoy.
Maine the way life is supposed to be. It is our home away from home (NH is where we are usually) nice photos of how life really is in the Northeast
Thank you Nuts For Treasure, for your nice comment. New England is a wonderful place to live…there is so much to see and do each season.
Never a Dull Moment
🙂
Eunice
What a lovely area to spend your summer! The polar opposite of Naples, Italy…
Hi Trina, You are right about our town being totally different from Naples, Italy…also Naples, Florida. Naples, Maine is a quaint small summer community where life is the way it has been for many years…simple and fun.
Sigh. I really want to visit Maine! We have loons in Alaska, too, but they’re much harder to spot. And I’m directing a production of “On Golden Pond” right now, and it makes Maine sound so idyllic.
Hi Cucina, Our lake has been lucky to have had a healthy population of loons butI was really worried after the floods. I will be posting an update on the loons soon. The film “On Golden Pond” was made in New Hampshire but it could have been filmed on many of the lakes in New England. One thing that is still relevant is the life style. It’s where you feel safe leaving your doors and windows open. Where your neighbors will take care of a problem if you aren’t home. Where people still say “hello” even if they don’t know who you are.
Beautiful photography of a lovely setting 🙂
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Hi Uru, I’m glad you enjoyed the photos…Long Lake is beautiful. Thank you for your nice compliment.
Karen, very beautiful post! I love car shows, I feel like a kid in a candy store when I am at one… Such a heartwarming experience…:)
Hi Marina, I’m glad you enjoyed the post. It seems that there are a lot of my readers that enjoy classic cars…they really are special. Thank you for your nice compliment.
Ahhh The way life should be! I can hear the water lapping against the dock as I type. Thanks for such a relaxing getaway via post.
Hi Carol, I love going to sleep at night with the soft sound of the waves coming in on the beach. Many mornigns, I wake up to the sound of the loons. Summer in Maine is very relaxing…I enjoy our time at the cottage.
I am envious of those scenes. We are still in winter and actually it makes me shiver to look at that water and scantily clad people. But our time will come.
Hi Suzanne, It won’t be long and I will be enjoying your summer recipes as I am sitting in front of a fire with a comforting stew. Your time of warmth is just around the corner. But that also means that feet upon feet of snow is just around the corner for me. Oh…such is life.
This post and your pictures are simply why I could move to Maine tomorrow!!!
Wonderful!
Thank you Stacey, for your lovely comment. I think we have a wonderful life in New England. Summer on the lake in Maine in a tiny cottage and the rest of the year in a 1730’s house with an apple orchid in New Hampshire. My husband and I are truly blessed.
We in the Northern Tier states are so lucky. We’ve many lakes, in relatively pristine shape, to seek out, explore, and enjoy. I was very lucky to have visited more than a few while I lived in Michigan and your post has brought a number of those visits to mind. It was always a wonderful time then, as I’m sure you’ve been enjoying this summer. I hope autumn is long-lived, allowing you to delay closing down your cabin for the winter. Fingers crossed.
Hi John, You do live in an area where you have so many beautiful lakes available to you. I’m glad that the post brought back memories. Thank you for your sweet wish for a lovely long-lived fall but I think we will be closing the cottage early. We have to drain our pipes each year as the cottage isn’t winterized and it is almost impossible to get down our steep road with snow, which has come as early as the middle of October. We leave for Germany and Austria the first week of October and won’t be back until the end of the month.
Summer on the lake sounds idyllic! My husband would love to see the old wooden boats whilstt I can imagine doing what you love- sitting on the dock with a cocktail! Enjoy.
Hi Jenny, Thank you for your nice comment. There seems to be something for every interest happening during the summer.
Seriously beautiful images!
Hi Vanesa, Thank you for your visit and your nice compliment. I’m glad that you enjoyed the photos.
I love your pictures! this looks like a very nice calm place where you can relax and enjoy a good glass of wine (white for me, please). I travelled in USA and I always enjoy its fantastic landscapes.Rita aka ritacooksitalian
Hi Rita, I’m glad you enjoyed the photos from the lake. I’ll have a glass of white waiting for you.
Wonderful photos. I almost feel as if I were on holidays (sadly not…).
Hi Sissi, Thank you for your nice compliment. Wish you could have been on a holiday…enjoy your summer.
That’s a beautiful place to live and what amazing boats, cars and plane 😉
Hi Mad Dog, My husband and I are to lucky when we found our little spot on the lake. It is a fun place to spend our summers.
Hi Karen,
What a wonderfully evocative post! I could just imagine your life up on the lake and your photos were superb! So much so, I then could almost hear the faint call of a loon…
Hi Dragonette, I’m so glad that you enjoyed the post about where we spend our summers. The loons are so symbolic of Maine…I’m glad they are on our lake. Thank you for your nice compliment.
Great photo of the loon!
Hi Chunklet, Thank you for your compliment. I was really happy with the photo. I’m going to have a follow up post on the loon.
The photo of the loon is fabulous Karen, and I remember well your cocktail post 🙂 Lovely to see and hear about summer on the lake
Hi Claire, I was lucky getting such a good photo. Glad you enjoyed the post…thanks!
Sounds and looks like a beautiful place to summer, Karen!
Hi Emily, Thank you for stopping by for a visit and your nice compliment. Naples, Maine is a wonderful place to spend summer.
Beautiful glimpse of Maine! I love the photo with the loon!
Hi Ambrosiana, I’m glad you enjoyed the photos of Long Lake where we spend our summers. I’m so happy that I was able to get the photo of the loon…usually they are out in the middle of the lake searching for fish.
How idyllic, Karen! I love the photo of the loon! x
Thank you Celia, We think we have a lovely spot on the lake…a perfect place to spend summer. Thank you for your nice compliment.
Ah, I remember your post about this from last year Karen – how wonderful to see it again! What a fun day 🙂
Hi Charles, Yes…we look forward to the wooden boat and classic car show each year. I seems the number of boats grows smaller each year…so happy that people still want to restore them. It is a fun day…especially for visitors that may be seeing boats like this for the first time.
How lovely. What a beautiful peaceful post.
Hi Byrdie, I’m glad you enjoyed the post. Thank you for your nice compliment.
Hi Neighbor I nominated you for The Beautiful Blogger Award it is over on my blog come get the rules and ENJOY!!!
Thank you Eunice, for thinking of my blog for the Beautiful Blogger Award…I really do appreciate it.
You are very welcome!
I can’t imagine a nicer spot to spend your summers Karen. We are off to a cottage that we stay at every year. It’s situated on a little inlet where the float planes land and take off frequently. Once we get there and I hear the sound of the planes, I can just feel the stress leave my body. There’s something about being right next to the water. Enjoy the last couple weeks of summer!
Hi Barb, It sounds like you have a wonderful place to enjoy part of your summer as well. Summer on the water is indeed relaxing. Enjoy and thank you for your comment.
I’ve always had this beautiful image of Maine-you’ll laugh but it’s from that show Murder She Wrote! 😀
Hi Lorraine, Murder She Wrote did give people an idea about what Maine looked like…without the murders of course. LOL.
I would also do more sunning than swimming 🙂
Hi Tandy, It seems a few of us would be sitting on the beach enjoying the sunshine. We’ll let the guys enjoy the cold water.
I love the loon photo. It reminds me of summers spent in Minnesota as a kid. 🙂
Hi April, Thank you for stopping by to visit and your nice comment. I’m happy to have brought back memories of your times spent in Minnesota. The loons are a special bird. Not only are they beautiful but their haunting call is like no other.
Great photos! They take me there 🙂
Hi Jen, Thank you for your nice compliment. I’m glad that you enjoyed the photos.
I bet you will never want to leave. Thanks for sharing your beautiful kodak moments with us. Love the loon, it reminds me of the movie with Katherine Hepburn. What is the name of that movie…?
Hi Bam, You are right..we love spending our summers at the lake. But before long, days will turn very cool and we will know it’s time to close the cottage. The movie you are thinking about is “On Golden Pond” and the lake does remind me of the movie too.
so hydillic. it could have been a Swedish lake from the nature pictures! all those all-fashioned cars and the boat makes it look so “mississipish”… definitely looks like you had a great time, thanks for sharing.
Hi Barbara, I’m glad you enjoyed the photos of the lake. We do have a lovely time each summer in Maine. I imagine the lakes in Sweden are beautiful. Thank you for your comment.
What a beautiful post about a part of Maine I have never visited. Funny how I am always drawn to the coast and never the interior. It appears that I should do soemthing about that!
Hi Jerry, Thank you for your nice compliment. I’m glad you enjoyed the post. The lakes region of Maine is lovely, especially this time of the year. I hope you get a chance to visit the area sometime.
What a gorgeous lake! This is my idea of a wonderful vacation!
Hi Chris, Long Lake really is pretty and makes a lovely place for a vacation. Thank you for your comment.
Stunning pictures! Lovely post! 🙂
Thank you Sophie, for your very nice compliment. I’m glad you enjoyed the post.
I would love to take a ride in that fire engine red 1930 Model A – what a sweet vehicle!
Hi TW, Isn’t the 1930 Model A pickup the best…its wood bed was perfect. A wonderful restoration. Thank you for your nice comment.
I’ve taken up still-water (river/lake) kayaking this summer and am wondering why I didn’t do it sooner. I’m madly jealous of your lake… I have to drive to water (happily not *too* far, but still…).
Oh you would love our lake, Rachel. I can’t tell you how many people pass by us each day in their kayaks. Enjoy your new sport! Thank you for your nice comment.
Sounds like a delightful place. I love watching seaplanes land! And watching small boats is always fun (reminds me of Wind in the Willows and the line about “messing about in small boats”). And being able to sit on your own dock and take everything in while sipping a cocktail? Bliss.
Thank you John, for your very nice compliment. “I love the line “messing about in small boats”…such fun. It really is bliss to take it all in from our dock. Between the seaplane and the Queen passing by, our lake has a special feeling.
Looks like a lot of fun in there, such a beautiful day. Cant wait for our summer
Hi Raymund, Summer on the lake is fun. With your spring just around the corner, warm weather can’t be too far away.
I just love these photos. Everything looks so serene. I definitely need a vacay but these pictures are taking me there 🙂
Hi Kay, Thank you for your nice compliment. Maine is a wonderful place for a vacation even if it is only virtual.
You’ve got me missing Maine again. It’s funny…since the first time we visited it’s like it never left me. I just want to keep going back and going back. 🙂
Hi Kristy, I know what you mean about Maine. I always hate when we close the cottage down each year for the winter.
What a great peek into a slice of summer.
Hi Prairie Wisdom, I’m glad you enjoyed the post. Thank you for your nice compliment.
What a lovely place and way to spend your summer. I love the sound of everything that’s going on – and how nice to have casual dining places nearby.
Hi B, Summers at the lake are fun and relaxing at the same time. It is nice that we can walk into town for a meal or an ice cream. Thank you for your nice comment.
If Charlie doesn’t like cold water, then she shouldn’t swim in ocean in Maine 🙂 I remember standing in the water and feeling totally numb below the knees at the end of June at Ocean Point near Boothbay. We swam anyway but I wouldn’t do it today.
I love your Maine stories.
Hi Maureen, Yes…the water is cold in Maine. I have never made it more that up to my knees in our lake and the ocean is even colder. I’m so glad that you enjoy my stories about Maine.
Life in Maine is like a picture-book !
Hi Carolyn, Maine really is a lovely place. Thank you for your comment.