Bar Harbor, Maine: food, heritage, food, sunset
Bar Harbor has a unique and charming feel. Perhaps that is because the tourist season has yet to begin. Most of the stores and restaurants are still closed. Everything here is one-of-a-kind. Coffee shops, art/craft stores. Nothing mass market. I found a restaurant called 2 Cats Restaurant and Inn. I have heard from locals that the waffles and blueberry pancakes are very good. Given my love for waffles and cats, it seems like a perfect combination. Unless they include cat hair for realism. I'll walk into town one morning and see.
The welcome reception for the National Tribal Environmental Council's annual conference (http://ntec.org/) was held at the Abbe (pronounced "Abby") Museum of Maine's Native American Heritage http://www.abbemuseum.org/ in Bar Harbor. What an unexpected find! Not only is the collection extensive and varied, but the facility is quite remarkable. I was impressed with the children's activity room.
The current exhibition is called "Twisted Path: Contemporary Native American Artists Walking in Two Worlds" http://www.abbemuseum.org/pages/exhibitions/exhibitions-overview.html#. It showcases modern art by native artists; "personal stories about tribal identity and balancing life in a complex world."
The museum contains a circular room called Circle of the Four Directions. The room was designed and built for the museum. Circles have a deep significance in native culture. The space not only showcases art, but is also used for music, traditional events, and even poetry. When not in use, the room also serves as a contemplative space.
Shear white panel overlap in the vertical space creating the impression of clouds or perhaps even sails. 
The centerpiece is an eagle in flight carved from Moose antlers, with a Medicine Wheel.
After a private tour by one of the museum's currators, we we treated to delicious hors d'œuvres. Though, after my third trip back, it would be more accurate to call it a meal.
As I left the reception, the sun was setting behind a church and bell tower across the street from the museum.
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