State Capitol Building…and Tattoos

We headed to Augusta—the capital of Maine—once the visit to Cadillac Mountain concluded. Because they knew me by now, no one was surprised my first visit in Augusta was to the Port-a-Pot placed outside one of the buildings. State buildings close on weekends, but my personal needs never shut down. This “problem” inspired the Reba Rates Restrooms event 😂. Augusta’s State Capitol building’s portable restroom received a 10 out of 10. A cleaner, more pristine bathroom could not be found anywhere throughout Maine. Believe me, I know! I raved about this one so much that the ladies threatened to take photos of all the Reba rated restrooms, but that (thankfully) never happened.

We strolled around the Capitol Building and encountered something very familiar—the Liberty Bell. For those history buffs reading this blog, you might point out that the Liberty Bell hangs in Philadelphia NOT in Maine. You are correct. However, you might not know that 55 to 57 replica Liberty Bells were gifted by the United States Treasury to the US states in 1950 as a national savings bond drive.

I need to unpack this information. As I began this blog entry, I remembered something from my childhood history class. Maine and Missouri (my current state) were connected. When Maine entered the Union (a non-slave state), a promise to add Missouri (a slave state) to the Union followed. This compromise (Missouri Compromise of 1820) kept a balance of power between the slave and non-slave states in the Senate.

I researched that information but soon wondered why the Liberty Bell was placed on the Capitol lawn. I discovered it was a gift to the states after an “Independence” savings bond drive raised money to help cover costs incurred after World War II. It turns out all of these Liberty Bells were cast in Annecy-le-Vieux, France and were the same weight and made the same ringing tone as the original bell.

As I delved deeper, I also discovered the US decided to gift a bell to Annecy, France, and they, in turn, gifted a bell to Harry Truman’s hometown—Independence, Missouri! Wait…that’s my hometown…and I never knew we had a Liberty Bell. Turns out it is located in front of the Harry S Truman Library, so I stopped my writing and went for a walk. Sure enough…I found it. I read the words inscribed on the sign, and I was overcome with emotion. What a tremendous gift we all have—the gift of Independence!

Just under 19,000 people reside in Augusta. Their town exudes charm. Hannah loved that we happened upon a fire station as her boyfriend is a firefighter. We even saw their fire truck leave the station on a call. In addition to the fire station, we passed by a castle inspired federal building, buildings with beautiful flowers hanging from their awnings, some western inspired art, and the ever-so-tempting tattoo parlor.

Unbeknownst to me, Hannah and Madison had discussed getting Maine tattoos to celebrate this epic adventure. As a curious bystander, I was excited to walk into my first-ever tattoo shop.

Tattoo images lined the walls and several people were in the back with tattoos in progress. Hannah and Madison used AI to assist in the design as we waited to speak to the receptionist. They both settled on a lobster. Madison’s was framed like a smooshed penny, and Hannah’s was framed as a stamp.

There were no artists available at the moment, but if we wanted to add names to the waitlist, it would likely be about an hour before the ladies would get inked. We were all amenable to that, so the ladies paid a deposit, and we set off on hopes of another adventure.

We immediately found the Kennebec River Trail. People fished. Dogs were walked, and Reba rated this park’s Port-a-Pot a paltry 5 out of 10. What can I say?

We prioritized our safety, so the walk was short, and we decided to stop at Otto’s on the River for some pre-tattoo mocktails. I enjoyed the blueberry lemonade from the Jordan Pond Restaurant so much that I decided to try that again. Still delicious.

There are a few guidelines for tattoo acquisitions.

• No drinking ahead of time (mocktails acceptable)
• Pay in cash (ATM present)
• Keep the affected area covered after completed
• Apply a moisturized product afterward

If you know about tattoos, this will likely bore you. However, if you’d like to rate my uneducated evaluation…here we go…

H and M uploaded their designs to the artist’s account. They spoke with the artist regarding the additions they would like (2025). The artist printed a sample for approval on size and design. Once everything was agreed upon, a final print was applied to the tattoo location, and the ink pens were prepared. I had thought the tattoos would be applied by freehand, but neither tattoo was. There were other people getting larger, colored designs, and theirs were freestyle. Hannah and Madison’s were not.

After Hannah was done, the artist cleaned the entire space. I was so impressed. Once Madison began, I looked and found Tracy in the ear piercing area. She decided she wanted an earring towards the top of her ear. Fascination took over as I watched them insert a titanium post into her ear. She chose an earring, and they took it through a process that changed its color to gold. I wish I remembered what the process was called.

We finalized a visit with two tattoos an ear piercing, and a picture with our artist. It was time to head home; tomorrow would be another busy day.