There is a certain time of year when hopping a flight out of Florida and heading to New England seems like the thing to do.

Last weekend was that time. The golden yellow of poplar trees and cinnamon reds of the maples glowed out the window of our rental car as we headed out of Boston. The smile on my face grew deeper as the car rose and fell over the undulating hills—a vast difference in topography from our home in flat, tropical Florida.

The late-in-the-year heat of the day made for the perfect afternoon to go boating.  The colors along the riverbank championed the decision to stray from the normal hues of blue of our ocean home.

“It’s strange not to taste salt when getting splashed with water.” Patrick licked his lips as he pushed the wooden hand-crafted boat off the dock. I reached over the side of the varnished rail to trail my hand through the cool water.

“Or not to have crew.” We were cruising in a twenty-two foot run-about instead of the hundred and forty-foot yacht Patrick usually captained.

It was just Patrick and me in the boat—alone for a rare occasion in our yachting career. His smile curled with mischief. “I like it.”

It had been a long time since we had been on a river and the autumn colors of  the Merrimac spotted with the muted drip of grey-green willow trees seemed like the perfect re-introduction to freshwater cruising.  A warm breeze blew over my skin and through my hair as we passed grey wooden homes with white port-hole windows. Each home we passed gave me a glimpse into northern life. I loved the closeness of the riverbank compared to the vastness of the ocean.

I stretched out on the white leather seating to soak up as much sun as possible. With no guests to attend to and no need to wear a uniform, I intended to enjoy every minute of this boat ride.  I relaxed further and waved to an elderly couple sitting in rocker chairs on their front porch viewing the passing river as their television.

It didn’t take us long to switch our thoughts of boating to thoughts of lunch. Our whole weekend centered around the water, beginning with snacks of stuffed Quahog clams and steaming bowls of creamy chowder. We finished with dinners of corvette-red, claw-heavy lobsters.

“Lobster roll?” was all I had to say to convince Patrick to tie-up the boat and head to the wooden shack in the harbor.

“Two,” he ordered with confidence—it wasn’t our first lobster roll lunch of the trip.

We sat watching the pebbled ripples of the water at a wooden picnic bench and devoured the griddled overstuffed buns. The lobster consisted of claws and knuckles only creating a sweet and soft, silky texture—even tastier than its Caribbean relative. The contrast of toasted hot buttery bun complimented the cool creamy texture of the lobster salad perfectly. Crisp shredded lettuce in the bottom of the bun crunched with each bite.

“This might be the best one yet,” I said through a mouthful of the roll.

Patrick laughed. “You said that about the last one.”

I smiled. “We better try again tomorrow to make sure.”

Two more lobster rolls later, we rolled over the hills back to the airport, both agreeing there is no better place to be for a long weekend in fall.

New England Lobster Roll

2 pounds fully cooked lobster claws

¼ cup home-made mayonnaise

½ teaspoon sea salt

24 grinds black pepper

4 hotdog buns, split on the top

2 tablespoons butter, melted

½ head of romaine, shredded

Make the mayonnaise. (see recipe below) There will be extra mayonnaise to be reserved for later use.

Combine the lobster, mayonnaise, sea salt and pepper gently, coating the lobster meat well.  Taste for seasoning

Brush the top and bottom of the hotdog buns with the melted butter and place in a frying pan on medium heat split-side down for 3 minutes to toast the top. Turn the buns over to toast the bottom for 3 minutes.

Open up the hotdog buns and divide he lettuce between the buns and top with lobster meat.

Serve immediately.

Mayonnaise:

1 egg yolk

¼ teaspoon sea salt

8 grinds of black pepper

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 lemon, juiced

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

¾ cup canola oil

Place the yolks, sea salt, black pepper, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, and white wine vinegar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal chopping blade.  With the motor running slowly drizzle in canola oil, no faster than a fine stream until all of the oil is incorporated.

Serves 4