Maine 2011: An Encore

Just when you thought there couldn't possibly be any more pictures from our Maine vacation, I got a whole bunch of good shots from my wonderful mother-in-law. I love that Nancy always makes sure to take pictures of me, since I am usually behind the camera and not in front of it. Thank you, Nancy, for sharing your Castine pictures with us!The Breeze has been around forever and is a great lunch spot. Clam rolls, lobster rolls, and Maine red hot dogs are the perfect seaside meal. Just watch out for those seagulls!

Here are some more photos from our boat ride in the harbor. On Friday night, we walked across the street to the Castine Town Band Concert.
It was a chilly evening! More photos from the garden. One morning, Will and I tallied up all the fruits and veggies we collected from the garden. We had 81 total, with more raspberries than anything else.
Gene and Nancy babysat one night so we could have a relaxed dinner out. I think Pop had fun with his boys, don't you?And here are some photos on the rocky beach. These chairs were perfect for relaxing in! Our last dinner in Castine was a picnic in the backyard. And this shot was taken right before we headed back down the coast. Can you tell that we had a great time in Castine?

Maine 2011: Some Final Thoughts

Our Maine 2011 vacation was our longest family trip yet, and honestly, 2 1/2 weeks is a long time to be gone from home, but Maine is the best place to be in the summer.

Gene took this picture of Will just hanging out in Castine. He looks so big to me!Henry was as happy as always for most of the trip. He tripped somewhere and ended up with a huge scrape on his chin that made him look like he had a goatee. Will's knees are still scabby from his numerous falls on rocky beaches and concrete sidewalks. Henry wasn't so happy the one day he was sick. Upset tummy + fever + being overtired = poor Henry. We saw this t-shirt a couple of times on our trip. It made me smile every time I saw it.
The boys were absolutely perfect on the plane ride home. Our strategy was divide and conquer. That's the only way to do it. Those little personal TV screens and a bag full of snacks helped too. Maine was wonderful, but it's so nice to be back in Texas, in our own house with our own beds and regular routines. Never mind that a broken a/c, stacked-up mail and knee-high grass were waiting for us upon our return!

Maine 2011: The Other Fun

Our Maine trip was pretty much all about the kids. Aren't they all when you have little ones? But there are some activities that we would definitely have skipped had we not had two scabby-kneed, crumb-covered little people in the backseat.

Like the Children's Museum in Portland. We went twice and heard about it almost every day. The boys were in love with the place.

Will and Henry dressed up as cashiersat the Whole Food Market (love that!),pretended to be firefighters, touched sea creatures at the tide pool, milked a cow, and found a huge outdoor pirate ship. Our first three days in Maine were blistering hot, so on one afternoon, we found a movie theater and I took the boys to see Winnie the Pooh. It was their first real movie in a theater and they loved it! On another 100 degree day, we found an indoor playground in Brunswick and the boys played for hours. This is where Henry learned to write his name, all by himself! Gramma and Grampa stocked up on special toys to help entertain the boys while we were visiting. On our trip up to Castine, we stopped at L.L. Bean in Freeport and Gene taught Will how to tie some knots. In Castine, the boys learned how to make shadow figuresand played with shells while I took photos of Gene's folks. Pop also got the boys fouled anchor pins to show all they learned about boats on this trip. We ate flavored honey sticks from the State of Maine Cheese Shop at our rental cottage in Boothbay. And on our return trip to Portland, we visited the Desert of Maine in Freeport. It's a real desert, in Maine! Millions of years ago, a glacier slid through Maine and left behind sand and mineral deposits. In 1797, the Tuttle family bought the land and grew potatoes and hay. Failure to rotate their crops led to soil erosion and soon the sandy desert became visible.
We rode a tram through the desert
and were lucky enough to be there after a rainstorm. Normal temps are around 100* but it was only in the 70s after the rain. After the tram tour, the boys dug for (planted) gemstones. Will perfected the armadillo dig. We left this kitschy place with some fun memories, a few gemstones,and a carload of sand.
Back in Portland, we visited the Portland Museum of Art. We can't go to Maine without a visit there. We saw Uncle Tom's "John Marin: Modernism at Midcentury" exhibit but the boys were most excited about the kids' area, where they played with old-fashioned toys and dressed up in period costumes. And once again, Henry left his mark at the PMA. Yes, Maine, Henry and the rest of our family were here!