24 June 2015

Just back from a family reunion vacation in Maine. Tonight when praying Bobo said, Thank you for Maine, and thank you for Maine, and thank you for Maine...

My aunt, a retired schoolteacher, just cleared out some more of her school stuff and gave us her collection of Newbery Medal winners, plus a complete set of Harry Potter, which Rose Pink carried off immediately to her room.  Tonight when we were reading scriptures, she decided to imitate Hogwarts teachers' voices for her verses.


---------Later Update: What We Loved In Maine----------


*On the way out, we stopped in Kirtland, Ohio, to visit church history sites and see some friends from our ward who were serving a couples mission there.  We really enjoyed getting out of the car and walking around to all the buildings.  My favorite was the Whitney Store, although I did also love the herb garden in front of one of the houses.  We drove past the Kirtland temple, but didn't stop to go in.


*We also stopped at Niagara Falls.  It was amazing and wonderful.  All that pouring water.  It is awesome.  We took the walk over the river to go out on the island where you can look straight down over the falls - frightening and wonderful.


*Day two of the drive out, we stopped outside Albany, NY for some reason and visited Chester Arthur's grave.  It was pretty cool.  Kind of randomly placed in a random cemetery. 


*In Maine, we drove up the coast instead of taking the faster inland route.  Next time, we'll take the inland route.


*We rented a vacation house separate from the big one the rest of the family was in.  It was adjacent to a hotel and we had pool privileges, which we used at least once.  The house was really big, for our little family.  Bobo and I slept together, and Mr. Brown upstairs, and Rose Pink and Nut Brown in another bedroom.  It was a short drive up to the big vacation house (which was hidden away and hard to find the first time) but it was so good for our family to have its own space.  I sat up late one night and watched the Stanley Cup finals with Rose Pink.
*We walked across the bottom of the ocean to an island when the tide was out, and got passed by a bus.
*We ate breakfast at the Blue Cat Restaurant, and had biscuits as big as our head.
*We went swimming at Echo Lake with a big group of cousins and siblings.  Too cold for me but Rose Pink enjoyed it.
*Rose Pink remembers seeing the jellyfish with Lucia.
*We spent a foggy, chilly afternoon at Seal Harbor, which had a billion shells and weird worms and a creek running into the ocean.  Rose Pink (fearless of the cold) went wading with Aunt Amy.
*The kids and I spent a sunny afternoon at Compass Harbor, which is a beach within walking distance from the big house.  We built sand castles and climbed on the rocks.  Nut Brown collected crab pieces, and Bobo stepped on a crab (we tried to heal it but I fear it did not end well).  We watched the tide go out.  It was very peaceful and so fun.
*We had to buy swim shoes at the local Wal-Mart because all the beaches are rocky and can't be handled barefoot.  But with swim shoes-  lots of fun!
*One afternoon we walked down to Compass Harbor and met a girl named Becca with her parents.  She's a marine biology major, and she got in the water (in her clothes) and pulled up sand dollars and other marine life for us to look at.  Ever since, Rose Pink has wanted to be a marine biologist.
*We played pirate miniature golf at the mini-golf course.
*We sang 'Shake It Off' with Uncle Peter at the family talent show.  I talked Rose Pink into singing 'Wade In The Water' with me for the show but then ruined the ending.  Nut Brown did some gymnastics moves and flips.
*Mr. Brown spent a lot of time in the kitchen cooking for people. 
*The house had a lovely outdoor patio (although narrow, because of the cliff top) with a beautiful view and chairs - wonderful for sitting outside.
*We drove around Acadia National Park and stopped at Thunder Bay - listened to the crashing waves while climbing on the rocks around them.  It was amazing.
*When we left, we immediately wanted to go back again.  It was gorgeous, wonderful, and amazing!