Quick Takes #292: Maine recap

 

1. We are deep in the final prep for returning to school on Monday over here, but I wanted to quickly record some reflections on our week in Maine.  Starting with great gratitude that it was even possible to happen.  After failing to find rapid testing here in PA, Dr. Dad was able to get us appointments for testing in Maine for the day after we arrived.  We both tested negative; allowing us to comply with Maine's visitor rules and give an additional level of reassurances to his mom. 
2. The trip up went so well. We left later than we planned (as usual) but then encountered minimal traffic and we managed to only make one rest stop along the way.  We were 'on schedule' enough that we were able to stop in MA and pick-up our niece.
3. The weather cooperated wonderfully with rain mostly at night and brief if during the day.  After nearly a month in the '90's here in PA ~ Maine's low '80's felt amazing.  The ocean was brisk to start but did not hold back our intrepid boogie boarders.  Going a low tide most days also allowed for exploring a tide pool where on a couple of occasions the kids found giant clams.
4. Cooking is a favorite activity of Dr. Dad's family of origin and this vacation was no different; yummy brunches, tasty dinners, and the tweens even got in on the action making delicious strawberry tarts and blondies.  Our favorite ice cream place had done a great job of meeting the challenges of keeping everyone safe while maintaining their wonderful atmosphere and quality ice cream.  No trip to the Maine seacoast is complete without some seafood; and that we indulged in a couple of occasions.
5. In addition to having ample time to read, my book-loving heart was happily blessed when my SIL passed on to me several ARCs (advanced reading copies) of books unclaimed at the bookstore she works at.  I like to read seasonally, and am so grateful for the chance to read books at release time or just prior.
6. Back in a reality where it will be a busy weekend of organizing school supplies, and school uniforms.  In another sign of the times the school is requesting that forms be filled out and signed prior to the first day adds to the general frazzle of these days.  However there are many good memories to hold onto, and perhaps a couple of more pool visits before we officially put a close to this summer.
7. Photo Dump:

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O'Canda continued

Part 1 here

 
 After our lovely day in Sydney N.S., we left Novia Scotia and woke the next morning docking at the port in Charlottetown, Prince Edwards Island.  This was our one port of call where we rented a car as the place I most wanted to see was across the island from Charlottetown.  While the kids and I had breakfast Dr. Daddy most gallantly figured out the bus system and went to the airport to get the car. Soon we were off to the Anne of Green Gables Museum otherwise known as Silver Bush, L.M. Montgomery's aunt and uncle's home and the inspiration for Green Gables in the Anne book series.  The weather was perfect and so the drive across the island was breathtaking and probably a good chance of pace for the kids who had toured three towns in the previous three days.  When we were on PEI for our honeymoon 16 years ago it had been winter, so it was also fun for us parents to see the island in a different time of year.  The museum is lovely and strikes a nice balance between details from Montgomery's life and references from the Anne and Pat books; and I enjoyed so much going through with Lisbeth who had at my request recently read Anne of Green Gables (in return I read the first of the Wings of Fire books).
    Afterwards we headed to Cavendish beach where walking the bluffs trail might have been a better 'Anne' experience, playing in the water was the better family choice.  We then stopped a Tim Horton to pick up some lunch before heading back to the ship; by complete coincidence the cemetery where L.M. Montgomery was buried was across the street!!  Back in Charlottetown we just enough time to drive past our Honeymoon hotel to show the kids before Charlie dropped us off at the port and went to return the car.

The next day was our one day at sea which was a great chance for the kids to swim and do crafts at the Kids Club and the grown-ups take advantage of the some of the ships presentation ~ or in my case; read.

   Quebec wins the award for the most beautiful views while docking.  An old city built on a hill touring involved a lot of walking but gorgeous views and for the going up portion we took advantage of a fun elevator called the Funicular.   Also of note were the beautiful old churches, entertaining street performers, and the delicious crepes we had for lunch.  We walked and wandered our way down back to the ship and found a fun vendor rolling up yummy maple candy on a stick.  All of the kids warmed my heart so much by doing their best to speak French to the waiters and sales clerks.

Quebec

Samuel Champlain

  Finally it was time to pack up and disembark in Montreal.  Luckily we were able to store our bags at the port which made it much early to explore a bit before we could pick up our rental cars for the trip back to Maine by way of Massachusetts and New Hampshire.  Top memories include a historical Farmer's Market located in the city's original town square ~ though the animals were for petting not for sale; another beautiful Church, and Lisbeth found a friendly Corgi to pet.

  All in all it was a wonderful vacation and one that I'm sure we will be referring back to for quite awhile. Thank you for reading along!

Quick Takes #281: Canada, O'Canada

1. In a bit of a departure from our usual August vacation, thanks to the generosity of my MIL we as an extended family have recently returned from a Canadian Maritime cruise.  Which in summary was wonderfully exhausting and hopefully have left us with many, many memories to reflect back on over the years.
2. It all began very familiarly with driving to Maine which actually went fairly smoothly with minimal traffic for a summer Friday; the next morning we quickly repacked and headed down to meet up with the rest of the family and head to the port. Boarding the ship involved the excited nervousness of having never done this before and being unsure of how independent the kids would need to be with holding their own passports and answering security questions.  In the end it all went very smoothly and we found our room which was very nice and well set-up for four people (Elisabeth was staying with her TCBFF in Gma's room).
3. Bar Harbor was our first port of call and our first experience with the process of getting off & on the boat made more interesting by having to take a tender (small boat) to the port as the Zaandam had anchored off-shore.  Bar Harbor is a lovely old seaport town where we found tasty sandwiches and a wonderful park to eat them.  After while some of the party went shopping the rest of us followed a walking trail along the coastline. Beautiful rocky coast, with evergreens right down to the shore line and lovely old homes.  Other highlights were the cannons the kids could climb on and the ducks by the tender dock.
4. Halifax allowed for a wonderful and unusual welcome; as we walked down to breakfast we heard a bagpiper welcoming us to Nova Scotia otherwise known as New Scotland.  On our walking tour we saw the Government House, a beautiful old church, the Citadel overlooking the city, and the Public Garden.  After a lot of walking luck smiled on us and we found a playground for the kids to blow off some energy and the grown-ups to sit a spell. Then back to the boat to prepare for our first fancy dinner on the ship.
5. Sydney was our stop in Cape Breton Island (also a part of Nova Scotia); and we were again greeting by a bagpiper.  After all the walking of the day before I decided to hang back with the kids and we explored the shoreline while the rest of the group headed into town to shop and sightsee.  During our wandering we found a fun ice cream spot that we returned to later in the afternoon while others enjoyed an American Taste Kitchen demonstration.
6. And so as to not cram too much into one post I will leave the overview here with one lovely hint ~ our next port of call allowed me to visit the house that was the inspiration for Green Gables!!
7. Photos: 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
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Quick Takes #280 ~ August Daze

1. Happy August! How is your's going? Feeling the panic yet to soak up all things summer before school starts?
2. Before I tell you about our recent road trip I need to document how awful the traffic was; because it was awful ~ the worst I've experience in quite a while. Which has the unfortunate outcome that siblings stuck in a car together for too many hours fight, and jump on their mother's last nerve.  On the upside said traffic did not in the end effect our ability to do any of the things we had planned and so in time can fade from memory.
3. Now on to what we did in Virginia ~ wonderful family time started first with a wonderful brunch hosted by one of my sisters where I got to catch up with my heading off to college nephew and beginning to think about college niece and the kids got in some cousin time.  Later that afternoon we headed to a local pool where in addition to more quality cousin time; Lisbeth and Liam were able able to work on their front flip technique off the two diving boards.
4. Sunday the kids and I headed west to Monticello.  First spending some time in the Discovery Center the kids enjoyed many of the hands-ons exhibits demonstrating different aspects of life at Jefferson's home. We then caught a shuttle bus up to the mountaintop and explored some of the outer buildings before the start time for our tour of the mansion.  I had signed up for the family tour and the tour guide did a wonderful job catching and holding the attention of all the kids on the tour; while still happy to answer any questions from the adults.  
5. Thanks for a major traffic jam we arrived at the hotel too late for any swimming that night but did manage a swim after breakfast the next morning before heading home.  The way home including the kids first views of West Virginia.
6. Life now largely consists with looking over school supply list; finishing up summer reading and trying to sneak in a few more pool trips around the pop-up thunderstorms we have been having all week.
7. Pictures: 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Have a wonderful weekend!!

7 Quick Takes #267: Swimming in the rain and other adventures

1. Another Maine vacation is in the books! As is our usual; we left later than we had hoped and hit more traffic than we would have liked. On the positive we were able to pick up our niece along the way and made it Maine without stopping for the night.
2. Weather was definitely more challenging this year with rain showers forecasted almost everyday.  Watching the sky we headed to the pool as often as possible. Fun was had by all, Caitie using and not her water wings.  One day everyone already wet we stayed and just decided to swim through the rainstorm, ironically having to pull everyone out as the weather cleared because of thunder.
3. The beach was definitely the highlight both in its sunny and stormy moods. The waves often cooperated for perfect boogie boarding sessions for the older kids. Caitlin did try on several occasions but ultimately decided 'not yet'.
4. Trying something new we went to a Food Truck park that has set-up in G-ma's town for the summer. A good variety of options we tried beans & rice, fancy fries, fried dough, soft tacos, and gelato.  Likely if the trucks are back next summer we will visit again.  We also took time to visit our favorite ice cream place several times.  Unfortunately our favorite clam shack closed but we found a decent if more expensive alternative.  Lisbeth and I hunted blackberries for pancakes and as usual Dr Daddy was the brunch master!
5. Re-entry was made a bit bumpier by us waking our first morning back to discover that our power meter had overheated and the power company had cut us back to half power.  This luckily kept the refrigerator working and most lights on but for warm food and wifi we needed to look elsewhere. Panera to the rescue!! 
6. As of yesterday we have a new meter and full power so today will consist of doing a lot of laundry and cutting the grass that grew high while we were gone ~ and the kids catching up on some screen time.
7. With school year a week and half away starting to focus on finding all necessary pieces of uniforms and double checking supply list needs ~ while not letting the panic set in but rather soaking up the last lazy mornings of summer.  

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Vacation Thoughts ~ 2017

   As I sit down to write another vacation recap I am again very grateful that we were this year again blessed with largely good weather and am remembering all the delicious food I got to eat (Scoop Deck ice cream x 4) but am also wanting to reflect on what was new and distinct about this year's vacation.

    The most obvious difference being this year began with me heading over to New Hampshire to remember with my family and her friends my aunt's wonderful life and legacy. My uncle and cousins had intended it to be a celebration of a life well lived and they succeeded! While the day's events had that 'empty seat at the table' sense, it was overall a wonderful day of sharing stories and memories.  The day also gave me the chance to catch-up in person with my older brother and cousins from California.


 Of the week+ in Maine the memories I will most cherish are:

• Elisabeth and my niece boogie boarding with great enthusiasm and improving skill.
• Liam appearing to be impervious to the cold and he rushed in time and again to the ocean.
• Caitlin's first time staying up late to make s'mores.
• Everyone working hard despite the rain to build a rock wall border.
• Shared Minecraft worlds for the BFFC's
• Caitlin wanting me nearby but NOT holding her hand while she jumped waves.
• Liam and Caitlin's first time playing mini-golf. BTW 18 holes is about 10 too many with a four year old.
• The maturity Lisbeth showed when despite coming down with a painful ear inflection she rested on a bench and let the rest of us outlet shop for a bit.
• Putting Moana on for the kids to watch and having the teenagers appear and stay.
• Massive splash fights in pool between Dr Daddy and the big girls.
• The kids setting up the yard for an eclipse watching party and then each drifting back into the house during until it was only the grown-ups watching.

  Familiar places and vacation traditions lend the structure but the kids changing interest and growing abilities gives each year it's distinct moments and memories.

S'more sampling

Eclipse Watching

Outer Banks 2016: the recap

   Outer Banks 2016 is in the books and a great time was had by all!

The trip there is just as long as I remember and we opted to make it a bit longer by stopping along the way for a vigil Mass. Aside TheCatholicDirectory.com is an amazing site which tells what churches are close to your location and their Mass times. Another highlight of the trip was getting pizza for dinner; not the best car food but Dr Daddy and Elisabeth did a great job tearing the box into mini plates. So while we arrived in the dark we were so happy to be there and so was the rest of our family.

   The rest of the week consisted of swimming in the pool; the two biggest on their own and Caitie doing amazing in her vest. During a couple of night swims Elisabeth was introduced to Marco Polo and held her own with her big cousins.  We were a 5-10 minute walk from the beach and so visited everyday sometimes a couple times a day.  Most mornings I enjoyed a walk with my mom and a sister and often late afternoon found us there for a quick swim before dinner.  The waves were best mid-day and so twice we braved primetime sun and let the kids get some practice boogie boarding.  Both times we saw dolphins in the distance and one time my middle sister's father-in-law taught the kids to net fish with decent results.  He and my sister Kim also saw to the renting of bikes which also added to the outside fun of the week.

Many hands indeed made light what with the adults all taking a turn with cooking dinner and enough grown-ups and bigger cousins available that I was even able to sneak out to a wine tasting one afternoon.

Amazing food ~ wonderful wine and best of all a lot of time to play and be together with each other and some extended family.

We came ~ we saw ~ we swam!!