Maine

On a whim, your daddy and I decided to plan an impromptu trip to Maine. We gave ourselves three weeks to plan a week long trip to Bar Harbor and luckily everything fell into place. I made sure to journal our experiences daily and all I can say is that we had an amazing adventure with you two and Scout. We crossed 9 states in two days to get there {Virginia-Maryland-Delaware-New Jersey-New York-Connecticut-Massachusetts-New Hampshire-Maine} and here are the highlights of the trip:

Friday October 16th:

*Left home around lunch time after 2 weeks of packing

*Crammed into truck---absolutely no more room for anything else, Scout had his head on the back of my seat most of the way

*Went across Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel

*Stopped at Casa Hispania in Nassawaddox on the Eastern Shore for tortas, tacos and stale patries

*Drove past NYC skyline at night

*Made it to hotel in Milford, CT @ 10:30 all in one piece

Saturday October 17th:

*Woke-up at 5:30am and on the road by 6

*At daybreak we had our first glimpse of fall foliage in Connecticut

*Stopped in Worchster, MS for Dunkin Donuts

*Took the longer but more scenic route thru Maine

*We stopped for lunch at Carrier's Mainly Lobster in Bucksport and had our first lobster roll ($19) and haddock chowder. It was a great outdoor lunch with a playground for the kids to stretch their legs on.

*Got to Blackwoods Campgrounds located in Acadia National Park at 3pm---campsite A11

*Set up camp and ate chili and toasted marshmallows

*Got down to 30 degrees over night and Scout ended up in the tent with us

 

Sunday October 18th:

*COLD!

*Ate egg and chili burritos for breakfast

*Drove to Otter Pointe, parked and hiked along rocky shore to Thunder Hole. Kids did a scavenger hunt along the way.

*Ate a picnic lunch of PB&Js on the rocky cliffs

*Drove back to campsite for a quick break and then took a walk on the forest trail that leads to Cadillac Mtn. Genevieve took the lead following the blue blazes.

*Eric made a really tasty pot pie for dinner

*Kids were tired at sundown so we snuggled in the tent and watched half of the movie Turbo on the iPad and were asleep by 7pm

Monday October 19th:

*Pancake and sausage breakfast

*Drove to the top of Cadillac Mtn.---awesome views, cold and windy, checked out eco-store

*Drove to Jordan Pond and walked about half of the loop trail with the cool boardwalk along the water

*Walked up to Jordan Pond House for a quick nibble of their famous popovers, a warm crab and goat cheese dip with beer and OJs.

*Drove to Northeast Harbor and stopped by the marina. We watched a crew of lobster men come in with their catch

*Back at campsite, we made a bacon and potato hash for dinner.

*At dark, we took a quick walk to an overlook to see the starry night sky and finished the night with MORE marshmallows

 

Tuesday October 20th:

*Woke-up at 5:30am (dark) to drive to top of Cadillac Mtn again for a sunrise but it was rainy and cloudy

*Went and broke down a wet camp

*Crossed the sand bar at low-tide to Bar Island and hiked to top where there was an overlook facing the town of Bar Harbor. Raced back down, afraid we wouldn't get back across before high-tide

*Ate at BeerWorks restaurant---blah. But Troy got his first blueberry soda (Gen doesn't care for soda)

*Then drove one and a half hours  to get to cottage in Harrington, ME, out in the middle of nowhere

*Made a steak and potato dinner and got to take our first (glorious) hot showers in 3 days.

*Watched Toy Story Halloween special and went to bed early

 

Wednesday October 21st:

*Good nights sleep in warm beds, boys in one---girls in the other

*Planned day out during our pancake breakfast

*Drove back to Bar Harbor and found the Anemone sea cave which was amazing. Also, played around in tidal pools on the rocky cliffs

*Went into town and ate lunch at the Lazy Lobster. Lobster rolls ($17) and a Hawaiian pizza for the kids, yummy.

*Bar Harbor Brewing Co. for beer tasting---bought 6pk of blueberry soda for Troy

*Went shopping through out town and found a Christmas ornament for our tree---a jingle bell lobster

*Headed back to cottage with pit stops at a lobster pound for 2 live lobsters, a Halloween themed farmers market for veggies and grocery store for tomorrows meals

*Played hide-n-seek and ate lobsters for dinner

 

 

Thursday October 22nd:

*Last day in Maine and we spent all of it at the cottage

*Made a huge breakfast feast of pancakes, eggs and bacon

*Forged on the beach at low-tide for shells, mussels for dinner and driftwood

*Played legos and games with the kids throughout the day

*Packed and got ready for the long ride back home tomorrow

 

Friday October 23rd:

*On the road by 5:30am and drove to the Boston airport so that mommy could catch a flight to Minneapolis for your great grandmother's funeral.

*You two, daddy and Scout drove the entire way home and made it back to Suffolk, VA by 10pm

Farmor

Today I am going to take a departure from the normal post about the adventures we take as a family. I want to take the time to tell you about your great grandmother, my farmor, your papa's mommy and let you know how much she meant to me.

Your great grandmother, Sylvelin, married your great grandfather, Vincent, and raised five children, your papa being the baby. She was loving, compassionate, resourceful, strong and always there. From what I have learned, she was a wonderful wife and mother who could whip up a quilt, make something scrumptious out of her kitchen, participate in community and church functions and nurture the people she loved most, all effortlessly.  I'm sure she had her good days and her bad days during the years of raising her family but the outcome of her efforts come through. They come through the children who have grown into great people that will continue her legacy.

One of my earliest memories of your great grandmother was when I took a trip to Bremerton,WA to visit her and my farfar alone when I was 7 years old. They both doted on me and showered me with so much undivided attention and love. It will be a visit that I will cherish forever.

And when you wonder why I must make spritz cookies every Christmas it is because when I was little she would send packages out to her grandkids full of goodies and my favorite was always her spritz cookies. I have been trying for the last few years to perfect them but they are still not as good as the ones I remember she made. Don't worry farmor, I'll figure them out;)

When your great grandmother had to finally sell her home, I asked if I could have some of her journals. From time to time, I take them out and read snippets of her life. Most of the entries are nothing more than what she did that day, how she was feeling, if she took a walk or not. But you come across lots of entries about her visits with friends and family and you can tell that that was what gave her the most joy.

She took her last breath sometime during the early morning of October 13, 2015. She had been battling Alzheimer's disease for the last few years and it was not only hard for her but also her helpless family. Even though her brain didn't allow her to remember the names or faces of her loved ones, I hope that in her final days she knew in her heart that she was loved and that she did good. Better than good. 

I sit here now flipping through her journals and letting the tears flow. Her journals allow me to see insight between the lines. Showing me that our lives are a culmination of days and what we make of them. Isn't that what life is about; the beginnings and the endings and all the little and big things in the middle that make the other two worthwhile.

I love you farmor

RIP