Maine

I must be weird. We just returned from family vacation to Maine. Every time I was confronted with a breathtaking vista, a hundred adjectives would fly through my mind as I searched for the perfect words to describe these scenes. Here I am—stunned by natural beauty—thinking about adjectives.

So it was my first time in Maine. But most definitely not my last. A few days into the trip, I started declaring that I wanted to move to coastal Maine. I was only semi-joking. The Little Bro wasted no time in reminding me of my strong aversion/hatred for cold. That is true, but I think I could enjoy it if I lived by the sea. I could stay inside by the fire during long winters and read books and look out my picture window at the ocean. Ah yes, these are my dreams. *smile*

Trip Highlights:

-Sleep. I finally feel like I have had enough. The Sis sternly warned me to REST on this vacation. And I actually listened!

-Chowder. Or “chowdah” as the locals say. I’m currently workin’ on the Maine accent. Leaving the state just “toah my haht apaht.” Figure that out!

-Acadia National Park. Simply incredible. It is now #1 on my list of national parks, and likely to stay there. That’s saying A LOT.

-Having tea at the Jordan Pond House (in Acadia) with The Mom. Chai tea is fantabulous and I got the recipe for the popovers, so beware, my future guests—I might make them for you!

-Climbing a mountain overlooking the sea with the family. Wandering around the top of the mountain with my camera and tripod. I’m pretty sure that I looked clueless, rather than professional with the gear slung over my shoulder…. Especially when I tripped and almost fell *off* the mountain. Oops.

-Bar Harbor. Nice coastal town that we wandered around every night. I never did get the ice cream flavor that I wanted to try so desperately. The town was a little touristy, but not repulsively so. Quaint and cute. I liked it best at sunrise, when the streets were nearly empty. (Sometimes I’m NOT a people person. *smile*)

-Three lighthouses in one day as we drove down the coast of Maine. Let’s just say that I’m nearly crazy to get my pictures developed. We’ll see if my photographic inspirations have any merit to them.

-Late night TV with The Little Bro. Laughing and laughing over stupid things, while discussing funny friends. My infamous line: “I like funny people. They take so much pressure off me to bring all the humor to the conversation.”

-Carriage roads. Acadia has 43 miles of gravel roads that people hike, bike and take carriage rides in. They allow no motorized vehicles on the carriage roads. One day, the whole family went biking. The weather was perfect—glorious, in fact! Slightly breezy with a chill in the air. The changing landscape had me mesmerized. So much that I was always lagging behind. Finally, The Little Bro came to ask me if I was really that slow or if I was just “browsing?” We rode up hills and through forests of strange evergreens (one word—Narnia), by lakes of blue-black waters and under trees of brilliant fall color. We saw otters and lunched by Eagle Lake surrounded by mountains. And then, one of my tires blew out. It was near the end of our expedition, though, so we weren’t *too* sad.

-Shopping on a rainy day. We went to an antique & book store that was housed in an old chicken barn and was absolutely massive. I was entranced. Yes, almost speechless when I first walked in. *smile* I found maybe 6 books and a table for my apartment. Oh yeah, and then we bought some Maine blueberry syrup and made pancakes for supper. We are a strange family, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

-Autumn leaves so brilliant with color that they seemed unreal. Trees were clothed in fiery scarlet, burnt orange and shining gold. The dark evergreens and yet-unchanged living green leaves perfectly complemented the fall palate of colors. The rain that fell furiously through one entire day of vacation didn't destroy the beautiful leaves, but rather brightened them with a glossy sheen. Don't you love Maine in the fall? It makes me want to take more pictures.

The vacation was just AMAZING. And I want to go back. Really.