The Maine Event

So this is the new ride that I want to go with my new crib which you will see in a sec. What a beauty this was. Who would want to be anywhere else at a time like this? This year I choose where we were going on summer vaca. Okay, I suggested it. We usually do what the guys like, go to the beach in the Carribean somewhere. They love the heat and the beach. I'm okay with that, especially the last couple of places where we've been because there were other things to do and see, but not every year. We went to The Outer Banks of North Carolina three years in a row and I thought that was the East Coast. Looked like Nantucket (oops, I shouldn't have said that)-scruffy, weedy, mmm. Well, Maine is a whole other world. It's rugged and cliffy and beautiful; more like the West Coast. The place where we stayed, Spruce Point Inn, was gorgeous. The rooms, views, landscape-all so beautiful. And staying there is better than a box of Tampons. They have croquet, shuffleboard, bikes, kyaks, fishing, sailing, swimming, and MORE. And that was just at the Inn. Then there's the quaint town; not a franchise in sight. We all loved it. Going into dinner at The Inn restaurant, Bogie's. They showed Casablanca on a big screen t.v. that night. Matt's stoked...not. The growing season is short there so they make up for it with quantity...everywhere. This is the main Inn building. There are many buildings on the resort and cottages and houses. Pick a house, any house, I'll take it. There's not a dud to be found. The view from our back porch. Our porch from the view. The quaint town. I didn't take many cute pics there were too many flowers... ...and this is not a short boy, this is a huge dog. Where we had our first lobster. Oh yum! And, though I didn't ever get a good photo of one, they have real whoopie pies there. A sandwich made with two cake-like rounds with something yummy, creamy in the middle. This is definitely a foodie state. Oops, caught you smiling! We won't tell, right? Nice sunset view waiting for our dinner...not sure which was better... ...I know which one was more distracting. I didn't care that it had a mamma or eyes or that I had just talked to it alive. Butter will do that to you. Not only did we not try the bombs, we didn't even inquire. Oh my, be still my heart, The Botanical Gardens. One of the many great concrete sculptures. With a cute shop. Wait for it... ...my new dream home, complete with grass roof. Cute arbor made with hoes and shovels.

Who knew???

Oops, caught you smiling again. This is really fun.

Do not get in this woman's way.

He thought he was a ringer when he won the first game. I couldn't buy points the first one but look who kicked butt on the second-that's right-me! I overheard a dad next to us giving his son some very good instructions.

Mo flowers.

This is Monkey C Monkey Do. It's a rope climbing, zip line place. We all did just the zip lines. It wasn't Costa Rica but it was kinda thrilling. We had so much fun. Paul has all the photos from there...to be continued. A woman working at Monkey C told us we had to go back to this place that we had passed on our way. Traffic was backed up into this town from a mile away just to get there by car. The woman said we would drive all the way back just to thank her (we would have but we went further in the other direction to the lighthouse) for the best lobster rolls in the world. She was right. We heard of lobster rolls when we first got to Maine but Paul, unfortunately, tried his first on at the grocery store deli. It was basically lobster salad, like chicken salad, only more fixin's than lobster. Not at Red's. This is the line. Perpetually an hour long or more all day every day. In the hot sun-no, not Texas, not complaining. Forced to amuse myself I tried my hand at some artistic photography...

...I was going for something! It was an hour, in line.

The order window.

The lobster rolls. One half pound of pure heaven. I ate the overflow meat with melted butter and then put a little mayo on the sandwich. I don't think I can go on...

Stand back and no one gets hurt. It was worth every dime and minute and more.

Then we rolled along Highway 1 to the lighthouse. Yep, I should know the name but we have seen so many dang lighthouses along the East Coast that they all get mixed together. This one is small but the setting was heavenly.

Of course, I had to take a photo of the Frenchman peeing; it's just tradition.

I thought I kinda nailed it on this one.

My travel companions.

I wish I would have gotten a better photo of this photo in the lobby of the Inn. It's the Bobby Kennedy family. Along with Neil Armstrong, there is Andy Williams and then-wife Claudene Longe, who my father adored listening to. Sunrise, sunset. Bobby and Agnes are there and it looks like Claudene's sister. We didn't know who everyone was but it was interesting-I'd love to have a copy. We drove back to Portland the day before our flight since we were leaving at 5:30 A.M. There's not a lot to see there; tourist traps, etc. But we came across this and thought it was cool. P.S. If you go to Portland make sure you have evacuated your bodily functions as there are NO public restrooms. As you can probably tell, this is a sore subject for me. I'm proud to say that our shop lets anyone use it and I decorated it so we can be proud of it. I asked at the ice cream shop where they would recommend a person several hundred miles from home might go to the bathroom...no reply. All the restaurants have signs saying, "Restrooms for Patrons Only". We finally walked into one and I told the hostess we were just there to buy something so I could use the bathroom and she kindly let me for free. Sometimes bitchy does work!