Back From Maine

Well, we made it home from our week long trip up north to York Beach, Maine. If you've never spent time at the coast of Maine, you're missing something special.

As a child we vacationed on the rocky coast at Pemaquid Point. It was spectacular. Returning to Maine was like going home, especially since I'm a New England girl anyway. We took the Amtrack train from Virginia to Wells, Maine. What a relief not to have to drive it in the two days I originally planned. My husband had a biz trip overseas, which was how we decided it might work out for the kids and I to visit family up in Maine at the same time. Picture three kids, a Mom and an ungainly assortment of luggage dragging through rush hour on the 'T' (subway) in Boston while we changed trains on Amtrack. It was a sight to behold. Luckily I knew the Boston T well enough not to get intimidated, and the kids did well standing up with the luggage on the T without getting lost, falling or crushed by the rush hour mob. Of course...we ended up on the Amtrack QUIET CAR unknowingly (there was no sign or notice to alert the unsuspecting)....three active kids and me....for about 8 hours! Don't laugh.....The kids did amazingly well in the quiet car....

On the way home we were slowed down as the train approached Penn station, since Penn Station was evacuated to check for a bomb threat. Thankfully nothing was found.

York Maine is a beautiful area, and the beaches are gorgeous. There are parks, a small zoo, a gazebo with nightly open air concerts, a local trolley, which we rode, the Nubble Lighthouse, historical buildings, shops full of goodies, two separate beaches within walking distance, (I'm sure there are more, but we walked to these two daily.) and a horse drawn carriage, which we rode also.

The water was about 60 degrees the first day we entered it. It didn't stop the kids from spending 3 hours surfing the waves on their boogy boards. The water literally numbs your body. (Down here in VA people tremble and complain if the water isn't bathwater temp, which has always made me laugh). It warmed up the next few days..maybe to 65 degrees or so. We loved it. We came back as brown as nuts. I'll write more later and scan some faint sketches in.