Maine!

We are back! After 10 days in Maine, we are back in Iowa. We had a great time! We flew out of Des Moines the Thursday morning before last, arriving in Boston during the Celtics' victory parade, and driving up to Old Orchard Beach. Our motel was cheap, and looked somewhat run-down, but we were surprised to find a decent room with a wonderful ocean-view balcony, just a few feet from the dunegrass at the top of the beach. Old Orchard is beautiful, with a wide, smooth expanse of brilliant white sand. It was still chilly, though, and the summer crowds had not yet arrived. The place was quiet and mellow. Asher played in the sand, and I even took a swim in the ocean.

On Friday morning, we began heading up the Maine coast, with sightseeing stops at Portland Head Light and Boothbay Harbor. We arrived in Pemaquid Point in the evening, meeting my Mom, John, my Grandparents, Aunt Sally, and Mark. It was wonderful to see all of them throughout our time in Maine, and we spent the first night in Pemaquid at the "cabin". The next morning, we drove further up the coast, exploring around Waldoboro, Cushing, Thomaston and Rockland.

Sarah and Asher at Portland Head

On Saturday, my sisters Sarah and Emily arrived with their families, and we moved into our rental accomodations for the week. the Carmona and Bird clans stayed in the big white house, and the Bosens had our little cabin up the hill. We had a wonderful time with Sarah, Andrew, Emily and David, and of course all the kids. Asher was so happy to play with his cousins! We played on the beaches, canoed up the Pemaquid River, rode a great narrow-gauge steam train, visited an Alpaca farm, celebrated three birthdays, and went on a seal watch boat (Asher got to drive!)

Nathan, Austin, Asher, and Gita

Nathan and Asher, watching after 3 head of alpaca!

Of course, we ate plenty of seafood. We enjoyed several fresh lobsters, in both whole and lobster roll form. Being the seafood fan in the family, I also polished off plenty of clams, calamari, and fish. Fresh, plentiful, affordable seafood is something that just doesn't exist in Iowa (or back in Utah). Also on a seafood-related note, I tried my hand at surf fishing. I spent some time with nephew Noah, trying to learn the tricks of fishing in the ocean. We didn't have any luck, but it was a lot of fun. I'll read up on saltwater fishing, and give it a better try next time I'm at the ocean.

Maine really is a beautiful place. I love the thick woods, the smell of the sea, and the crashing of the surf on the rocky coast. We were sad to leave. It was also hard to leave family. It was the first time seeing my side of the family since we packed up and moved to Iowa last August.

Yesterday, we pointed the rental car south toward Boston. After a stop for a Cabela's visit and lunch south of Portland, we made our way to our hotel near Logan Airport.

We checked in, then took a water taxi across the harbor into the city, which was a great experience in itself. We only had a few hours, but we did the whirlwind tour, walking past many of the historic sites and making our way to Boston Common. From there, we took the subway to Harvard Square, our first visit to Cambridge. Harvard Square was bustling with all the interesting characters it is famous for, and we got some phenomenal deli sandwiches and sat at a sidewalk table to people-watch. We were engrossed in eating, and looked up and a crowd had gathered. They were watching us! In fact, two of them even grabbed folding chairs hidden above a doorway and set them up facing us. After an awkward few seconds, one of them explained there is a flat-screen TV in the shop window, and they all show up to watch every Red Sox game. Sure enough, the Sox were taking the field while we were eating. Back in Downtown Boston, we took a walk through the North End in the fading light. The weekend dinner crowd was out, and the sidewalks were packed. Exploring a big city at night is exciting, but it is a different scene with a stroller. Soon, we headed back to the wharf for a very foggy water taxi ride back to the hotel, a few hours of sleep, and an early flight back to the land of corn.

Our trip back was fine, the car and the truck started right up, the house is OK, our belongings are all still inside, all of our fish are still alive, the dog is back home, and I've already mowed the shaggy lawn. So far, so good. Tomorrow, we'll make our way back to work and daycare. Hopefully, everything is OK there too. While we were gone, the floodwaters receded quite a bit, and the cleanup started. Passing through a previously flooded area on our way back from the airport, nice landscaping suddenly gave way to grey plants and trees tilted over by the current. The cornfields are a patchwork of lush, almost-waist high plants, interspersed with standing water and barren areas where the water used to be.