Sunday, October 16, 2011

awake my soul



In these bodies we will live, in these bodies we will die
Where you invest your love, you invest your life
Awake my soul, awake my soul
Awake my soul
You were made to meet your maker
-Mumford & Sons-

These would be the lyrics of the Maine theme song. I'd say about 90% of the time we were in the car which was almost the whole trip we were listening to Mumford or someone else from Bonnaroo. 


disclaimer: Sarah Jo Edwards Cain's wedding actually came first but that entry is taking me entirely too long to write too much fun too many memories.  It is next...I promise. 

E picked me up in PA after I traveled back to the East Coast with Ann and Jules.  We left early on Sunday morning and got up to Kennebunkport in time for dinner (there will be a food centered theme here).  

Before we got to Kennebunkport though, we stopped in NYC.  E wanted to see this little gelato pop store.  We went in, quizzed the workers, and ate 4 popsicles that were all very good.  Good thing I don't live close or it would def. give my fro yo addiction a run for its money.  






Kennebunkport was DEAD.  I think there were 2 people in the whole town. It was here that I had my first lobster roll.  Delicious. We went back to our bed and breakfast and had a nightcap on the comfy leather couch where we discussed the benefits and blessings of growing up in Midlothian. E says that it is the wealthiest area in VA....I believed him until I went into Chesterfield Towne Center to grab something-that place has gone downhill. 

The next day we toured around all the fancy schmancy houses in Kennebunkport. I was told that George Bush Sr had a yellow house on Ocean Ave.  So, we pulled up to a yellow house about 10 ft off the road and I took a few pictures until I realized the lady in the window was waving at me.  How cool would that have been if it were Barbara? 

It wasn't. Of course. We kept driving and then we saw it. The Bush Compound. It is isolated, surrounded by rocks, and very very gated.  I did see someone walking, but I couldn't tell if it was Georgie. I hope so. We got as close as we could on the rocks before we thought shots would be fired. 

We went back into town for another meal and a few shops.  Did I mention that a million old people flock to Maine in October? 

And that my friends is IT for Kennebunkport, Maine. 


















We drove up to Bar Harbor on Rt. 1 on the scenic coastal route.  It was very pretty and I realized why all the old people love Maine. We passed through some really cute towns (Camden-I know why you love it Dunnevants) and for some reason we decided to stop at a chair making place.  I can't exactly remember why. It provided a little entertainment and then we continued onto Bar Harbor.  We finally pulled into our home for the next 4 days on Graham Lake.  It was a cute little house right on the lake with kayaks/canoes. 




That night we explored Bar Harbor and went into Acadia National Park.  The next day it was raining so that put a damper on our kayaking adventures.  We went into Bar Harbor again and explored.  When we got home that night we decided that we would go canoeing.  Mind you-it was not raining anymore, but it was pitch black out.  We stopped and picked up some headlamps and gloves for my cold hands.  We suited up in our warmest "water proof" clothes and then took the canoe out.  E originally wanted to go kayaking, but I wanted to be in the same boat as him so we switched to canoes.  He probably didnt want to carry 2 kayaks down to the water. We got out on the lake and I started freaking out. The wind was probably going 40 mph and it was so fast there were waves and they were splashing me in the front of the canoe.  I was terrified that we were going to lose sight of the house.  Everytime I turned around to see if the lights were still on the boat would rock and then I thought we would tip. We ended up hitting a sandbar and so then I just was over the night canoeing adventure. All I could was envision us cold, stuck out in the middle of a lake, with only the bag of chips E grabbed and threw in the canoe before we left. 


The next day we went hiking in Acadia.  E wanted to do this strenuous ladder hike, so we settled on just strenuous.  We hiked 3 mountains-Parkmon, Gillmore, and Sargeant.  It was a 5 mile loop and quite the climb at times.  We crossed a few little rivers and climbed all over rocks and waterfalls.  It was beautiful and well worth it.  I am SO glad that we did it and that I didn't complain at all:) We ate in the town that night at Ruboneti's and really enjoyed it.  We stayed there for many many hours until we moved over to the night hot spot and got a good taste of the locals.  


 apparently I flail my arms a lot when hiking. I was also told I put my arms above my head, but luckily that was not captured. 





trailing behind...flailing my arms. 








One night we went to Thurston's for dinner and I had my first ever real lobster that I cracked all by myself.  


The next day we rented bikes and took them into the park and road on the Carriage Roads that the Rockefeller's originally built for their carriages. We did a little 6 mile loop and then there was an additional 12 miler. I did the 6 mile and then only like 4 of the 12 miler.  It was probably the best choice for us to have me stop at Jordan Pond and get coffee and have E power through and go back and get the car.  If I had kept going-we would still have the bikes because those uphills are crazy hard and after the hike-my legs were ready to turn to jello.  By the time E picked me up, I was happily drinking coffee and chatting with a German couple.  That night, we made lobster and steaks and ate them at our house. We wanted to actually make our own lobsters and tried to buy them live, but there was a slight misunderstanding and we ended up with cooked lobsters that we took home.  



Friday morning, our last morning in Acadia, we went up to Cadillac Mountain for the sunrise.  It was AMAZING.  It was well-worth the cold, the drive, and the early morning wake-up.  It was def. around 0 degrees with the windchill. 


 freezing....
but so worth it. 


 sooooooo cold. 
After the sunrise-we continued down the East Coast and stopped in Boston.  We checked into the hotel and quickly T-ed it over to Fenway Park for a tour.  Fenway was really interesting.  It was fun to see all the famous parts of it and hear about the traditions. I do love traditions.  




We hopped back on the T and went to the Boston Public Gardens/Boston Commons.  I wanted to see the Make Way for Ducklings statues so I could take a picture for my kiddos.  We couldn't find them and I was not feeling so hot which all of this combined was the perfect scenario for a Brittany Meltdown.  It was fixed quickly with a cup of coffee and we even found the statues so I was much much better.  We walked over to the bar Cheers for a quick little photo shoot and then followed the Freedom Trail.  We took the Freedom Trail not only for its historical purposes, but more importantly Mike's Pastry was on it.  It was here that E waited outside because he said that there were 450 women swarming over the sweets and I was def. one of them.  Mike's was one of the places that was on the top of my must see in Boston.  Why? The pastries/cannoli's were just that good.  After dessert, we proceeded to go to the oldest pub in America for dinner. After dinner/drinks/live music, we ended up meeting up with my friend, Jordan Zandi from Taylor.  It is always nice to see Taylor friends!  



I really enjoyed being in Boston and would even consider living there one day.  Definitely on Beacon Hill though.  



We left Boston in time to drive to Philly for the LSU v Florida game.  We met Julia at a bar to watch the game and obviously eat dinner and since she is such a foodie we ate at a really great place.  After the game, we drove down to DC and stayed with Ann and Joel and went out in the booming metropolis of Woodbridge.  We always have fun with them. The next morning, E so graciously drove me to Richmond and dropped me off so I could see my parents for a few days.  It was funny-driving in the northeast we didn't see any accidents or crazy drivers(except myself) but a soon as we got back to good ole VA there were 6 or so BIG accidents. 




Overall, It was a great week of traveling and I am glad that I was able to see the Northeast in October with all my white haired friends.  I am proud to say this time we were not robbed at gunpoint. 

2 comments:

  1. We've been to all those places in Maine! Imagine them on a warm summer day!

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  2. Sounds like you had a blast. Looking at your pictures I realized I'd been to almost every spot you were standing on! Oh, and, do you and I need to have a talk about "E"? I picked up on a couple of words in your blog like "night-cap" and "our house"...I'm just sayin'....

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