We had a great vacation. Monday and Tuesday we went exploring and the other days we stayed around home to get some work done and to relax. A very kind friend of ours allowed us to borrow her van so that three couples and one little guy could go on a drive north. We wound up at the Mooselookmeguntic over look out on Rt 16, I renamed it Mooselookmegunkiss in honor of our smooches. Stompers look is so funny in these pictures. The funniest part is that he usually encourages our kissing. When Jason is saying good-bye to us before work, he holds us and gives each of us a kiss. After we kiss Stomper almost always puts one hand on either of our heads and pushes us together!
We ended our Monday trip with a walk down memory lane. We drove up to Blueberry Mt Bible Camp (my childhood home) and took a look around. Some things never change: the smell of the building, the coolness of the dining room, the view out all the lake view windows, and the walk to the field. But some things do change: there is a new nurses station to comply with codes, an archery range, a giant gazebo in the woods, and new faces that work there.
On Tuesday we packed three cars (Thanks again to Mimi for lending us hers) for a trip to the coast. My parents, my sister, and my teenage cousin rode in the lead car; my brother, his girlfriend, her daughter, and a nephew in the middle, and then our family of three in the rear. We first drove to Thomas Point Beach. We choose it for several reasons: 1. It wasn't Reed State Park and Jason asked that we try a different beach and 2. It had a playground 3. It had 400 picnic tables. The grassy areas were awesome. We drove right up to our picnic table in the shade and unloaded our stuff. The kids and us got on our suits and headed for the very chilly water. The water was very calm since it was an inlet and didn't frighten Stomper, and there was plenty of sand to play in.
Of course Stomper didn't nap in the car on the way down so after a bit of swimming he was ready to eat and take a nap. We left the beach to have some lunch and a nap. Dad napped in his chair and Stomper, after a lot of fussing, slept in the back of Mimi's SUV. While we were munching, resting, and digesting the ocean was going back out to sea. I didn't put two and two together when choosing this beach to visit. I had read that Thomas Point is one of the largest clam beds in Maine, but didn't fully understand what that meant. Can you guess what happened when the water went away?
Mud, lots of mud. Mud with snails on it so that it crunched when you walked across it. Mud that spit back at you. Mud and no water to play in. If I had known I would have had them pack boots to wear in the muck. There were many interesting finds in the mud, but it was very revolting to go looking. The kids were pretty disappointed and upset. A new plan was formed and we headed to Popham Beach to find us some waves!
At Popham we had to walk a mile almost to reach the waves (it was still low tide), but once we got there we all had a great time. Stomper thought it was great that the ground was covered in water. He kept splashing around and running. He did play in the waves, but where it was low tide the waves didn't crash into him, just lapped around his ankles.
We ended our vacation (minus Jason, he wasn't on vacation and Stomper, he went to visit Mimi) with a trip to Industry, ME for fireworks. My parents had never been and it is sort of a local secret. There are no signs when you get there, just a random path cut into the bushes. I told my Dad: "It's the next left after the fire department" and then in the next breath I said, "There, right there." To which he replied, "This doesn't look like a field." I answered, "No, the field is in there behind the bushes."
We drove in to a nearly empty field and had our pick of spots. We unloaded our cars and waited. We played games, read, played video games, ate fried dough and french fries, played with toys, and enjoyed each other company. Five hours after arriving the display began.
(Fourth of July Fireworks in Industry, Me)
Next year I hope Jason can come with us and bring his truck. I have this dream of making our tailgating party complete with hot dogs and burgers off the grill -- yum!
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