Back to the Lake

You probably guessed by the last week and half of silence here that we were away. Once again, we spent a week in Maine. The weather was not nearly as pleasant as other years, much more hot and humid than we would have liked, but it still beat the weather here at home.

Keith took off starting on Friday, and we used the day to mow the yard, finish packing, and make sure everything at home was in order before heading up to my parents'. My dad, brother, and niece hit the road around seven Friday evening, while Keith, Bert, my mom, and I waited until Saturday morning. We were up by three and wheels were rolling by quarter of four. The drive took us about 12 hours, including stops, of which there were plenty with a pregnant lady and potty-training two-year-old.

Sunday was reserved for flea marketing, but I don't have any great finds to report. When Bert started looking tired, Memere and I headed back with him. We did a quick grocery stop before he fell asleep and then, after he had napped awhile in the car, had lunch at a new cafe and then took a little trip down to a pretty incredible general store, which boasts everything from guns to groceries, and whiskey to wedding dresses. No lie, there is really a bridal department on the top floor, on the other side of the stairs from hunting and camping supplies.

When the guys final arrived back at the lake after a few more flea market stops, Popper revealed his big find of the day:

A pedal tractor for Bert (if only he could reach the pedals!) at about one-tenth the price of what they are going for on ebay. It was big entertainment for the whole week.

On Monday, the men put a new roof on the garage.

Bert was excited to discover that a digger had been dropped off to work on a building site just down the road, and took many walks to see it. Even after it was picked up mid-week, he wanted to go point out where it had been and tell us it "went to another work."

Tuesday we went to a nearby town on the coast to have breakfast and check out all the neat little shops.

Wednesday was a new adventure for us, but why we haven't been going for years has us stumped. Our place is on a small lake, which is connected to a much larger lake. On the other side of the large lake, there is a rocky shore with huge rocks going out into the water. It was a perfect place for Bert to wade in, and though it gets busy on evenings and weekends, a mid-week morning was a great time to go.

Zoë and Keith spent a long time trying to catch fish in their hands, and there was also a lot of time spent throwing a football around in the water.

On Wednesday afternoon, Keith and I left Bert back at the lake with the rest of the crew while we headed down to Camden to enjoy an afternoon exploring the shops and some downtime together. And thankfully Bert napped for a couple hours so I don't feel guilty about leaving him!

Thursday the ladies and Bert hung around the lake while the guys did some more poking around flea markets and tool stores. Then we all met for a lobster supper (twin lobsters, two sides, $15.95! Eat local right?) in the late afternoon.

On Friday, everybody but Popper loaded in the truck to go to the Maine State Aquarium near Boothbay Harbor. It was small, but there were several exhibits where you could reach in and feel the sea creatures. Unfortunately, by the end of the week Bert was not in the greatest of moods and refused to touch anything. He was happiest playing with the latches on this outdoor display.

By the time we got back and had lunch it was mid-afternoon, so nobody really wanted much for supper. While in Maine we go for ice cream every night and make one night at the end of the week a big night and get sundaes, so we all agreed Friday night to have sundaes for supper. Banana splits for Popper and Uncle Travis, brownie sundaes for Zoë, Keith and I, while my mom and Bert sampled a bit from everyone.

On Saturday, Popper and Travis went to a truck and tractor show while the rest of us headed back to the rocky shore for awhile in the morning and hung around the lake and started gathering things for departure. The first truckload left after supper, and then we left in the wee hours of the morning on Sunday. A wicked (to use a Maine phrase) storm blew through Saturday evening, but then it was clear and cool and felt the most Maine-like of the whole week. And, around nine that night, those of us who were left got to enjoy a surprise fireworks show across the lake. It was about 15 minutes long, and rivaled some others I've seen. The neatest part was that afterwards, we could hear whistling, clapping, and cheering around the whole lake. It was a perfect end to the week.

Now we are home and just catching up on wash and the garden, settling back into our routines, and realizing that it won't be long now until this new baby arrives!