My Summer in Maine - Week Nine

It's hard to believe that eight weeks at the beach have come and gone. I have settled into a great routine of walking on the beach in the morning, working, getting outside for lunch, and then heading back to the beach after lunch to read, to walk, to pick up dinner. I get get used to this life!

Nubble Lighthouse Boat Tour

On a beautiful summer day I loaded up on Dramamine and headed to Perkins Cove and out on a boat for a water tour of the Nubble Lighthouse.  The coastline leading up to the lighthouse is spectacular and of course I love the lighthouse from any angle.  It was fun to see my two favorite beaches, Long Sands and Short Sands, from the ocean.   There really is nothing like a sunny afternoon on the water.

Road Trip to Vermont - aka Joseph Smith Birthplace

About week nine of my Maine Summer Adventure, I decided it was time to take a little road trip to Vermont and the Joseph Smith Birthplace Memorial.  It took about 6 hours to get there - three hours of driving and three hours at the Outlet Mall on the way there.  The nice people at the Coach and Clarks stores were very happy to have me stop by!  As an added bonus they were in New Hampshire so no sales tax!  But I digress.  I hopped into my trusty Impala and headed up, or over, or up and over to Vermont.  What I loved most about my journey (besides the Outlet Mall) were the animal crossing signs.  In Maine, it was Turtle Crossing.  In New Hampshire it was Deer and Moose.  In Vermont it was Bear.  I decided it was safest to drive in Maine.  It was really a very pretty drive.

Hours and hours into the drive I finally arrived.  It was actually very close to what I have pictured in my head any time the subject of Joseph Smith's birth has come up.  It's very green, very serene, farm country.  

I visited the memorial, walked the grounds, sat on a bench and enjoyed the peace and serenity of the moment.

After that it was time for the long drive home.  I stopped at a little Dairy Bar in Vermont for dinner that when I ordered was empty and when my food was ready was totally jam-packed.  Apparently I hit dinner time in Vermont.  All-in-all it was a quiet, relaxing, and, thanks to the Outlet Mall, expensive road trip.

My Summer In Maine - Annie and Christa come to visit

I was lucky enough to have my niece Annie come visit for a week and my friend Christa came out for a long weekend.  It was so much fun to hand out with them and show them my adopted town.  We had a total girls weekend of shopping, tanning, and eating.  Ah bliss.

Home for the 4th of July

In between beach house number one and beach house number two, I came home for the 4th of July weekend.  Keeping with tradition we all gathered at Craig and Gail's for burgers, home made ice cream soup (it's now either a tradition or once again an indicator that Craig and Gail could use a new ice cream maker), and fireworks in the street.  It was a really fun and relaxing evening hanging with the family...and the neighbors...and the boyfriend...and the friends :).