Friday, June 27, 2008
Surviving VBS
Well, VBS week is over at the Grantham Church and I'm proud to say we've survived another year in the Craft Corner! This year's theme was VeggieTales' The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything. And let me tell you, there were morning when we REALLY wanted to be those pirates who don't do anything!! Our crafts were all of the pirate or treasure related theme (treasure bags, treasure boxes, messages in bottles, passports). Pretty cool. My co-leader and I didn't get to pick the crafts this year, so we had a hard time getting engaged right away. And some days the craft really had NOTHING to do with the Bible story, but Captain Bisbee managed to tie it all together somehow anyway! Arg, me mateys! DD had fun as well. DS spent the week in the nursery - next year he can be a VBS'er. It was fun, but I sure am tired! I hope to catch up on some sleep this weekend. But I'm not holding my breath! Not with two little kids with endless amounts of energy! :-)
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Pictures from the trip
I am in the process of uploading all my pictures (250 of them) to snapfish. I have about half of them there. Then things go screwy. I dunno. And I don't know how to get you to snapfish without sending you an email. But they're there. If you want to see them. www.snapfish.com; my username is my email address. Let me know if you can find them
Monday, June 16, 2008
The laundry pile
Have any of you ever watched Jon & Kate, plus 8 - the show that features a family in PA (somewhere) that have 7 year old twins and 3 year old sextuplets (that would be 6 kids)?? Kate is a little crazy and commanding and terribly organized. She does laundry several times a week, but get this - all she does it WASH IT. She has someone come over on Thursdays that FOLDS it all; and someone comes on Friday and PUTS IT ALL AWAY! Are you kidding me?! Those are the hardest parts.
Our adventures in Harvey resulted in about 5 loads of laundry. Not only were there the dirty clothes, there were also sheets and towels (lots of towels). I just put the last load into the washer. I have folded, but not put away) two loads. There is another one waiting. And the fourth is in the dryer. Ugh. Then I get to start on the laundry that is in the "regular" laundry bins. I feel like I'm in laundry hell.
Our adventures in Harvey resulted in about 5 loads of laundry. Not only were there the dirty clothes, there were also sheets and towels (lots of towels). I just put the last load into the washer. I have folded, but not put away) two loads. There is another one waiting. And the fourth is in the dryer. Ugh. Then I get to start on the laundry that is in the "regular" laundry bins. I feel like I'm in laundry hell.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Home Sweet Home
Here we are, home again. And I am busy doing laundry and putting away "stuff". Our travels on Thursday were quite fine. Wouldn't you know - this was the one day the kids decided to sleep in!!! We were finally on the road around 8:15am. We left Maine in chilly weather, but it soon warmed up as we traveled south. We stopped in Freeport, ME to visit the LL Bean campus and shop a little. Found nothing that needed to be purchased. Made a quick stop in Starbucks (ah, civilization!) and then piled back into Harvey for a few more hours. We ate lunch on the road and arrived in Amsterdam, NY a little before 7pm. We had pizza and wings and antipasto salad for dinner. Then the kids took a little swim and headed to bed. DH stayed in the camper with them, I hung out in the house until about 10. Then it was off to bed for us.
Friday morning, the kids slept "late" again (7am). We were pulling out of the driveway around 8am. We stopped once for gas and once for lunch and arrived at the RV rental place around 1pm. We emptied Harvey into our waiting (and stifflingly hot) vehicles and were home to Dillsburg just before 3pm.
DH and I had a Big 33 mixer to attend that evening, so we spent a little time unpacking, but mostly relaxing before the babysitter arrived at 6pm. We were back hom and in our own bed by 10:30pm. Ah, it was a good night's sleep!!!!
Today the kids and I went to the doggie hotel and retrieved the dog. They've played outdoors a little (it's really quite hot), but have settled back into the home routine, "Mommy when can I use the computer?", "Can we please watch a show?" I guess they need to make up for that week without tv!
Friday morning, the kids slept "late" again (7am). We were pulling out of the driveway around 8am. We stopped once for gas and once for lunch and arrived at the RV rental place around 1pm. We emptied Harvey into our waiting (and stifflingly hot) vehicles and were home to Dillsburg just before 3pm.
DH and I had a Big 33 mixer to attend that evening, so we spent a little time unpacking, but mostly relaxing before the babysitter arrived at 6pm. We were back hom and in our own bed by 10:30pm. Ah, it was a good night's sleep!!!!
Today the kids and I went to the doggie hotel and retrieved the dog. They've played outdoors a little (it's really quite hot), but have settled back into the home routine, "Mommy when can I use the computer?", "Can we please watch a show?" I guess they need to make up for that week without tv!
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Last Night in Maine
Our final afternoon in Maine was spent riding bikes and playing at the playground. DH took each kid for a bike ride. I joined for one and then DH and I took a ride by ourselves while Nana took the kids to the playground. DH and I played there, too, for a bit, then decided to head back and get things ready for dinner. He had some tinkering to do with the grill before cooking. Nana took the kids for a walk to the lighthouses at the entrance of the KOA and to the store to "warm up". When they came back we started cooking and enjoyed a fine meal of steaks, fried potatoes and salad. Yum-o!
After dinner we packed some more. The more we can get done tonight, the less we need to do tomorrow. We want to roll out of here early tomorrow and we know that we will need to stop and empty the holding tank and fill the gas tank. DH had built a nice camp fire for us to enjoy, and we were all busy packing. He called us out to enjoy the fire, and aren't we glad we did!! We sat around the fire talking with our neighbors while the fire burned down to good s'more making coals. I toasted marshmallows for the kids' s'mores and for DH's and mine. While I was toasting Nana's marshmallow, a nasty wind started blowing. It looked pretty fierce, so I quickly burned up Nana's marshmallow (she likes them quite burned) and we started chucking everything into the RV. Then we had to clean it up, again, once we got in! The wind kept blowing and there were some rain drops as well. We abandoned the idea of going back outside. The kids and Nana read some books; DH worked on his pictures; and I read my book. Now it's time for the kids to go to bed. I guess we'll sit inside quietly until they are asleep, then we'll have our mojitos and chips and guacamole. Not a bad way to end a vacation!
Oh, our newest neighbor has a towing camper like we thought we might like to have and offered to give us a tour. It was bigger inside than we expected, but still a little smaller than we'd like. I think we'll rent for a while (AJ's has a towing camper that we could actually pull with the 4-Runner).
Good night for now!
After dinner we packed some more. The more we can get done tonight, the less we need to do tomorrow. We want to roll out of here early tomorrow and we know that we will need to stop and empty the holding tank and fill the gas tank. DH had built a nice camp fire for us to enjoy, and we were all busy packing. He called us out to enjoy the fire, and aren't we glad we did!! We sat around the fire talking with our neighbors while the fire burned down to good s'more making coals. I toasted marshmallows for the kids' s'mores and for DH's and mine. While I was toasting Nana's marshmallow, a nasty wind started blowing. It looked pretty fierce, so I quickly burned up Nana's marshmallow (she likes them quite burned) and we started chucking everything into the RV. Then we had to clean it up, again, once we got in! The wind kept blowing and there were some rain drops as well. We abandoned the idea of going back outside. The kids and Nana read some books; DH worked on his pictures; and I read my book. Now it's time for the kids to go to bed. I guess we'll sit inside quietly until they are asleep, then we'll have our mojitos and chips and guacamole. Not a bad way to end a vacation!
Oh, our newest neighbor has a towing camper like we thought we might like to have and offered to give us a tour. It was bigger inside than we expected, but still a little smaller than we'd like. I think we'll rent for a while (AJ's has a towing camper that we could actually pull with the 4-Runner).
Good night for now!
Tuesday's Tribulations
Tuesday morning was absolutely beautiful. Just the right temperature, a little sun, a cool breeze. Ah, this was the life! DH left to head to the main land to make a phone call, pick up some steaks for dinner, and return the rental car. Nana and the kids got dressed and we had breakfast when DH got back - muffins and donuts. Then we did some creature hunting.
Since the rental car had been returned, the only means of transportation we now had was Harvey. And he was in no state to travel. So, we spent a fair amount of time cleaning up and packing away things that we wouldn't need for the rest of the trip - like our warm clothes. When Harvey was ready to roll, we took off for Echo Lake. When we arrived, the weather had cooled off considerably and we needed to dig under the RV for our warm clothes, so neatly packed away. Down on the beach, it wasn't so cold; we all waded in and took some pictures. DH and I walked back up to the RV to make some lunch and then we picniced on the beach. After a while, we were all quite cool and ready to go. We loaded ourselves back into Harvey and took off for the Carroll Homestead. Well, we passed it, and it's dirt road, and we weren't too disappointed. We were now heading the wrong way to get back to the campground, though. So, we turned on a small road that gradually became narrower and narrower until eventually it became a dirt road. It was not a comfortable few miles in our 32 foot driving camper!!! DH was pretty stressed when we pulled out on the other side. We made it back to the campground with no other trials.
The kids both slept on the way back to the campground - sleeping through the incredibly rocky, bumpy dirt road. DS has a mild case of the squirts, a result of ingesting a little too much pool water over the past two days. As this is our last day in the campground, and we have no car, we are just going to hang out here for the rest of the day. Maybe do some bike riding, head to the play park, play some baseball, walk around. Just relax a little. After dinner there will be some heavy packing up to do. But we have some guacamole, chips, and mojitos to look forward to!!
Tomorrow we begin the long trek back home.
Since the rental car had been returned, the only means of transportation we now had was Harvey. And he was in no state to travel. So, we spent a fair amount of time cleaning up and packing away things that we wouldn't need for the rest of the trip - like our warm clothes. When Harvey was ready to roll, we took off for Echo Lake. When we arrived, the weather had cooled off considerably and we needed to dig under the RV for our warm clothes, so neatly packed away. Down on the beach, it wasn't so cold; we all waded in and took some pictures. DH and I walked back up to the RV to make some lunch and then we picniced on the beach. After a while, we were all quite cool and ready to go. We loaded ourselves back into Harvey and took off for the Carroll Homestead. Well, we passed it, and it's dirt road, and we weren't too disappointed. We were now heading the wrong way to get back to the campground, though. So, we turned on a small road that gradually became narrower and narrower until eventually it became a dirt road. It was not a comfortable few miles in our 32 foot driving camper!!! DH was pretty stressed when we pulled out on the other side. We made it back to the campground with no other trials.
The kids both slept on the way back to the campground - sleeping through the incredibly rocky, bumpy dirt road. DS has a mild case of the squirts, a result of ingesting a little too much pool water over the past two days. As this is our last day in the campground, and we have no car, we are just going to hang out here for the rest of the day. Maybe do some bike riding, head to the play park, play some baseball, walk around. Just relax a little. After dinner there will be some heavy packing up to do. But we have some guacamole, chips, and mojitos to look forward to!!
Tomorrow we begin the long trek back home.
Monday's Madness
Monday morning dawned bright and HOT. It was beyond warm today! I was hot just lying in bed when I woke up. And as I mentally reviewed the clothes that I had packed, I did NOT come up with any shorts. Ugh.
We got another slow start; opting for everyone to take a shower at the same time. DD did well; DS did NOT want to get wet. Ugh. I finally soaped him up while we was standing outside the shower, thinking I could convince him to get wet to get rinsed off. Nope. Finally I had to just basically hold him under the running water until he got rinsed off, screaming the whole time. Fortunately, we were the only family in the shower area at the time. Who knows what other people might have thought of all his carousing!!
After the shower fiasco, we made a yummy breakfast of pancakes and sausages with a side of fresh peaches. Then we piled in the car and headed to downtown Bar Harbor. We walked across the sandbar to Bar Island - something DH and Nana did when DH was about 2 years old. It was lots of fun; but it was really hot and I was already sunburned from our time outdoors yesterday. My neck is quite red!
When we came back to Bar Harbor, we walked up and down Main Street doing some souvenier shopping. We were ready for lunch and wanted to go to the Bar Harbor Brewery. I thought it was down on the waterfront, so we walked the two blocks downhill. But it wasn't there. No one could remember where it was, so I went over to the Chamber of Commerce and asked. It was two blocks UP hill, right next to where we were when we decided that's what we wanted to do for lunch. So, I carried DS up the hill, DH carried DD and Nana carried all of our stuff. I was walking quickly (cause I knew if I stopped, I wouldn't start again) and I lost the other three. OOPS!!! It took a while before we all found each other (because Nana had the stuff, she also had my phone). When we finally found BHB, we discovered that it was not a restaurant - just a brewery with tastings and tours. That wasn't going to work! So, we hiked back DOWN the street (remember - it was about 90 degrees! and we were hot, tired and hungry) to check out the menus of two other restaurants. Nana really wanted clams for lunch. The one place we looked at didn't have them on the menu, so we just decided we were going to go to the place on the water that DH and I ate at when we were here on our cruise. Guess what? They had clams!!! Shoulda just started there! But anyway, lunch was good at least.
After lunch, DH took the kids for a drive cause they needed some sleep and Nana and I hiked UP the hill (again) to purchase souveniers. We called DH when we were done and piled into the car to head back. DH wanted to stop at the Park to get his souvenier from the Vistor's Center. Alas, what he wanted was not at the ground level VC, but at the top of Cadillac Mountain. SO, we drove to the top of the mountain....again. With barely any gas! Oooshk.
We headed back to the campground and the kids, Nana and DH went to the pool. I stayed with Harvey and wrote about our adventures over the last two days and just enjoyed the peace and quiet.
We had spaghetti and sauce for dinner and then attempted a campfire. Well, the fire was a success, but the sitting around it was not! The mosquitos (peskitos, as DD says) were out in force! It was bad. We inhaled our smores and ran inside! It was latish, so we got the kids ready for bed and hoped that the mosquitos would have moved on when we went back outside. There were still some out and about, but we managed to enjoy some more smores (haha) and the fire in general. DH had to do some work, so he headed inside. Nana and I played cards outside until the dive-bombing beetles got too annoying. Then we came in and read until we were falling asleep in our seats. To bed we went!
We got another slow start; opting for everyone to take a shower at the same time. DD did well; DS did NOT want to get wet. Ugh. I finally soaped him up while we was standing outside the shower, thinking I could convince him to get wet to get rinsed off. Nope. Finally I had to just basically hold him under the running water until he got rinsed off, screaming the whole time. Fortunately, we were the only family in the shower area at the time. Who knows what other people might have thought of all his carousing!!
After the shower fiasco, we made a yummy breakfast of pancakes and sausages with a side of fresh peaches. Then we piled in the car and headed to downtown Bar Harbor. We walked across the sandbar to Bar Island - something DH and Nana did when DH was about 2 years old. It was lots of fun; but it was really hot and I was already sunburned from our time outdoors yesterday. My neck is quite red!
When we came back to Bar Harbor, we walked up and down Main Street doing some souvenier shopping. We were ready for lunch and wanted to go to the Bar Harbor Brewery. I thought it was down on the waterfront, so we walked the two blocks downhill. But it wasn't there. No one could remember where it was, so I went over to the Chamber of Commerce and asked. It was two blocks UP hill, right next to where we were when we decided that's what we wanted to do for lunch. So, I carried DS up the hill, DH carried DD and Nana carried all of our stuff. I was walking quickly (cause I knew if I stopped, I wouldn't start again) and I lost the other three. OOPS!!! It took a while before we all found each other (because Nana had the stuff, she also had my phone). When we finally found BHB, we discovered that it was not a restaurant - just a brewery with tastings and tours. That wasn't going to work! So, we hiked back DOWN the street (remember - it was about 90 degrees! and we were hot, tired and hungry) to check out the menus of two other restaurants. Nana really wanted clams for lunch. The one place we looked at didn't have them on the menu, so we just decided we were going to go to the place on the water that DH and I ate at when we were here on our cruise. Guess what? They had clams!!! Shoulda just started there! But anyway, lunch was good at least.
After lunch, DH took the kids for a drive cause they needed some sleep and Nana and I hiked UP the hill (again) to purchase souveniers. We called DH when we were done and piled into the car to head back. DH wanted to stop at the Park to get his souvenier from the Vistor's Center. Alas, what he wanted was not at the ground level VC, but at the top of Cadillac Mountain. SO, we drove to the top of the mountain....again. With barely any gas! Oooshk.
We headed back to the campground and the kids, Nana and DH went to the pool. I stayed with Harvey and wrote about our adventures over the last two days and just enjoyed the peace and quiet.
We had spaghetti and sauce for dinner and then attempted a campfire. Well, the fire was a success, but the sitting around it was not! The mosquitos (peskitos, as DD says) were out in force! It was bad. We inhaled our smores and ran inside! It was latish, so we got the kids ready for bed and hoped that the mosquitos would have moved on when we went back outside. There were still some out and about, but we managed to enjoy some more smores (haha) and the fire in general. DH had to do some work, so he headed inside. Nana and I played cards outside until the dive-bombing beetles got too annoying. Then we came in and read until we were falling asleep in our seats. To bed we went!
Monday, June 09, 2008
Sunday Drive
Sunday morning dawned clear and bright...and WARM! Unexpectedly warm. DH was up and ready to go by 7:30am and waited patiently for the rest of us to catch up! Then we walked over to the campground's pancake breakfast, where we all opted for the blueberry kind. 2 pancakes, 2 sausage links, orange juice and coffee for $4. Not bad. And the pancakes were REALLY good! An added bonus.
After breakfast we loaded up the car for another day's outing and took off. We headed back to the Park and went to the top of Cadillac Mountain again. It was such a nicer day! The skies were clear, the wind was light, the weather was sweltering! Ooshk, who knew that within 24 hours we would all go from wearing 3 layers of clothes to shorts!!!! We hiked all over the top of Cadillac Mountain and finally had to ask where the summit marker was (silly us, we thought it might be somewhere on the Summit Path! but no, it was up another gravel road just behind the Information Ceneter). We took lots of pictures; and headed back down the mountain.
We took the 2-lane road route this time and went to the Jordan Pond House for lunch. They are famous for their popovers, and we each had one! DH and Nana both had salads; I opted for soup (why? when it was a mere 85 degrees? I don't know - it sounded good). The kids were exhausted, again (DS had fallen asleep in the 10 minutes it took us to get to the Pond). They were good sports, though. After lunch we walked down to the Pond and enjoyed the beautiful surroundings. So quiet.
It was time to head back to Harvey and change into swim gear. We headed to the pool at the other KOA location. It was SO nice and refreshing. And DS started swimming on his own! (with a lifejacket, of course). The kids had a GREAT time; DS was really wearing himself out! We came back to Harvey and DD asked for some rest time, so we put her in the overhead cab bed and DS in our bed and HE fell asleep, but she didn't. He slept until dinner was ready (well over an hour) and we enjoyed our grilled chicken, stove top stuffing and mandarin oranges at the picnic table outside Harvey. Then we built another campfire and sat around until it was time to put the kids to bed.
Us grown-ups didn't stay outside too much after the kids fell asleep; personally, I had had enough fresh air for one day! We went inside and played Word Spot for a while and then headed to bed to read until sleep overcame us all!
After breakfast we loaded up the car for another day's outing and took off. We headed back to the Park and went to the top of Cadillac Mountain again. It was such a nicer day! The skies were clear, the wind was light, the weather was sweltering! Ooshk, who knew that within 24 hours we would all go from wearing 3 layers of clothes to shorts!!!! We hiked all over the top of Cadillac Mountain and finally had to ask where the summit marker was (silly us, we thought it might be somewhere on the Summit Path! but no, it was up another gravel road just behind the Information Ceneter). We took lots of pictures; and headed back down the mountain.
We took the 2-lane road route this time and went to the Jordan Pond House for lunch. They are famous for their popovers, and we each had one! DH and Nana both had salads; I opted for soup (why? when it was a mere 85 degrees? I don't know - it sounded good). The kids were exhausted, again (DS had fallen asleep in the 10 minutes it took us to get to the Pond). They were good sports, though. After lunch we walked down to the Pond and enjoyed the beautiful surroundings. So quiet.
It was time to head back to Harvey and change into swim gear. We headed to the pool at the other KOA location. It was SO nice and refreshing. And DS started swimming on his own! (with a lifejacket, of course). The kids had a GREAT time; DS was really wearing himself out! We came back to Harvey and DD asked for some rest time, so we put her in the overhead cab bed and DS in our bed and HE fell asleep, but she didn't. He slept until dinner was ready (well over an hour) and we enjoyed our grilled chicken, stove top stuffing and mandarin oranges at the picnic table outside Harvey. Then we built another campfire and sat around until it was time to put the kids to bed.
Us grown-ups didn't stay outside too much after the kids fell asleep; personally, I had had enough fresh air for one day! We went inside and played Word Spot for a while and then headed to bed to read until sleep overcame us all!
Expectations and Disappointments
Saturday evenings lobster fest was fabulous...for the adults. Nana sprung for 4 large lobsters for the 5 of us, figuring that the kids would split one. Well, DS managed to eat a whole claw's worth of meat; DD ate about 3 bites. She really didn't care for it. So, after we finished our own large lobsters, we split the 4th three ways! Oh, darn!
After dinner we went out on the beach to look for shells, crabs, starfish.... DH took the kids (one at a time) for bike rides. While DH and DD were out on their ride, DS found the first starfish of the evening. He was standing by the waterline throwing rocks into the water (hey - whatever makes him happy) and he found one on the underside of the rock he was ready to throw. I was very proud of him!!! When DD and DH returned, we spent quite some time finding small starfish and even smaller crabs. Then it was back up to the campsite for a campfire.
DS took a spill on the walk back up the rocks and cut his hand. Both kids were VERY tired, so they only sat at the fire for about 20 minutes. Then we tucked them into bed and they were asleep within minutes! The grown-ups sat around the fire drinking Mojitos (again). We lasted until about 10pm and then we were all ready to go to bed. It had been a VERY big day!!!
After dinner we went out on the beach to look for shells, crabs, starfish.... DH took the kids (one at a time) for bike rides. While DH and DD were out on their ride, DS found the first starfish of the evening. He was standing by the waterline throwing rocks into the water (hey - whatever makes him happy) and he found one on the underside of the rock he was ready to throw. I was very proud of him!!! When DD and DH returned, we spent quite some time finding small starfish and even smaller crabs. Then it was back up to the campsite for a campfire.
DS took a spill on the walk back up the rocks and cut his hand. Both kids were VERY tired, so they only sat at the fire for about 20 minutes. Then we tucked them into bed and they were asleep within minutes! The grown-ups sat around the fire drinking Mojitos (again). We lasted until about 10pm and then we were all ready to go to bed. It had been a VERY big day!!!
Saturday, June 07, 2008
Acadia National Park
We arrived at the Visitor's Center around 11am. Having packed snacks (and diapers, just in case!) this time, we were prepared to be out and about for a while. We climbed the 52 (or 53 if you counted the first "half" step) steps from the parking lot to the Visitor's Center and got our Park Pass. We also got Passport stamps and information for Earthcaching, which sounds like fun! Then we headed out down the Park Loop Road.
This time we took the one-way only route and drove around the entire island. We stopped at a few scenic outlooks (a quick stop to see Egg Rock Lighthouse - very briefly!). It was pretty foggy, but a decent temperature. We couldn't see too terribly far.
We went to Sand Beach where DD walked in the water. It was still pretty cold. But she didn't put her shoes and socks on again - no, she decided to play in the sand awhile. There were lots of little runoffs farther up from the tide, and she decided to build a dam in one of them. Too cute. DS wandered off with DH to take pictures and then came back to destroy the dam.
Our next stop was Thunder Hole - a crack/crevice in the shoreline near a cave that when the tide comes in, especially on a stormy day (which today was NOT) makes a loud thundering noise, spewing out water. It sounded cool. It didn't impress today. There were a few good spooshes, but no real thundering noises. Tomorrow's weather is supposed to be in the 80's, so we had already decided to revisit Sand Beach. Since it's a one-way road, we have to pass Thunder Hole to get out anyway, so we'll stop by again and maybe catch something more impressive.
We stopped at a few more scenic overlooks and then exited the south end of the park, in Seal Harbor. It was a clear afternoon and still pretty warm, so we headed over to Bass Harbor to see the Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse. DD, DS, and myself took naps on the way. When we arrived, it was quite cloudy and cool. DS didn't want to wake up, so I carried him sleeping down (and up) one path to the lighthouse. DH carried him down the other path (with steep steps). He quickly woke up! The views of the lighthouse were nice, but we couldn't see any of the 10 islands less than 5 miles away! We took lots of pictures anyway :-)
On the drive back to the campground we made dinner plans....LOBSTER! It was only 3pm, so we had a snack when we got back. DH and I downloaded the pictures we've taken thus far (127 for me and 260 for him) and viewed them. The KOA Fun Trolley came by while we were mid-view, so DH, the kids and Nana piled on. Someone had to stay with Harvey and keep him safe! After the trolley ride, DH took the kids to the play park.
Now DH and Nana are headed out to get our lobsters for dinner. Yum, can't wait!
This time we took the one-way only route and drove around the entire island. We stopped at a few scenic outlooks (a quick stop to see Egg Rock Lighthouse - very briefly!). It was pretty foggy, but a decent temperature. We couldn't see too terribly far.
We went to Sand Beach where DD walked in the water. It was still pretty cold. But she didn't put her shoes and socks on again - no, she decided to play in the sand awhile. There were lots of little runoffs farther up from the tide, and she decided to build a dam in one of them. Too cute. DS wandered off with DH to take pictures and then came back to destroy the dam.
Our next stop was Thunder Hole - a crack/crevice in the shoreline near a cave that when the tide comes in, especially on a stormy day (which today was NOT) makes a loud thundering noise, spewing out water. It sounded cool. It didn't impress today. There were a few good spooshes, but no real thundering noises. Tomorrow's weather is supposed to be in the 80's, so we had already decided to revisit Sand Beach. Since it's a one-way road, we have to pass Thunder Hole to get out anyway, so we'll stop by again and maybe catch something more impressive.
We stopped at a few more scenic overlooks and then exited the south end of the park, in Seal Harbor. It was a clear afternoon and still pretty warm, so we headed over to Bass Harbor to see the Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse. DD, DS, and myself took naps on the way. When we arrived, it was quite cloudy and cool. DS didn't want to wake up, so I carried him sleeping down (and up) one path to the lighthouse. DH carried him down the other path (with steep steps). He quickly woke up! The views of the lighthouse were nice, but we couldn't see any of the 10 islands less than 5 miles away! We took lots of pictures anyway :-)
On the drive back to the campground we made dinner plans....LOBSTER! It was only 3pm, so we had a snack when we got back. DH and I downloaded the pictures we've taken thus far (127 for me and 260 for him) and viewed them. The KOA Fun Trolley came by while we were mid-view, so DH, the kids and Nana piled on. Someone had to stay with Harvey and keep him safe! After the trolley ride, DH took the kids to the play park.
Now DH and Nana are headed out to get our lobsters for dinner. Yum, can't wait!
Friday's Adventures Continued
Where did I leave off....oh, right. The kids were at the play park and Nana and I were enjoying some quiet time. Well, the rowdy crowd came back and we hung out in Harvey for a while. Played some games; just kind of chilled in general. Around 6pm we decided we should head out SOMEwhere. So we decided to head over the Park Visitor's Center. Well, wouldn't you know, it closed at 4:30. Well, we decided to drive through some of the park anyway. (You need a park pass to drive through parts of the park, and since the VC was closed, we couldn't get one; besides it was going to be dark soon). We started down Park Loop Road and soon took the turn off for the summit of Cadillac Mountain (highest peak on the Eastern Seaboard). Very cool view. VERY COLD!! And windy. DH and I visited this peak on our cruise, but it was such a cloudy, rainy day that we couldn't see anything. The view we had Thursday night was amazing, and not even as good as it could have been. We knew we would go back!
After we came down off the mountain, it was heading for 8pm. We went back to the camp ground and started a fire. We made smores (yum!) and by 9:30 it was time for the kids to go to bed. It didn't take long for them to fall asleep! Then us grown-ups had some grown-up drinks in the form of Mojitos (yes, a cold drink on a frigid night by a fire that didn't put out much heat). Well, I didn't last long in the cold wind and soon headed inside. Nana followed shortly there after and DH finally succumed when I told him refills would be provided indoors only :-) We played a few games of Word Spot and then decided we were just too cold to stay up anymore and we all crawled into our respective sleeping bags and went to sleep.
I wish I could say that the kids made up for lost sleep over the past two days, but alas, poor Nana heard DD around 4:45 am. Both kids were up and in her bed by 5:45. They were in our bed by 6:57. UGH! We got another latish start to the morning, enjoying our smoked salmon with cream cheese (butter for me!) and capers (no thanks!) breakfast. Then we headed out for a day in Acadia National Park.
Stay tuned.....
After we came down off the mountain, it was heading for 8pm. We went back to the camp ground and started a fire. We made smores (yum!) and by 9:30 it was time for the kids to go to bed. It didn't take long for them to fall asleep! Then us grown-ups had some grown-up drinks in the form of Mojitos (yes, a cold drink on a frigid night by a fire that didn't put out much heat). Well, I didn't last long in the cold wind and soon headed inside. Nana followed shortly there after and DH finally succumed when I told him refills would be provided indoors only :-) We played a few games of Word Spot and then decided we were just too cold to stay up anymore and we all crawled into our respective sleeping bags and went to sleep.
I wish I could say that the kids made up for lost sleep over the past two days, but alas, poor Nana heard DD around 4:45 am. Both kids were up and in her bed by 5:45. They were in our bed by 6:57. UGH! We got another latish start to the morning, enjoying our smoked salmon with cream cheese (butter for me!) and capers (no thanks!) breakfast. Then we headed out for a day in Acadia National Park.
Stay tuned.....
Friday, June 06, 2008
Sightseeing
So, we left Amsterdam, NY and headed Northeast. We drove out of NY, into New Hampshire and then Massachusetts. We reached the southern border of Maine around noon and had a quick sammie lunch in the (moving) RV. We stopped at Cape Neddick Lighthouse (also known as Nubble Lighthouse) and did some sightseeing. It sure was a beautiful place! We walked on the rocks and watched the waves crash and just enjoyed ourselves. Then we piled back into the RV, told the kids they needed to rest (and they did) and took off again.
We stopped again in Portland to see lighthouses Cape Elizabeth and Portland Head. The lighthouse at Cape Elizabeth was not accesible, we saw it from pretty far away - but it had a great beach with lots of seashells on it. So, we spent some time gathering up shells. Then we drove a short ways to Portland Head, which is in the Fort Williams Park - a very interesting place - wish we had had more time to explore that! But it was getting late (already it was after 4pm) and we still had a long ways to go; so it was back in the camper we got.
We had originally thought that we would be at our campsite by dinner time on Thursday, but with our (longer than expected) stops at the lighthouses, we were still on the road at dinner time. So, we had sammies (again) in the moving RV (which by now had been dubbed "Harvey"). We plowed on; finally arriving at the KOA a little after 8pm. We got Harvey all parked and walked out to the rocky beach that is just out our door!!! We did some more unpacking and settling and at 9:30 decided the kids REALLY needed to go to bed. Once they were asleep, the grownups had a second dinner of cheese and crackers and then we all went to bed.
I think we all slept well! The kids were up at 6:30 and 7am. They got into bed with Nana and by 8am she sent them to get us our of bed. We took another walk on the beach and then took turns taking showers and getting ready. Then we made breakfast of scrambled eggs and bacon.
DH took off to get a rental car and when he got back we piled in and when exploring. We drove to downtown Bar Harbor and walked around looking at "stuff". The kids (I mean all of us) were getting tired and hungry, so we headed back to the car to go get lunch. Both kids fell asleep in the car, so we took the LONG way back to the RV for a hot lunch (yummy challupa!)
The kids went with DH to the playpark on the campground and Nana and I are enjoying the peace and quiet. The weather is chilly and rainy. Wish we could have the main door open so that we could hear the ocean. The weather is supposed to warm up over the weekend. The forecast is calling for scattered thundershowers every day. As long as we get SOME nice weather, it's all good!
Stay tuned. More to come....
We stopped again in Portland to see lighthouses Cape Elizabeth and Portland Head. The lighthouse at Cape Elizabeth was not accesible, we saw it from pretty far away - but it had a great beach with lots of seashells on it. So, we spent some time gathering up shells. Then we drove a short ways to Portland Head, which is in the Fort Williams Park - a very interesting place - wish we had had more time to explore that! But it was getting late (already it was after 4pm) and we still had a long ways to go; so it was back in the camper we got.
We had originally thought that we would be at our campsite by dinner time on Thursday, but with our (longer than expected) stops at the lighthouses, we were still on the road at dinner time. So, we had sammies (again) in the moving RV (which by now had been dubbed "Harvey"). We plowed on; finally arriving at the KOA a little after 8pm. We got Harvey all parked and walked out to the rocky beach that is just out our door!!! We did some more unpacking and settling and at 9:30 decided the kids REALLY needed to go to bed. Once they were asleep, the grownups had a second dinner of cheese and crackers and then we all went to bed.
I think we all slept well! The kids were up at 6:30 and 7am. They got into bed with Nana and by 8am she sent them to get us our of bed. We took another walk on the beach and then took turns taking showers and getting ready. Then we made breakfast of scrambled eggs and bacon.
DH took off to get a rental car and when he got back we piled in and when exploring. We drove to downtown Bar Harbor and walked around looking at "stuff". The kids (I mean all of us) were getting tired and hungry, so we headed back to the car to go get lunch. Both kids fell asleep in the car, so we took the LONG way back to the RV for a hot lunch (yummy challupa!)
The kids went with DH to the playpark on the campground and Nana and I are enjoying the peace and quiet. The weather is chilly and rainy. Wish we could have the main door open so that we could hear the ocean. The weather is supposed to warm up over the weekend. The forecast is calling for scattered thundershowers every day. As long as we get SOME nice weather, it's all good!
Stay tuned. More to come....
Family Adventures, the Sequel
Well, for those of you that followed the Red Neck RV trip adventures, you know that we really enjoyed ourselves in a Driving Camper. On a Fall cruise, DH and I visited Bar Harbor, ME and decided it would be an awesome place to come back and visit with the kiddos. We started making plans and invited Nana to join us on our adventure and so the trip was scheduled. There were a few scheduling snafus before we got going, but everything seems to be in order now. :-)
DH and I started packing on Sunday night; we called Nana and compared shopping lists; we set aside clothes to be washed and made lists. The original plan called for one of us to follow the RV in our minivan so that we would have something to drive when we got to Maine. A quick mental mathmatic equation made us figure it would cheaper to just rent a car there, than to pay for the gas and wear and tear on our own vehicle. Plus, then we could all stick together in the RV.
Then we started thinking about packing. We decided it would be quicker to load everything into our two cars and drive over to the RV rental place and load up there, then it would be to go get the RV, bring it back, load it up and then basically drive by the rental place on our way out of town anyway! So, Tuesday night we started loading our cars. I had to make a last trip to the grocery store and wouldn't you know - there was a HUGE thunderstorm just as we were ready to get to work. Well, I went to the store in the raid anyway and the packing waited until I got home (and the raind had finally stopped). We packed quite a bit!!!
Wednesday morning the kids were up at 6am and ready to roll. DH and I were not so ready, as we had been up until midnight packing and making lists and just getting ready to go. But we finally got our rears in gear and got to work. We had everything loaded and ready to go by 8:15 - the goal had been 9am. So we decided to make a pit stop at Starbucks :-)
We drove to the RV rental place, secured our RV and started transfering our stuff from our two small vehicles, to the bohemouth we would be staying in for the next 7 days. Let me just tell you - this thing is BEAUTIFUL. It beats our camper from last year, hands down! It's one foot longer and has a slide (the couch and dinette wall slides out about 2 feet. The amount of living space we have is just tremendous! But I digress. So, we got everything loaded and started down the road. We stopped about an hour out for some lunch and then plugged on for Amsterdam, NY. There we met Nana and stayed in the driveway of Nana's sister. We had a lovely dinner and did some unpacking and moving in. Then it was time for sleep.
Thursday morning the kids were up at 5:30 - ready to go! Around 6:15 we headed into Aunt Kathi's house to see if anyone else was up. They ALL were!! Nana was showered and dressed and repacked and ready to go. We were on the road by 7:45. We stopped for gas and coffee down the road a bit and then we really got started.
Stay tuned. Thursday's adventures are to be continued.....
DH and I started packing on Sunday night; we called Nana and compared shopping lists; we set aside clothes to be washed and made lists. The original plan called for one of us to follow the RV in our minivan so that we would have something to drive when we got to Maine. A quick mental mathmatic equation made us figure it would cheaper to just rent a car there, than to pay for the gas and wear and tear on our own vehicle. Plus, then we could all stick together in the RV.
Then we started thinking about packing. We decided it would be quicker to load everything into our two cars and drive over to the RV rental place and load up there, then it would be to go get the RV, bring it back, load it up and then basically drive by the rental place on our way out of town anyway! So, Tuesday night we started loading our cars. I had to make a last trip to the grocery store and wouldn't you know - there was a HUGE thunderstorm just as we were ready to get to work. Well, I went to the store in the raid anyway and the packing waited until I got home (and the raind had finally stopped). We packed quite a bit!!!
Wednesday morning the kids were up at 6am and ready to roll. DH and I were not so ready, as we had been up until midnight packing and making lists and just getting ready to go. But we finally got our rears in gear and got to work. We had everything loaded and ready to go by 8:15 - the goal had been 9am. So we decided to make a pit stop at Starbucks :-)
We drove to the RV rental place, secured our RV and started transfering our stuff from our two small vehicles, to the bohemouth we would be staying in for the next 7 days. Let me just tell you - this thing is BEAUTIFUL. It beats our camper from last year, hands down! It's one foot longer and has a slide (the couch and dinette wall slides out about 2 feet. The amount of living space we have is just tremendous! But I digress. So, we got everything loaded and started down the road. We stopped about an hour out for some lunch and then plugged on for Amsterdam, NY. There we met Nana and stayed in the driveway of Nana's sister. We had a lovely dinner and did some unpacking and moving in. Then it was time for sleep.
Thursday morning the kids were up at 5:30 - ready to go! Around 6:15 we headed into Aunt Kathi's house to see if anyone else was up. They ALL were!! Nana was showered and dressed and repacked and ready to go. We were on the road by 7:45. We stopped for gas and coffee down the road a bit and then we really got started.
Stay tuned. Thursday's adventures are to be continued.....
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