Last week we returned from a most successful road trip to and from Maine that included a whole lot of fun and new experiences in between! We broke our drive up and back into 2 days each way, which was manageable and allowed us to have some fun during our journey. Already thinking of new stops along the way for next year!
The girls crashed out after day 1 of driving to Danbury, CT.
Back on the road and headed to Northeast Harbor
We made it!!
And someone is REALLY happy to see us!
The feeling is mutual :)
Keeping things classy by sitting on her potty on the dock waiting for the water taxi to arrive
The haggard travelers
Islesford. Paradise.
No question what the first meal on the island was going to be!
Hadley was old enough to have her own Little Cranberry Yacht Club membership this year and enrolled in rowing lessons!
Henrietta was so great with her!
Sand Beach (although, like every beach in Maine, there are plenty of rocks too)
Off to dinner on the golf cart, otherwise the mosquitoes would chase us down and carry us away!
Island family sunset
4th of July!
Girls are sporting the adorable matching dresses Grandmommy got them
Quick little Griffin family excursion around the island. First stop: the teeny Catholic church
Then Bunkers Cove for some excellent exploring and rock throwing
Picnic time. Temperature: 150 degrees. We didn't last long out there with no shade in sight.
But before we hightailed it home for showers we got all the basics in!
Mini golf outing
Grandmommy struggled a bit around the 3 menacing lobsters that were in her way.
Granddaddy showing us how it's done!
Some pointers from Daddy
It was a pretty messy round of golf on this quirky homemade golf course, but all of the proceeds went to the Oklahoma Relief efforts and it was a lot of fun!
Watching the fireworks from our back porch
Rowing lesson with Had's new buddy, Scarlett
Another sweltering day, which of course we thought was best spent OFF the island without a hint of an ocean breeze.
Ice cream couldn't even help cut the heat.
BUT THAT ALL CHANGED....when we boarded this guy's boat!
Diver Ed in all of his wackiness getting suited up to head to the bottom of the ocean for us
All of the kids getting ready to push him overboard!
And he's BACK...and very puffy!
Diver Ed begins to show and teach us all about the creatures he brought up from below. Here a starfish grabs on to Diver Ed's hair for dear life.
This makes Hadley nervous...
Sand dollar
Scallop
Our brave little one playing with her new lobster friend!
Harper's favorite new creature of all was the gigantic doggy on board.
Waiting for the mail boat to take us back to the island
Completely spent after a BIG day!
Always the highlight of our time in Maine: Visiting Ashley Bryan at his home.
Here Hadley gets a first hand lesson on making a sea glass window panel with paper mache.
So fun to wander around and find a picture of me from back in my early teens!
Playing out on the front porch where the toys that the kids can play with are located
And a quick stroll back around this house that you really have to see to believe.
Ashley made every one of these window panels himself with beach glass he found!
The heart shaped rocks that he's collected and, as a result, those that people have sent to him from around the world.
Just some of his handmade puppets
Back in Bar Harbor for a day of shopping. Yes, Hadley wore this dress almost every single day!
Helping Granddaddy with some groceries before we get on the mail boat.
Young love. Meet Joe. This sweet mail boat Captain's helper for the summer was the object of Hadley's affection for 2 straight weeks. She followed him everywhere and thankfully he was SUCH a good sport about it!
Busted.
Rock painting playdate with Scarlett
Movie-dinner playdate at Scarlett's house with some of the other island buddies
Harper affectionately referred to Shannon as "My Shannon" many times on the trip.
Last full day on the island, and the weather finally decided to be cool and clear.
A touching goodbye, complete with the handing over of the card she made for Joe.
Sigh. Mama wasn't ready for this quite yet!
Hanging by Captain Edgar
After 3 hours on the road after picking Daddy up at the airport we stopped in Portland for some lunch and shopping.
Then it was back to Danbury for the night....only to wake up to a full blown Indian wedding. The party got started out in the parking lot!
Almost home, but we made a quick detour in Baltimore to visit Fort McHenry. It was hotter than hell, but I'm glad we did it!
This was where the Star Spangled Banner was written, so it was very cool to feel a closeness to that piece of history.
A very hot but very knowledgeable guide took us on a journey back in time to show us how the Americans protected the fort from British invasion, and then where the fort held confederate prisoners years later during the Civil War. None of us knew that Fort McHenry was a prison!
Checking out the gunpowder storage room...
...and wouldn't ya know! Wilmington, Delaware!
Patriotic blue lollipop for the final hour stretch to Alexandria
Good to be home, but already looking forward to next year!!
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