Moot Thoughts & Musings

We pretty much had the best vacation ever. We stayed with our great friends, the CurlyHeads, who had four kids ages 2,4,6,8 yo. Ellis had a great time with so many playmates. And we all had a wonderful time catching up. it's been two years since we had seen them.

We arrived late Friday night and had a nice relaxing morning saying hi to the kids and resting a bit. In the afternoon we went to the Blue Hill Fair, which could have been straight out of Charlotte's Web (E.B. White was from Maine). The kids had fun looking at the sheep, goats, cows, pigs. We enjoyed watching a few rounds of the sheep dog trials. Then the kids got a treat and a ride. Cotton candy, funnel cakes, moon bounce. A complete fair experience. There was time to go to the park in Blue Hill, which, in addition to the usual playground, included a pebbly peach area. We waded in, threw rocks in the water, climbed on rocks, and got our clothes soaked.

On Monday, Labor Day, we went to Acadia National Park, stopping of at the L.L.Bean outlet on the way. We spent some time on Sand Beach. The kids wore bathing suits and splashed in the waves. The water was too cold for me to even stick my toes in, and the adults sat on chairs, bundled up in fleeces sipping coffee. After awhile 8yoCurlyHead and I went prowling around on the rocks, which was a lot of fun and afforded us a great view of the beach and Beehive Mtn right behind it.

After the beach, we drove up Cadillac Mtn in Acadia. We got ice cream and walked around on the windy summit. The view was incredible! When we got home, we took the girls and Ellis out for a canoe ride in the river next door to our friend's house. Ellis's first canoe ride! While we were out, we saw a beaver next to his dam on the river. I've never seen a beaver before!

On Tuesday, our friend arranged for us to go out on a sailboat with some of their church friends. We sailed in wooden sailboat, Castine class, built there in Castine, ME. The wind was really brisk, and we had an exciting ride, which we love. The seals were out sunning themselves on the rocks. It was also Ellis's first sailboat ride! Afterwards, we ate lobster rolls for lunch in Castine. and then went and walked around a lighthouse.

In the evening I climbed Great Pond Mtn with the CurlyHeads. It was the 4yo's first mountain climb! The view from the stop was fantastic. I love being up there with the wind and the beauty and the openness.

Since we were on vacation after all, we thought we better rest some. So Wednesday we took it easy, picked the girls up from school, and had an evening canoe ride.

We left Thursday morning. We pressed on to get to Hartford before 5pm, so they we could have a quick visit with my college friend Sarah who lives there. We barely made it. It was so fun to see her.

Chris has been reading a book on deaf history during vacation, so while in Hartford, we stopped at the American School for the Deaf, the first deaf school in the U.S. that Thomas Gallaudet and Laurent Clerc started.

We took a picture with Gallaudet.

Spelled Clerc's name.

and walked around campus a little. After grabbing dinner in w. Hartford, we hit the road again and made it home around midnight.