We just got back from a weekend trip to Maine and, while it was a little rushed, we managed to do a lot considering that we were only gone for 45 hours. I may become a convert to this whole Mass. way of doing summer vacation as a series of weekend or long weekend trips. And I had never been to Maine, but we don't have the time or money to do a long trip, so the weekend it was.
We had a very up and down trip, the downs mostly caused by Nicholas' determination not to sleep and the crankiness that ensued. The first night was our fault because we didn't leave until after work Friday and so with stops for dinner and dessert it was 10:00 by the time we got to the hotel (and since the sun didn't set until 9pm, he didn't fall asleep in the car until 9:15). But the refusal to nap Saturday and the 3 (three!!!!) hours he spent Saturday night lying in his sleeping bag singing and talking and refusing to sleep were his own doing. But even with his meltdowns and some hiccups that were the result of making up a plan on the fly with very little info to go on and primitive maps, I think we all had a good time.
Saturday morning we went to the beach, which despite this picture, was Nicholas' favorite part of the trip.
The expresion of sheer terror was the result of an intense fear of the waves. He was so excited to go in the water, but as soon as the first wave came, he freaked out. And remained thoroughly upset by them the whole time we were there. He loved splashing in the little pools left by the receding tide
and running through larger pools and out of the little lagoon
but any time we got near the actual waves, he would lose it.
The beach we went to has sand bars that are exposed as the tide recedes, allowing you to walk to a little island. The tide wasn't low enough for the sandbar to be completely exposed, but it was low enough that you just had to wade across one section to get over to the sandbar. Neither Nicholas nor Joe wanted anything to do with going across the water (which to be fair, did get to knee-deep on me and had a really strong current in one part), but Nicholas is still small enough to carry, so I left everything but the camera on dry land with Joe, and Nicholas and I went on an adventure. We found cool shells, a HUGE mound of seaweed, and lots of shallow pools to jump in.
Saturday night (after getting cleaned up, of course) we went to a restaurant right on the water where Joe could get the lobster he was craving. Nicholas wasn't so sure what he thought about the idea of Daddy eating a lobster. From the moment it arrived, Nicholas couldn't take his eyes off of it.
He refused to try any at first, but eventually consented, only to chew for about 15 seconds before spitting it out. I'm with the kid--the only reason I didn't spit my taste bite out was to not set a bad example.
After dinner it was a gorgeous evening so we went for a little walk at the marina:
We spent this morning in Portland, starting off at a narrow gauge railroad museum, which includes a train ride along the coast. I found the ride itself to be underwhelming, but Nicholas enjoyed it. And when we stopped all the kids were allowed to go up to see the engine, and I managed to capture photographic evidence of Joe swinging Nicholas onto the car:
Inside the museum Nicholas pretended to be the conductor and spent a lot of time punching our tickets:
He also really loved pretending to drive the small model they had, complete with improvising a pretty good whistle sound to announce the train was leaving.
And our last stop? What would a trip to Maine be without seeing a lighthouse?
And, possibly best of all, back home with time to do the grocery shopping and laundry, make and eat dinner, and get Nicholas into bed on time.
And, as always, there are a bunch more pictures in
The Gallery.
Holy cow - he looks like a pre-teen in the pic with a backpach - how cute!
ReplyDeleteThat scene of the Maine coastline, with the lighthouse in front of the houses is so gorgeous. It looks like a picture post card. I'd consider that definitely suitable for framing.
ReplyDelete