John, Cally, and I just got back from an amazing trip to the coast. We stopped in six different places in ten days. We were able to visit with some really special people, see some gorgeous parts of the Massachusetts and Maine coast, and bond as a family. Here's the blow by blow:First we visited the Meyer Clan in Duxbury, MA:
Cally has a ball with her cousins and they treat her like royalty. During this visit we got to go out on the motor boat, hunt for hermit crabs on the beach, eat good ice cream and have a fun "adult night" out thanks to Darlene the babysitter.
Next stop was Melrose, MA, north of Boston where Cally got to see her buddy Boden. It was great to see one of her oldest/longest friends, but it turns out 19-20 month olds don't really understand how to share and play together, so a lot of tears were shed in that short visit.
On Monday, we rolled into Cape Elizabeth, ME where John's buddy from Bates, Alex and his family live. This stop has become a "summer must". In the 24 hours that we were there, we sailed in a gusty wind, had dinner at Scarborough beach, and went back to the beach for more swimming the next day. M.J. and Alex have two lovely teenage daughters (Zoe, 16 and Isabel, 14) and Cally has taken to them all. M.J. was even able to get Cally to fall asleep on a 23 foot sailboat with her uncomfortable infant life preserver on!
On Tuesday, we headed north to Camden, ME to see John's friend Hodding Carter and his family (wife Lisa, 14 year old twins Eliza and Annabel, 13 year old daughter Helen, and 7 year old son Angus). Hodding was the mastermind behind the Viking voyage John took almost 15 years ago. They live in an amazing little homestead with bountiful gardens and chickens. Hodding and his family welcomed us with open arms. Their children couldn't have been nicer to Cally and it was a real pleasure to see such a big household run so smoothly and cooperatively. John even got to go squid fishing (or "jigging") at midnight and they caught almost a dozen squid!
On Wednesday, we finally got to the destination we were aiming for: Acadia National Park. Both John and I had been there in our previous lives and had heard it was a fun place to go with kids. We had no idea just how amazing our visit would be. We stayed at the Sea Wall Campground within the park.
In order to get a campsite, you have to either call six months in advance or get there early enough to catch a "first come, first serve" site. We had heard it wouldn't been too difficult to get a spot mid-week, but didn't arrive until almost noon and felt lucky to get one of the last 5 sites in the campground.
On Wednesday, we finally unloaded the Chariot and set out for a ride along the "quiet side" of Mount Desert Island. We cruised out to a lighthouse and through a few of the picturesque towns.
On Thursday, we decided to check out the much talked about Carriage Roads on the other side of the island. We parked a car and set out on the roads. They were absolutely ideal for pulling the chariot: smooth, shaddy, and endless. We ended up riding about 8 miles out to Bar Harbor and another 10 back to the car.
Upon finishing that ride, we decided to do the touristy thing and drive to the top of Cadillac Mountain and hit the Park Loop Trail.
By the time we got to Thunder Hole on the Park Loop Road, Cally was done with the getting in and out of the chariot and/or car seat. She loved hearing the water rush into the rugged coast, so when we tried to pull her away she put up a fight. At first we thought it was no big deal, but then we realized we were in the midst of Cally's first full blown temper tantrum in a public place. We ended up carrying our kicking and screaming daughter to the car with people looking at us wondering what we were doing to torture the poor girl. I guess there has to be a first for everything!
Cally did manage to pull it together for a fun seafood dinner at a classic Lobster joint in Southwest Harbor. It was sort of cafeteria style where John got to point to the little critter he wanted and his number was called when it was done cooking in the boiling salt water.
On Friday, we headed to one of the many lakes in Acadia. Echo Lake has a great beach, warm water, and a great hike to a fire tower nearby.
On Friday afternoon, we headed up towards Blue Hill, ME-- a peninsula about 1/2 hour south of Acadia. John's friend Nicholas, from Bates, lives on a blueberry farm there with his wife and two sons (Everett, 14 and Julien, 11). Another Bates friend, Joc organized to have a work weekend at their homestead for the weekend. And so, about seven Bates buddies and their families convened for a work party weekend:
There were more than 30 people shingling, framing, trimming, cooking, socializing, and eating great feasts. Cally was in heaven with all of the loving people and animals.
She got to pet a chick:
Look at chicks:
See the piglets get fed:
Feed the ducks:
And collect eggs in the barn:
She finally got to meet her cat's namesake:
I think she was sort of confused by the whole thing.
But I think she has a better understanding of what a lobster is now.
In the end, we couldn't have asked for more during this vacation-- great company, beautiful weather, wonderful food, and good quality family time. Being around so many amazing families who opened their arms to us, especially Cally, was really special. John and I learn more and more about being parents everyday and having such great role models is important to both us and Cally.
So as we rolled across the states of Maine, NH, and Vermont over the course of seven hours yesterday, I kept thinking about how lucky we are. Lucky to have such good friends, positive role models, beautiful places, and most importantly, lucky to have a daughter who rolls with all of it, often with a big smile on her face.
