Lake Time

The weather was glorious, summer is waning, and Colette had the day off work. All that meant that it was a fabulous opportunity to head to a lake for some fun!

Decisions, decisions. Canoe? Double kayak? Single kayak? Paddleboard? In the end, I took a single kayak, because it enabled us to bring along a backpack with a phone for picture taking. Plus, it's super relaxing!

And Colette chose a paddleboard, which she'd done once before and loved.

We headed out to a small, uninhabited island and, like any self-respecting 8-year olds, we claimed it for our own. We clambered out on the rocky shore, tied up the kayak and paddleboard, climbed up a big rock, and did this!

We both agreed that we were fulfilling our childhood dreams!

Cruising with the Coast Guard

Our purpose in going to Maine was to join in a Dependents' Cruise on the U.S. Coast Guard cutter on which Max serves.

We were excited to see our Coastie in action! Love that smile!

After receiving safety instructions and some opening words from the Captain, we were surprised and thrilled that Max was chosen as Sailor of the Quarter and received words of praise from the captain! Proud momma!

We were served a delicious lunch of pulled pork sandwiches, chips, salads, and sodas. Then we headed out to sea! We enjoyed watching sailboats cruising past.

We passed Breakwater Lighthouse. It is a mile out to sea, and last year, as you might recall, we walked out to it. It was fun to see it from the water this time.

We headed out to view Owl's Head Lighthouse and the charming sea cottages peppering the rocky shores nearby.

We were told that most of the crew's concentration while navigating in this area is taken up in avoiding the lobster trap buoys. They are everywhere! Each one is marked with a specific pattern of colors belonging to that particular lobsterman. In the second photo (below) you can see them all bobbing in the water. And those are lobster traps strapped on the back of that boat.

We passed more beautiful sailboats on our way back to the dock.

It is a lengthy and laborious process to tie the boat up to the dock, but it gave us a great glimpse of Max and his shipmates in action!

We finished out our day with a walk to see Owl's Head Lighthouse up close and then dinner all together at our Airbnb.

We love coastal Maine! So beautiful!

Our Charming Maine Airbnb & Breakfast in Maine

Last weekend, we headed to Maine for some family R&R and a chance to see Max in action on his boat. We left early in the morning, resolved to take our sweet time and enjoy the drive up, making numerous stops along the way. Hubby thought it was more like we were "eating our way up the Maine coast", and that actually might be quite true. Our first stop was the Stonewall Kitchen Company Store in York, Maine for lunch.

Then it was a stop in Kennebunkport for cocktails with the Bush family. Just kidding! It was really a stop at Aunt Marie's for freshly squeezed lemonade.

Then we crept through traffic further north and stopped at the fabulous bakery, Treats, in scenic Wiscasett. I called ahead earlier in the week and ordered a half dozen of their decadent brownies for pick-up on our way to our destination. They were out of small boxes, so it looked like we ordered four dozen brownies or something, but really(!) it was only six. Honest!

Then we arrived at our Airbnb in Boothbay Harbor, Maine. And what a charmer it was! I'm going to gush about this place, because there's really no way to overstate how comfortable and well-appointed it was, and how welcoming our hosts were! Click here to read all about it and rent it for yourself!

This photo taken the following day.

Our hosts, Suzie and Neal, built and decorated their Airbnb rental, The Sparrow's Nest, by themselves. It was built from trees felled on the property itself. Their own beautiful home sits on the property as well, although they were very gracious in giving us privacy. 

The ground floor was the dining area and kitchen, master bedroom, and bath.

Picking up on the cue to use a chunky, tall backsplash like this, if I ever design another kitchen in my life. Love, love, love that look!

I've stayed in rentals before that were not well-equipped. That is definitely NOT the case with this one. Everything is at your fingertips...from appetizer plates, to water carafes, to pickle forks, to the the fresh peaches and sourdough bread given for our enjoyment!

The master bedroom and the view from it.

Every room had fresh flowers...so sweet to my soul! Just the thoughtfulness of it all made us feel welcome!

And even though there is an indoor shower, I opted to use the outdoor shower each morning, because...well...the view!

Coming up the stairs, Colette had the entire top floor to herself. There was a sitting area (not pictured) with it's own soapstone sink, mini fridge, and bar area. And there was her bedroom with a view of the woods. And a charming balcony with chairs overlooks the hydrangeas below.

We were invited to snip herbs from the jumbo urn just outside the front door, if we needed any for cooking. Isn't that sweet? And isn't that a great idea? I'm definitely adopting that one at our house next year, and planting all the herbs in an urn on the deck instead of down in the garden, because really...don't you need them at your fingertips anyway?

After a very restful night in the comfy beds with the cool, Maine breezes whooshing through The Sparrow's Nest, we had breakfast. Having fresh, summery foods was important to me to make for my family on this trip. But who wants to spend vacation cooking? With a little advance preparation, breakfast was super easy.

- Breakfast in Maine -

vanilla Greek yogurt

fresh berries (pre-sliced and packed in a container)

sprinkling of granola (purchase at Whole Foods)

applewood smoked bacon (precooked; reheated 30 secs.)

blueberry muffins (prebaked; recipe here)

orange juice

coffee