Cute and Cozy in Maine

I just had an awesome weekend visiting my friend Sara in Maine. I feel I should warn you that this is not going to be a short or concise post. If you'd like to stop reading now, I'll give you the Reader's Digest version of my weekend: I flew to Maine, saw my friend, went hiking, had fun and flew home.

Here's the longer version of the story - but to tell it I need to back up a few, well, years.About 4 years ago I read an article about Acadia National Park and knew it was somewhere I wanted to go. I started telling Derek that we were going to take a trip there in Fall of 2008, but lets just say he wasn't as enthusiastic about the trip as I was. Separately, for about the same amount of time I've been wanting to go visit my college roommate Sara, something Derek has whole heartily supported, but the timing has never been right. I've either been pregnant, nursing, moving, or in school (and broke) or Sara has had conflict. Fast forward to Sept. 29th and I get an email from Sara saying she's moved to Maine. Suddenly my two trips have become one and I'm going! So two and a half weeks after I found out she'd moved there I hopped on a plane and made my way to Maine.
I went on this trip for 3 reasons. 1. To see Sara. 2. To see Maine. 3. To take a vacation. I accomplished all three! I'm currently reading the book Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert (and it's really thought provoking and interesting) and she talks about how as Americans we have to convince ourselves, and others, we deserve a special treat. That we have "earned" it. And because of this we have a hard time relaxing and enjoying sheer pleasure. So I thought about this and decided I'm not going to justify my trip to anyone, and I'm going to enjoy my time in Maine, with my friend, away from my family without guilt. Now, of course every now and then guilt tried to slip in, but I think I did a pretty good job of really enjoying myself.

Thursday when I landed it was raining, so that afternoon was kind of shot. Sara and I went to dinner and then went shopping that night, and stayed up talking and watching movies.

Friday morning she took off for work and I stayed in bed. Derek called around 8:30 and woke me up, so I got up and was reading my book when I decided I was still tired - so back to bed I went. Sara called at 11 and woke me up! I felt like I was a teenager again, sleeping in so late. So she came home around noon and we had lunch then I went downtown with her. She works for the state as an Epidemiologist and her office is downtown Augusta, population 18,000. So she headed to her office building and I headed the opposite direction for the Kennebec River Rail Trail, which is just like it sounds - a trail that runs parallel with the river and the railroad. There are trees EVERYWHERE in Maine and they're all different shades of fall colors. I took a 2 mile walk to a town called Hallowell, population 200, where the trail runs through the "main" (the only) street of town. The street is lined with the cutest shops, and the stores are on the bottom and people live above them. I stopped in antique shops, little restaurants, clothing boutiques and the cutest little bakery where I got a Cranberry Almond Oatmeal "cookie" that was more like a biscuit and the size of my head (it's my goal to figure out a similar recipe). In one of the shops, called Paper Kicks, they had some made in Maine preserves and other kinds of food. I asked the store keeper about them and she said I had to try to Roasted Garlic and Onion spread. OK, for those who know me well know I HATE onions with a wild hot burning passion. I don't like the flavor, the texture, the crunch, the smell - I don't like them sauteed, I don't like them in things, or on things, I hate being told, "You can barely taste them" (to which I ask, then why add them?) I really really really don't like them. So I wasn't about to fork over $8 for this little jar, but I did select several other things to purchase and took them up to the counter. This feisty New Englander took one look at my items and said, "Fine, if you're not going to buy it, I'm buying the damn thing for you because you've just got to try it." And she did, even over my protests. It was so nice of her, and we had such a fun conversation. It was neat - I'm not sure how else to put it. The people in Maine seemed so happy. I think it's because it's impossible to talk the way they do without smiling. Honestly - I every time I'd talk to someone I'd think, "I wonder where they're from." and then I'd realize - they're from HERE. Sara says there are too kinds of Maine residents - those who are from Here and those who are from Away. Needless to say, I got the card from the store and am going to write back after we try this spread to let her know what we think. Derek was excited when he saw it - poor guy LOVES onions and never gets them in my cooking. So after several hours in Hallowell I walked back to Augusta, read my book in the park beneath the capital building, then went to the museum all about Maine. It was pretty interesting and since it was only $2 to get in I didn't feel like I had to pay too close of attention or spend too much time there. Sara got off work early and we got some food for dinner and headed back to her place. There is only one kind of grocery store in Augusta - Hannafords - so you'd better like what they have. Sara lives in a basement apartment of a large, very typical Maine home. There are three more apartments in the house. It is very quaint and yes, cute and cozy. I loved the architecture in Maine and I saw pretty much NO new construction (unlike Omaha) and if I did, it was all in the same New England style (colonial, cape cod, etc). Also - I'd say for every 4 street lights we have here, they'd only have one. So there's no light pollution and the night sky is just teeming with stars, even in town.

Saturday was such an awesome day. We drove about 2 hours to Acadia National Park. Once we were there we did 5 different hikes which took about 6 hours. It was a beautiful day - low 50's and clear beautiful skies. I experienced rising tide for the first time - on the way there we crossed a stream, on the way back we waded through a river. My favorite hike was up the Beehive, which wasn't so much hiking as it was climbing 500 feet up metal rungs to the top.

The view, oh the view, was breathtaking. I loved looking out and seeing the ocean. I tried to convince myself all weekend that we could move to Maine (surely LL Bean needs a brand manager!). Trinity, Jenn and Holly I wish you'd been there with your camera's and artistic eyes because you could have captured the beauty way better than I did, but I tried!

After an exhausting, but fun, day at the Park we drove home, ordered pizza and watched Enchanted, then we had to get up Sunday and drive back to Portland so I could catch the plane home. My dad is retired from Delta, so I pay a fraction of the cost for my ticket, but I fly standby and there's always a risk of not getting on, or worse - getting on then getting pulled off (which has happened several times). I consider myself an expert at standby travel. I know how to check flight loads, arrange which flights I want, have my back up plans ready and be prepared for the worst - but I hate every second of it. I've gotten better, but the day I fly I am always a big ball of anxiety. I hate pretty much every aspect of flying: I'm nervous about being late to the airport, I'm then nervous about whether I'll get on or not, then once I'm on - will they pull me off, then once they close the door I can't stand feeling as if I'm being shut into a flying coffin with all those other people, then once I'm off I usually have a connection I have to worry about, or if I'm home - did my bag make it, is someone here to meet me and did I forget anything? I really don't like flying. Sunday was no exception - when I checked in the agent told me there was only 1 seat left and they usually fly under weight restrictions (aka, they leave passengers behind even seats are open because those rinky-dink 50 seaters aren't made to carry passengers AND luggage). Fabulous. So I pace about in the tiny Portland airport and then - horray! - I got the LAST seat out. (Flights the rest of the day were either overbooked or showing even, and there were definitely more standby passengers trying to get out than there were seats available.) My connecting flight left with empty seats and then I was home, sweet, home. Bryce met me before I even walked through the door with, "Hi mom, I missed you, did you get me a present?" It was great to go, it was good to be back, and since I didn't get to see any lighthouses or go sailing - I can't wait to go back next year! Thanks to my awesome neighbor Heidi for taking my kids for 2 days, my sweet husband for being cool with temporary abandonment and Sara for showing me such a fun time!