#atozchallenge | O is for Ocean Park Fourth of July Parade

April 18, 2016May 10, 202016 Comments

An article in the Boston Globe by Christopher Muther, “From Maine to Cuba, the hot places for travel in 2016” offered Ocean Park, Maine as a suggested vacation destination this year. It’s an eclectic list and, although I’d love to visit any of the vacation spots included in the article, Ocean Park is one trek I happily make every year.

The article highlights that the best time to go to Ocean Park is July 4th because of their annual holiday parade. I grew up in Saco, a neighboring town, and my family still has a home in the Ferry Beach area just up the road from Ocean Park so I understand the appeal. The whole parade experience feels like a throwback to an earlier time, as does the town.

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#atozchallege | L is for Lobster with a View

April 14, 2016May 10, 202029 Comments

Lobster is my favorite food. Probably not a surprise for a girl from Maine although it’s not loved by all Mainers – honestly. I have a childhood friend who won’t touch it. But, for me, it’s my favorite and I thoroughly enjoy it. One of the first comments that my future mother-in-law made about me after meeting me for the first time was, “She really knows how to eat a lobster.” It’s true. I do.

Usually, we’ll eat lobster at home. There are some advantages to eating it at home. (1) It’s easy enough to prepare; (2) You can get as messy as you want; and (3) It’s cheaper. We always do a least a few clam bakes over the summer. But, sometimes, it’s nice to go out for lobster too.

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#atozchallenge | B is for Blueberry Picking with Mémère Rose

April 2, 2016May 10, 202036 Comments

My grandmother was unflappable. Mémère could fall asleep in a room full of chaos. Nothing ever seemed to bother her. She had no hesitation taking her young granddaughter into the deep Maine woods to go blueberry picking, even though her granddaughter had a life threatening allergy to bees. Clearly she was right, because no catastrophe ever occurred but rather just wonderful memories eating handfuls of blueberries right from the bushes.

I remember many outings, where we would walk deep into the Maine woods to find the best blueberry bushes to pick from during blueberry season. These were in the days before the evolution of pick-your-own farms. This was old school. She knew where the blueberries were and had mad skills picking them.

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Weekend Trip to Belfast Maine

February 15, 2016May 10, 20203 Comments

Each summer we try to do at least one weekend get away to someplace in Maine that we don’t get to often. There are so many amazing places within the state. A few summers ago, we made it up to Belfast for a couple of nights. My husband had been wanting to go to Marshall Wharf Brewing in Belfast, and I hadn’t been up to the area since I was in college.

We headed up to Belfast for a weekend in early in August and, in an effort to keep the cost down, we stayed at the Yankee Clipper Motel which worked out really well although our girls were a little thrown by the setup as it was their first motel stay. It was clean and convenient. While it was not located in the main downtown Belfast area, it was a quick walk to the pedestrian bridge which goes across the Passagassawaukeag River and connects to downtown Belfast. It wasn’t a perfect solution as you have to walk along Route 1 for a bit. Route 1 is a busy road with no sidewalks, but you just need to be careful. I would have been a little more nervous if my girls were younger. But, for us, it worked out great and was definitely better than driving.

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