Tag: winter

#atozchallenge | F is for Flavors of Freeport

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Flavors of Freeport is an annual event held in February in Freeport Maine that highlights the amazing food and drink options available in the area. While the major cornerstones of the event are an Ice Bar at the Hilton Garden Inn with a dance party on Friday night followed by the Chef’s Signature Series on Saturday evening, we decided it would be fun to head up during the day on Saturday to try some of the smaller tastings offered at many of the local shops.

Hands-On Chocolate Factory Tour

Wilbur’s Chocolate of Maine, 174 Lower Main Street | Cost is $4.50 per person

We started off by stopping into Wilbur’s Chocolate of Maine to check out their shop and take their hands-on factory tour to learn about Wilbur’s history, chocolate making, and enjoy some chocolate samples. I had never been into the store before, and it was amazing to see how large their chocolate selection was. They were gearing up for Easter while we were there so there were lots of selections of Easter Bunnies. We learned that Wilbur’s is one of the few places left that still make solid, non-hollow bunnies. The store also has a nice selection of products for sale from local Maine vendors.

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Snow Covered Tree Branches

I miss snow days

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We’re having a mild winter. It’s nice to get a break from some of the harsher ones that we’ve had as of late. It’s February and there is grass not snow covering the ground. While I appreciate the warm weather, and it was especially nice to be walking around Freeport yesterday without a coat, I have to admit that I’m a little disappointed in our winter so far this year.

I love snow days! Snow days force you to slow down and take a breath. They provide an opportunity where you don’t have to “do” anything. Deadlines are put on hold. Errands can wait. The pace is leisurely and relaxed making the day seem to last longer than most. Continue reading →

Ice Bar

Chilling at the Portland Harbor Hotel Ice Bar 2016

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I don’t like to be cold. I spend the winter months sitting on top of a space heater, or cuddled up by the propane fireplace, but last year I discovered something about myself. I actually love outside winter activities. It makes it all the more fun when I head back inside to warm up after some exhilarating time in the cold.

So, with that in mind, I took the plunge and bought tickets to last month’s Ice Bar at the Portland Harbor Hotel. I’ve been fascinated with ice bars for a while but had never actually gone to one. This was my year. We ended up getting tickets for Thursday night because Friday and Saturday night’s tickets were already sold out. Apparently, I’m not the only one who embraces winter in Maine. Continue reading →

Showshoeing

5 Things I Learned Snowshoeing at Sebago Lake State Park

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This past weekend was the Great Maine Outdoor Weekend with many wonderful events scheduled throughout the state. The event encourages people to get out and participate in outdoor activities. Winter can sometimes be a more challenging time to get outside but there really are many great options available in Maine.

I knew that we wanted to participate in the Great Maine Outdoor Weekend this year, so I looked through all the events listed on their website to pick one that seemed like a good fit. There were a large variety of options from which to choose. We decided on a snowshoeing hike with the Maine Outdoor Adventure Club as it seemed like a nice activity for the uninitiated. They were heading to Sebago Lake State Park in Casco for a two hour snowshoeing trek. Continue reading →

Skating at Thompson's Point

Skating at The Rink at Thompson’s Point

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You would think skating would be a pretty easy winter activity for us. We live on a lake. But, it’s complicated. Since we have neither the equipment nor the desire to shovel off a skating rink size area on the ice, which would allow us to actually skate, we have a wait and see approach. This means that usually once a year, we get enough rain, or the snow covering the ice melts, followed by a cold weather snap which freezes everything over and makes for a perfect day of skating.

We haven’t had those conditions yet, and our oldest had been asking, and asking, to skate so we finally decided it was time to venture out to an actual rink. But where should we go? Fortunately, a Facebook friend had posted a great sunset picture taken at The Rink at Thompson’s Point. It looked like a fun destination so we added it to our weekend activities list.

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