Vacation in Maine

I know I just posted about a vacation, but yes, we have just returned from another short vacation. This time we went to Maine to visit Mom, Dad, and Tracy at the Cove House at Camp Sebago for a few days. We then returned to their house for a day and a half prior to coming home.

After our Sunday services and community meal on Sunday, we drove the 223 miles to Camp Sebago to meet mom and dad at the Cove House. It is a very nice 2 bedroom house on the Camp property at Camp Sebago. It is called the Cove House because, you guessed it, it is in a Cove on lovely Sebago Lake. When we arrived on Sunday evening we had a quick meal and headed down to the lakeside to build a fire and make some smores. That was fun as in my 34 years of life, I don't think I have ever made smores with mom and dad. Tracy and Matt came down and joined us. Jay was especially proud to see Matt. He adores Matt!

On Monday, we went to the Officers and Employees Picnic. It was nice to see people from our former corps there and some old friends. The food was pretty good too! After lunch, we headed down to the dock and enjoyed a boat ride on the lake. Following the boat ride, Jay and Sam, got on the inflatable obstacle course that featured a waterslide at the end. It looked fun and if the splash down water wasn't so dirty, I would have jumped on as well.

That evening, Tracy and I took the kids on a canoe ride. They enjoyed that a lot.

Over the next couple of days, the kids went swimming, back in the canoes, more smores. You get the idea. It was a lot of fun.

Our final evening, Mom, Dad and I sat out on the dock outside of the lodge and just enjoyed the moonlit lake. It was a very peaceful hour or so.

Our time at Sebago was short, but we then went to their home in Portland. It was nice to just relax and enjoy being with the family.

On Thursday, Mom took us to the beach. While I don't LOVE Old Orchard Beach, it is okay in a pinch. Initially, the water was very cold, but the kids got right in. The waves were rather large, but the kids stayed out of the way, while still enjoying the water. I went in up to my knees to snag a few pictures. Sam unfortunately had some bad luck and got scraped up on some rocks. She wanted to wait to shower until Dad and Tracy got home because she wanted to show them her wrapped up leg. She cracks me up!

Thursday evening was especially nice for Mom and Elaine as they went to the OOB Pavillion and enjoyed a Sandi Patty Concert. They both enjoyed it and had good things to say about it.

In three weeks our "REAL" vacation will be here. That is when we go to Rehoboth Beach for a week. The water is warmer there. The bathrooms don't cost money, and the rides are much cheaper!!!

July Vacation--Part One

On Sunday evening following our Sunday services we departed Connecticut for the hills of upstate NY to hook up with Elaine's parents before setting out for our first vacation of the summer season.

For the last few years, Elaine has wanted to go visit her mothers family in the Watertown area of New York State. For all of this time, I expected that we were going to Watertown. When I was programming the GPS on Monday morning, I was concerned when the device could not find the street address. Would you know, that we were not going to Watertown, but Alexandria Bay. Now just the sound of that, sounds much more like a vacation. Nothing against Watertown, NY, but Alexandria Bay has a much nicer ring to it. When we arrived at Alexandria Bay, I knew we were far north. We exited the last exit prior to the bridge to Canada! Shortly after arriving at Elaine's cousins home, we ventured down to the riverfront and I was very impressed with this little town. It had a unique resort feel and seeing the watercraft on the St. Lawrence River got me excited. I even saw a few classic wood motorboats. I would sooooo love to have one of those!

The kids went swimming, but instead, I looked around. I looked across the American Channel at the legendary Boldt Castle. I ventured downtown to check out the various shops. I really felt like I was on vacation, and I was excited to see this part of the country I have never been.

All in all we had a great time. We enjoyed a 2 nation tour on the river, we ate really good courtesy of Judy and Bill's cooking, and the weather even cooperated despite a very late evening Thuderstorm.
I would like to return to this area of the country again in the next couple of years. Next time with a passport in hand so I can cross the border to Canada and check out that side of the St. Lawrence.

Oh and by the way, Jay is so proud he has a license to drive an Uncle Sam Tour Boat up to 100 tons, and "he is only six!" Those latter and very former are his exact words! Please see the pictures attached of our vacation.
We will be leaving for a short vacation to Maine on Sunday evening to stay in the Cove House on Sebago Lake.