Friends and Family

Wow, it's amazingly simple to start a blog that you plan to keep up with on a weekly basis... and then not touch it for almost 3 weeks! So much has happened since the Peeles visited, and for the sake of not creating a pseudo-novella for you guys to read, we'll try to split up the past few weeks into a few different posts.

Shortly after the Peeles visited at the beginning of August, Meredith and I were lucky enough to get to see a friendly face from back in Chapel Hill. Dan, the guy responsible for Meredith and I meeting, was visiting his family in York, Maine, just a few miles south of us. Not only was he nice enough to take the time to come visit me with his sister, one afternoon in Portland, he also opened up his family's home in York and invited Meredith and I down one evening for a birthday/family reunion cookout. It's great to see old friends, and it's made even better when they are as fun and accommodating as the Ryan family. His family's place in York was gorgeous, his family was a delight, and York is definitely a place that Meredith and I will have to take a road trip to, one day soon.

Almost immediately after we left the Ryans, we were joined by my own parents, who came up to spend their first weekend in Maine with us. Although the trip here was riddled with storms and delays, I believe they had a great time in Maine, and I know that Meredith and I loved the company. In a matter of four days, we attempted to do as many touristy things as possible. On the first day, we made the trip to Freeport, to experience the town of LL Bean. Meredith and I had been here together once before, but only in the off-season, when the streets are only mildly crowded. Freeport during the summer is a sight to see, the town is literally centered around Bean, and seemingly every downtown building has been converted to some sort of outlet shop. I'm glad my parents got to see and experience all that is Maine's shopping city.



That night, we partook in what is quickly becoming a visitor tradition and went to Alewive's Brook Farm for a homemade lobster dinner. It was my mom's first lobster and it's always a delight to share these new experiences with those we love. The next day, we made the trip up to Rockland to see the Maine Home and Boat Show. The furniture and wooden boats were incredible! It still baffles me to see the handy work of these craftsmen doing the things that they love. It makes me miss the wooden skiff that my dad and I were building back home. Hopefully it won't be the last boat show I'm able to attend.

After relaxing and watching the opening ceremony of the Olympics that night, Meredith and I had the opportunity to spend the next day showing my parents downtown Portland and the surrounding areas. We got some pictures at the Head Light and walked all around the Old Port, taking in the sights. We capped off a fun day with an excellent dinner at my favorite local restaurant, The Good Table, where we had the opportunity to share some laughs and stories over some delicious dinners and blueberry desserts.



We're so thankful to have had those weeks with friends and family, and we're looking forward to our next guests (Savanna and Victoria!) in September.

Breathe easy!

Mexi-"Can't Ever Eat There Again"...

This week's food post is a tragic one.  Although surrounded by glorious lobster dinners and great uptown sandwiches, one dinner from last week sticks out specifically in my mind.  Greatly missing the comfort foods found at Chapel Hill's El Rodeo, Southern Pines' El Vaquero, and High Point's La Hacienda, Meredith and I ventured over to the Mexico Lindo in South Portland to partake in some deliciously unhealthy Mexican cuisine.  To keep it as brief and unscathing as possible, if this is where Maine goes for its Mexican, then Maine "no sabe buen comido mexicano" (sorry for the rough Spanish - but hopefully you get the point).  Ketchup with diced onions is by no means salsa, menus should always have a "Speedy Gonzales" or the ability to create your own dish, and I cannot even begin to describe the void left by not having a rapidly-refilled cup of sweet tea to accompany my meal.  Although I have not given-up on finding some decent Mexican food in the state, it seems that Meredith and I will be switching to sushi for a healthier alternative to our comfort food.  So if there are any Mainers out there reading this, feel free to make suggestions, but until then, no more chalupas, enchiladas, burritos, or tacos for these two kids from away.  Respiran facil nos amigos.

Lobster Pot Fetch

As Meredith mentioned in our last post, last Saturday Cape Elizabeth played host to the annual Beach to Beacon 10k race from Crescent Beach to the Portland Head Light, and for a small town, they sure know how to put on a big race. There were 5,000 contestants, including a number of professional runners (averaging less than a 5-minute mile over a 6.2 mile course) and even cooler, a few handicapped racers who completed the entire distance in wheelchairs. In a sport that already captivates me with participants' commitment, these racers bring chills to your spine as you watch them power through every inch of the course. I'm sure that Meredith joins me in saying congratulations to all of the participants, professional and amateur, able and handicapped.

Of the thousands of visitors to the area during the weekend of the Beach to Beacon, Meredith and I were lucky to have three of our own. Meredith's mother, step father, and their chunky golden retriever, Mason, dropped by on their way up to Boothbay Harbor to have some good times and great food. A few lobster and some fun walks on the CELT trails later, they were on their way to the Spruce Point Inn in Boothbay, and what kind of family would we be if we didn't take full advantage of their resort vacation?

On Sunday, Meredith and I popped up to Boothbay to enjoy a change of scenery, some beautiful hiking trails, and an unexpected dip in the ocean. The Spruce Point Inn is placed perfectly on a point that juts into the ocean, and years of little underbrush growth and a thick fertile base of decomposed needles from the evergreens give the trails around the Inn a beautiful, open, soft hiking experience that can hardly be described. Orvis and his buddy Mason had a great walk in the woods, followed by an interesting swim off of the rocky coast. While playing fetch in the water, Orvis missed the stick we had thrown, and instead, zoned in on a lobster pot buoy. After dragging the buoy about twenty feet, Orvis had reached the full extent of the rope, and was finding that the lobster pot was proving a little too much for him. Somewhat unfortunately, Orvis' mother and father were both hunting retrievers, and that same natural instinct to retrieve is in his blood too. After five minutes of swimming in place Orvis was starting to lose his breath and strength, and we realized that something had to be done. Input Michael's first swim in Maine. Attempting to be the hero, I skinned-up in all my bronzed body-builder glory, and swan-dove into the frigid depths, swimming in Michael Phelps-esque style to rescue my good friend. In all actuality, I took off my shirt, used my muffin-top to stay afloat, screamed like a 3 year-old fighting waves at the beach, and at the sight of me doggie paddling out to Orvis, he promptly let go of the buoy to come play with dad in the water. Still, I can now claim to have swam in the Maine ocean, and completely shamed by my courage, Meredith's step father joined me for a quick-dip, before we both realized that we were born and raised North Carolinian, and thus, should keep to the pleasantly warm waters of the coast of North Carolina for our sans-wetsuit recreational swims.

Still, the sights and experiences of Boothbay and the Spruce Point Inn were perfect in their own way, Meredith's parents were, like always, overly accommodating, and Meredith and I were able to place another tally mark in the "Wicked Fun" category of our Maineiac to-do list. Breathe easy guys.