Mack goes to Mackworth

Savanna and Victoria were lucky enough to visit us over one of the prettiest weekends we've experienced in Maine so far... Meredith's sister, Mackenzie, and her mom, were not so lucky. Unfortunately the next weekend as Meredith's mom and Mackenzie arrived, so did Tropical Storm Kyle. Mrs. Peele and Mackenzie did not let the non-stop rain get in the way of their trip at all. While Meredith and I were busy working at the Cape Elizabeth Harvest Festival, the two decided to go for a walk around the city in the rain.



They were lucky enough to stay at the Regency, one of Portland's coolest hotels, right in the heart of the Old Port. Despite every one of their attempts to stand out as North Carolinians "from away," Meredith and I, in all of our local lifestyle, were able to keep them incognito. Of course we journeyed to some of our favorite restaurants: The Good Table, Flatbread and the Lobster Shack, but this weekend we were able to try out a new delicious favorite- Vignola. Located on the cobblestone Dana Street, in the Old Port, Vignola is a scrumptious Italian restaurant with a great atmosphere and awesome service. With Mama Warbucks paying, we were treated to a cheese plate, a delicious meal and a new favorite beer: Delirium Tremens. We cannot wait to go back!








On Monday morning, the day of their departure, the sun finally peeked out of the clouds. Before they had to head to the airport, we hurried over to Mackworth Island to play fetch with Orvis, and then returned to Cape to show them some of the beautiful trails, right in our neighborhood. Both Mackenzie and Mrs. Peele were finally able to see the natural beauty of Maine sans Kyle.













It was Mackenzie's first visit to Maine, and between the beautiful Old Port and the delicious food, we think she had a really great trip. In fact, we know she had a wonderful visit, as she has not stopped telling us both about how much she is in love with Portland! And of course, Mrs. Peele, who is one of the biggest Maineophiles ever, had a wonderful time too! We have a break from visitors until Mere's father and step-mother come in a couple of weeks!

Stay tuned and breathe easy!

Cousins come a callin'

As always, I am about three weeks behind where I need to be on this blog. Things have been kind of busy with work and I've been neglecting my job to inform you all of what has been happening. A few weeks ago my cousins, Victoria and Savanna, were lured up here by some of our previous food posts and the promise of a beautiful early fall in Maine. Almost immediately after they touched ground, we got their visit started off correctly, with a midnight visit to L.L. Bean. Needless to say, there aren't many locals hanging around Freeport at midnight, but it was quite the experience, seeing those normally bustling stores all but empty. Savanna and Victoria immediately got in the Maine spirit by picking up a few Bean jackets and pullovers that would come in handy as the fall weather got a little cooler.






The next day we tried to change things up by doing something new and headed to an apple orchard in New Gloucester. We had a great time picking the apples that would become the main ingredient for our dessert that evening that accompanied our lobster dinner: apple crisp!










We showed the girls as much of Portland on Sunday, as possible, with a fun side trip to Mackworth Island with Orvis. After a delicious seaside lunch at the Lobster Shack, we ran down to see the lighthouse at Cape Neddick in York, and made it back in time for a delicious dinner at our all-time favorite pizza place, Flatbread. My cousins, being the shopaholics they are, far from turned down the opportunity to return to Freeport for some more shopping on Monday morning. After a morning of shopping, we got them to the airport to catch their flight back to Charlotte. We were so glad to get to share this time with Savanna and Victoria, and hope they'll return next season for a little breathe-easy lifestyle in Maine.

Web Editor: Michael D. Cain

Hi everyone!  I just thought I'd brag a little about Michael and his work at the magazine, Smart Home Owner.  His name is on their masthead in the November/December issue as their Web Editor- way exciting!  





Not only has he done such a great job on Smart Home Owner's website and blog, now he gets to work on some articles for the online magazine and their newsletter.  Well done, Cain!