03 November 2012

New England, Part 1

After a week in beautiful, sunny Sitka (it's like that all the time, right?), I made it back to New England for a two week trip visiting family & friends. It's a fabulous time to sit back, relax, and *finally* update this blog! I'll try to get some older photos up from the summer, but for now here are some shots from my first week in Maine. Tomorrow I'm heading to MA to visit mom, grandparents, and friends there.

On my way from Sitka, I had a six hour layover in Seattle. We arrived on time, and I scooted on the lite rail downtown to grab a bite to eat and check out the art museum. There's an exhibit of women artists right now, and while I love the premise of the exhibit the bulk of it was modern/post-modern/neo-post-modern (I made that up) art which is just not my style. I know, I know. That sounds terribly old, Protestant and stodgy, but what can I say. I'm a Monet girl at heart (did you know in fourth grade we had a day to dress up as someone famous, and I chose Claude Monet? true story).

I had a great time wandering around the galleries, and was thankful for the airport reprieve.

Upon landing the next morning in Boston, I quick quick was on a bus heading to Portsmouth, NH. Chris picked me up around 10am and we had a fabulous morning in the sunshine, drinking coffee and watching crews trying to re-float a tug boat that had sunk at the Memorial Bridge site in the P. River. Can't spell it....sorry. It was fun to stroll around the brick of downtown Portsmouth, awed at what stores and restaurants are  still open and trying to remember those long gone. How very many many many hours I spent through high school on those streets, and how very different they seem 15 years later.


Up in Rockland, Chris went to the market for lobster, steamers, and mussels. So.Freaking.Good. I felt oh-so-grown up, as this is very much a family dinner for us. I don't know if Chris felt the same, but I do know we both had to look up on the internet how long to cook a lobster. That's just a dad thing in my mind...it was so fun to be in my little brother's house, cooking a grown-up family dinner. Love.


Chris, a terribly gracious host, slept in the barn and gave me his room. Our great-nana's quilt is on his bed, our mom's paintings are on his walls and her mixing bowls on the shelves, our dad's crazy found-art adorn random corners all around the house.  Love love.


 The coast of Maine is beautiful. Growing up in southern Maine, I didn't get north much beyond Portland. I loved the inlets and bays, rocky shores, heart and soul of commercial fishing. Just like the first time I opened "National Fisherman" and saw Perkins Cove and Homer Alaska on the same page, I could see home here as in there.

Maine, however, has ticks. Gross. Not up by dad, but when Chris & I went for a run with Shaemus (hi, buddy!!) we came back and found the creepy crawlies all over. Lime disease is hot up here, and I want nothing to do with it. Chris discovered that Shaemus doesn't really mind being vacuumed!  It seems he might kind of like it...


I stole down to Portland for a night (the night Sandy struck!) to visit Katie and Aaron, some of my few friends from high school. Katie since fifth grade, when we'd figure floor, play real live Clue, WWF, collect water, jump in the bushes, attempt to ski, lip sync, ouiji board, eat at LaStellas, ride JJ Supreme, suffer through school, play in the Valley, dress up, dress down, and just hang out. 

Katie is living in Portland, along with Aaron and a number of other folks from school - many of whom I'd love to see and am sorry to have missed. Next time....this time around we had some dinner and enjoyed the storm.

I headed back to Rockland, where dad and Donna picked me up the following day. On the way home we stopped in Bangor at Hollywood Casinos! My very first casino. Thanks, Dad!

I lost $30.

I learned that I hate the feeling of losing money. But, since dad gave me the $50 to start with, it's kind of like I made $20 since I got to keep the change. Right? Donna and I had fun at the roulette table. 

Last night we took the pontoon boat out with friends Debbie and Arthur for the last boat ride of the season. It was a most beautiful night on the lake, with laughs, family and friends. A most fabulous trip to Maine. 

 Tomorrow I'm heading south to MA, looking forward to a visit with mom, grandma & grandpa, aunt Patty and family, and friends. It's been a wonderful first part to this trip home, and reminds me that I just must prioritize this trip more regularly.