Our wonderful vacation is, alas, over. At 6:30 this morning, we were up and having a great breakfast of cereal, bacon, eggs, yogurt, and juice. Then we headed to the airport, arriving around 7:40. We checked our bags and went through security -- long lines on both! It was a good thing we arrived nice and early. We arrived at the gate around 8:30 and were boarding the plane by 8:50. Up into the air we went by 9:15 and we soon arrived in Baltimore for a crew change and fueling up. We didn't even have to change planes, which was nice...we just stayed in our seats. We did move up some so we could have a better view. Back up into the air we went shortly after that, and we enjoyed a mostly clear view the whole flight. We were able to farm fields, lakes, rivers, and large expanses of land. We touched down a bit earlier than expected (great!)...around 11:45. We departed the plane and hurried to the baggage carousel. No need to hurry...it took quite a while for it to begin moving. Val's suitcase was THE first one to come off, which was funny. But we had to wait for ours for at least 15 minutes. All's well that ends well, though, as they say, so I am happy that everything turned out okay, even if we had to wait. My dad came to pick us up; we dropped Val off at her home; we grabbed some groceries; and then we were HOME! Obviously, there was the fun task of unpacking and doing laundry...and all kinds of other things, too. But we're mostly back into the "regular mode" and we've already done two loads of laundry -- whites and jeans.
So the vacation is over. It is a bit sad, as all endings of vacations are, but I'm able to walk away with loads of great memories -- learning to kayak, swimming in Lake George, meeting Val's family, seeing Silver Bay, hiking almost all the way up Mt. Washington (yeah!), going to LL Bean and finding some good items of clothing, Lenny the chocolate moose, Scarborough Downs...I could go on forever!
But most of all? I have learned to appreciate the immense power of God more than ever -- how He made all the GORGEOUS land, lakes, rivers, scenery -- everything surrounding us! God is great and I hope you, as well as I, have really enjoyed marveling at His beautiful earth. God bless you, and I look forward to sharing more adventures in the future!
~Anna~
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Final Day!
Today, we woke up at 7:30 AM and enjoyed another great breakfast of cereal, waffles, juice, egg sandwiches, and yogurt. Then we got in the car and headed toward Scarborough Downs Harness Racetrack. I had just seen a small advertisement on the Maine map and thought it sounded good. So we found it and some horses were warming up and practicing! I was so amazed; it was such a cool experience. I had never seen harness racing before, but I did know that Standardbred horses are used, and the racing is called pacing. Pacing is a long, running trot, and it sounds really neat -- quick, loud thumps as each hoof hits the ground. They have a large indoor grandstand and a beautiful track in a lovely setting. Apparently, they were going to have races later in the day; unfortunately, we couldn't stay, but that would have been exciting!
We then proceeded onward to the Len Libby Chocolate Store (in Scarborough), home of Lenny, the world's largest chocolate moose. We enjoyed a 15-minute video showing the process of making Lenny. We also saw Lenny (in his natural habitat) with a mama bear and two little cubs made out of dark chocolate. Lenny is made out of milk chocolate, and they even sell mini-Lennys. Matthew and I got one to share, plus some chocolate-covered blueberries.
Finally, we began the drive back to Albany, New York, stopping for lunch at Subway...and to check out a couple of other ski areas. We arrived in Albany around 6:30, enjoyed a very-filling dinner at the Wolf Road Diner, and turned our rental car in. Tomorrow, our flight leaves at 9:05 AM, so this is officially the end of our northeastern adventure, although I will blog tomorrow evening. Enjoy the pictures of our final day!
We then proceeded onward to the Len Libby Chocolate Store (in Scarborough), home of Lenny, the world's largest chocolate moose. We enjoyed a 15-minute video showing the process of making Lenny. We also saw Lenny (in his natural habitat) with a mama bear and two little cubs made out of dark chocolate. Lenny is made out of milk chocolate, and they even sell mini-Lennys. Matthew and I got one to share, plus some chocolate-covered blueberries.
Finally, we began the drive back to Albany, New York, stopping for lunch at Subway...and to check out a couple of other ski areas. We arrived in Albany around 6:30, enjoyed a very-filling dinner at the Wolf Road Diner, and turned our rental car in. Tomorrow, our flight leaves at 9:05 AM, so this is officially the end of our northeastern adventure, although I will blog tomorrow evening. Enjoy the pictures of our final day!
Two horses exercise at Scarborough Downs.
This horse is pacing.
Here I am with Lenny. He is 1,700 pounds of milk chocolate. The dark chocolate mama bear is beside him.
Killington Ski Area; I love how the chairlift disappears into the cloud.
~Anna~
Friday, June 1, 2012
Lighthouses & More!
Today we woke up around 7:45 AM; enjoyed a breakfast of egg sandwiches, cereal, yogurt, juice, and milk; and headed to the DeLorme headquarters. DeLorme is the maker of Atlas & Gazetteers for every state in the USA, and in this particular store, they have the world's largest rotating globe! At night, it is lit up, and during the day, it's still really cool. They also have a great store there with everything ever associated with maps/geography sold there.
After seeing the giant globe, we went to Pemaquid Point Lighthouse. It is beautiful, and we had the chance to go up in it, look out at the water, read some history about it, and visit the Fisherman's Museum adjacent to the lighthouse. We enjoyed lunch at The Sea Gull Shop, a restaurant/store combination. The fish sandwich and clam chowder are delicious! And the view of the endless ocean, plus the waves lapping at the shore, is gorgeous. The store also offers a great variety of lighthouse- and ocean-themed collectibles, from mugs to Christmas ornaments.
We visited the Rachel Carson Salt Pond Preserve, where we officially touched the Atlantic Ocean and marveled at the waves crashing against the rocks. We then proceeded to the Portland Head Lighthouse, which is considered one of the most beautiful lighthouses to photograph. We were there in the fading sunlight, so that added to the already-pretty setting. Although you can't go up in it, there are plenty of photo opportunities, plus a nice walking path that leads you to many different views of the ocean and the lighthouse. We even walked down to the ocean on a small path...and I proceeded to get some water on me when the biggest wave of all came up and splashed me (I didn't see it coming). At least I can say I officially got wet from the Atlantic! :)
Tomorrow we will be heading back to Albany, New York, stopping along the way at various places. Sunday morning is our flight back home. Unfortunately, that means the vacation is almost finished, but I hold many special memories close to my heart, and I will NEVER forget them. I hope you'll remember my memories in this blog, and I do hope you have enjoyed reading about my adventures.
After seeing the giant globe, we went to Pemaquid Point Lighthouse. It is beautiful, and we had the chance to go up in it, look out at the water, read some history about it, and visit the Fisherman's Museum adjacent to the lighthouse. We enjoyed lunch at The Sea Gull Shop, a restaurant/store combination. The fish sandwich and clam chowder are delicious! And the view of the endless ocean, plus the waves lapping at the shore, is gorgeous. The store also offers a great variety of lighthouse- and ocean-themed collectibles, from mugs to Christmas ornaments.
We visited the Rachel Carson Salt Pond Preserve, where we officially touched the Atlantic Ocean and marveled at the waves crashing against the rocks. We then proceeded to the Portland Head Lighthouse, which is considered one of the most beautiful lighthouses to photograph. We were there in the fading sunlight, so that added to the already-pretty setting. Although you can't go up in it, there are plenty of photo opportunities, plus a nice walking path that leads you to many different views of the ocean and the lighthouse. We even walked down to the ocean on a small path...and I proceeded to get some water on me when the biggest wave of all came up and splashed me (I didn't see it coming). At least I can say I officially got wet from the Atlantic! :)
Tomorrow we will be heading back to Albany, New York, stopping along the way at various places. Sunday morning is our flight back home. Unfortunately, that means the vacation is almost finished, but I hold many special memories close to my heart, and I will NEVER forget them. I hope you'll remember my memories in this blog, and I do hope you have enjoyed reading about my adventures.
The world's largest globe at the DeLorme headquarters; it is VERY big!
Pemaquid Point Lighthouse
Climbing up to the top of Pemaquid Point Lighthouse; lots of spiral stairs!
A wave is about to crest at the Pemaquid Point Lighthouse.
Portland Head Lighthouse; it is SO pretty with the ocean, sunset, and rocky cliffs.
~Anna~
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