and sunset...

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And by tired, I mean wound up

So we are in the parking lot next door getting the rest of the sparks out.

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Day 4. 800 miles logged. Never so happy to see a Comfort Suites Hotel ever

Not too many pictures from today.  Most of the day was spent driving.  And fighting in the car.  And throwing stuffed lobsters at each other.  Seriously.  Between the 2 of the kids they have bought 6 on this trip.  In different sizes. 

So we got up early and left Machias. 

Then we drove, and drove, and drove.  We stopped a couple of times...but this one I captured on film, because it came at a point when the three of us were so irritated with each other that we had to get out of the car.  Some travel angel smiled down upon us right outside of Damarascotta and gave us this little rest area.  Car stopped.  Everyone falls out.  Everyone runs off in a different direction. 

Its amazing what 5 minutes slightly apart will do. 

We pushed the rest of the way through (shockingly it was Jack that said "hey, why don't we watch a movie?") and we made it to Biddeford in one piece.  We are tired. 

Tomorrow we will go to the beach somewhere if the sun is out, potentially stop again at the Kittery Trading Post, and then head back to Western Mass.  I needed to take this trip with them, but if I mention doing it again next year, remind me to go back and look at these blog posts, would you please?

3 people.  Small car.  Over 1000 miles in 5 days.  Yikes. 

day 3 extended...

It stopped raining, and we all had cabin fever so we went to Roque Bluffs before dinner.  This is the beach that I went to when I was little...

Vacation Day Three....or Waterlogged in Washington County

Ok, so you saw the picture from the deck of the hotel.  Ew.  But really, it just got better (sarcasam intended)....take a look.

This is out our car window before we left out for Canada.  Torrential downpour.

These two pictures are on Campobello Island at the Roosevelt Cottage/Visitor Center. 

Campobello Island is in New Brunswick, Canada-about 40 minutes from Machias.  We stayed on the island for about an hour.  Well worth the nearly $300 I spent on passports for us.  Grrrr.

Even in the rain, its a pretty little island.  I hope that you can really see this next picture for what it is.  Raindrops on the window.

Off the island.  On to Quoddy Head Lighthouse in Lubec, ME.  The easternmost spot in the US.  Its beautiful.  You may have to trust me.

Back to Machias.  Many of you may not know there is a fine university here. 

Last pic of the day...back at the hotel.  It stopped raining, but is very wet...Ave decided to draw outside, so I snuck a pic.

I may post one more set of pictures tonight.  Its stopped raining now and I think I need to take them to the beach to run...off for now...

Day 3

This is what I was afraid of. Pouring. Sigh...on to Canada anyway.

vacation, day two...

this was a loooooooonnnnnnnnng drive.  partially because of actual mileage, and partially because we had to stop 52 different times...either to go potty, get a snack, stretch our legs....the day seemed endless...but it has ended.  thank the lord.  here are some highlights.

This picture is in front of LL Bean in Freeport.  We got a little turned around in Portland, so it took us a little extra time to get on the road, and they were already a little mental by the time we hit Freeport, so I used it as an excuse to go. 

In the previous post, you saw the picture I sent from my phone, because at that point (I can't remember exactly where we were) they were SUPER mental, and I made them run laps around the car and do jumping jacks.  Finally, we made it into Machias, and we went straight to do what would be the least fun event of the trip.  We went straight out to the cemetary that my parents are buried in...so here's a shout out to Jack and Edna.  I miss you always.  Now, at the exact same time, I have to give a shout out to the very same crazy kids that I was mentioning before, because as I sat next to this very gravestone, they sat with me and held my hand and rubbed my back as I cried.  A wise friend I have told me that this trip might make me stronger than I ever could have known, and maybe that's true, but I thank my lucky stars they were with me.  So to my crazies...I love you.  (these next pictures are from the long ride up, when they were a little punchy)

Next order of business...Jasper Beach.  Had to drive by the old house, and to say that its in ruins would be an understatement.  Even my old apple tree is gone.  Losers.  But, I digress....Jasper Beach. 

We kept driving down that road, because I wanted to see if we could get to Starboard, but it sort of looked like someone's yard, so we turned around, but got this shot...Ave took it.

Cool shot, huh?

Then on the way back, we stopped at Fort O'Brien...Google it and you can see the historical significance in a war or two, I believe...

And last but not least for today, this last shot is outside our hotel.  We had a lovely dinner at Helen's complete with fish and chips and pie.  Hooray.  More tomorrow....

We had to stop for them to get

Some energy out...they ran laps around the car and did jumping jacks...onward

One more pic from day one...

Vacation...day one

This is a journey we are on.  Its an 8 or 9 hour trek to the homeland and me+ave+jack+9 hours in the car at once=disaster.  So we are splitting the trip up into 2 days.  Currently, we are in South Portland in an extremely lame Days Inn near the equally lame Maine Mall.  However, one mom's lame, is a kids perfectly awesome.  Pool?  Check.  Vending machines?  Check.  Cable?  Check.  That's all they care about.   We stopped at the Kittery Trading Post, and I managed to find my way back to a beach in Wells that I hadn't been to in easily 12 years...

First...this was at 6:53 in the morning.  That is the closest to the Jack Griswold school of travel that we could get to...plus since we weren't going the whole way to Machias today anyway, if we left at 3:00am, we would have gotten to Portland about 6:30 am and THEN what the heck would we have done?  So this worked....

Then...Kittery Trading Post: 

Then...Wells.  Can I just say that I specifically went to this beach because there was a takeout place I used to go to that has FANTASTIC fish and chips, and I really, really wanted some...and we got there and THEY WERE OUT.  I'm sorry, what?  Out?  And then one of the ladies was mean to us.  Sigh.  Here's the beach:

Then we made our way to the lovely city of South Portland, where we are currently settled in for the night.  Here's the kids at the pool...(ps.  we came all the way to Maine and ate at....On the Border)

More tomorrow. Pray for sunshine.

I have just learned how to post to the blog from my phone. This opens up a whole new world to me. Here are a couple pics of the kids.
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This is how Jack feels about Manny Ramirez
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