This August, dad was scheduled to take Meemaw and Peepaw to Maine. Long story short, Peepaw is originally from the state of Maine. His sister still lives there in a tiny town called Andover. Aunt Eda (the sister) literally does not leave home. For many years, Peepaw's family would visit Andover, his mom while she was living, and Aunt Eda (and her husband, while he was living). They would spend months out of the summer visiting Maine each year. Meemaw and Peepaw continued this as long as they were able.
When dad became grown and got a family of his own, we began visiting Maine during the summer as well. I would dare to say that my first trip was when I was under a year old. As years have passed and times have changed, making an annual trip has become impossible and making a trip every few years has become the norm. This has also become the case for Meemaw and Peepaw, as they need someone to take them, care for them, and make it happen. In fact, as they are in their 90s, this trip is almost impossible. However, dad volunteered to take them this year since it had been 3 years since our last visit up there and it was time to see Aunt Eda again.
As you know from previous blogs, this summer was INSANE. So, they booked the trip for Mid-August. The only problem with that was that mom was unable to attend with them, as the trip dates were the same as the first week of school. Since I was not teaching this year, I sacrificed (yeah...right) and volunteered to go. I laugh because, truly, dad, Morgan, and I are the most sentimental about our Maine trips and I was thrilled for the opportunity (even though I knew this time would be different sans the entire crew).
We loaded up and headed out...a 31 week pregnant lady, an 89 year old woman with Alzheimer's, my 91 year old grandfather, and my poor dad!
What an adventure we were about to embark on! Also, as an aside...I broke my glasses two days before this trip and was glasses-less the entire time.
Yes, the plane ride was that thrilling. Thanks for the face dad :)
We flew into Boston and drove up to Andover. When we were little, we would stop at the state line and take a picture. So much for that nostalgic moment as we drove by....at least I grabbed a shot!
Essentials for any northern road trip--cookies, salt and vinegar, and Moxie!
We spent a lot of our time eating. Meemaw and Peepaw eat on a totally different schedule...Breakfast around 9:30 or 10, lunch around 2, and maybe supper. Dad and I adjusted a little bit and ensured we got to eat three times each day!
Blueberry crepes for breakfast one morning. Yes ma'am.
Peepaw and his sister, Aunt Eda. Such sweet memories!
More food pictures! This was neat, though. We stayed at a home on a campground facility. The owners told us about a fundraiser for one of their employees who had been mauled by a dog. It was a "pie" social. There were pizzas, quiches, and hundreds of dessert pies. They raised all sorts of money for this sweet lady and her medical bills. I was grateful we got to experience the yummy food and the sweet atmosphere.
Many of you know the story of "the pump," so I will spare you the extreme details. However, basically, I have a photo with a water pump by these falls from every year we have been to Maine. It is like 13 pictures. We got engaged there, and I have so many memories of picnicking at that site. (They're mostly paper pics and at my parents' house, but I will try and dig them up!) Two years ago, my grandmother was in Maine and told me they had capped the pump!!! I was so sad...but luckily, the memorial still exists and we were able to get Eva Kate's first photo by the pump!
How special it is to have this picture...and for me to be in Maine during our pregnancy.
Here we are on our engagement day. Such babies!
The spot where we got engaged!
You may not understand that in the north, finding great deals at yard/garage sales is like...the thing. Haha. For some reason, the people love to hoard their junk and then get rid of it for super cheap. You can find all sorts of amazing antiques and cool items at great values! Just think...we went to Maine with only carry on luggage and then came home with two checked bag!
Dad and I dropped Peepaw and Meemaw off at Aunt Eda's house and we searched for some treasures !:)
We found a Grange Sale (think the Lion's Club gathering all of the junk they've hoarded for years and selling it in the building). We got lots of cool treasures!
As we left the Grange Sale, we went down the road a little bit and saw a sign for a Trapper's Convention and sale. Y'all, it was so cool! It was like a set-up Jockey Lot in the middle of the field with hundreds of booths and yard sales, all hunting/fishing/trapping related! Dad and I stopped and found all sorts of treasures! We probably spent more money at this convention than the rest of the week treasure-seeking combined.
We saw some sights as well, like actual Indian/Native American camping...
After we shopped for awhile, we went on a road trip down memory lane. We drove to the house where we typically have stayed in Maine--Bear Lodge. The funny thing is that the driveway is a long, gravel drive way and we just went down it ;) Luckily, there was no one staying there!
We went down to a waterfall area. We always used to picnic here and play in the water! There weren't many people there and the water was frigid!
On the way back to Andover, we saw a Moose! It is so hard to see in the picture, but I swear he is there! We had just discussed that we had not seen a moose in several trips to Maine...and there he stood!
A trip to Maine is NOT the same without a lobster-eating fest! We drove to the Surry area and enjoyed a lobster special! I had to google how much New England Shellfish a pregnant girl could have, and I certainly ate my quota.
The next day, we rode down to the Portland area. It was Saturday and Portland is about 120 miles from Andover. It took us 4 hours to get there because we yard-saled the whole way! This was our face after yard sale number 482...
We went to our favorite place on the coast (Two Lights at Cape Elizabeth) to enjoy some seafood and the beautiful atmosphere there. I just love this place! My dad loves lighthouses in general and these two are less touristy than Portland Head Light....and the Lobster Shack has some of the best seafood around. Typically when we go, we have to wait for 30 minutes to an hour just to order, but for some reason, we arrived at exactly the right time to order with no wait! What?!
Over the next few days, we toured some of our favorite Maine places--covered bridges, rivers, mountains, and the town of Andover. We shopped for some souvenirs, visited with Aunt Eda, and just enjoyed our time. It was a special time for Peepaw to remember all of his Maine memories, and the rest of us enjoyed our time together.
I love the nostalgia that comes with the state of Maine and can't wait to introduce EvaKate to our many favorite spots and memories there.
