USA Summer Tour: Portland, Maine

Hello! It has been a long, long time since I have blogged! We are just back from our 5 week trip to the States. It was so fun, so busy and my computer died the first week, hence the delay. A lot to catch up on so here we go!

We started the trip in a spot near and dear to our hearts, the place where Pete and I met, the great state of Maine (state motto: "the way life should be"-amen). We hadn't been in 5 years, when I was just pregnant with Jude and after missing our 10 year college reunion, I really wanted to find a way to return. When our dear family friends Karin and Allen (of the jumperoo fame!) offered us their apartment in Portland (and a promise of some free babysitting), we jumped at the opportunity. Nana and Pops wanted to join so we could spend more time together. We could not have asked for better weather for the week! We fell in love all over again.

There was way more to do than we had time for!

Portland's Farmer's Market

Portland Farmer's Market

Visit with the Gogolaks:

Nana snuggles:

Little Bowdoin reunion of our own at Mara's and getting to meet Liliana, Landon and Aiden! 

Playtime at the Eastern Promenade:

All fun and games...

...until Maeve takes a tumble and cuts under her chin on some playground equipment. To Urgent Care and then the ER we go for glue stitches (you aren't a Durning kid unless you have had your face stitched with glue :( ). I'd say she was a trooper and handled it great, but that would be a lie. To her credit, she was very jet-lagged, didn't get any dinner and was up 2+ hours past her bedtime through the whole ordeal. 

Iphone to the rescue

By the next morning, it was like nothing had ever happened to her, thank goodness! Back to fun:

Baking English Muffins with Karin:

A visit from the bunny rabbit:

Being totally overwhelmed in an American grocery store:

Visit with the Soper-Coxes

Checking out the coast and eating lobster rolls at Two Lights:

Evening Strolls and Playtime in the gorgeous Fort Williams Park:

Requisite visit to LLBean

A too-brief tour around Bowdoin:

Lunch at Big Top of course:

Date night back in Portland. Pete was impressed with the burgeoning craft beer scene (in Maine and honestly everywhere on our trip!). If you want to know what Pete misses most about America, this is it!

Morning at Wolf's Neck Farm, which looks like a sweet place to come for a camping trip in the future!

Portland Children's Museum with Daddy and again later in the week with Pops: 

Morning at Ferry beach. Perfect beach day, freezing cold water! 

More time with Erin (AKA "dos"): 

Dinner out with Cory, Mike and Jen. 

Walking to Tandem for cheddar/jalapeno scones:

Nana and Pops left a day before us, so we spent our final day brewery hopping:

Rising Tide

Bissel Brothers

And the afternoon at the park/splash pool with Cory, Mike and Ben. The kids did not care that the water was ice cold! 

Karin babysat on our final night so we could join Cory and Mike for dinner. It was so sweet watching her fed Maeve her dinner!

Karin and Allen, thank you for your amazing hospitality! What a great way to start our trip: well rested, well fed and with some great memories to keep.