A Quick Trip to Maine

A few short weeks ago, my dear friend Jen's husband (hi, Chad!) contacted me, to see if there was a chance I could come to a surprise party for Jen's 40th birthday (in Maine!). I mentioned it to Steve and he thought I should just go for it. After going back and fourth for a few days about it, I found an airline ticket that would work, and started planning. It was pretty spur-of-the moment, but Jen and I have shared some unique and crazy adventures together over the years, so it all seemed fitting. It would be a weekend trip, and with two full days of travel, that left me with little more than two days in Maine, but boy, did I make the most of it!

Even though it was the quickest trip ever, I was determined to see Kate. Kate and I have known each other since the fourth grade ~ definitely one of my oldest friends. Every time I've been to Maine in the past 10 years we attempt to get together but have never been able to make it happen, so I was thrilled to see her. I got off the plane and met her for dinner (yay for real seafood!) and wish we could have spent more time together, but I sure was happy just to see her at all. Kate will most likely disown me for posting the above picture, but I'm willing to take the risk. I had to do some photo-editing because my face was so darn shiny from being on an airplane all day. Lovely! On a side note, if you've never visited Kate's blog before, do yourself a favor. Lots of creativity and dry wit. Kate, you're the best!

After dinner with Kate, I sped down to Topsham for some sleep and some time with my mother (who, I didn't get one single picture of). Next, I set off for the southern tip of Maine (more or less) and the scenic town of Wells. Somewhere between landing in Maine and arriving in Wells, I learned that Jen actually knew all about her surprise (stinker!). At least the pressure was off to make sure nobody blew my cover, and I even got to arrive a little early and spend more time with Jen.

We had a wonderful birthday dinner at Pedro's in Kennebunk, and I even got to see an old college friend (Darcey, on the left) who I hadn't seen in probably 18 years ~ she was just as I'd remembered her! If you live in the Brunswick/Topsham area, you may recognize her, as she is a doctor at Midcoast Hospital.

Had to get a picture with my favorite sports writer.

The next morning, Jen and I had a late breakfast and then headed to Ogunquit and a walk along Marginal Way. The weather was perfect and I'm so glad that I got to see the ocean.

That evening, I zoomed back up the coast to Topsham for dinner with my mother, and some sleep. Monday proved hectic with packing, a trip to the post office, and then a mad dash to see my nephews and sister-in-law. I had never met my youngest nephew, Oliver, before, so I was really glad to have the chance. My sister-in-law is lucky I didn't stuff Max (on the left, below) into my suitcase and take him back to Idaho with me. What a sweet little boy.

After leaving Dani and the boys, I zipped over to the Tontine Mall parking lot, for a lightening-speed visit and hug with my friend Heather. Heather, along with Kate and Jen, was a huge support to me while Steve was deployed, and I was so happy to see her, even if only for a few minutes.

Next it was off to the airport and back to Idaho. By the time I landed at 11 p.m. that night, my head was spinning. I can't believe how much I managed to cram into those couple of days, while still keeping the pace enjoyable.

A huge thank you to Steve, who really made the whole trip possible. He held down the fort for me while I was gone, and I came back to happy children and a clean house. Hooray!

Maine Wrap-Up

It is hot, hot, HOT here in Idaho, but I am not going to whine about it, because it is also hot in Maine, but they have the humidity to contend with, too. I am in the desert, so I will just sit here and sweat and remember that it could be worse!

This week has blown right past the boys and I, and I really need to get my rear in gear because I have a lot to accomplish in the coming weeks. I think we all needed a week of recovery (doesn't everyone need a vacation from their vacation, when it is over??) but now that a week has passed, it is time to buckle down and get serious. So, today I will leave you with some highlights from our trip to Maine:

My attempt at a birthday cake, while away from home and my cake decorating supplies. Camden wanted a Lego cake, so here it is, complete with finger prints from various children. Certainly not the Titanic cake I made last year, but Camden was thrilled, and that was the only opinion that mattered to me! Camden was so happy to be able to have his birthday in Maine this year, and I'm very thankful to my parents for helping me make that happen.

Spending time with Jen. Jen, thanks so much for stopping in on the 29th to see me - - I know it was a short visit but it meant so much to me!

Spending time with this precious girl. My niece Violet is so incredibly sweet, and I enjoyed every second that I spent with her. A big thank you to my brother and my sister-in-law for all the driving they did, to make it possible for us to spend so much time with her. The boys adore her (Griffin could write his own blog post about that!) and they all had such fun together.

Spending time with old friends. We enjoyed a lovely evening at the Cox home in Bowdoinham...so great to visit with Tony and the girls, and to see Eunice and meet Wells.

Reid State Park. Camden went crazy for the ocean - - his first real "beach" experience. Out of all of the pictures I took in Maine, this is my absolute favorite. The kids had such fun that day...it was perfect.

The view from my in-law's house. Love this picture of the Sweet Pea one morning...

My 20th high school reunion...it was so much fun reconnecting with old friends. I had a wonderful time over the two days of events and am so happy that I actually remembered to take a bunch of pictures!

Making new friends. I had the pleasure of spending time with someone who I never knew in high school - - we planned the reunion together - - and it was great. Ironically, her married name is Heather Davis!

A great night out with my parents. A stressful day ended perfectly with dinner at No. 10 Water at the Captain Daniel Stone Inn (where our wedding reception was held), followed by an evening at the Maine State Music Theater, where we saw, "Always...Patsy Cline". Perfect.

More cousin time! The boys also had the opportunity to spend lots of time with their cousin Max. He is a sweet, smart little guy, and they had so much fun playing together. Every time I think of him now, I think of him yelling, "Uncle Heebie!!!" whenever he'd see Steve. Too cute!

The Maine Maritime Museum. The boys loved it, but Camden was crazy about it. The boy loves ships. I think we could have left him there and picked him up at the end of the day and he would have been fine with that.

Boothbay Railway Village. Another huge hit with the boys. Again - - could have plopped the boys on the train and left them there to ride all day long. We will definitely be going back, the next time we are in Maine.

The magic show at the Curtis Memorial Library in Brunswick. We met Max and Dani there, and had the best time! Camden was tickled that he got to assist the magician.

Visiting Maine is always a bit tricky since both of our families live there, in that it is nearly impossible to fit everything in that we'd like to do. I think each time we go, we learn something new that will make our next trip a little easier. Throw two little kids in the mix, and we kind of just have to "go with the flow" based on how they are holding up. The boys did a great job, are good little travelers, and I'd say they adjust and adapt very well. I'm so proud of them!

As for me, I am really missing my morning walks with my mother. Luckily for me, my parents will be coming to Idaho in the near future!

Eating My Way Through Maine

When I returned to Idaho last week and started looking at all of the pictures I'd taken, I realized that I'd taken a lot of pictures of food. For example:

Amato's Whoopie Pie

Fresh Maine lobster (thanks, Mum & Dad!)

Pancetta peas from our dinner at No. 10 Water

Moxie (at Reid State Park, no less)

Whoopie Pie from the Vegetable Corner

No food in this picture, but can you guess where this was taken? Yes...standing in line for a hot dog at Danny's on the Mall in Brunswick (with ketchup, relish, and onions, thankyouverymuch)

Clearly, it is a crime to go anywhere near Brunswick, Maine and not make a stop at Fat Boy. I enjoyed a banana frappe and some onion rings, and boy oh boy were they good.

Food not pictured? My mother's delicious Italian sandwiches, the fresh haddock that my father-in-law prepared, the lobster crostini I enjoyed at Sea Dog, and the delicious gluten-free muffin I had at Wildflours Bakery...wish I'd managed to have one more of those! I can't believe that I didn't manage to eat a lobster roll while in Maine...that will be at the top of my list for my next visit!

Blueberry-Lemon-Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Before my parents came to visit last December, I asked my mother to go to Reny's (oh, how I miss Reny's!) and pick up a couple of cans of Wyman's Blueberries. The blueberries out West are gigantic, and nothing at all like wild Maine blueberries. I don't like the large ones at all in baked products - - just not the same!

I held onto those cans for over a month before I finally decided I could part with one of them - - after all, that is why I'd asked for them. So, I turned to my copy of Stonewall Kitchen Harvest for some inspiration. If you've not had the pleasure of thumbing through this cookbook, you are missing out. It is full of wonderful seasonal recipes, and I have many, many pages marked for future cooking and baking adventures.

This recipe produces a cake that is light, delicate, and super, super moist, with a layer of blueberry, cinnamon, and nuts in the center. Lemon zest adds a nice touch, and it is covered with a nice crumb topping. Definitely worthy of my coveted can of wild Maine blueberries!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease and flour a 12-cup Bundt pan and set aside. Make blueberry filling:

~ 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries (or, one can Wyman's Wild Blueberries)

~ 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

~ 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar

~ 1 1/2 tsp. grated lemon zest

~ 1 tsp. ground cinnamon

Set this mixture aside. Next, make the crumb topping:

~ 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

~ 1/4 cup granulated sugar

~ 1 tsp. ground cinnamon

Set this mixture aside, too. Now, make the cake batter:

~ 2 cups all-purpose flour

~ 1 tsp. baking powder

~ 1/2 tsp. baking soda

~ 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature (do not use margarine)

~ 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

~ 2 large eggs

~ 1 cup regular sour cream (do not use fat-free or reduced fat)

~ 1/2 Tbsp. grated lemon zest

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Set aside. In large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar with mixer at medium speed, until fluffy and pale yellow, approximately 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce speed to low and add half of the flour mixture, beating until well-incorporated. Add half of the sour cream and all of the lemon zest and mix well. Add the remaining flour and then the remaining sour cream, scraping the bowl as needed, and mixing until smooth and completely mixed.

Spoon half the batter into the prepared Bundt pan; smooth with a spatula. Sprinkle the blueberry mixture evenly over the cake batter. Top with remaining batter; smooth gently with spatula. The batter will be a bit thick and difficult to work with - don't worry, the cake will turn out fine. Sprinkle with crumb topping. Bake for 55 minutes to one hour, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for 30 minutes. You might need to use a table knife to gently release the cake from the pan's sides. Then, invert onto a serving plate and gently remove the pan. This cake will keep at room temperature, tightly wrapped in plastic, for several days. It can also be wrapped and frozen for several months. Delicious!

Back in Idaho

We made it! I was up at 3:30 this morning, and heading for Portland at 4:30, and now here I am, back home in Idaho. Riley bawled his eyes out when he saw me, of course. He is very devoted to his mother. The trip was super-smooth, thank goodness. My biggest concern was how far we would have to walk, in-between terminals, at O'Hare Airport. Someone was obviously watching over me today, because we landed at gate F12, and then our flight to Boise took off from gate....F12. What luck! Oddly enough, Senator Larry Craig was sitting next to me as we waited in the terminal. Did he follow us to Maine or something?

As for the boys, here is how they looked for a better part of the flight home:




They were real troopers, I tell you. We've just finished dinner, and Steve and Camden have gone down to the river to throw rocks. Time to bathe Griffie and start unpacking! It feels good to be home, but at the same time, we are missing Maine, and everyone there.

Happy Halloween!

Being the costume freak that he is, today was quite a day for Camden. As you may recall, he's been building the perfect pirate costume for months, and counting the days until Halloween. Last night, we found a rack of costumes at TJ Maxx that were 75% off, so Camden added a Batman and Superman costume to his growing collection. He spend the first part of the night as a pirate, and the second half as Batman. He finally wore himself out a short time ago, and despite the loads of sugar coursing through his veins, he is sleeping soundly. I am taking advantage of this quiet time and am attempting to pack and organize, so I don't have to spend all day doing it tomorrow. So, without further ado, some Halloween photos, for your viewing pleasure:

Winding Down

Um....yeah - - that would be Griffin, climbing on furniture. He's become rather mischievous since we've been in Maine, or, I suppose I should say, MORE mischievous. He is almost walking, but I am advising him to wait until he is back in Idaho before taking his first steps, so Daddy doesn't miss it.

We spent last night with Aunt Jean and Uncle Ken in Hollis Center, and had a very nice visit. It went by too quickly though, and before we knew it, we were back in Topsham, at which point I discovered I'd left my glasses in Hollis Center. Tomorrow morning, I'm off to South Portland bright and early, to meet up with Aunt Jean and retrieve said glasses! Then, my friend Amy and her son Clayton are coming down from Belfast for a visit, which I am really looking forward to. This evening, I had the good fortune to catch up with my old friend Suzette, and we are hoping to do even more catching up before I head out of town.


Some highlights from the past few days - - Mum and I took the boys to the Childrens Museaum of Maine - - poor Camden was so beside himself, he could barely form complete sentences. He had so much fun, and especially loved the pirate ship (of course). Dad and I took the boys to Dunkin Donuts, because we don't have Dunkin Donuts in Idaho, and more importantly, every little boy needs to gorge himself on a box of munchkins. Today, on the way back from Hollis Center, we took the boys to Smiling Hill Farm. Camden particularly loved the wooden train and played on that for as long as we let him! Camden and Dad spent some time playing in the leaves and fashioning a "leaf man", and had a great time. Of course we have Halloween coming up on Wednesday, and then some last-minute running around before we head back home bright and early on Friday morning.

Scenes from Maine

Camden, visiting the cockpit, upon landing in Portland, Maine


The view from Steve's parents' deck


Steve & Camden, out on a lobster boat


Steve, Jeff, & Tony



The S'mores Fire


Nana & Griffin


The beautiful coast of Maine, Cape Elizabeth


Steve & Camden, exploring the coast


From the Davis Family Photo Shoot, this past Sunday

Time Flies...

Steve headed back to Idaho early this morning, and so the boys and I have a little over a week and a half left of our vacation here in Maine. This past week was spent in Harpswell, at Steve's parents' house. The first part of the week, Steve did a few projects with his father and the boys and I hung around the house. Camden went for a boat ride on Grampa's boat, and then also got to go for a ride on our good friend Jim's lobster boat. I spent some time visiting with my old friend, Sara, and that was great - - I'm hoping to spend some more time with her before we head back home. The most exciting thing about our week was when our nephew, Max, was born on Friday. His parents are Steve's sister, Danielle, and her husband, Aaron. He sure is a cute little guy! On Saturday, the four of us went to Tony & Heather's house for a big get-together with a bunch of Steve's friends (and their families). We had a great time, and it was so nice to see everyone. Yesterday, we met my parents, along with my brother Kevin, his wife Rachel, and their daughter Violet at Portland Head Light to have a big family picture taken. After that, we headed over to Aunt Jean and Uncle Ken's house in Hollis, for brunch.

This post would be a whole lot more interesting, if I could attach all of the pictures that go with these events, but I can't seem to do it. You see, I am a PC girl, and my parents have an iMac. I am getting ready to beat my head against the wall in frustration, so I guess I'd better quit while I am ahead. I'm in hopes that pictures will be added, soon.

The Long Arm of the Law...

...reaches out and slaps Steve:

Okay...not really - - he was let off with a warning. I took this picture with my cell phone, as the nice police officer was looking up Steve's spotless driving record. We were on our way out for appetizers/cocktails this evening, and Ol' Lead Foot was going 50 in a 35, probably due to the fact that we were about to experience an extremely rare child-free evening. All kidding aside, I must tell you that Steve is probably the safest and most law-abiding driver I know, so it is actually quite funny to me that he was speeding. We'll blame it on the fact that we are on vacation, driving someone else's car, yada, yada, yada.

Anyway, we had some great crab cakes, fried calamari, and split a dessert, then headed to Freeport for a little shopping at L.L. Bean. When we got back, Camden was sound asleep, but Griffin was still fussing - - the boy is having an awfully hard time adjusting to the big change in his normally very predictable little life. He'll probably pull it together just in time for us to head back to Idaho!