The big metal bird flew daddy back to Maine on Saturday the 18th. It was a full house with Carol and Norman joining Audrey at the Supovitz Compound.
On Saturday and Sunday we decided to break up the usual beach monotony of swimming and digging in the sand with some swimming and digging in the sand.
On Monday we began our annual "Vacation From Vacation" festivities with another trip to the Mount Washington Hotel. The girls made it crystal clear that they did not want to go up to the top of the mountain like they did last year (too cold and windy, don't ya know). Instead, all they wanted to do was check into the hotel and swim in the pools. So that's what we did. All day.
Stella and Marni were very eager to show us how much they learned at swimming lessons by splashing around without ever using their swimmies.
After swimming the girls were ready for their other favorite Mount Washington Hotel event... hot chocolate on the back veranda.
Dancing at the Mt. Washington Hotel
That night we all cleaned up and headed to dinner in the main dining room. In between courses, the four of us danced to the band. Some better than others.
On Tuesday we did some more swimming before checkout and then hiked The Flume again. Lots of fun. Just a little bit of whining.
The kids were too small to ride the zip line. But mom and dad weren't. So Lisa and I got tickets for our first zip line rides and Stella and Marni had to settle for bungee jumping. The bungee jump operator was especially taken with Stella's laugh which he compared to Butthead's in "Beavis and Butthead". As for Marni... he compared her laugh to a hyena in The Lion King. It was enough cuteness to get them both an extra turn on the ride.
Wednesday was another beach day with a bike ride to Rising Tide for dinner. At some point during our Maine adventure, Stella decided she liked lobster... a lot! Now, everywhere we go, Stella's meal of choice is twin lobsters. She loves the claws and the legs, but thinks the tail is yuck (she's an idiot). Little does she realize that her days of twin lobsters comes to an end once we leave Maine. It just ain't gonna happen in New York City.
On Thursday the cousins arrived and the beach fun got even funner.
Shark tournament
Brian and Jill headed to Portland on Friday for a well-deserved overnight stay at the swanky Portland Harbor Hotel (a gift from us to thank them for taking care of the girls during camp). We piled the four kids into the car and took them crabbing and to the Maine Shark Tournament. While at the Tournament the kids got to be up close and personal as each caught shark got gutted and cut up into pieces. Yum.
Saturday we took the four kids on a walk downtown for pizza lunch and then (finally!) to Palace Playland. This year we smartened up and bought each kid a day pass. Then we sat back and watched as they went wild and rode every ride possible... multiple times. Tyler even rode the adult roller coaster all by himself (because we're such responsible caretakers). Later that evening Lisa and Brian took the four kids back to Palace Playland to do it all over again and maximize the value of our full-day passes.
On Sunday we made pancakes, smashed geodes, went to the beach, and ate lots of lobsters.
And on Monday daddy got back on the big metal bird and flew home to NYC.
Digging with Cousin Lilly
Checking into the Mt. Washington Hotel
Stella takes the plunge.
Marni takes a dive.
Hanging on the veranda at the Mt. Washington Hotel.
I flew up to Maine Friday (8/10) morning and was greeted at the airport by The Human Periscope (Marni's smiling face sticking out of the moonroof of the car).
Later in the day Marni took her inaugural on-road bike ride to Salty Bay for some ice cream.
Very. Brave. Girl.
As is customary with Marni, she never shut up the entire time. Barking orders to everyone. You're going too fast. You're going too slow. And then a story about how a boy in her class tried to kiss a girl in her class... months ago!
Surf 6
On Saturday we took a walk to our favorite beachside restaurant, Surf 6. Then it was time for the girls' first trip to "downtown" (aka Palace Playland). This year they seriously stepped it up by going on even more vomit-inducing rides. I accompanied Stella and Marni on Riptide, which looks a lot more mild than it is. Lisa was then dragged onto The Matterhorn by Stella.
Stella loved it. Lisa, not so much.
Then Stella accompanied Marni on the ride. Two happy customers.
The weather on Sunday started off a bit dreary. After some shopping we headed to a local movie theater to see "Ice Age: Continental Drift". Little did we know that this movie theater was a restaurant movie theater where they serve meals on tables in every theater. The kids loved it and promptly declared that this is the only movie theater we are going to... forever.
Later in the day the weather cleared up and we all headed down to the beach.
