The Maine Event 2013: All the Other Stuff

When we last checked in with our summer vacation in Maine it was August 19th and we had just finished our second full week at The Cottage.

It's now a month later and, at this point, all I'm able to do is reconstruct a really brief summary of the remainder of the summer. So, here goes...

I flew back up to Maine on the 23rd. We did some bike-riding, some beaching, and lots of eating. A typical weekend. On Sunday we took a sail around Casco Bay with our neighbors, the Friscos. Cousin Julie and her kids were staying across the street and we even got a couple of visits from cousin Andy.

I flew back to NYC on Monday and returned to Maine for the last time on Saturday the 31st. The Hoffmans were already at The Cottage for a few days when I arrived. That night we did the annual Palace Playland fun fest with Tyler and Delia.

On Sunday Brian and Delia drove back home. The next day (Labor Day) we dropped Jill and Tyler off at the airport to fly back to New Jersey. After dropping them off, we headed up to Lewiston. We visited the cemetery where Grandma Sara and Grandpa Harry are buried (a first for the kids). Then we headed to Lisbon Street to see the Supovitz Brothers building (where my grandfather's clothing store was once located). The final stop was Bradley Street to see Papa Art's childhood home. We stopped off in Wiscasset, for lunch, on the way back to The Cottage.

The remainder of the week was a bit bizarre. Since it was now after Labor Day, lots of stuff was no longer open. And the neighborhood and beach were eerily quiet.

Karen and Glenn and Nana and Papa joined us Wednesday for the first night of Rosh Hashana.

On Friday we started packing for the return to Brooklyn and on Saturday we headed directly back home.

So ended "The Maine Event 2013". It was a weird summer. It ran longer than usual and ended with a whimper (after Labor Day). We never got around to doing a lot of the things we planned to. But this isn't the end of our fun in Maine for 2013. We'll be back at The Cottage for an unusual Columbus Day weekend visit in October and back again in November for Thanksgiving.

After that, the pipes are drained; the electricity is turned off; and we do it all over again in the spring.

Digging with Spencer

 

Their 50th time down the water flume.

Soaked after the water flume.

Trailer trash kids in training.

My version of Wyeth's "Christina's World", with Marni and Moxie.

On the sailboat.

Mermaid on a rock.

The annual photo.

Tyler gets in on the Rainbow Loom craze.

Visiting Grandma Sara and Grandpa Harry.

In front of Grandpa Harry's old store.

Rosh Hashana dinner, night 1.

 

Awful

The girls' new game... Doctor.

Lunch on a mostly-closed pier.

So sad. The amusement park closed after Labor Day.

The Rainbow Loom craze sinks to a new low.

 

Heading off to temple.

Brave girls.

The absolute last moment on the beach.

 

The Maine Event 2013: Weeks 1 and 2

Night 1 in the 1960s.

This year's Maine vacation started under a cloak of secrecy.

The Shepards snuck into OOB a day early in order to help with Nana Bev's surprise 80th birthday party. As far as Nana Bev knew, we were not scheduled to be in Maine until Saturday. But, after an overnight stay in a 1960s motel in Sturbridge, Mass. on Thursday, we slipped into Maine on Friday to join Toots and Glenn.

The party went off like clockwork on Saturday and Nana Bev was duly surprised.

Sunday was a warm sunny day and everyone went to the beach. That night we went to our first-ever Old Orchard Beach Raging Tides baseball game. Loved it (and we won in extra innings).

We did our usually OOB stuff until we headed to Mt. Washington on Thursday. The girls splished and splashed in all the Mt. Washington Hotel swimming pools until dinner.

The portrait.

On Friday we met with cousins Claire, Larry, Randy and Steven as they coincidentally started their Mt. Washington Hotel vacation. While we were waiting for the cousins to arrive, the girls sat for a portrait in the hotel lobby.

When we returned to the cottage Friday evening, cousins Randy and Rochelle were waiting for us. Randy and Ro stuck around for fun in the sun until Saturday afternoon. On Sunday we went canoeing in the Scarborough marsh. We were very happy to get back to dry land.

On Monday morning Daddy's taxi didn't show up, so he had to drive himself to the airport at 4:45 am.

On Friday Daddy missed his flight back to Maine and had to hang out at JFK until the next flight... 3 hours later. By missing the flight he (I) also missed connecting with our honored guests Theo and Cindy who had just flown in from L.A.

Theo and Cindy stayed until Monday and thoroughly enjoyed their stay (despite Stella and Marni).

And on Monday, Daddy flew off to NYC again.

So ended week 2.

Helping the Chef for Nana Bev's party.

Cooking.

The surprised birthday girl.

The food.

Glenn giving instructions on how to eat.

Dressed up for Nana's party.

Eating on the hammock with Lilly.

The cousins and their tongues.

Best buddies.

Cousins (and Papa Art).

Spilling out into the side yard.

Helping Nana blow out the candles.

Our first-ever Raging Tide game.

This ball came whizzing past Marni's head.

Baseball fashion.

Crabbing.

Snoozing at the Mt. Washington Hotel.

Hot mama, poolside.

Hot chocolate time on the hotel porch.

The beauties.

Enjoying ice cream at our new place, Garside's.

Sleeping beauty.

Enjoying the beach.

Fun in a rain storm.

Beach babe.

The girls and Ro at the Lobster Shack.

Canoing in Scarborough.

 

Theo, Cindy, us and 6 more friends.

Cindy playing Monopoly with the cheaters.

Dinner at Fore Street.

A little B.U. reunion with Eileen.

At the Portland Head Light.

Torturing Cindy.

We're 6!

Six years ago I started this blog while relaxing at the old cottage. It's been a lot of fun for me and I hope that it'll be a valuable tool for looking back when the girls get a little older. Marni already likes to browse through the blog and reminisce. The fact that Stella can now read whatever I write has prompted me to think a little harder before writing. Here are some facts:




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