Vacationing

February 27, 2022 By Carole

And just like that . . . vacation is over. But what a fun and relaxing vacation it was.

We got some stuff checked off the list . . . Dale had a colonoscopy (and got the all clear for 10 years), we organized and rearranged our mudroom/pantry, I sorted through our collection of hats, scarves, and mittens, and I finished up the after-Christmas-to-do-list that I set up for myself for January and February. I had my first ever professional massage (and now I’m wondering why I waited so long).

At the mid-week point we took a mini family vacation to Freeport, Maine. It was Jackie’s first time in a hotel and I’d say he adapted to it pretty readily. We shopped! And ate in restaurants! The change of scenery was welcome and I have a short video of the whole thing.

I want to end this post with an acknowledgement of the horror that is happening in Ukraine. It’s weighing heavily on my mind and I’m sure it is on yours as well. There’s nothing that my voice can contribute to understanding the situation and there are lots of resources available to turn to for learning more and finding ways to help. I encourage you to do that and, when you need a break from the heaviness of all of it, turn to this blog for things like knitting and reading and a glimpse of the life of an average family.

Iceland, Day One

December 14, 2021 By Carole

I think it’s waaaaaay past time to recap our trip to Iceland, don’t you? Today, I’m sharing the photos and experiences from Day One. As an intro, we flew overnight from Boston. It’s about a 5 hour flight and, while I tried to sleep, it really didn’t happen. All of the advice I got was to stay up once we arrived in Reykjavik and, after we got the rental car sorted and checked in to our hotel (we booked a room for the night before so that we could get in at 6am) that’s what I did, but Dale did sneak in a nap before breakfast.

Doreen and Mark, Hannah’s godparents and our very dear friends, were with us and once everyone was ready we set out to explore the city a bit.

We had a fabulous breakfast at a local café. Seriously, those eggs were perfection. After we were fortified we walked (and walked), checking out shops and admiring local gardens, doing some people watching and thinking about how we wanted to spend the rest of the day.

In the evening, Hannah and Mikey hosted a welcome dinner for everyone at a nearby restaurant. We had a very cool room to ourselves, it was full of couches and comfy seating, our own bar set up and plenty of delicious appetizers.

There were speeches and Hannah and Mikey distributed welcome bags that I had helped to make with the Cricut. There was a roof top bar and the evening was mild enough to hang out up there for photo ops.

I was so proud of Hannah and Mikey for arranging this get together for everyone. We got to know their Icelandic friends and it was a great bonding experience for the entire group. I even managed to get a selfie with my Hanny Bride, as we called her.

It was a wonderful first day of our Icelandic adventure and boy was I ready for bed when the time finally came!

Maine Vacation Recap

June 28, 2021 By Carole

If someone could explain to me how a week on vacation goes by at warp speed while a week at work just drags I sure would appreciate it. If someone could actually reverse those two actions and make the vacation week be the slow one and the work week be the fast one, well, they’d be a millionaire. Seriously, I always feel like the week stretches before us in one glorious unplanned span of days on the first day. And then, inexplicably, it’s time to go home and it feels like it’s been about 10 minutes since we arrived.

Anyway. Not complaining. Just observing.

We had a great week. I have a bunch of photos that have mostly already been shared on Instagram but I’m sharing them here, too, in case you missed them. And because recapping our vacations on the blog is something I always do.

There was lobster. Lots of lobster, despite the fact that prices are rather high this year. We had lobster rolls 4 different times and hot lobster with butter twice.

There was a brewery. We took ourselves for a walk over a foot bridge and back and then wandered up the waterfront to drink some beer. It was late afternoon and we sat outside and the weather was perfect. As the place filled up it all just felt so normal. It was great.

There was plenty of time for porch sitting. I never get tired of the view or watching for changes in the sky. There was a rainbow on our first night and a full moon later in the week.

There was time indoors, too, as the nights were a bit chilly. We even had a fire on our last night and ate dinner (lobsters again) by the fire while watching Broadchurch.

There was a birthday! It was the day we had to leave, which was a bit of a bummer, but still, Dale turned 70 and we managed to celebrate in Maine with lobster rolls on our way home and in Massachusetts with cocktails on our own deck after we unpacked.

It was a truly wonderful week.

It’s Monday. And I’m Ready.

August 31, 2020 By Carole

I had a great two weeks off from responsibility. I eschewed work. Routines. Habits. Even blogging! Now, though, it’s time (as Kym would say) to start my engines and embrace the good things about daily life around here.

First, though, how about a quick look back at our time on Cape Cod.

It was pretty great! And fast, although not as fast as that video makes it seem.

So. Monday. Time for re-entry. Let’s do this!

Maine Vacation, 2020

July 29, 2020 By Carole

Our vacation in Maine this year (the 4th in a row since we went back to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary in 2017, this is the house where we spent our honeymoon) was very very different from previous years. For one thing, there is the pandemic. And, while Maine has very low case numbers, we were still quite cautious about doing the things we usually do like going out to eat and shopping. And for two, Dale’s mobility is limited. This house, which I adore, is on a gravel road, with somewhat uneven steps and a significant slope down to the front door. Those things do not make it easy for a guy with a broken leg to get in and out.

I knew all of this going in, of course. Dale and I discussed several times whether we should go, knowing that we wouldn’t be able to do some of the things we have always done . . . taking walks together every day, both on the beach and through the neighborhood was off the table, in addition to the other things I’ve already mentioned. I figured I’d be okay with the restrictions. I figured sitting on the porch and enjoying the beautiful view with books and Dale would be just fine.

I was both right and wrong about that.

I really really missed walking on the beach and walking in the neighborhood. I know I could have gone by myself, Dale even encouraged me to do it, but it just felt . . . wrong. I had no desire to do that without him by my side to talk with about all the little things that come up on a walk, to show pieces of beach glass to, to exclaim over unique rocks and admire pretty gardens, and dream about the house we would buy if we won the lottery.

I’ll be perfectly honest and say it took a few days to adjust to the changes and hit my stride. By Tuesday, though, I was good with it. I resigned myself to being the one who would run out alone for supplies as needed. I, somewhat grudgingly, accepted that the extra cooking was okay because we got to dine al fresco with a wonderful view every night. And I recognized that while shopping can be fun, there wasn’t anything new under the sun I was likely to find, even if my cocktail napkin supply is in desperate need of replenishing and gift shops are the perfect place to find them.

But enough of this. Want to see some pictures? Because it really was a lovely week.

The night we arrived was cool and we retreated inside for Friday Night Snacks.

And a fire!

After that, though, the days were warm and the nights were comfortable. We usually go in June and July was much different as far as the weather.

We did have a wonderful visit with Kim and Ken, we visited the Farmer’s Market together and had a great afternoon on our porch and an early dinner together before they headed home.

Other than that, though, it was lots of reading and porch sitting.

Dale remarked at one point, there’s not much going on but there sure is a lot to see. That made me laugh because it’s just so true when it comes to gazing out at the bay in front of this house. There’s lots to see: sailboats and speed boats, loons and sea gulls and even a black duck and duckling, fish swirling, people watching, and more.

We ate just fine, I grilled a few times. (Please note, my hair hasn’t been this long since . . . I can’t even remember. I really need to get over my apprehension and get a haircut.)

And we had lobster, of course. First, hot with butter. And then also lobster rolls.

Pretty much each afternoon looked like this.

And each evening looked like this.

It was different. And ultimately good for us. The distractions at home, the news, the mail, the television, were all stripped away and it was just us. And once I accepted the changes as positive it turned out to be a pretty great week.