The Trip, Part 2 (Maine)

We flew through Newark to Portland on Tuesday night.  (Flying into Newark, alongside Manhattan, just as the sun was going down and the lights were coming up, was breathtaking!  We saw all the sites, including famous buildings and the Statue of Liberty, just as we were about to land.  Incredible!)

Portland Highlights:

This is a park (with a boat dock just off of it) which is literally a block away from Care's house.  Her backyard looks out onto the water, and the neighborhood is ALL about boating, lobster, and the ocean.  So refreshing!

One funny thing--we were there just at the tail end of winter, so there were covered boats in everyone's yards, buoys pulled out of the water and left on empty lots, lobster cages in parking areas just waiting to be taken out for spring...  Care said in just a couple of weeks, the docks will be extended, tourists will return (cruise ships pour into downtown Portland a couple times a day, bringing thousands), and the harbors will be full again of hundreds of little boats.  Such a fun place!

We took the kids out of school for lunch and went to this awesome hamburger joint where we tried new "local fare":  hamburgers with "red relish" and grilled onions, and fries topped with celery salt and vinegar!  Yum!

Girls' afternoon out:  the cousins made "nail supply dishes" at Color Me Mine, while the moms got to relax!

We had a special chance Wednesday evening to visit the kids' school for a wonderful 4th grade arts night, then we headed home to prepare for a big day Thursday...