Maine

Snow Tubing

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Friday we got another foot of snow.  Yeah, I thought spring was on its way too, but HAHAHHAHAHAHHHH!!  We live in Maine.  So yesterday (Saturday) we decided to put all this white stuff to good use. Via SNOW TUBING.  We drove to Seacoast Snow Park in Windham.  Only 25 minutes yet a world of fun away!

Here we are at the bottom of the hill.  When we first started we were feeling perky and WAY EXCITED!  So we hoofed it up the hill.  I overheard a family walking alongside us saying it was GOOD to walk, that we were all doing it the old fashioned way.  (Old fashioned = code language for WORK OUT)

Here we are at the top.  I cannot tell you how much FUN!! it was cascading down.  Snow spraying hitting your face, the wind in your hair.  I felt positively giddy.  As you can see, there’s not a huge wait for a lane.  This is b/c there are 12 lanes to choose from. And snow tubing sessions are divided into 2-hour blocks.  Only *so many* tubes are sold per session, so things keep moving.  Single riders can go in any of the 12 lanes, but if you want to link your tube up with other riders, you have to choose the proper lane: 2 riders, up to 6 riders, or more.

The four of us hoofed it up the hill once and rode down.  Then we hoofed it up again and went down again.  After this we were TIRED.  The hill’s not that high but it ain’t that short either. So we decided it was time to be carried.   That’s right; CARRIED!  Not on the backs of sherpas but via conveyor belt or rope tow!  The conveyor belt works just like you’d imagine.  You step onto it and stand with your tube as it whisks you up the hill.

Image: Seacoast Fun Park

We didn’t use the conveyor belt method. Mostly b/c all the double tubes had to be carried that way and the wait was much longer.  As we were all using single tubes, we opted for the rope tow.  The rope tow line was fairly short and the method more appealing.  You sit in your tube and relax.  A handle connected to your tube is looped onto a metal claw attached to the rope.  You and your tube are yanked up the hill to the top, where at a specified location you toss yourself off your tube and proceed a few steps to collect your ride.

Image courtesy of Geoff (maybe that's his kid?)

Here we are waiting at the bottom of the hill in the rope tow line.  You can see the mechanism to the left, pulling the happy tubers up to the top.  The wait was short and while waiting we listened to music over the loudspeakers.  They were playing “The Q” – the Top 40 radio station here in Portland.  Very toe tapping / booty shaking music, sure to put you in a good tubing mood.  My younger daughter is a BIG Q fan – but that’s for another post altogether..

Me & “Greenie”

Here we are back at the top, waiting in line for Lane 1.  Lane 1 is the best lane – single riders only – it’s curvy and has a mogul in one spot.  Worth the short wait.

After this I couldn’t take anymore pics b/c my iPhone camera stopped working.  Personally, I think it got jealous of the fun we were having and decided to stick it to me.  So I didn’t get any shots on the rope tow, or while tubing down any of the lanes.  But that’s probably for the best.  We went a total of 9 times in our 2 hour session, mostly linked together in a big mass of four tubes.  The added weight only served to increase our speed, velocity & fun — so together we FLEWWWW down the hill, Whoopping & hollering and having a BLAST!!  I’m glad I couldn’t take photos — for once I simply sat back and enjoyed the ride. 🙂

Stonyfield Cafe

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I am someone who not just likes yogurt; I love it.  But when it comes to Stonyfield Farm, it’s more honest to describe my feelings as LOVE (all caps).  It’s been a passionate affair, me and SF.  In the beginning it was honeymoon hot.  We’d rendezvous daily – on average, 12 oz. – sometimes more.  Over the ensuing months, I started noticing others.. but still. SF remained first in my heart.  Back in 2008, when I won a Stonyfield Recipe of the Month contest, I thought I’d reached the pinnacle of yogurt pleasure.  Until, that is, we moved to Maine and I was finally afforded an in-person visit to the very birthplace of my beloved, Stonyfield Farm’s Yogurt Works.  Perhaps that face-to-face meeting was the turning point.  I always knew how much I loved him, but I never dreamt he felt the same way about ME.  Now.  I know it’s true.

Weeks ago I was in the throes of Dress Quest 2010.  I’d driven north to check out a chi-chi shoppe, when suddenly I saw concrete (or maybe aluminum siding) proof that SF LOVES ME JUST AS MUCH AS I LOVE HIM!

WHOOMP!! THERE IT IS!!!!!!

Tucked into an upscale strip mall just north of Portland in the town of Falmouth, Maine, is MY BOYFRIEND the restaurant to top all others.  The one, the only, Stonyfield Café. When first I spied his distinctive blue & yellow sign, I simply couldn’t believe my eyes.  You know when you reaaaaaaalllly reeeeeallllly like someone, and you search for them wherever you go, just hoping to catch a glimpse?  Well, this first meeting felt exactly like that.  But BETTER.  I was (as I said) embroiled in Dress Quest 2010, just a few frocks short of institutionalization.  My sanity was hanging on a dime.  I blinked once, I blinked twice.  But three blinks later, SF was still there.  (That guy above w/ the chairs wasn’t there yet.  Or he might have noticed my SHEER UNBRIDLED DISBELIEF.)  I floored it into the ample parking lot, hustled my kids from the car and literally HOOFED IT into the restaurant.  (For fear it would disappear before I got in.)

Once inside, I gazed in wonder at the beauty of his form..

Despite my daughters’ cool exteriors, I was a jangle of nervous palpitations.  OOOoHhhHhhHHHHH!!!  Good thing SF already loves me more than any other girl on the face of the planet (don’t be jealous) AND knows how to be forceful when necessary!  We dutifully took our place in the queue.

Here we are, self-seated and ready to tuck in.  The girls got Mac & Cheese kids meals w/ homemade flatbread – baked right there in SF’s MIGHTY BRICK OVEN.

Just looking at it made me HOT ALL OVER!

Phew!  So warm in here.. I opted for something lighter to help cool me down.  A Balsamic Cran Salad – no “extra protein” necessary.  With a Chocolate Underground yogurt, for afters, of course.

The first bite.  And the verdict is……???

MMmmMmmmmm!  SF is GOOOOOOD.  So good in fact that we inhaled our lunch in mere minutes.  (Pardon me.)

I didn’t want to embarrass anybody by licking my plate like an animal, but I would have, if only SF and I had been ALONE.  (grrooowwwwlll)

NEXT. Time to freshen up!  OOOooh SF, I’ll ALWAYS be your GAL!

Afterward I noticed how wonderful SF is – providing ample seating for a larger family, as well as free comfy space for community groups to gather.  That is just so thoughtful!  (Stud.)

And then. it truly was goodbye.  SF begged me to share a glass (or three) of organic wine with him, or splurge on some frozen yogurt for the kids.  But it was still early, and the girls were full.  So with that we parted ways.  But not for long.  Be seeing you soon, SF!  Try not to miss me too much.  xo

Field trip to Augusta.

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It’s not enough to simply live here.  Over the past several weeks my daughter has been indoctrinating us in ALL THINGS MAINE.  Often at dinner, when none of us can get away.  What is the Maine state bird?  The Black-Capped Chickadee.  What is the Maine state insect? The Honeybee. And the largest vegetable export? Po-ta-toes.  Being non-natives, I actually find this knowledge helpful and interesting, if not strictly practical.  Perhaps someday I’ll be invited to a cocktail party where this sort of thing will simply WOW my fellow guests.  ANYWAY. Yesterday was the culmination of this Maine school segment – at least for me.  B/c yesterday I chaperoned my older daughter’s class trip to Augusta.  For those of you with fuzzy recollections, Augusta is the capital of Maine.  It’s where the State House is located, the governor’s mansion (The Blaine House), and more.  My daughter & I were EXCITED!!!  Not only to soak in our new capital, but to have a capital adventure together.

Behold!  The beautiful Maine State House.  The building below is its next-door neighbor.  It looked governmental, so I took its photo too.  [I believe it houses the cafeteria.]

Our group arrived early.  Mostly b/c we live in MAINE where traffic is virtually unknown.  To pass the time, the students were grilled on Maine facts.  YES!  I thought!  TIME FOR ME TO SHINE!!  Until I realized they were only asking the 4th graders.  Not wanting to seem pushy, I kept my mouth shut.  Even though I knew all the answers.  YOU KNOW I DID.  Those 4th graders were thrusting hands in the air, chanting in unison and even singing a song about all sixteen counties.  (I did not know that one and will now have to practice.)  Before we knew it, the time had flown and our tour guide had arrived!

But WAIT!  That’s no tour guide — that’s

Governor Baldacci ~!!

Who delighted each & every one of us with a PERSONAL VISIT!

[Insert Loud Applause]

After all, Maine’s motto isn’t THE WAY LIFE SHOULD BE for nothing!  Even though our beloved Governor is beyond busy, he took the time to greet us, let us all traipse through his office and – he even shook my hand!! (AND Yes, I did wash it grudgingly this morning.  But only b/c I knew I “had to.”)

PS: Governor Baldacci is so cool and important, he’s even got a RED PHONE.

But the Governor has a job to do – so back to the tour!  Our (real) guide led us upstairs to the House of Representatives and the Senate.  Conveniently located at opposite ends of the enormous hallway.

This is the House of Representatives.  No offense to the Senators – who likely prefer their chamber b/c of its cozy size – but I found the House much more impressive.  It’s HUGE!

And the Representatives allow tour groups to sit in their chairs.  Which we didn’t have time to do b/c of the Governor’s surprise visit, but still it was a nice offer.  Those Representatives are really nice about their stuff.  Remind me to register to vote sometime.

This is the Senate.  At the other end of the hallway.

Like I told you, meh.  They’d tried to curry favor with us by including an electronic welcome message on the board:

But the tour guide kept reminding us not to touch anything.  Senators are really particular about their stuff.  No chair testing.  HANDS OFF!  You’d think these Senators would share the wealth a little bit (seeing as we TAXPAYERS are footing their bills..)  Sheesh.

In the middle of the hallway is the Rotunda, and BOY is it lovely.  You can look straight up several stories to the inside of the capitol dome.

I was also really impressed by the scope of the artwork on display throughout the building.  TONS of exquisite oil portraits, as well as landscapes, and in Governor Baldacci’s quarters, even Norman Rockwell originals!

And then, all too soon, our tour was over. But the fun wasn’t!  We proceeded a short distance across the complex to the Maine State Museum.  A hidden gem of a place, that truly everyone in Maine should visit at least once.

After eating lunch, we broke into smaller groups in order to take in the exhibits.

I kept thinking how much my husband & family would enjoy it.  It really is such a neat place.  They have displays on everything imaginable in Maine’s history.  From the earliest Paleo Indians to the industrial revolution and beyond.  And all the native Maine trades are covered.  Things like Agriculture, Stone Quarrying, Timber, Fishing, Ship Building.

I particularly liked the display of colorful sardine tins.. But was incredibly saddened to hear from my husband last night that the last remaining Maine sardine cannery had recently closed.  A tragic loss for a state where jobs are already incredibly hard to come by.

Many thanks to the Maine State Museum for keeping it alive – at least in spirit.

And when you get a chance to visit Maine – check it out yourself!  You’ll be glad you did.

When a vacation isn’t really a vacation at all.

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Last week was “Vacation Week” here in Maine.  Vacation Week is when all the schools close.  HOORAY! say the kids.  YIPPEE! say the teachers.  ARGGH! go the parents.  Vacation Week translates to 7 days of overcrowded conditions at every kid-friendly venue w/in driving distance.  We never had this sort of thing in Philly.  No way.  It must be exclusively New England.  I found out that Boston schools also had the week off.  So I’d imagine New Hampshire, maybe even Vermont also participate.  If you are rich, you can have the nanny take the kids someplace.  Heck- if you are rich, you can fly somewhere for the duration and let the nanny deal with them at home.  But for those of us living in the real world, Vacation Week is a 7-day test of wills.

My vacation week was spent mostly refereeing between my daughters.  My younger one has developed an acute sensitivity to all sounds made by her older sister.  So much of the week was filled with variations of the following scenario:

YOUNGER DAUGHTER:  (Expressing extreme exasperation) UUUUGH!!  Madison – STOP IT!  Mommmm, Maddie’s making SUCKY NOISES!

OLDER DAUGHTER:  I am NOT.  She’s touching me!!  Quit touching me!!  MOMMMMMMM!!  Make her stop!!!

By Monday, I was ready for a real vacation.  Which of course meant I was sh!t outta luck, since I cannot fly and we don’t have a nanny.  So what did we do?  We went to the movies.  The girls wanted to see Planet 51, but it wasn’t playing anywhere.  I wanted to see Fantastic Mr. Fox, but it wasn’t playing anywhere.  I suggested Percy Jackson – which sounds like a Greek Harry Potter, but the girls said No.  So we wound up at The Tooth Fairy.  Did I mention we got there just as the movie was starting, and since it was Vacation Week & everyone else was also there, we had to sit in the 2nd row?

Tuesday.  The girls had two of their best friends over, who also happen to be 2 sisters.  Normally they get along really well, but for vacation week the 5 hour play date was more like boot camp.  For some reason, the girls kept pairing off and picking fights w/ each other.  The fact that our very large dog, Max, viewed the whole thing as a novelty to be impinged upon didn’t help matters.  At one point, Max knocked over the smaller of the 2 sisters and attempted to mate with her back.  Funny?  NOT FUNNY AT ALL.  Did I mention she was outside, it was snowing and the ground was covered in mud?  And she was wearing her brand new jeans she’d gotten the day before?

Wednesday.  We’d been planning on going to Vermont for the weekend, so I had a bazillion errands to run.  To the vet to buy Sir Humps Alot more food.  To the thrift shop.  The Library.  The Grocery Store.  The Other Pet Shoppe.  You name it.  The 2 sisters called to invite the girls over for a sleepover.  I was there in 20 minutes w/ a dozen Dunkin Donuts.   AHHH.  Vacation Week.

Thursday.  Friends from Philly stopped by in the morning, on their way to Northern Maine.  The girls returned from the sleepover.  We went out to lunch at Indian Buffet.  We left Indian Buffet and I was immediately informed my daughters were hungry.  We decided against going to Vermont, since it was cold & snowy there, and in Portland it was gorgeous, sunshiny and 40 degrees.  I put away our snowshoes and we went to the beach.  The girls fought in the car, on the beach and everywhere in between.

Friday.  We went to Boston.  Ignorant of the fact Boston’s children were also on Vacation Week, we made our way to the Children’s Museum.  Aka, GROUND ZERO.  The entrance line trailed nearly out the door.  Every single stroller in Bean Town appeared to be in tow.  The place was so damn packed I gave up trying to do anything but stand someplace, anyplace out of the way.  Note to self: If I should ever have another child, teach them to walk IMMEDIATELY.

Saturday.  We went to the community center to go swimming.  My first time.  Since my hair is longer than shoulder length, I was required to wear a swim cap.. which I didn’t have.  So I had to borrow one from the LOST & FOUND.  Since they were fresh out of circa 2010 cloth caps, I was forced to wear the one grandma bequeathed the pool in 1960.  The ear flaps were an added bonus.

Sunday.  The highlight of Vacation Week comes on its last day.  We drove north to Popham Beach State Park.  Miles of wide coast, sand bars, and rocky isles.  The day was beautiful.  The kids barely fought.  Even the dog was on his best behavior.  Almost made me wish for another week of vacation..  NOT.