crazy spontaneity ...

So we went away for the weekend - and went kind of far away ... to Acadia National Park, nearly 5 hours to the north ... and it wasn't even planned until Thursday night! The kids looked at me Friday morning like I had 10 heads and exclaimed "isn't this kinda sudden?!" To which I replied "yes, but think how much fun it will be!" as I stuffed them into the car. Fortunately, there was truth in those words and the girls and I had a wonderful 48 hours waaay up in Maine. Here's how it all unfolded ...

First, there's the drive - 3 hours of highway, followed by 2 hours of this:

... with about 2-3 towns along the way that look like this:

And plenty of roadside interest like this:

Once we reach Mt. Desert Island, we roll down all the windows, play crazy music, and scream as loud as we can that it's good to be back! From there, we begin the final leg of the drive, which looks like this:

That's Somes Sound to the left and the road to the right - the homestretch! And here's what was waiting for us after nearly 5 hours in the car ...

This 120+ year old farmhouse was purchased by older generations of my very large and complicated paternal family about 50 years ago and has been the site of family reunions, weddings, and funerals ever since. Thanks to this long history, it's a very special spot and one that we try to get to for one weekend each summer - lucky us that we could do it this year, because this is what a typical weekend holds for us each summer in Bar Harbor ...

First there's the garden at the house:

Then there's the fun trail in the woods behind the house:

And if you keep your eyes peeled, you might find a few imported 'forest friends' along the way:

And, of course, since we're steps away from Acadia National Park, we always fit in a hike or two:

... followed by popovers at Jordan Pond House:

Then it's back to the house to pick raspberries before the rain starts:

... LOTS of raspberries:

And even the occasional cherry:

Once the rain starts to sprinkle, it's on to an indoor activity and some downtime:

Followed by a fresh Maine lobster for dinner:

And nothing beats a good soak in an old fashioned clawfoot tub before bedtime:

The next morning we clean up our things and hit the road, screaming again out the open windows as we drive off the island, hoping we'll get the chance to do it all over again next summer. Not bad, huh? Lucky as a couple of of ladybugs, I'd say ...