December 15-16

 I will post more about this in the next few days, but we just returned from a wonderful overnight getaway to the coast of Maine. 

We stayed in a charming seaside inn, enjoyed delightful food, Christmasy decor and lights inside and out, walked on a beach, and just had a relaxing, refreshing time.  I even got a few Christmas cards written and worked on a small handmade gift.

Tomorrow it will be back to the busyness of life and of the season, but I am coming back to it rested and refreshed.

A delightful getaway

 

This postcard was the work of our host, an artist

 Back near the beginning of February, Mr. T and I felt the need for a short getaway.  It had been several months since we had any time away, and it was really feeling necessary.  We did some looking and found a wonderful, reasonably priced Airbnb  in Bridgton, Maine -- a place we had never been, but no matter.  We enjoy visiting new places.  This was such a great price that we could afford to stay three nights!

As we looked at the map, we realized that we would not be too far from our blog friend Vee of A Haven for Vee.  So of course I got in touch with Vee to see if she would be game for getting together.  We compared calendars and weather reports and made a plan for breakfast on Monday morning.

Mr. T and I traveled to Bridgton on the Sunday afternoon in a snowstorm.  It was a bit of a hair-raising trip, as there was quite a bit of traffic, but we had our truck with its trusty four-wheel drive and got there with no problems, just a bit later than planned.  We were relieved when we reached Pebble Cottage!

This sweet and cozy little cottage is the product of lots of love and hard work on the part of its owners, who purchased it from the bank.  Built in 1916, it had once been the guest cottage for their own yellow house, but had fallen on hard times when they decided to renovate it.  A photo book on the living room coffee table documents all that they did.  

 

 

After a tremendous amount of hard work, the cottage transformation was complete, and in February 2021 it received its first Airbnb guests.

I'm not going to show a whole bunch of photos of the cottage, but will just share a couple of the special touches.  One is the lovely electric fireplace below.  Complete with its own brick hearth, it lent such a cozy atmosphere to the living room!

  

I loved seeing the vintage linens used as dresser scarves, table mats, and so on in the various rooms.  The one below really caught my eye -- it was part of a matching set with several pieces.  Someone back in the day put a great deal of love and care into embroidering these sweet linens.  How pleased they would be that their beautiful creations are still being used and appreciated!

  

Pebble Cottage turned out to be a wonderful base for our adventures and the perfect place to invite Vee and her sister Kim for breakfast.  We served the now-famous Pumpkin Crunch Sheet Pancakes along with bacon and some grapes.  And coffee, of course.  It was such a blessing to spend time with Vee again and to meet Kim, who is every bit as delightful as Vee.  We enjoyed every bite of that scrumptious breakfast, and the conversation that accompanied it.  It is always such a joy to fellowship with like-minded people, and we are so thankful for the opportunity.

Bridgton is a lovely little town.   We so enjoyed seeing the gorgeous old houses as we walked about the town.   The three houses below are all on the same street as Pebble Cottage.  You can't see it in this photo, and we didn't get a nighttime one that did it justice, but the green house below had a pretty lighted Christmas tree in its cupola.

The mural below shows some lovely features of the town.   The mural was on the side of a building, hence the propane tank.

It was an easy walk to Highland Lake.  I can only imagine how beautiful this is in the summer and fall!

 Another wonderful feature of Bridgton is Pondicherry Park, 66 beautiful acres of woodland and stream in the heart of downtown.  The covered bridge below is on one of the trails.  We were able to follow trails and actually come from downtown all the way to Pebble Cottage on one of them.  In addition to walking on a number of the trails, Mr. T took his snowshoes out on Tuesday and enjoyed an invigorating snowshoe hike as well.

 

 

We were charmed that so many houses in Bridgton still had their Christmas trees and lights up in early February.  To me, it feels like an effort to drive back that dark winter we heard so much about.  On our last evening there, we went out walking after dark and got a few photos.   The house and barn in the top two photos were so beautifully lit.  The photos cannot do them justice.

 

 

We loved that the street lights were made to look like snowflakes for this season! 

All in all, it was a delightful getaway to a charming town.  We hope to return in the fall!

Wednesday Medley: Road Trip edition

Wednesday again, and time for the Wednesday Medley hosted by Terri at Your Friend from Florida.  This week's Medley has a fun theme, as Terri is basing the questions off National Road Trip Day, this coming Friday.  Road trips are fun, and this Medley sounds like fun too, so why not head over to Terri's and get the the questions to answer them on your own blog? 

1.  Have you ever done a spur-of-the-moment road trip?  Where did it take you?

I'm sure we've done that more than once,  but one that stands out in my mind is a day when our girls were young teens and it was a pouring down rain type of day.  It was either a Saturday or a vacation day -- probably a vacation day, now that I think about it, as Mr. T worked most Saturdays back then.  We wanted to take a road trip but the weather was not at all conducive.  Mr. T suggested that we take a drive to the very tip-top of New Hampshire, where none of us had ever been.  So we got in the car and just headed up there.  No snacks, even, as I recall.  We stopped in Colebrook, the largest town up there, and had lunch at the Wilderness Restaurant.  

Then we drove on and saw the Connecticut Lakes and turned around before getting to Canada, if I remember right.  I'm pretty sure it never did stop raining!  But it was a fun trip, mostly because it was so unplanned.  Below is a very blurry photo of the second Connecticut Lake.

 Now the trip to the Great North Woods has become more familiar as we've traveled up there many times to stay in a favorite cabin on Back Lake.  But it's always a wonderful getaway -- and the Wilderness Restaurant is still a good place to eat!  Its sign still looks the same also.  Below is a sunset on Back Lake. 

2.  If time and money wasn't an issue, what roads would you choose to travel and how long would you be gone?

We have talked about this more times than I can count.   We would love to take a road trip all across the USA and visit friends (and blog friends!) all along the way.  We would be gone for as long as it took!  A train trip across the US would be fun also, the type of trip where you can get off the train along the way and get back on a day or two later, if Amtrak still offers that option.  But I think we would really prefer the road trip.  Lord willing, it will be a retirement project!

3.  When you go on a long road trip, what snacks and beverages do you take?  Do you pack a picnic? Does the back seat turn into a nest? 

We nearly always take trail mix.   Sometimes a picnic.  Usually water to drink, but with us a road trip pretty much always involves at least one stop at Dunkin' Donuts for a coffee or iced coffee, depending upon the weather.  Our most recent vehicles have been an SUV and a minivan, and with both of those we can pretty much contain the travel gear to the cargo area where it doesn't get too disorganized.

4.  Please tell us about something interesting or strange you have seen on the side of the road. 
A few times we traveled in upper Michigan at night.  There were deer literally lining the sides of the highway and grazing on the grass there and in the median.  That was just plain scary.

One of the neatest sights we have seen on the side of the road was a moose we saw a few years ago who seemed to be posing for us!  These photos were taken as we rode by and are not the best, but you get the idea.

 

The sights below are both from a trip to Freeport, Maine a few years back.

 

5.  Who does the driving when you head out in the car?  Do you stop in the rest areas along our Interstate highways when you have to use the facilities, or do you choose a fast-food restaurant or gas station instead?  Not TMI... inquiring minds want to know!

Mr. T does the driving.  We usually do stop at the state rest areas when traveling the interstates, unless it happens to be mealtime.  Ideally, then, we would find a Cracker Barrel.  

Check out a couple of our amazing New Hampshire state rest stops and welcome centers here:  The Common Man Roadside.  You will be surprised at how nice these are and how well they represent our state.  The photos below show a covered bridge that is built inside one of these welcome centers. 

 Meanwhile, on the other side of the country (more or less) the photos below are from the Schellbourne roadside stop in Nevada back in 2016, I believe.  Lots of fascinating information there about the  Pony Express and local Indian history as well.

 On secondary roads, we might stop at a gas station/convenience store, a fast-food place or a Dunkin' Donuts.  And one time, out West, an Indian grocery store, which was a very nice and well-stocked supermarket with the only public restrooms for miles around.  There were lines!

6.  Please share something with us about your week so far.

It's had its share of weather extremes!  Hot and humid Monday with periods of torrential rain.  Today (Tuesday as I write this) it's windy and very cold.  I felt as if I had a very productive day at home yesterday, which is quite unusual for a Monday.  Three loads of laundry done and put away, supper made, blog post written, work on my Sunday School lesson and a craft project -- and no doubt more that I can't think of right now.

Are you planning a road trip for Memorial Day weekend?  We aren't, but we hope to take one soon!

A day at the ocean

While my Nevada daughter was here, we took a day trip to the ocean.  Since she and the kids were only here for one week,  they wanted to just spend most of it hanging out with family.  But they did hope for one nice day to go to the ocean.  The one good day of their visit was the Monday -- we had rain at least part of all the other days.  So we headed for York Beach and Nubble Light.

We spent a good bit of time at Long Sands beach, where the kids enjoyed beachcombing and playing in the sand at the water's edge.  It was mostly sunny with a few clouds and not too chilly, although there was a bit of a breeze.

This photo just does my heart good.  I enjoy so much when my two girls can be together, even though it is very seldom.

We had brought picnic lunches, and took them over to Nubble Light.  It was a lot windier there and we really had to hold onto our food so it wouldn't blow away.  After lunch the kids explored the rocks and tide pools, pretty much to their heart's content.
 

 Elliott and cousin Ben (both part of the Nevada group)

 

 We got to see a lobsterman tending his traps.  That was so neat!

 A group of scuba diving students preparing to enter the water

All nine kids together!

 The ever-photogenic Nubble Light.

After leaving Nubble, we went up to Ogunquit just for a quick stop at a shop that had one of those souvenir penny-flattening machines.  The kids have special books for collecting these flattened pennies and so they like to seek out a machine in areas they visit.  (The photos below are from Shoshone Falls, Idaho this past fall, but it will give you an idea what the penny machines look like if you've never seen one.)

Between penny-flattening and souvenir shopping at the same shop, we adults debated whether to stop for fast food on the way home or to go for a regular restaurant which might serve seafood.  We opted for a nicer place and enjoyed a lovely fish and chips special!

 Several of the kids occupying themselves while waiting for our food

The Nevada contingent

It could have been a bit warmer and a little less windy, but it was the day God had given us and we couldn't have been more thankful for our day at the ocean!

Whirlwind weekend

 The weekend of July 13-14 was a busy, but wonderful whirlwind.  I alluded to it a bit in my Hodgepodge post,  but wanted to expand on it somewhat so I don't forget the details.

 Mr. T and I were invited to attend a wedding in Maine on the Saturday, on behalf of our daughter and son-in-law who live in Nevada.  It was their former pastor's son who was getting married, and the whole church from Elko was invited provided they could get to Maine.  Our daughter asked if we could attend in their place, and the answer was a gracious yes.

When she broached the idea to me, our daughter also suggested, "I know it's a ways up in Maine, so I thought you and Dad might turn your trip north into a getaway."  Of course she had barely suggested the idea when we began to run with it.  We love getaways!

(This makes it sound as if we are taking getaways very frequently indeed.  Not really ... the last one -- to Stowe, Vermont -- was in May!  And these are overnight getaways, just long enough to get a bit refreshed.)

So we headed out early Friday afternoon, knowing it would take us at least 5 hours to get to Brewer, where we had a room reservation here:

It was a little amusing that my hubby had two work-related phone calls (which he had to pull over for), before we even left New Hampshire!  We made a quick stop at a post office to mail some things along the way, but otherwise did not stop until we reached Cornish, Maine and a favorite road trip break:

A frozen strawberry lemonade for Mr. T; iced coffee for me.

Sadly, they were out of donuts, but we made do with a box of Munchkins:

From there, we headed north and arrived at our hotel a few minutes after 6 pm.

This hotel has two buildings, the Maine Woods building, with an outdoorsy lodgy theme as in the lobby photo below, and the Maine Coast building, with a pretty coastal theme.

We were in the Maine Coast building.  I failed to get photos of our room, but it had a nice coastal decor.   After settling in a bit our first order of business was to find some supper.

We ended up having fish and chips at a nearby restaurant.  Although not as scrumptious as the fish we would enjoy the next day, it was good, and the price and location (walking distance!) were right.

After a wonderful night's rest we ventured to the Breakfast Room at the Inn for a nice continental breakfast, made even nicer by the homemade waffles with Maine wild blueberry sauce.  Using pre-measured portions of homemade batter, diners bake their own waffles in one of three waffle irons, which are kept constantly busy.  Bowls of blueberry and strawberry sauce await, along with syrup dispensers.

If you look at the small photo to the right of "Free Deluxe Breakfast" on the business card above, that is one area of the breakfast room.  One really neat feature of that room is the old cookstove (not in use as a stove) just to the left of the woman in the photo.  We sat in the second area.

Sign on the wall above our table

Another part of the breakfast area -- the "windows" here are mirrors.

 Returning to our room, we took good time over our Bible reading and prayer before checking out and heading for our wedding destination.  I will share just a few general photos from the wedding.  I did not try to get photos of people or of the ceremony.  These were taken with my Kindle, so are not the very best quality.

 The front of the sanctuary before anyone came in.  I love the lights draped inside the swags of tulle. 

A glimpse of the table centerpieces and the favors -- tiny jugs of maple syrup!

 The centerpieces were so simple but so pretty -- just slices of wood with a paper doily and mason jar atop each one.  Jars were filled with roses and baby's breath, then an engagement photo was propped against each one.  A few dark blue silk rose petals were scattered about.  (Wedding colors were orange and navy.)

I loved how they combined these gorgeous colored roses with the rustic look of old wood.  Touches of both were everywhere throughout the decorating.

After saying our goodbyes to the bride and groom and our friends (the groom's parents and grandparents), we headed south on I-95 en route to a meet-up with my blog friend Vee.  We were a tad early, which was a good thing,  because we drove right by the rendezvous at the first pass.

We had made arrangements to meet at one of Vee's favorite places and we very much enjoyed the delicious seafood and the wonderful fellowship.   We are kindred spirits in many ways and it truly was just like meeting up with an old friend.  Vee is warm and genuine, a delight to spend time with.

You can just catch a glimpse of the deck (look for the umbrellas) at the upper right.

 (The mosquitoes drove us off the deck -- which had a water view and would certainly have been a delightful place to eat on a sunnier day -- and inside, which could have been far more delightful without a particular inebriated patron.  But no matter.  Food and fellowship still wonderful.)

Vee had also told us about an ice cream place not far away ... so we all drove there for dessert.  It has mini golf and a driving range with a view of Mt. Washington.  And delicious ice cream.  The veranda had plenty of seating and no mosquitoes, so we continued to chat as we enjoyed dessert -- Campfire S'mores ice cream for Mr. T and myself (it's our new favorite) and Maine Deer Tracks for Vee. 
Curious about the flavors?  Campfire S'mores is described as graham ice cream oozing with marshmallow ripple and crunchy chocolate chips. Maine Deer Tracks is described as "rich espresso ice cream with crunchy toffee pieces and tracks of thick chocolate fudge."  Now I wish I'd had that one!

To learn more about the flavors of Gifford's Ice Cream, go here: Gifford’s Ice Cream and click on "Flavors".  Although Gifford's is a Maine company, several of our favorite ice cream places in New Hampshire serve their ice cream.

Before leaving the grounds, we brought out the gifts we had for one another and opened them at a nearby picnic table. Vee was far too generous ... besides the squash referenced in a previous post, there were books, including one from her beloved John's library.  What a treasure!

Another book was a recipe binder, to write my own recipes in.   I'm planning to use this to copy down all of those random, often-used recipes that are floating around my kitchen on scraps of paper or on recipe cards so stained they can barely be read.   It has a number of cute divider pages to divide the various sections of recipes.  One of them is pictured below.  How true it is!

And to top it all off, she brought us a tin full of her marvelous Rhubarb Custard Pie, cut in neat pieces.  I was tickled to see that Vee packs things in tins lined with waxed paper just as I do.  I guess it's the New England girl in us!

Meeting Vee was something I'd wanted to do for a long time.  Now that we've done that, Mr. T and I are hoping we can get together with this dear friend again at some point.  We don't live that far away, and we do travel to Maine occasionally.

The whirlwind weekend held even more fun and surprises, including the hike pictured at the top of this post.  But the post is getting rather long and unwieldy, and besides, the hike deserves its own post.  So that will have to wait for another day!