Maine Vacation

Barefootin' @ the beach

Wow, my second consecutive post about vacation...is this what retirement feels like? This going back to work thing is REALLY going to cramp my style! :) So, anyway, let me get on with it because when you pack four adults and a two and a half month baby into a car and head out on vacation there's gonna be a lot to say! Our trip started on Sunday, June 26th around 11:00 AM and was a combo family reunion/Jeff's 30th birthday pre-celebration. Mom, dad, Jeff, Easton and I packed up the Durango and headed north. This was my first experience with how much stuff is required to take a little kiddo away from home base...diapers, strollers, formula, clothes, bibs - AHHHH!!!

We trucked along on I-95 N through Mass, across the border into New Hampshire and finally into Maine. Immediately over the ME border we peeled off the interstate and headed for the Route 1 - Coastal Route. A little more than an hour into the trip we arrived in York, ME - our destination for a fabulous lunch. We stopped at Lobster Cove for, well, what else but some fresh Maine lobster. Dad, having mastered the art of cracking his own lobster on his previous trip to New England, opted for a slightly easier meal of crab cake sliders. Easton didn't like what was on the menu so he stuck with some Gerber Good Start...nice choice, son.

You know your meal's about to be good
when you get a bucket and a bib!

The last time this plate looked pretty

3, 2, 1...EAT

Kid loves his Gerber!

Not even 2 hours in and Mom now shares the same
sentiment about my camera as Easton and Jace! ;)
CHEESE!!!

With the bill paid (first of many "Thanks, Mom & Dad" expressed over the weekend) we continued on our journey. Our final destination was The Sparhawk Oceanfront Resort in Ogunquit, ME, just a short 30-minute drive up the coast from the restaurant. The drive was beautiful, filled with ginormous vacation homes (numerous for sale!), lush green trees and shrubs, and breathtaking views of the ocean. The family wagon pulled into the resort around 1:30 PM and we were lucky enough to check in early. My mom grabbed the keys and the unloading ensued. The cabin we rented was connected to the resort but is normally reserved for long-term rentals. Fortunately for us, the resort had an unusual break in guests and we were able to sneak in for a two night stay...it was perfect!

No big deal...

Had our own deck with two lounging chairs, a table
and two more chairs

The living room and kitchen looked out
over the water

Looking back at the entrance

E was tired from watching us unload all his stuff

We took a little time to relax, settle in and enjoy the views from our deck. The cabin is located on the southern shore of where the Oqunquit River flows into the Gulf of Maine. When the tide is out there is an extremely large beach and when the tide comes in the beach is completely covered. We had a lot of fun watching the changes - my dad would find certain rocks to mark the tide's progress.

The river flowed in from under the bridge (left side of photo)
out to the ocean (right side of the photo)

A look at how big the beach is at low tide

Happily reppin' his service ;)

Tryin' to figure out our plan of attack for later - lots of
shopping opportunities we didn't want to waste

After relaxing for a bit my mom and I headed off to do some exploring and hit the grocery store so we could make dinner later at the house. We cruised through a few of the souvenir stores and tried to find a funny onesie for Easton but no luck so off we went to the store. Grabbed some goodies and back to the ranch we headed. Our cabin was in such a perfect location that we could walk to the town center in about 3 minutes...can't beat that! It was still pretty early and our shopping was all done so Mom, Dad, Easton and I headed off for a walk along Ogunquit's Marginal Way which is a 1.5 mile paved path along the coast.

Looking back at our resort

Dad and his new Droid...we had a lot
of fun playin with this new guy

After our walk it was time to put the little man down and get ready for dinner. Jeff and Dad went out to do a little exploration of their own (read: where's the bar?) and then joined us back at the house for some grub. With that our Sunday was complete and it was off to sleep with all the windows open so we could listen to the ocean...it was heavenly.

At sunset and high tide

Monday morning met Easton and me with a beautiful sunrise...the rest of the fam thought 5:00 AM was a little early to rise on vacation (I agree but E so sweetly asked me to get up with him)!

Good morning, Ali & Easton!!
The tide is on its way back in...

The Tomlinson clan got up around 8:00 AM and we all lounged around watching The Today Show, drinking coffee and playing with Easton. Around 10:00 AM we got him fed again, got ourselves all cleaned up and headed off for our day at the beach!

Oceanfront dining at its finest

Playing with my super dooper zoom lens - yes, that is
its real name...c'mon I totally know what I'm doing

Where'd the beach go? This was taken at 10am, high tide
was 9am so the water was on its way out

We had so much fun walking up and down the beach, taking pictures and acting goofy. The water was SO cold it almost took my breath away to even have it touch my feet! It was amazing how many people were out in the water like it was no big deal...New Englanders are some tough cookies that's for sure. I will stick with the bath-like waters of the Gulf of Mexico or the Lake of the Ozarks in August, thanks. We also took Easton out of his carrier and put his toes in the sand and water which he did NOT enjoy! My favorite part of the day was taking "jumping pictures" with my mom, dad and little bro...hilarious :)

All smiles now...just wait, Little
Homie, just wait

They fit right in with their
Arizona tans

Get this guy a foam finger!

Remember that earlier smile...yea...

Seriously, Mom, this SUCKS!!!

Tomlinson feet...I lose this beauty contest

After our fun in the sun it was time to get back to the cabin to feed the little man and more relaxo time for the rest of us...and maybe a cocktail or two on the deck.

Uncle Jeff & Easton

That evening Mom, Dad and JT went out for dinner and Easton and I hung back. I finished my latest Jodi Picoult book, "Nineteen Minutes", in a puddle of tears but all was made better with the huge scoop of black raspberry chip ice cream that Jeff brought home for me! We finished up the night with a few hours strolling down memory lane. Those few hours were probably my most favorite part of the trip :) Check out was at 11:00 AM on Tuesday and we used every last minute available before we packed up and headed home. I'm so thankful we all got to have this time together and look forward to the trip to Minocqua we all signed up for in two years...cannot wait to watch Easton play on the beach!!

P.S. I took a lot of pictures and a few videos on this trip so if you'd like to view them click here for the album