Our next stop was Standish, Maine, and the Family and Friends Campground! We checked in right after Chad, Janet and the kids arrived. Literally. We drove up to the office and the rental van was right out front with Janet and the kids! It was such a happy reunion and it was so neat to meet Benicio for the first time, even though I'm sure the little guy was less than impressed with us :) At least Violet and Lucia were super excited to see us! It's amazing how much they've grown since we last saw them. And they are so much fun. They both have continued to develop such cute personalities and Violet even helped me learn some new Spanish words and expressions that I've mostly forgotten already. Dang it.
We were tracking a squirrel near this tree. It was living in a tree stump and the girls were leaving out fish crackers for it.
As we set up camp, Lucia got right to work washing the rental van with a brillo pad, no water needed. It was too cute.
This girl....I think she knows she's adorable.
Violet wash showing me their Story Land pamphlet and translating words into Spanish for me. This fall she is going to be my personal tutor. That won't make sense to most of you right now, but in due time it will.
We went on a little walk around the camp ground, swinging the girls as high as we could. Aunt Rachel's arms tire quickly so there's only so much swinging that can be done.
Group shot! Chad's friend/brother from another mother Estiven joined us just after we returned from this walk, and it was so much fun getting to know him and having him join in on the camping adventures.
Lucia was constantly getting into a kitty cat pose for pictures. Hilarious. When asked what she wants to be when she grows up, she stated that she wants to be a "cat gymnastics." Original quote.
That night Clark successfully started the bonfire! The pressure was on with older brother Chad there to watch his every move! Violet and Lucia roasted some marshmallows, but Lucia's marshmallow got a little "drippy" and it was kind of traumatic for her.
Roasting to perfection.
Being a vegetarian 6 days a week (yes, I do take one day off a week), I tried really hard to prepare for this trip by getting some Veggie Dogs. I knew I wouldn't be as strict on this trip because I wanted to indulge in seafood, but I wanted to at least make some sort of effort to maintain my vegetarianism. Initially, I roasted one but it didn't seem to blister or bubble or char at all. I took a little pinch of the "meat" and tried it but couldn't stomach it. Janet tried it as well and was repulsed. It tasted like plastic and I don't know what else... I spit my little bit out pretty quickly. Determined to see how long it would take the dog to cook, we left it sitting in the fire. It really didn't lose it's form, even after a good 45 minutes. Yes, Janet, I still plan on emailing this company. I really can't believe crap like this is being sold and marketed for vegetarians! If these veggie dogs don't even break down and cook in fire, do they just pass through our systems in masticated chunks? Just so, so gross.
The next day we headed to Old Orchard Beach! Clark and I really wanted to revisit three of our favorite sites in Maine: Old Orchard Beach, the Lobster Shack Restaurant, and the Portland Head Light. Check, check and check! Crossed all three off our list and were so happy that we could enjoy these places with Chad, Janet, the kids and Estiven.
Looking good, guys! A little pale, but good!
I just love this beach. It is commercialized a bit as there is a pier and some amusement park rides. But the water is clear, the sand isn't rocky at all, and even though there's tons of people everywhere, you don't feel like there are people all up in your business. You still have the comfort of some personal space.
We were at the beach for roughly 3.5 hours, and everyone was starving by the time we left. So we headed on to the Lobster Shack for some delicious seafood. We hit the restaurant at the perfect time in the afternoon. No line and hardly anyone was there. Last time we were here the line was out the door and nearly all the picnic tables were taken.
The restaurant overlooks rocks and water. It's such a perfect location to enjoy seafood. At first major fog was hovering over the water but it cleared pretty quickly.
Violet petting her kitty cat sister Lucia.
The kitty cat strikes again!
From the Lobster Shack we headed over to the Portland Head Light. Gosh, this lighthouse gets me every time. It's just so...what you would expect a lighthouse in Maine to look like.
Lovely family picture + Estiven
And the kitty cat tries to strike yet again!
I can't believe we're all in Maine together!!
Chad tried to relax but the kids had other ideas...
Clark got attacked...
And so did Estiven.
Goodbye Portland Head Light. Until next time.
Back at the campground we hit the pool and had it all to ourselves.
The adult only hot tub.
Another night of camping, another bonfire. Clark was successful again, and I caved and enjoyed two real hot dogs.
The next day we headed back to Boston, where the Houston Toblers would be departing from early the following morning. We all stayed at their friends the Robertsons' lovely home in the Boston suburbs. That afternoon once the rental van was cleaned out, vacuumed and a sufficient amount of laundry was done, we all decided to drive into Boston for a last hurrah.
Downtown as we ate dinner, the kids danced around this statue. They were having a blast running around and dancing to background street performers. It was such a fun trip, and we're so glad to have been able to meet up with the Chad Tobler family in Maine.
The next morning we got going early, and stopped to get a dozen of the best donuts available on this coast.
We stayed in Connecticut for our final night of our trip as we made our way back down the coast. This particular Connecticut beach ( I suspect all the Connecticut beaches are this way) was far inferior to Old Orchard Beach in Maine. Murky, rough waters and rocky sand! We couldn't even get it it was so rocky. So we just sat on the beach for the majority of the time and talked.
Our last dinner, enjoyed outside. Followed by some DQ because it was vacation and that is how to do a vacation right.
Our drive home was almost as bad as our drive out of Philly. A four hour drive turned into six, but we saw these Tesla charging stations at a rest area so I guess that makes up for our lost time we'll never get back. Oh, but of course we didn't see a Tesla charging.
