We stayed in a cottage the week we were in Maine. It seemed like the Maine thing to do. It was our first time staying in a cottage, and we really enjoyed the break from hotels. It was nice to have a kitchen, and even more so, a kitchen table to sit around, to eat around, and to play games.
We ate lobster in Maine. It seemed like the Maine thing to do. Speaking of the Maine thing to do, here are some highlights of those and other Maine things during our week there:
Most Authentic Meal: Thurston’s Lobster Pound. We had gone out on a boat earlier in the day and learned about the lobstering process. Now we had to complete the circle and eat lobster, and Thurston’s was highly recommended. Once inside the pound, decided to pick out a big dude and share him. Seeing that we were newbies, the lady helped us and even asked if Levi wanted to hold it. He did and named it, “Bob.” Then the lady said he needed to go “hot-tubbing.” Cute.
We waited anxiously for Bob. Donning our bibs, the kids went to retrieve Bob. The lady showed them how to pull him apart and what parts to eat and not eat. Whew, I was worried we’d get Bob on a platter and have no clue what to do! By the time we got Bob apart to eat him, he was pretty lukewarm, if that. Let’s be clear, lukewarm lobster just isn’t very good. We ate a little and moved on down the road for dinner, I’m ashamed to say.
Favorite Meal: Lunch with a view. Being in a cottage, we ate most of our meals in, but we did take a few picnic lunches. For one of them, we drove up to the summit of Cadillac Mountain. Seeing the sunrise from Cadillac Mountain is highly recommended, partially because you’re the first in the US to see it rise. Unfortunately the hour and a half drive from the cottage made sunrise out of the question; however, we did find a nice rock to enjoy lunch and the view. Cadillac isn’t your typical snow peak mountain. I’m not sure it’s really even a mountain by Western standards. Having said that, we enjoyed that there weren’t any steep drops and had a great time exploring on the rocks after lunch.
Worst Meal: The one I went all out to make at the cottage. I tried to recreate a favorite chicken dish of ours without breaking the bank on all the different spices and such, so the dish turned out bland and very disappointing.
New Foods: Raspberry Fluff. It’s raspberry flavored marshmallow crème. The kids loved it instead of jelly on their peanut butter sandwiches. I’ll be hard pressed to replace the banana on my peanut butter sandwich, though.
Biggest Surprise: Spiders. Staying in hotels, we’ve been immune to creepy crawly things…Yes, even bed bugs! Staying in the cottage, we found we had unwelcome guests. The biggest surprise was the large spider in the towel! There are some advantages to hotels...
Biggest Disappointment: Missing the blueberry harvest. We were too late in the year for blueberries, so we couldn’t pick and eat until our fingers turned blue. In addition, the apples weren’t quite ready yet.
Biggest Twinge of Homesickness: Staying in the cottage because it felt like a house. (It even had a teapot!) Seeing the kids play ball in the parking lot nearby made me miss our old backyard where we spent hours playing kickball, badminton, catch, etc.
Worst Closure: The fishing boats. We had such fun fishing off the coast that we wanted to go out again. We tried and tried unsuccessfully to find a fishing boat where we could combine fishing and lobstering. The only boats that went out within driving distance of our cottage weren’t sailing because of either a funeral or tendering the cruise ship anchored off the coast.
Thus, we found ourselves on an afternoon cruise to see lighthouses
and the lobstering process firsthand. We tooled around the sound and only saw one lighthouse. The kids were quite bored. We did see and learn about how they catch lobster, so that was fascinating! We think there was a bit of deception, though. The captain, wearing khakis and a turtleneck sweater said he “forgot” to bring the bait for the lobster cage, but considering his attire, we thought he always “forgets” and drops an empty cage for show. It was still great to go out on the boat and experience lobstering, even without any bait…or lobster.Best Tourist Spot: Acadia National Park. I had read this was one of the most visited national parks and was amazed it ranked up there with Yellowstone, but after seeing it, I understand why. It’s gorgeous! You’ve got the mountain; you’ve got the ocean; you’ve got a beach; you’ve got hiking; you’ve got it all, except extra batteries for the camera. Be sure to check out the pictures we did get.
Best Deal: National park pass. Acadia National Park, like every national park, was free with the annual park pass. Wha hoo!
Worst Memory: Knee pain. I went for a morning run in the cute port town we were staying in, but later while walking around town, I had such severe pain in my knee that I had to walk downhill backwards to alleviate the pain! Oddly enough, Mike’s suggestion actually helped, but I’ve since given up running. I need my knees in good shape for all the places we walk on the trip.
Best Memory: Each night after dinner, we took advantage of the cottage’s kitchen table and played games. It was like family night every night.
Funniest Memory: Playing games around the table, of course! It was always late by the time we played Catch Phrase, and we always ended up laughing over something goofy. For instance, have you ever heard of the famous king named King Jerry?!? I didn’t think so…Maybe you had to be there to find it funny.
Best Drive: Driving thru the cute port towns like Camden and Belfast. The fall foliage was just beginning, mo making the drive even better.
Worst Drive: The one we spent searching for the hospital in order for Mike to get his routine lab work done. Most of the time, the GPS and even Google are accurate, but this time we were taken on a wild goose chase.
My ME Hike: Acadia National Park. We hiked the Great Head Trail from Sand Beach. I’m declaring this to be my favorite hike, surpassing even Cliff Walk in Rhode Island. Great Head had fun elements, such as climbing on rocks instead of just a path, and breathtaking scenery. My all-time favorite view on the trip was here: a spot where we paused to take in the beach below with the gorgeous aqua water in the cove and the mountain off to the right. All that, plus the sound of the waves crashing! Unfortunately, my camera battery died just before that moment, so you’ll have to trust me on this one. Mike did take a picture or two with his phone, but it just doesn’t do it justice.
Biggest Revelation: That’s why Maine has so many lighthouses! It has a plethora of inlets, bays, harbors, and sounds - all requiring lighthouses.
What We Did Miss: Lighthouses, lighthouses, and more lighthouses – and other places recommended to us.
In Summary: Maine, you’re “mainely” lobstah but so much more!
The Mom
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