The Nino File

So it’s over. We made it back. We survived. But I’m still healing. In summation: 14 people in the rain and cold of Maine. You shoulda been been there.

I’ll try to make this short and sweet–mostly because the memories are too painful and too fresh at this time.

Boston

Holly, the Kids, and I headed out on the vacation a couple days ahead of everyone else so that we could spend some time in and around Boston. We spent the first afternoon walking most of the Freedom Trail, Boston Common, Fanuiel Hall (which Speed continually referred to as Nathaniel Hall), Paul Revere’s house, the Old North Church, etc. As we were walking into the North End, we ran into some old neighbors from Plano. Wild.

The next morning we toured the rest of Boston–the Financial District, Back Bay (including a stop at Vineyard Vines), Fenway, Harvard Square, Bunker Hill–before heading out of town.

Samuel Adams marker, just one of many significant graves at the Granary Burial Ground

Holly’s one funny comment on the trip–”a picture of the kids and their father”

Emma and Layla at the top (275 steps) of the Bunker Hill Monument

Salem and Rockport

Then we headed up the Massachusetts coast and visited the House of Seven Gables in Salem. We didn’t have time to do the Salem Witch Trials stuff.

They seem to be enjoying themselves–notice Speed’s half smile

The House of Seven Gables, made famous by Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel

We headed further up the coast to Rockport where we stayed at the Emerson Inn by the Sea, which was beautiful and great. The kids were jealous that Holly got a beautiful suite on the top floor looking out at the ocean, while they were on the second floor (yes, we were staying on separate floors; lots of potential mischief, I know) with only a window view. Life is tough.

We had our first taste of delectable lobster in Rockport for dinner at The Lobster Pool, which sits oceanside. We also swam in the pool, relaxed on the lawn, and otherwise relaxed. A very nice night.

The Inn

The view from our room

Kennebunkport

On Saturday afternoon, we headed out from Rockport towards Kennebunkport. We arrived well ahead of the rest of the group and savored the peace and quiet.

Whiffle ball oceanside looks fun

Even when Layla’s batting

I’ll try to summarize the rest of the week succinctly (you’re welcome). We had a couple of great lobster meals, made a day trip to LL Bean in Freeport, climbed the rocks near the Nubble Lighthouse, a lobster boat tour, a cold and windy trip to Parsons Beach, candlepin bowling under disco lights, a movie, only two of us (none of them me) went fishing in a torrential downpour, Speed and I played a round of golf at Cape Arundel Golf Club (with sunshine and everything; it was Speed’s first round), a little kayaking on the Kennebunk River–where Speed made my dad’s vacation by capsizing his kayak just 5 minutes in, and we had a couple of meals with some cousins who live up that way. We also saw Bush 41 and family speed by on their boat when we were at Gooch’s Beach.

Moose and lobster hats in Maine are standard fare

The big boot

Nubble Lighthouse

Climbing on rocks was a kid favorite

Emma holds a live lobster just pulled from a trap, but only because it had bands on the claws

Layla held it too

Gooch’s Beach

Despite the temperature, Emma got down to it

Mom had us all wear matching shirts one day–it happened

Layla’s candlepin bowling form

Emma’s form

I won the first game, but Emma came in second in the last game; she was very excited by her spare

Speed and I are both on the green–and we both had very wet shoes

So Friday, the golf/kayak day, was the only really nice, sunny day all week. On Saturday, we were heading out of Kennebunkport, and it was another nice day. We headed south to Perkins Cove to have lunch at Oarweed and walk Marginal Way. Marginal Way is excellent, but the Oarweed clam chowder and lobster roll is magnificent.

The Cove

Layla and Emma climbed rocks on Marginal Way

And posed in a tree along the Way

Concord

So by Saturday afternoon (July 4th, by the way), we were out of Maine, back in Massachusetts, with one more day before the trip was (mercifully?) over. We were spending that last day in Concord. I was shocked to see that they city really doesn’t do anything for the 4th (Patriots Day is their thing), but we got about just fine.

Visited the North Bridge, went on a terrible ghost tour of town, strolled through Authors Row at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, and spent too little time at Walden Pond while everyone was still together. We had a much later flight, so we had Sunday afternoon to ourselves, so spent some more time at the North Bridge, drove to Maynard, MA for no good reason, drove out of the way to the Wayside Inn because Holly wanted to but didn’t get out of the car because she didn’t want to do anything there, visited a couple of sites in the Minute Man National Historic Park, which follows along Battle Road between Lexington and Concord, and finished that adventure at Lexington Green.

Minute Man Statute at the North Bridge

Mr. Ross was a great entertainer/educator at the North Bridge

Nathaniel Hawthorne headstone

Beautiful Walden Pond

The kids at Thoreau’s cabin site at Walden

Thoreau Statute is probably feeling claustrophobic

That’s a lot of Maynards

We headed back to Boston and, despite my objections, got to the airport almost three hours before our flight. And then our flight got delayed an hour. Oh joy. We touched down in Dallas about 12:30 on Monday morning. I’m still recovering.