Lobster Picnic Day

We had gorgeous weather for the Lobster Picnic at the sanctuary (and unfortunately the last sunny weather for the rest of the week). It was hot and everyone pigged out. The boys were very curious to try my lobster, but chickened out when it came to eating any. I think Eli's dislike of seafood is unintentionally rubbing off on them. He doesn't ever badmouth it, but he doesn't help "set an example".

After the picnic we drove over to Ellsworth to visit the L.L. Bean factory outlet and bought new backpacks for school. We also stopped at the Grasshopper shop for t-shirts and other assorted purchases. It's a great store for browsing and impulse purchases.

Pebble Beach Memories

Ames Cove Beach

Leah and I have been catching naps in the morning in here. I feel so much more rested than I do at home, and I even get a chance to read a little. Eli usually takes the boys exploring around the camp or over to Betsy and Ed's cottage to play with Evan and Will. The weather has been perfect, warm but not hot like it was last year.

Several times this year we went to Ames Cove, a few minutes drive from camp. The walk down through the pine forest is beautiful and alien at the same time. The beach feels hidden from the rest of the world; so peaceful and almost always deserted.

We took the kids' fishing poles so they could play cast while Eli and I collected rocks. Leah crawled around when we let her, usually getting all sandy and necessetating a dip in the cold water. She didn't complain much about the temperature so Eli has high hopes that she inherited his Polar Bear gene.

On our last day we took one last trip over to Ames but mis-timed the tide and arrived an hour after low tide. It was drizzly and overcast, and the whole cove was filled with a dense fog. Eli said it gave him a pleasant melancholy funk that was appropriate for the last day of vacation.

Picking Blueberries on Blueberry Hill

Today before lunch we all walked up Blueberry Hill and picked about three cups of blueberries. I love the tiny sweet blueberries that grow in Maine, and this year there was a bumper crop. I had Leah riding in the carrier, and she ate about every 5th berry I picked.

Avery and Zachary remembered picking blueberries from last year and were super excited to do it again. They went straight to work when we got to the top. Most went in their mouths, but they surprised us both with the number that made it into their measuring cups and then into the communal pot. Afterwards, Zach wanted to make blueberry pie. Maybe next year we will bring the necessary ingredients.

Lunch was late but worth the wait. Everything tastes better when you are tired and hungry and have that warm glow that comes from enjoying the world. We had pesto and cold cut sandwiches and cheese and crackers and pickles and blueberries. Leah's rice cereal missed a connecting flight so she ate the same stuff we did. I know there is a schedule for introducing new foods, but she does so well with everything that we don't pay it much mind.

Hiram Blake Camp 2008

This year we broke our Maine drive up over three days. We drove to my parent's house on Thursday after getting the car all packed. Our gifts to them: a bag of fresh CSA produce and Nutmeg ktty.

On Friday we drove to a hotel in Andover, Massachusetts. There, Eli took us to "The Museum of Printing" which was mildly interesting, but mostly just for Eli. :-) After dinner we swam at the hotel pool, an activity that is getting more fun as the kids learn to swim (hotel pools don't usually have a shallow end).

On Saturday we had our usual stop in Freeport, ME. The outlet stores are the same as they are everywhere else, but something in Eli's brain shuts off when we go on vacation. He temporarily ceases to be quite as much of a cheapskate. Our best find was predictably at the last store we went to, the toy store. The kids found "pop tubes"; simple plastic tubes with accordion pleats that could bend and expand like a giant version of a bendy straw. These somehow managed to amuse them for the entire rest of the car ride and for all week long.

Story Time in Blue Hill

We went to the Blue Hill Library today for story time. Avery was very well behaved, listened almost the entire time, and both asked and answered questions. It lasted for almost an hour, which is a long time for a kid to pay attention, but it seemed to be a good indication to me for how well he'll do in a school setting. The library is a restored historic building and was quite nice inside.

After story time we went to get lunch, but the place where I wanted to eat was only open for lunch Wed-Sat. So we wandered until we found a bakery behind a used book store on Main Street. We had fresh hearth-fired pizza and I got roasted eggplant on my half. Yum!

After lunch we headed to a different bookstore where the kids read books in the kid section and I got them a 20th Century book treasury, which they seem to love. The book has some great classic kid's books and best sellers (and we now have our fourth copy of "Good Night Moon"!).

Hiking Up to Blueberry Hill

We hiked up to Blueberry Hill and boy did it wipe me out. Eli packed a lovely picnic consisting of turkey sandwiches, cheese, apples, and of course, blueberries. I think the kids had nothing but juice and blueberries.

Spectacle Swim

I was browsing through some old pictures on the Hiram Blake web site when I found a picture of Eli and Nora swimming at Hiram Blake Camp. It is from 2003 when I was 30 weeks pregnant with Avery and probably had no desire to get in a rowboat.

Cait and Cullen and Meg are manning the rowboat, so this is probably a dock to Spectacle Island swim (a distance of more than 1/4 mile in very cold water!).

Hiram Blake Camp 2007

Breakfast this year took on a new dimension when the boys figured out how to eat everything through a straw. First it was the chocolate milk. Then the scrambled eggs. Then the pancakes!

And dinner, which is normally a four course meal (salad, soup, main course, dessert), was also an interesting affair. Debbie and Dave set up one of the rooms in the farmhouse as a kids' playroom. For most meals the kids came in, ate buttered bread, and left to play in the playroom. When dinner was served they returned for a few bites (if we were lucky) and then returned to playing. For dessert they would come back, eat until it was gone, and then head outside to the playground.

On our first day at camp we took the kids to Pebble Beach. They started sliding down the big rock, so Eli made it into a makeshift water slide, throwing water up on the rock face with a big bucket. What was merely fun went over the top; they had a blast climbing up and sliding down, not to mention sliding down while climbing up.

The Cole Transportation Museum

This year's drive up to Maine was very uncomfortable for me. Pregnancy does not lend itself to sitting in the car for long periods of time. Once again we spent the night in Freeport. The boys did well in the car, but Avery was awful at the hotel. He tossed and turned and bothered us for more than 2 hours after we put him to bed. Eli looks forward to the days when hotel sleep will once again be relaxing.

After breakfast we did our traditional outlet mall shopping and then drove up to Bangor, home of the Cole Land Transportation Museum. We were impressed by this strange old museum. It was like a giant warehouse, full to the brim with all manner of odd vehicles. Eli's favorite was a Ford car that could be transformed into a tractor. I liked the giant wedge shaped snow plows that were almost two stories tall. I think the kids liked the trains best because they got to climb on and go inside.

Last Day

Today we wrapped up our stay with a trip to Blue Hill and a boat ride to Spectacle just before dinner. "Boat ride", not "row" -- it was close enough to dinner that we borrowed Ed Kent's outboard motor, along with Ed, Evan, and Will, for the trip (not a traditional excursion, but much easier on the arms).

This was Zachary's first time out at Spectacle, and Avery was probably too young to remember previous trips. Despite a full week of throwing rocks in the water, all of the children had a great time tossing rocks in the ocean, and doing a little exploring around the island.

Swimming at Ames Cove

Normally the water in Maine is too cold for Sara to swim, but this year it was semi-warm in the 70s, and she braved it once or twice. Here we are visiting a nearby beach called Ames Cove, a secluded spot that is rich with sand dollars and other sea life. At low tide it has just enough sand to make a small sand castle.




This is Zachary's grumpy beach face. He wasn't too fond of the water or beach, but Avery (who felt just like Zach last year) loved it. The only downside is that changing babies with sandy butts and wet swimmie diapers is no fun.

Fun at the Lobster Picnic

Every week at HBC, usually on Wednesdays, the camp staff throws a mid-day lobster picnic in lieu of dinner. In addition to the fresh cooked lobsters there are delicious red hot dogs in buttered buns, potato salad, watermelon, chocolate cake, and marshmallows. According to Eli, the menu hasn't changed in 25 years.

Years ago, the picnic was held on nearby islands, and campers were ferried out in Paul Vennow's lobster boat. Nowadays it's held at the Holbrook wildlife sanctuary, about 5 miles away from camp. It's not quite the same, but apparently it is much safer than crowding 35 people onto a lobster boat.

Blueberry Hill

Blueberry Hill is a spot at the top of a short hiking trail just outside of Hiram Blake. It's about 10-15 minutes under the evergreens, and extremely pleasant unless the mosquitos are biting.


On one of our trips up the trail we were followed by a cat. The boys enjoyed her more than the hike, the hilltop, and the blueberries combined. It was simply hilarious to them that she kept following us up the trail. I think she must have been pretty lonely; the boys have not learned to be gentle from our own sweet declawed Nutmeg.

Down at Pebble Beach

Pebble Beach is a curious spot. Like most beaches in Maine there is no sand. Unlike most beaches the rocks are all quite small (hence the name) and there are very few barnacles above the low tide line. It is flanked on both sides by granite outcrops that are irresistible for climbing.



This year, Eli made a point of swimming in the ocean every day, no matter the weather. Sunny and "warm", or rainy and 50 degrees, he still swam or jumped off the dock. He and his sister Nora started this tradition a few years ago.

Of course we have an established set of other activities we try to accomplish each summer. Things like walking, hiking, rowing to Spectacle Island, picking blueberries on Blueberry Hill, shopping in Blue Hill and Elsworth, plus standard vacation stuff like relaxing, reading, and enjoying good food and drink.

Up With the Sun

On our first morning in camp, the boys woke up with the sun. Eli took them for a walkabout, exploring while Sara slept in. They climbed on the rocks and picked blueberries from bushes that grow near some of the other cabins. The boys were amazed to see berries just growing out in the open, and so excited to pick and eat them.

Hiram Blake Camp 2006

Finally we arrive!

Our cabin (Crow's Nest, nee Caw Caw) at Hiram Blake is right next to the playground. We made a conscious choice to select it when Avery was a baby because we wanted the kids to be able to run outside and play with minimal supervision. As they age we'll probably move to one of the other cabins with a nicer view.

This is the old rickety swing set at HBC. Every year Eli hopes to arrive and find it has been replaced. But no matter how it looks, Avery and Zachary have a blast climbing all over it.

The photo of Avery in the orange was taken a year ago; the one of Zachary in the overalls is from this year. As you can see, at two and a half they were both daredevils cut from the same mold.

On Our Way to Maine

If it's the end of July, it must be time to head out on our annual Maine trip. We started just after noon on a Friday, and had terrible traffic all the way up through New York and Connecticut.

The kids did well in the car, and even fell asleep before their normal bed time. Boy, was that a mistake! Around 10pm when we started to look for a hotel, they woke up. Between their nap and the excitement of staying a hotel, they were wide awake until 3... A... M....

To make matters worse, there was some sort of event going on in Portland Maine, and everything was booked solid. We ended up in Freeport in a rather wretched Budget Inn; the nicest thing I can say about it is that at least we weren't sleeping in the car. Oh yeah, speaking of the car: Eli had to spend an hour chilling in the car with Zachary screaming his head off before he finally zonked out.