Wordless Wednesday

Thursday Thirteen

Several of the blogs that I stalk read do a segment called the Thursday Thirteen. I've decided to put this into rotation with my Thankful Thursday segment. So, every other week will host one of these segments. Today's Thursday Thirteen theme is:

"13 Reasons that I want to move to Maine"

(ok seriously folks, did you really think you had heard the last words about Maine already?)

1. Maine is 1 of only 4 states left in the U.S. that has a law banning billboards. I personally despise billboards and found it so refreshing to drive up & down a major interstate and truly be able to appreciate the natural unobstructed beauty of the landscape. You can read a bit more about it here.

2. The average temperature in Maine is 43 degrees Fahrenheit. That's cold, but not unbearable. The weather can change there on a dime and the summers are very mild. That would be such a nice change from the summers in my current area of the world!

3. Maine has 63 lighthouses along its 5000 miles of coastline. There's just something about lighthouses that stirs up this emotional response inside. I think it's because of the rich history of lighthouses and the beauty of them sitting by the ocean while waves crash in.

4. Freeport, Maine is the home of one of my favorite retailers...L.L. Bean. When we entertained the thought of moving there several years ago, this is the company that I wanted to work for. Can we say "employee discount"?!

5. Maine is one of the few states where you can be at the ocean to surf, the mountains to snow ski, and the country to relax all within an hour of each other. It's 1-stop shopping!

6. More blueberries are grown in Maine than in any other state. I love blueberry muffins!

7. Acadia National Park is the 2nd most visited national park in the U.S. (#1 is Yellowstone) I've not made it to Acadia yet, but I'm hoping to visit it sooner than later!

8. York, Maine, established in 1641, is America's first chartered city. And it's a gorgeous and quaint coastal town!

9. Portland, Maine has a large neighborhood that has been certified by the National Registry as one of the best intact original Victorian housing neighborhoods in America. I took some pics while driving through there and the houses are GORGEOUS and so historic!

10. Maine is quite far away from a lot of crazy people that I would love to live far away from. I'm sure there will be blog entries forthcoming about some of these said people. LOL.

11. Maine is a very dog-friendly state. Portland is a VERY dog-friendly city. It boasts 9 dog parks! The city I currently live in has 1 dog park and it's population is more than double the size of Portland. Chloe says, "Woof, when are we moving?"

12. Patrick Dempsey is from Buckfield, Maine, which is within Lewiston, Maine. I've driven through this town and it's cute. I would think that I have a better chance of running into McDreamy if I move to Maine, instead of staying in my current town. Of course, I could get lucky and Shonda Rimes could decide to move the staff of Seattle Grace to the banks of the Tennessee River. Ok, maybe not.

13. Moving to Maine would be a huge, new adventure that would be frightening and exciting all at the same time. It would be such a joy to explore a new landscape, new people, and new experiences with my family.

Maine Trip - Day 3 recap

Day 3 didn't quite turn out the way we planned. As I had mentioned earlier in the week, we were planning to go whale watching today, which is something I've wanted to do since I was a little kid. Well, mother nature rained on that parade...literally. So, whale watching goes back on my 43 Things List as something I want to do someday. Oh well.

Not one to let a little rain get me down, we headed south to Kittery, which is the home of some serious outlet mall shopping. It was also the place where I picked up the newest addition to my family...my brand new 7qt Le Creuset French Oven. Behold it in all it's awesome-ness!

I have been coveting one of these pieces of cooking genius for a while now, so, it's coming back to Tennessee with me. I only hope that this won't put my luggage over the weight limit tomorrow. Be easy on me Delta!

Another thing that I found on this trip, was pretty momentous. My friend Rhea blogged about bumper stickers last week and I commented to her that I had none on my vehicle. Well, I finally found one that I am deeming worth enough to adhere to my precious vehicle when I return home tomorrow. Check it out.

I came across this saying on a "Welcome to Maine" sign several years ago and it stuck with me. Now I can spread the news all over the South!

Tomorrow we are flying home, which is bittersweet. I love it up here so much, that I hate to leave, but I'm really missing hubby & the kids this time, so I'm kinda happy to head home. I hope you've enjoyed tagging along on my photo journey. Back to real life soon enough! Next week should be quite interesting. The girls start swim lessons on Monday. I have 1 word to describe my thoughts on that...yikes.

Maine Trip - Day 2 recap

Friday morning started out with a fabulous walk along the wharf and then stumbling upon a great "hole in the wall" diner called, aptly, Big Mama's Diner. The space was no larger than my kitchen at home and the food was yummy! Nothing like a plate of silver dollar pancakes, home fries and bacon to get your day started right.

We decided to be really tourist-y today and ride one of those trolleys that takes you on a tour of the city. As many times as I've been here, I've never done this, so off we went. We stopped by the Maine Pier and saw this amazing mural by Robert Wyland. He painted life size replicas of humpback whales and dolphins on the side of a huge warehouse. It was gorgeous!


Next on the tour was a stop at the highest point in downtown Portland, which had some gorgeous views. View this picture up close and enjoy the beauty.

Then, we ventured into town and saw the home of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Portland has an amazingly rich history and it's ASTOUNDING how many buildings from the 1800's are still intact.

Then we headed out to Cape Elizabeth, home of the most photographed lighthouse in the U.S., The Portland Headlight. There's a pic of that coming up. Here's a view of Casco Bay from the lighthouse grounds.
Oh, and here's a picture of my if I won the lottery summer house. Nice huh?

After our delightful trolley ride, we headed back into town for lunch at a cool, local hangout. There's a history behind the name of this place that I found to be hysterical. The building that houses this restaurant used to have the following painted on the side.
"$1 Looky...$2 Touchy...$3 Dewey..." And so, we enjoyed lunch at $3 Dewey's.

While waiting for our afternoon cruise to depart, we did a little shopping and more walking on the waterfront and then headed out to sea for a hair-raising adventure. A Mainer once told me that there are 2 seasons in Maine: Winter and the 4th of July. After yesterday, I'm pretty convinced he was right. It was so cold out on the water that my fingers turned blue while I tried to take gobs of pictures. I managed a few before retreating for hot cocoa in the galley.

Here's a gorgeous schooner that people pay a LOT of money to sail on. The maneuvers this craft was making almost gave me a heart attack.

And here's the Portland Head Light. Not a great picture, but very recognizable. It's the 2nd oldest lighthouse in the U.S. It was commissioned by George Washington and is now surrounded by a gorgeous state park that I would visit OFTEN if I lived here.

And so, we ended the day back at the hotel, where we enjoyed the pool and spa and headed to bed early, since the sun would be up before the roosters.

Maine Trip - Day 1 recap

Well, after a small plane delay yesterday, we finally made it to my little slice of heaven...Maine! We're in the southern coastal area and it's absolutely gorgeous. The weather has been beyond perfect so far (a bit breezy, high of 68) and the people are just as nice as I remember. I'm so glad to be "home". I think that's part of why I love it up so here so much. I feel like I've come home, rather then left home to come here. Ok, it's way too early for philosophical, so here are some pics.

Upon arrival, we picked up our land yacht. Apparently, Avis lost my memo on needing a small vehicle.

Then, rather than wasting time checking into the hotel, we went to the most important place on our list.

So, that I could purchase the most important item on my list.

And we met some locals while we were there.

All in all, it was a great first day. We got some serious shopping accomplished before our heads hit the pillow last night and I slept like a rock. This Hilton has the most comfy hotel bed I have EVER slept in. However, they need to work on the drapery in the room, because I was a little annoyed to be woken at 5am this morning to this scene peeking through my window.

The sun was completely up and shining before 5am, so I guess it felt I needed to quit wasting time sleeping this morning! That's ok, because every waking minute that I can enjoy this place, just makes me smile even more. Happy Friday everyone and I'll have more travel updates later tonight. And while you're waiting on the update, how about entering my summer giveaway contest? Only a couple of days left to enter!