Autumn's Splendor

This is my favorite time of year - when the woolies and the hoodies and the scarves come back out...when the humidity has left, the trees are ablaze with color and the smell of wood smoke mingles with that crisp scent that can only be identified as autumn. 

On Sunday, we did our annual trip to get our pumpkins and apples and then we went on an adventure to Ricker Hill Farm in Turner, ME.  And boy was it an adventure! Google Maps took us on a very circuitous route, taking us almost a half hour out of our way, riding twisty turny country roads.  But it was beautiful! The trees were in full color in the Sabattus, Turner and Leeds area. Autumn in Maine...gotta love it!

The winding drive was well worth it when we finally arrived. There was cider, pumpkins, colorful mums, apple cider donuts and hot popcorn.  There was a BBQ food truck, bouncy houses, a corn maze, a petting zoo with cows and goats.  There were things to climb on, play with and just have fun. Shorty was in her element (so was Nick)!

I was happy for indoor bathrooms, but dismayed, when standing in their tasting room, at the realization that I cannot partake in Ricker Hill’s delicious hard cider for many, many more months to come.  Ah, the joys of pregnancy (she said, rolling her eyes to the ceiling).

None of us wanted to leave, but it started to drizzle. We did vow that we would return! This might just become another family tradition.

Vacation, All I Ever Wanted ~ Vacation, Have to Get Away

At the last minute, Nick and I decided to take an actual vacation.  We debated DC (DC in July...god help us!), flying to Michigan to see his family (not in the budget), taking the train to Boston and spending a night (Boston in July...eek!).  Finally we decided on a staycation. We rented a cute little cottage at a campground in Rockport and whisked ourselves away for a mini-adventure!

 

We weren't totally roughing it...we had a pool that we spent every day in, because it was in the high 80's the entire time we were there.

 

There was an oceanside observation deck on the other side of the campground that offered a gorgeous view.

 

We hit Mount Battie for some breathtaking scenery of Camden Harbor.

 

We walked all the way out to the Breakwater in Rockland and then Owl's Head Light. 

Poor Miss Shorty was EXHAUSTED after the near mile she had to walk...just before this picture was taken she looked back across the breakwater to shore and asked, "Do I have walk all the way back?? Can't we swim back?"

At Owl's Head, she wasn't entirely impressed that we were walking out to another lighthouse, but we hit the rocky beach, where we was able to play at the edge of the water and all annoyance at having to "walk so far" was forgotten.

We also spent a day wandering the shops of Camden, sitting by the harbor and watching the boats come in and out, we chilled out at the library for a bit and wandered their beautiful lawns.

All in all, it was one of the most fantastic vacations I've ever taken!

Road Trip to Rockland

Sometimes, when life just gets out of control, a trip to the ocean is necessary.  We climbed rocks, listened to the waves and the gulls, collected rocks and shells, played in the water and just sat in our own little state of zen, watching sailboats lazily heading out to sea.