Three Mornings in Maine:)

Well, we are in Maine. Yes, I know that this stop was not on the itinerary. Yes, I know we are supposed to be in Malta right now! However, there was an urgent need for an attitude adjustment:P For those of you who are unaware of my ridiculous, fabulous, chaotic lifestyle, my family (and my lifelong friend Samantha!) is in the process of ferrying a Citation II from San Marcos, Texas to Manila, Philippines. We plan to stop in Newfoundland, the Azores islands, Gibraltar, Malta, Jordan, Oman, Kuala Lumpur, and then the Philippines. And then, over Pittsburgh, the directional gyro went out. The message on the screen literally said "attitude fail"! Since Pittsburgh was full because of the upcoming Steelers game, we chose Maine, as conveniently close, with a FedEx shipping center for any necessary parts, and with a high probability of something fun to experience.  I love the fresh, crunchy-tart Maine apples, sailing the bay in an antique sloop, fabulous fall foliage, crisp, cool weather, real clam chowder, Mainers who don't say their 'r's, and LOBSTER. Our first day of our unexpected, New England mini-vacation, we drove from Bangor to Bar Harbor, enjoying the leaves on the way, and ate lobster for dinner:) Lobster shacks seem the equivalent of BBQ in my Texas hometown: common, casual, and mostly appreciated by foreigners! The second glorious day we laughed our way up a four mile hike in Acadia National Park-- what a start to our day, and what a beautiful Savior we serve to create such beauty! Then, we decided that we had earned a yummy lunch... most of us chose blueberry stuffed French toast with blueberry sauce-- absolutely delish! My wonderfully resourceful, always-be-prepared-to-make-the-most-of-everything brother, Eric, had an afternoon of sailing lined up for us. Our boat, the Alice E. is the oldest friendship sloop still afloat, and our captain, Carl, was awesome enough to let me steer:) Just to be there, out in the middle of the blue expanse of bay, to breathe the exquisitely fresh air, to let the beautiful scenery permeate deep into me and refresh me, to lean far over the side to touch the water, and scrambling to the front of the Alice to feel the breeze turn my cheeks pink, seemed uniquely Maine, and completely wonderful. Maine surprised me. Perhaps I expected the quaint aura in the small fishing villages, but even Bangor and Portland had their share of old brick buildings. In that way, I was surprised at how Maine seems to hold onto tradition. However, I expected to find a more homogenous society this far north and isolated, but I have seen people of all ethnicities. (No, I take that back. I have yet to see an African pygmy.) But still... Now, continuing the grand tour of Maine, we are in Portland. I had hoped to finally exit the country today-- I am beyond ready to hear foreign languages, and deal with a different currency-- but we are delayed one more day. Tomorrow we hop from Portland to St. John's, Newfoundland, to the Azores. And while we are stuck, I will enjoy one more dinner of lobster:) I do not have any knick-knacks to share this time. I would rather not sell anything than sell something that does not meet my standards of quality, value and how well it represents a region and/or tells a story. I did not have time to visit the Maine antique stores like I would have wished. Next time! However, to clarify, if you do wish to buy something you see on my blog, email me at karamartha@gmail.com to reserve it. As soon as I receive your cash or check (my mailing address is:  965 N. Walnut, Ste. 500B, New Braunfels, Tx 78130), I will send out your purchases:) I now offer a 10% discount for cash, and all prices are plus shipping. I hope that helps! Ciao until next time, Kara Photos to follow... I have unsuccessfully tried with this internet connection for what seems like a very, very long time.