The Romantic Getaway

For our actual anniversary, we found a little resort in Lincolnville (near Camden) called Inn at Ocean's Edge. It was incredible! The room we booked was the most economical, but still larger than our old apartment! There was an 8x10 entry before walking into the sitting area/bedroom as seen below. It's only 1/2 of the room...

They pipe soft jazz and contemporary music into the room in the afternoon and evening. It certainly helped to set the mood, as did the oversized whirlpool tub and gas-lit fireplace you see below...

The bathroom was larger than our spare bedrooms. The shower itself could have comfortably hosted a dance party, although we didn't test that theory!

The resort had plenty of amenities, including an outdoor fireplace, hot tub and heated infinity pool.

The lounge chairs were so relaxing that within 10 minutes of sitting down, Eric was snoring! In the background you can see the main resort, which was cozy and quaint. There were only about 2 dozen suites in this building, and about half as many in a smaller building just behind it.

Because it was such a special occasion, we got all dressed up and went out for a fancy dinner.

Brevetto is a small Italian restaurant in Camden that Eric spotted online. The food and atmosphere were perfect!

After dinner, there were some fireworks! (Get your mind out of the gutter, we're not talking about what happened in the bedroom!) Our anniversary fell on the same weekend as Camden's Windjammer Festival and it wrapped up with a spectacular fireworks display on Sunday night.

The next morning, we headed back to Camden and boarded the Appledore, one of the many schooners moored in the harbor, for a scenic little ride.

It was another beautiful day, perfect to be out on the water.


Being on the water brought out the artsy photographer in Eric...

Even though we had five days off together, it still went by too fast. Oh well, there's always next year!

Our Anniversary Weekend

We took an extra-long weekend to celebrate our 1st anniversary. With the hectic nature of summer, it was nice to have a few days for just the two of us.

One of our favorite hikes in Acadia National Park is the Precipice Trail, which is often closed because of nesting falcons. We've talked about doing it again for the last few years but haven't found time. With five days off, we finally had time and took advantage of a beautiful (but hot) day. Here, Eric is trying to stay cool in what little shade the trail offered.

One of the reasons we like this trail so much is because it's more than just a long walk up a steep hill. Throughout the trail, there are various rungs and ladders to navigate particularly precipitous stretches. Good thing Stacy isn't afraid of heights. Oh wait, she is!

Another reason we like this trail is because it's relatively short, but still challenging and provides great views of Acadia and Frenchman Bay.

After hiking in 90+ degree weather, we rewarded ourselves with a dip in Echo Lake, which is the only freshwater swimming area in the national park.

Another thing we did with our time off was take in the Blue Hill Fair, which is just a short drive down the coast for us.
We're not sure how to introduce this and do it justice. There was this guy and his pigs and they just did the most amazing tricks you could ever imagine. Here, "Rosie" is playing the piano. And by that we mean knocking her snout against the keys trying to get her treat. Once in awhile, the piano made noise. It was amazing!

If you think the pigs were something, wait until you hear about the dog that catches frisbees. This dog has been on Animal Planet and ESPN (or so this guy would have us believe). Apparently, the dog's great skill is catching discs from a range of about four feet. It was pretty spectacular. Who knew Blue Hill could attract such talent?

This show was actually pretty entertaining. After thrilling the crowd with fast-chopping feats and axe-throwing, these lumberjacks competed in a log-rolling contest.

These few days were a nice lead in to our big day...

Bak too Skool...

This past weekend we got Stacy ready for the start of school! If you haven't yet heard, she's heading back to get her teaching certificate at Husson University in Bangor. There's something about back-to-school shopping that makes you feel like a kid again!

In just two years, Stacy could be (gasp) shaping young minds!

Road Trip!

Given that it had been since last October that we saw our friend Matt, we (Stacy, Eric, Brian and Melissa) decided to take a little road trip to visit him in his home state of Connecticut. We were having too much fun to remember to take pictures, but we did manage to take a few...

Matt showed us around his office, the Hartford Courant. Somehow he lucked out and was assigned the desk under the largest flat-screen TV in the newsroom. I'm sure that helps with his productivity!

The Courant recently merged with a local TV news station so we got an up-close and personal tour of the set, too. Here, Brian predicts the day's weather...

Stacy and Brian chat about the local news...

For lunch, we ate at Harry's pizza. We figured we'd split two large pizzas among the five of us. Then we saw how big a large was...

It almost more than Melissa could handle! (That's what Brian said!)

Before we left, we wanted to make sure to get a group photo. It took us 20 minutes and as many shots to get this gem...clearly Brian was having the time of his life!

We had an awesome time catching up with Matt and exploring West Hartford. We hope to make it back soon!

Welcome Guests

Last month, our friends Brett and Megan, as well as their two daughters, Hannah and Josie, came up for a quick visit. While the boys hit some golf balls around the yard and played "corn hole," the girls played with everything from puzzles and balls to bubbles and chalk. It was a fantastic visit, aside from the unexplained fire alarm that went off at 4 a.m. and scared us all half to death!

Hannah, 3


















Josie, 9 mos.

We love company and were glad they took the time to stop by and see us!