Kennebunkport with the Marrieds

We arrived in Arundel, Maine where our next Air B&B was located.  It was night when we got there and so we unpacked and then hopped right into the jacuzzi:)  The mornings and nights on this trip were kinda chilly so we were grateful to have the fun jacuzzi and fire pit to use.  

After everyone got to the house we talked about our day

.

Skylar and Sarah went to Salem, MA and had a good time there looking at the town all spooked up for the Halloween holiday.

Brach and Kendra drove down to Newport and toured a few of the mansion houses.  They really liked it and had a fun time!

We had a good time chatting around the fireplace in the living area and then decided to watch a show.  We turned on the British Baking Show and relaxed a while watching it.

The next morning we went into Kennebunkport to rent some bicycles.  Rick and I had e-bikes and the others had regular pedal ones.  Boy was I so glad to have an e-bike because even though we were on the coast the roads got hilly.  After the first forty minutes Kendra said her legs were burning.  We had just started and it was a long day for her but she toughed it out and rode the whole NINETEEN MILES!

First we went to the end of the road past Gooch's Beach and Kennebunkport Beach.  We stopped and did some exploring  out on the black rocks while the tide was out.  Out was chilly outside so we were each glad to have our sweatshirts on!

After the first part of our ride skylar suggested that we stop to get a bite to eat.  That was a great idea because it was getting lunchtime.  

We went to the Boat House Restaurant and got to sit out on the patio.  

The food did not disappoint!  Rick and Skylar got lobster rolls and Brach got fish and chips that he really loved.   Sarah and I had a salad and I believe Kendra had a sandwich and fries.

The food was really great!  We were all happy!

After lunch we got back on our bikes and made our way to Walker's Point.

We stopped at the little Episcopalian Church and got some pictures.

There was a great view of the bay from this vantage point.

This is the church that President George HW Bush and his wife Barbara frequented when they would come each summer.

Next we rode up to Cape Porpoise to see the Goat Island Lighthouse.

Next we rode further North to Goose Rocks Beach.

This was our last stop before turning around...

Here's a picture of the Bomans:)

After turning in our bikes we had a few minutes to look around the shops before dinner.

Look at this cute display with this cute couple!

How about this little boat FULL of pumpkins??

And this....so adorable!

Before dinner we caught this beautiful view of the sun hitting the trees in full fall color. It was magical!

We had dinner at Wandby Landing.

They served Italian food and I believe we all enjoyed our food.

We then went to Rococo Ice Cream Shop that Skylar and Sarah had checked out earlier in the day.

It had really interesting flavors.

Brach, Skylar and Rick had Spicy Rocky Road it was a chocolate based ice cream with cayenne pepper added in so it was super spicy.  Kendra had one called Whoopie Pie and it was yummy!

Sarah had one called HoneyVanilla that she really liked, as well.

Afterward we headed back to the home and got back in the jacuzzi while Brach and Kendra made a fire

and enjoyed making s'mores.

We then watched The Village.  I remember being a little spooked the first time I watched it. 

I liked it much better this time knowing what was going to happen.  There was only one scary part that I didn't remember.  A fun way to end the day!

The next day we all went our separate ways.

Rick and I headed into Kennebunk to find the store that I had gone into the last time we were there.  

I couldn't remember the name of it but we did stop at an antique store to peruse and they knew the place and gave me directions.  While Rick wa son the phone doing business I went inside and bought a few fun fall decor items!  

Next we went to the Boulangerie Bakery for a treat.

Rick got a ? and I got a delicious scone.

For the rest of the day we drove around some of the seaport towns just south of Kennebunk taking pictures along the way of anything that interested us:)  We stopped in Ogunquit and the town of York.

Ogunquit Beach

We stopped for lunch at Rick's Diner.

I thought that was appropriate and the breakfast was sooo good!

We stopped at the nubble Lighthouse just north of York.  

We saw this wiggly bridge on the map and took a little time to find it.  We were able to get there and cross it before the sun went down.

That night we got back to the house and caught up on everyone's day.

Skylar and Sarah went on a really fun hike right close to Kennebunkport then did some shopping.

Brach and Kendra drove up to Portland to go see the lighthouse there.

We watched The British Baking Show opener that evening and it was nice just relaxing after a busy day.

The two couples went outside by the fire and enjoyed sitting and talking.

The next morning Sarah and skylar drove over to Holy Donuts.  She had read online that this was a must do in Kennebunkport.  She brought them home for breakfast.

                                                            Isn't she cute in her jammies?

And don't these look divine?

Yep, they were:)

This was the morning that we had scheduled to drive into Portland to go on a lobster boat.

Look at this cute group!

I had to get a picture of us all standing in front of these lobster bouys.

 

We got on our boat and headed out to the traps.

We got to see two traps being brought up.

The first one had one lobster while the second one had a couple of lobster and even some crabs.

Some of us took turns banding the claws and measuring them.

Cute girls!!

And cute guy!

Did I mention it was COLD?

Well, it was.  A nice stiff breeze blowing in off of the water.

This was the coldest day of our trip.

But it was still fun!😀

There's our boat...

We stopped at this restaurant for some lunch.

I cut off the name so I don't remember what it was called but the boys enjoyed getting lobster while we girls opted for something else.

After lunch we again parted ways.  Brach and Kendra found an old mansion house to tour.

Rick and I went to LLBean.

We were tired when we arrived so we slept in the car for a half hour.

To be honest I fell asleep on the drive so I slept longer than that.

We really could have done something different then LLBean,  The prices were so outrageous so I did not buy anything.  I did not see the interest of buying way overpriced stuff.

Although, Rick did buy a shirt that he liked.

I found a cool coat that I loved but I wasn't about to pay $250 for it!😬

Skylar and Sarah got to see the Portland Head Lighthouse.

That night Skylar and Sarah and Rick and I ate at a place called the Lost Fire Restaurant.

It is an Argentine restaurant specializing in their meats.  The kids loved their meal and Mine was just so so.

But it was fun that we were able to go back to Rococo and sit down for a fun dessert.

We ordered Baked Alaska, a Brownie Sundae and Chocolate cake.

Enough to put us over the top...

That night we all got to sit out at the fire pit drinking wassail and some made s'mores. Yes, even after we had ALREADY ate!  It was a nice night!

The next morning, after packing up and cleaning out the fridge, Sarah found us a restaurant close by that served breakfast.  My goodness the food was delish!  I might be a little biased because I love breakfast foods!

It was a chilly day so I had to warm up with some hot chocolate:)

We had a really fun and friendly waiter and we all loved our meals.

We drove into town to do a little more shopping before heading back to the airport in Portland.

We bought some stuff at the candle shop and, of course, got a few things at the candy shop.

I wanted to get a picture of all of us on this cute fall display.

Unfortunately, it was a little shady on some faces:(

 Our flight home was pretty eventful...mostly because it did not happen.  The flight was overbooked and since we had cheaper seats and some were a little late in getting there...no names mentioned...Rick and I were able to get seat assignment but the kids did not.  The airline was looking for customers to give up their seats for a $600 voucher but nobody did, except Rick and I.  There was one seat available after that so it was decided that Sarah would travel home that night alone while we all waited to go the next day.  She was chosen because her mother, who had been watching the kids, had gotten very sick while we were on our trip and family had to take over while she recuperated.

We saw her off and the airline booked a taxi for us to take a two hour ride down to Boston where we were to overnight and leave early in the morning.  It felt like a long ride to Boston but we made it just fine.  Everyone was very hungry, except me because I had a sandwich on the way down, so eating was the first thing to do once we arrived to the hotel.  We each ordered food to take to the room except for Skylar who found a sushi place not far from the hotel.  

We woke up at 3am to catch our 5:30 flight home.  We were relived to get home and see that our luggage made it....except Sarah's.  It came to our house a few hours later.

What a memorable trip with our great marrieds!  (I know that's a funny name but sometimes that is how we refer to them).  I believe they all had a wonderful time exploring the area and seeing the beauties of New England in the fall.  I hope Rick and I can return soon!  We love it so much!!

Boston with the Marrieds

  We arrived in the town of Dedham, MA on the night of the fourth where we rented an air b&b for a few nights.  It was a cute little restored home nestled in the woods.  Rick and I had a room on the lower level which was nice not to have to climb the stairs. We had a nice bedroom with a really comfortable bed.  The kids arrived and got settled and then we just enjoyed some time talking in the evening.  I think most everyone was tired after a long day of travel.  The kids had flown into Dallas and then on to Providence with an hour drive to get to the house.  They were all so hungry because they had no time to eat between flights.  Brach and Kendra stopped right in Providence (in a sketchy area so says Kendra)m and got some pizza.  Skylar and Sarah stopped for some Thai food.  They were all happy to get some grub.

Anyway, after a good night's rest we drove on into Boston.  Rick was able to secure a parking spot the night before and so it worked well enough....except when we had to get out.😬  More on that later.  

Kendra and Brach came in with us and Skylar and Sarah drove in on their own.  We met up at the Boston Common and immediately tarted on our Freedom Trail journey.  This is the first picture of us at the old cemetery.  Once we got started we just kid of drifted on our own.  Skylar and Sarah took off for some Boston Cream Pie and we headed toward Little Italy to get some grub.  We got a little turned around and on our way ran into Skylar and Sarah and then found our way together. 

We stopped at a couple of different places.  I was thinking to just get a slice of pizza and move on but that place was SUPER full so luckily we were able to go a couple doors down to Antico Forno and find a seat at the bar.  Interestingly enough, as I was walking past the tables a young lady reached out to me and said, "excuse me, but are you from Grantsville?"  I was certainly surprised and said, "yes" I was.  She introduced herself as McKayla Meeno a friend of Kendras from high school.  What a small world!  We chatted for a few minutes and when the others arrived they talked, as well. 

By the time that Brach and Kendra arrived we had a spot for them at the bar so we all got to sit together.

We each got a drink.  I had to copy Rick who ordered a Shirley Temple and it was great!

We ordered a couple of pizzas (1 Margarita and 1 Supreme) and had enough for each of us to have two slices.

It was super delish and just what we needed to keep going!

While Skylar and Sarah took off for the USS Constitution and Bunker Hill we hung with Brach and Kendra and stopped at Modern Bakery and got a bunch of pastries!  One for the moment and a few for the road:)  We then walked to Paul Revere's home and got to walk inside of it.  

There were a few people dressed in character of the day which made it kinda fun.

I couldn't resist taking a shutoff this lovely storefront.

Next we walked over to the infamous Old North Church.  There were a lot of people herding though but it was still nice to see it again.

After the Church we stopped at the Paul Revere on horse statue.  I love that little neighborhood.  It is my favorite place in Boston.

Next we walked over to the Union Oyster House.  It is a building that has stood on that street for over 250 years and has been a food establishment since 1826.

We enjoyed having dinner together and they food was decent:)

While Kendra and Brach hurried off to Bunker Hill, Rick and I mossed back to the car down by the commons.  We had trouble getting out of the parking lot. Our ticket wouldn't work so we had to pay to get out even though we had previously paid the night before.  Anyhoo....that was an adventure!

We drove over the bridge toward Bunker Hill to pick up B&K.  We found them and was told a funny story of Brach needing to use the bathroom SUPER bad.  They wouldn't let him into the museum because it was closed.  It was an emergency so he stopped at the nearest house and offered the woman $20 if he could use her bathroom.  Anyway,  it was a funny story to retell:)

That night we were glad to get back to the house after a big day.

The next day was Sunday.  Conference Sunday.  We packed a lunch and headed toward Minuteman National Park while listening to conference.  We pulled up to a picnic table and pulled out some goods for lunch.  We ate and listened and made a nice memory.

Afterward we met inside the museum and watched the movie about the night the Revolutionary War started.  Visiting these places always makes me so grateful for the bravery of so many people.  So many gave up so much for what we have now.

I honor these men and women of courage.

Net we drove to Concord to get to the Old North Bridge.  We were saddened to see that we could not get to it because of renovations.  Bummmmer!  We love that little bridge and what it represents so much.  We got as close as we could and got a picture.  Not quite the same....

Here is a picture of our cute home that we stayed in.  We were very comfortable there.  

Like I said before it was nestled in the woods and the kids (and Rick) got up each morning to go running through them.  One morning Rick saw a couple of deer and then later he saw a turkey.  He came and got me and I got to see the turkey..so exciting!!

This was our day to pack up and head toward Maine.  First off we wanted to visit the JFK Presidential Museum.  It was really nice to learn about Kennedy's life and accomplishments in his short life.

This boat was given to him when he was 15 years old.  He loved sailing in the waters of Nantucket Sound.

After our visit there we stopped at a pub and got some great food!  That mac n cheese was so good but it was too rich and I had a sandwich and fries and I could not finish it.  

Beautiful colors as we drove up to Maine.

We decided on our way up to Maine that we would stop in Portsmouth NH.  What a darling little coastal town this was.  We got there just as the stores were3 closing up but it was still fun to walk around the streets.  

So many storefronts were decorated wonderfully for the fall.

We did find a Kilwins chocolate shop open.  They served ice cream which was exactly what we were craving!

On to Kennebukport........