Cloudy Skies

Day 7

I just woke up from being asleep in Eleanor's bed and really want to crawl right into bed so this may be short!

Our first full day in Maine was very nice, albeit a bit foggy.  We didn't have any rain today, but it was still cloudy, hampering some of the views.  Now, it's still definitely beautiful, but we can tell it would be breathtaking with sunny skies.  Right now, the forecast is calling for isolated storms the next two days, too, so we are trying not be be discouraged.  It would be awfully disappointing to come all this way and not have the views we know are there behind the clouds.  If there's one thing we know about living in Chicago, though, is how quickly the weather can change.  Also, that the weatherman is often wrong!  Lets hope so.  Doug said it is never foggy like this until late August and September....highly unusual.  Super.

So, after an okay night (Eleanor slept alone all night but fell out once and needed the bathrooms a couple of times), and one in which we both stayed up far too late, we were a bit tired in the morning.  Once we were all up, we headed out for our first family adventure.  We stopped at some shoreline, first, and the kids had a blast climbing all over the rocky shore.  It was low tide, so many of the rocks were covered in seaweed, etc.  It was a bit nerve-wracking for us parents, as we worried that the kids would fall, but they loved it.  The air was thick with salt, and the waves crashing over the rocks was a sight.  

Next, we ventured over to a relatively short trail.  Will convinced me we did not need the backpack for Eleanor, but less than halfway in, I regretted not taking it.  The hike was not steep, but it was pretty long.  At the mid-point, we were on another piece of shoreline, and Eleanor fell.  After that, she only wanted to be held.  And guess who she wanted to be held by?  Will was quick to admit that we should have taken the carrier.  I told  him maybe he could owe me a back rub, but I've yet to see it.  :)  Ethan was in love with the hike and all about getting through "obstacles."  He ran ahead the whole time, super excited.  I got a lot of great pictures, including a better M for my last name picture collage, but so many landscape pictures are not as majestic as we know they could be.  Fingers crossed for sunny skies.  

Following the hike, we took a quick look at a lighthouse before arriving back at the cottage for lunch.  Lunch was followed by some rest time (read: attempt to nap for mommy and daddy...think daddy succeeded).  Doug stopped by in the afternoon with a trail map for us and stayed to show us some good ones for families.  He's an interesting character and not at all what Will and I expected. Deeply tanned and looking like a total hippy, you just know this man has some great stories to tell.  

We left the cottage again at 3 or so, thinking we would go to the Acadia welcome center, but we stopped by echo lake beach to check it out.  Once the kids saw the sand, that was it, and we were all too happy to lay out a blanket and let them play.  Sand toys were in the car.  The water here is swimable, though  not for me on this cooler day.  Ethan was content in the sand, but Eleanor was eventually wet in her clothes, and we found a mismatched bathing suit for her to put on.  Like only a kid can, she ran right into the water completely unfazed but the temperature.  We simply enjoyed watching them frolic (literally) with jagged tree lined cliffs on either side and sailboats in the distance.  Not a bad way to spend an afternoon.  

When we got home, it was definitely shower time.  Then, I made a quick pasta e olio dinner with veggies, and we ate then the kids and I made a fire, or attempted to, while Will cleaned up and watched the Tour de France.  The wood was still damp, and with very little kindling, I didn't quite get the fire I was hoping for.  I did put in my best effort, though, and the kids got their s'mores and made memories nonetheless.  

Tomorrow will hopefully bring some sunny skies and more hiking.  We will also likely hit a lobster pound or another island restaurant for dinner.  Hoping to expose the kids to new kinds of seafood. Hoping...

Haiku of the day:

Rocky shores, trails galore

Cloudy skies we hope will clear

More s'mores on the way