Lucy's Big Maine Trip 2009

We made it to Maine! Took 2 trips to the airport - the first red-eye was delayed & we wouldn't have been able to make our connections so we went a day later than we'd planned - but we made it. The trip itself was kind of rough. I didn't sleep, Lucy got about a half a night's sleep - but the fun began as soon as we got to Bar Harbor.

My folks were, of course, very excited to see Lucy. And Lucy got into the spirit of things amazingly well. She has met "Gigi" and "Bumpa"* a few times and is just incredibly comfortable with them - running around to find them when they leave the room ("Bumpa? Where are you?"), climbing up on the sofa to give them a snuggle, being ever so happy and expressive with them.

On our first day, we went to Glen Mary - a wading pool about a block from my parents' house. Here is Lucy dashing excitedly to the water & wading with Gigi.



My folks prepared for Lucy just perfectly: lots of art supplies, toys, DVR recordings of her favorite shows. Here are Lucy & Gigi drawing.


The highlight of the day was an after dinner stroll down through Bar Harbor (high tourist season, very crowded) and getting cups of delicious hand made peach ice cream and eating it on the grass at Agamont Park. Lucy was jubilant. Exclaming "yum" and rolling in the grass, running around with a big grin on her face, laughing it up.



On the way back from ice cream we stopped at Albert Meadow for a little exploration of the shore, the rocks, the balancing boulder, there. Fun throwing rocks into the water, climbing about with a little help from dad, waving to Gigi up on the grass.


Here is Lucy on her little-girl guest bed exploring some of the great toys that Gigi & Bumpa got for her. She didn't sleep in her little bed, though, because Dad was ready to sleep before Lucy was on our first night here - so Lucy slept in the big bed with Dad. Somehow my chainsaw-loud snoring doesn't wake her up. Took a while for baby girl to get to sleep in a strange place, but I think she caught up on all her sleep last night.


Today, the big excitement was a trip to Echo Lake beach. Swimming, digging in the sand, having a picnic, saying hello to some very friendly ducks. Lucy did great. She is getting so comfortable in the water! We had a lot of fun.




This evening we made an after-dinner trip through town and bought Lucy some balloons, bubbles, a ball, and a book (and a rubber centipede that doesn't fit into the things-that-start-with-B category, but Lucy fell in love with the weird thing, so we brought it home). On the way home, we walked through the Village Green where a big band was just getting started playing in the Town Gazebo - some quaint - and we bumped into Jennifer Judd-McGee (I think she's hyphenated her last name - apologies if that is wrong). Great to see her & her kids.

Here is Lucy relaxing with an episode of Dora the Explorer - just like she is doing right now beside me as I write. Going to be bed time soon (just after 10pm here, just after 7 back home on the left coast - no clue how she is going to adjust to the time change - so we're just going to go with the flow)... she is being very sweet and happy and having a better time than I could have hoped. A wonderful trip so far.


We're looking forward to another Bar Harbor day tomorrow: relaxing, adventuring, eating, napping. Going to blow up balloons, blow some bubbles, play with the ball, and read the book we got, I imagine (cute book: it is a Bar Harbor themed board book). I think my parents' friend Alexis is coming for dinner so Lucy will get to meet her - and if the weather is good: more swimming.

*"Gigi" and "Bumpa" are the grandma & grandpa names for my parents. Others might call them "Sandy" and "Burt." Being their son, I'd just call 'em Mom & Dad. Or M'am and Sir...