Down Time in Down East

I used to think that I grew up in the boonies. It was a very rural area in upstate NY that boasted, at the time, tons of dairy farms. In my teenage brain I thought there was nothing to see and even less to do. I lived in the middle of nowhere, or so I thought, until my parents moved to Maine. Not Freeport where the awesome LL Bean store is but WAY up in Maine. Although they are FAR away from any major airports they live in the most beautiful area. The Maine coastline is trimmed with tall pines and dotted with rocky formations. Their lovely home is a mid 1800s farmhouse built on a granite foundation (granite abounds in Maine).
I talk to my mom a lot on the phone and it somehow makes those 3000 miles seem not-so-far-away. I call her to chat, catch her up on the kid's activities and ask for her meatball recipe (over and over again).

They moved there to start a bed and breakfast. Doesn't this look like a B & B that you would like to stay at?


When we do go and visit, which is not as often as I would like, we try to take advantage of every moment.
Grammy listens as Katie reads the Velveteen Rabbit.


Grandpa Charlie and Riley hung out a lot. Usually they played Battleship.


Aunt Lynne and Uncle Tim arrived the day before we did. They live on our side of the world and we get to see them every now and then. Love you both! xoxo


Sisters!


The day after we arrived my mom made homemade pasta for my birthday. It was nice to celebrate with family. Thanks Mom for making my favorite!

There were a few tears as Aunt Lynne and Uncle Tim said their goodbyes.

The hardest part for me was watching Aunt Lynne say goodbye to her mom (Grammy Jeanne). The reason for Aunt Lynne's visit was that she was moving Grammy Jeanne to my parents home. And while I have pictures of all the goodbyes I won't post them because my Grammy Jeanne was in her bathrobe and she would positively hate that!

Mom and Dad, thank you for such a wonderful visit! We love you! xoxo