We spent a fantastic week in Bridgton, Maine with GG, Grandpa, Aunt Ellie and Uncle Donny in August. The weather was a bit chilly and felt more like fall than summer, but we surely made the best of it. Here's the front of the townhouse/duplex type house that we had rented. It was great: three levels, three bedrooms plus a loft, nice kitchen, back deck with a Long Lake view, and three and a half bathrooms.
Here was our view out back. The grassy area was perfect for playing sports and just down the hill was the beach and the lake.
Finley and Dagny LOVED eating out on the porch and had most meals there.
There was also a tennis court nearby and Finley couldn't wait to get out there. He had a blast playing with Dan and I one afternoon and then with Uncle Donny later in the week.
Not bad for his first time playing on a real court with a net (our driveway rallies have gotten pretty good, but I was impressed how well he did!).
The lake was chilly, but Dan, Finley, Ellie and Donny braved the water a couple of times during the week while the rest of us just enjoyed the sandy beach.
The $4 water squirters I bought before we left were a big hit!
The beach was also great for campfires since it had a fire pit, Dan is pretty solid at building fires, and I brought s'mores fixings!
We had two nights of campfires that began at dusk and we enjoyed into the early evening. The sky was so clear, we could see so many stars. After one campfire, most of us went back to the house for bed but Finley and Dan camped out in the backyard.
They had a great time camping and capped off the adventure with breakfast on the lake at a nearby restaurant frequented by fishermen and kayakers. However, neither Dan or Finley got a ton of sleep so the next afternoon, they curled up together for a much needed nap in our bed.
Two mornings, the four of us hit the road after breakfast to hike.
Dagny enjoyed riding on my back and we were so proud of how well Finley hiked all on his own at a decent pace.
It was a gorgeous view at the top!
A nice family took our photo, which reminded us how few we remember to take of all four of us!
After this hike, GG, Grandpa, Donny and Ellie met us at a nearby blueberry patch where we had a blast picking our own berries and then enjoyed wood fired pizza outside. The blueberries were delicious and we took several pints back to the house to eat for the rest of the week.
The next morning, we headed out again to hike. It was great to be outside in the cool weather and Finley showed us his great stamina and positive hiking attitude once again.
Here was our view from the second mountain.
After this hike, we met the rest of the crew for some mini golfing where Donny reigned supreme and we all celebrated by eating lunch on the lake so the seafood lovers could enjoy a local lobster roll.
We drove an hour to North Conway, NH one day and road the scenic railroad. The only photo I took was this one of Dan and Dagny who got out as the locomotive moved from one end of the train to the other to pull us back to our station. It was about an hour ride in an open carriage and aside from the loud train whistle, it was super fun and right up our little engineer's alley. Finley had loved it!
Then, we met everyone for a short hike to Diana's Bath (also in North Conway). It was a nice flat walk to some beautiful waterfalls. Finley and Dan changed into their bathing suits and braved the slippery rock terrain while Dagny and I tossed rocks in the pools and watched all the people coming and going.
Ellie and Donny stuck near us for a while, too.
Gilda ventured out and Dan invited her up to join them, but she declined.
A few minutes later, Murray rushed by Dagny and I yelling "Gilda fell!" So I called out to Dan to come down and help his mom and sent Donny to get Finley. Turns out Gilda had slipped and broken her left wrist! She was tough and was able to walk all the way back to the car with a makeshift sling using Dan and my extra shirts and a piece of bark as a splint. We googled our way to the nearest hospital and Gilda was very well taken care of there as an x-ray showed a dislocated break in her left wrist.
What a terrible way to end a great day, but Gilda was a real trooper and managed to enjoy the last few days in Maine despite her injury.
Oh and one afternoon we went to Freeport to shop and meet some college friends for dinner, which was super fun. They even told us about the BEST ice cream place around: ice cream served out of an old train car on a working livestock farm. So we saw a train car, live animals, and lots of neat farm equipment all while enjoying delicious ice cream!
To wrap up...we all took turns cooking dinner, enjoyed our different definitions of vacation, and had a terrific time as a family. No all inclusive photos were taken but this "three generations of Forseter men" is quite good so I'll end with it :)
Family is the best and we are certainly more than blessed!
