X is for Xebec, Maine trip 2025, Day 4

 We recently took a trip to Maine. This is what we did on our fourth day of vacation. 

X is always a hard letter for the A-Z Blogging challenge because it would much rather be in the middle of a word than at the beginning. I chose xebec, a type of sailing ship, for the letter X. Although xebecs were primarily used by pirates in the Mediterranean, today, we learned about similar ships used in the Maine area.

But first, we visited Renys, a Maine department store with a wide variety of merchandise at good prices. We went looking for souvenirs and whatever else caught our eye (a hooded sweatshirt and kitchen shears). And despite the fact that it was another cold and rainy day, we decided it was time to see some sights. A little Googling during lunch led us to a suspension bridge and river walk in Topsham and later to the Maine Maritime Museum in Bath. Below are pictures from our day. 

Everyone got to try out their new raincoats on the Androscoggin Swinging Bridge between Topsham and Brunswick, ME. This pedestrian bridge was initially built in 1891.

We walked along a path by the river until the drizzle turned into rain, at which point we decided to head back to the car.

Next up was the Maine Maritime Museum, located next to Bath Iron Works. BIW is a US shipyard that has been building ships since the late 1800s. The museum had an entire building dedicated to an exhibit on BIW.

This is the current ship they are building. In the summer, you can take river cruises to see the ship-building up close. 

Another building was dedicated to the clipper ship the Snow Squall. (It was sort of like a Xebec.) This is what it looked like when it was new in 1851.

This is what remains of the Sea Squall today. The green you see is the copper-coated hull, which, among other things, helped keep off critters. 

There were other outdoor exhibits, but we decided to get out of the rain and moved to the main building.

 Wally went instantly to the rope exhibit. He has always liked tying knots.

The first thing that caught my eye was an exhibit about Maine children's author, Chris Van Dusen.

Ward and Theo discussed the physics of a lighthouse light. 

After the museum, we were happy to return home, put on warm and dry clothes, and have an excellent dinner of fresh haddock cooked by my BIL.

Until next time...

W is for Weather, Maine Trip, Day 3

We recently traveled to Maine to visit family. After two days of travel, this was our first full day at our destination.

We had good travel weather, but today, it turned cold and rainy. 

We were all up early Saturday morning, so we decided to visit L. L. Bean because a trip to Maine is not complete without a visit to the original L. L. Bean store in Freeport. The added bonus was that it was an indoor activity. The store was open 24 hours a day, so our 7 am start was not a problem.

A visit to L.L. Bean during a previous trip.

However, the store was undergoing a three-year renovation project and was spread out among three different tents and buildings. Not quite the experience we were used to, but it was fun to look anyway. However, the prices were higher than we were comfortable with, so we decided to visit the Bean outlet. The only problem was that it wasn't open until 9 am. With time to kill, we walked around town in the cold rain. By the time the outlet opened, we were wet to varying degrees. And guess what we bought--raincoats. Ward, Wally, and Theo all have birthdays in the spring, so they each got a new jacket as a birthday gift. (I got a new rain jacket last year for my birthday.)

One of the Bean construction buildings we saw on this trip.

Later that morning, my nephew and family visited. Once again, it was good to see the cousins interact and chat with my almost 7-year-old great-nephew. We had an egg hunt for him, and ended up with the one missing egg that always seems to happen. Unfortunately, we didn't get any pictures of the reunion. I guess that's good. That means we were enjoying our visit and not thinking about recording it. 

My sister lives in a typical New England farmhouse. It's over 150 years old.

Unlike our morning trip, we spent the rest of the day at home, enjoying being dry and warm.

Until next time...

V is for a Very Good Trip, Maine Day 1 & 2

 Ward, Wally, Theo, and I got back yesterday from our trip to Maine. I didn't get a chance to post about it while we were gone, so I will chronicle it here. Hopefully, I haven't forgotten too much of it.

We planned the trip for April, hoping the Maine winter weather would be over, but before the black flies and other bugs returned. We were successful on both accounts. I have only one mosquito bite, and we only saw frost once. However, since we were there before it really warmed up, many attractions were not open. That was not much of a problem, as the main reason for the visit was to see family. 

We passed the time during the drive
listening to this book. 

The drive to my sister's house in Maine takes 12-14 hours from our house. We opted for the longer route, as it bypassed the major cities along the East Coast, including New York City. We decided to do it in two days, both coming and going. This trip was also a test to see how well we do with longer car trips than we were used to. 

Our first day of travel was a 10.5-hour day. Even with stops along the way and the changing of drivers, we all agreed the traveling day was too long. Our bottoms and backs were not happy, but fortunately, we were able to recover in our hotel room that night. 

We had a shorter drive the next day and arrived at my sister's house in time to have a nice afternoon and evening visit with my niece and family. They are first-time homeowners, and it was fun seeing their new house and all the things they have growing in their yard.  

Below are a few pictures from our first two days. 

On the first day, we had lunch at Jane's Diner in Binghamton, NY. Ward especially enjoyed watching the train go by behind the diner.

A scenic overlook near Brattleboro, Vermont, where we spent our first night.

The next morning, our first stop was at Fox Forest in New Hampshire.

We took a short hike and would like to return
 another time to explore more of the forest.

Cousins

Until next time...

U is for "Until Next Time..."

 

 This is Pemaquid Lighthouse that we visited during our last trip to ME. BTW, this is the lighthouse on the Maine state quarter.

Today, Wally, Theo, Ward, and I are off on a trip to Maine. We will be visiting with family and playing tourists at times. Our bags are packed, our route is charted, our reservations are made, our audio books are downloaded, and we have more snacks than we could ever want. So here we go on a long car trip.

I don't know if I'll be able to check in or not while we're gone, but I will pick up where I left off with the last five letters when I get back.

So, Until next time...

T is for Today

 Today is going to be filled with...

Tissues, Throat lozenges, and Tea.

Turns out that it wasn't allergies after all. 

I have a Terrible cold. :(

Until next time...