Best week ever......

Amanda was on vacation for the last ten days, and it was awesome. We spent fabulous family time together, just the three of us, and had no set agenda. Part of the fun was deciding what we were going to do on any given day. I'll explain the pictures first....

We decided, quite impulsively, to head up to Mt Desert Island (Acadia National Park) last weekend. Jon and Mel were camping up there, and we met up with them a couple of times. We opted to stay at the "Seawall Motel,"in which I stayed once when taking the Swiss girls on their sailing excursion. A wonderful place in, what we believe to be, the most beautiful part of the island--right by the (you guessed it) Seawall, and 2 miles from Bass Harbor. Ways and ways away from the overpopulation of Bar Harbor this time of year. On Saturday, we took a short trip over to Echo Lake for a quick dip. Echo lake is beautiful, not only for its peaceful serenity, but also for its "fjord" effect, whereas the Beech Cliffs and Beech Mountain seem to rise right out of the water on one side of the lake. Callum and I took a nice swim (we're trying to get him in the water as much as possible) while Amanda, Jon, and Mel watched and took pictures. I dont know what was cooler: Swimming with my son, or seeing all the awesome French Canadian bathing suits!!! (and the ones the women wore were nice too.....) Like I mentioned before, Jon and Mel camped at Bass Harbor, and in addition to them joining us at Echo Lake, they also had us over to the site for supper one night. Mel made some good chili! Callum greatly enjoyed the campfire, constantly pointing at it saying "hot hot hot hot hot hot hot hot hot hot hot." He also did awesome walking around the camp site, seeing as how it was only his third day of walking AND the site was all uneven with roots, rocks, and mounds. Also interesting about this photograph is that it is one of the only spans of more than 4 seconds where Uncle Jon wasnt tinkering with the fire .....hahaha

Amanda and I at "Wonderland." Wonderland is a short hike through the woods to get to a vast expanse of ledge, rock, seawall, Rugosa Roses, and waves. It is an easy hike--good for the stroller we have. We dont have a jogging stroller, and we're not sure if it is worth getting one of those backpack things for Callum to sit in....since he will probably outgrow that pretty fast. Any ideas on taking babies hiking? Anyone?

Amanda liked this picture of me and thought it would look good on the blog. Also, this is at Wonderland.


Another thing we did a few times last week was go over to Lake George Park in Canaan. In addition to being .25 of a mile from Oak Pond Brewery, it has quickly become one of our favorite places! An excellent sandy lake which is also very shallow. Lots of great nooks and crannies for exploring with the canoe, great picnic areas, beaches, and secluded coves from which to swim. Callum is really, really enjoying the water! The only thing he hates, however, is standing in the shallows; he very much dislikes the way the mud and sand feel on his little piggies.
Other things we did:

* Browsed around Fairfield Antique Mall, checking out Griswold Cast Iron Skillets, bottles, and glasses

*Amanda (finally!) test drove her Specialized Dolce, and in the ten years I've known her I have rarely seen her more excited about something (except when she found out she was pregnant)

* Enjoyed a few breakfasts at THE FLATLANDA' (our favorite diner)

*Watched enough "Hercule Poirot" mysteries to pacify even the most finicky 79 year old Brit.

*Had a great visit with the Garners, eating great food, catching up with Reid, and wiping up Callum's bloody lip....

*landscaping projects here and there

*Oak Pond Brewery Somerset Lager consuming

*Going out to eat at Pectic Seafood in Trenton, and Asian Cafe

*Buying the complete series of "Are you being served?"

An awesome week! Thanks Amanda and Callum for making it so great! After this week, I'll be calling it quits on my summer vacation and heading back to school! That was fast!!!!!!!!!!!!!