Vacation Part II

It was way colder than it appears in this photo. Ha! Swimming in Maine is not for the faint of heart.

We spent some time at Roque’s Bluff State Park on Friday. It was not a warm day on the coast – 66 degrees to be precise. And holy god the water temp was frigid. Our weird and wonderful 10 year old plowed into the water without hesitating. She’s insane. I’m mighty well insulated and would only go up to my ankles. She’s less well insulated and I’m shocked she didn’t turn entirely blue out there.
We hit a rough patch shortly after arrival at Roque’s Bluff. We couldn’t find the snorkels in our car, and the disappointment sent Kiddo into a massive tailspin. She wandered off down the beach and sat on some rocks and threw sand and rocks for a while in an impressive sulk. Seth eventually had to go get her to tell her not to throw things around people. Eventually we found the snorkels after a second look through the car and her high spirits returned but YEESH this child is intolerable when she encounters disappointment of any kind. I know it’s a trigger for her because of some things going on at home so I try to be patient. I haven’t shouted at or throttled her yet so I count that as a win, though she wound up with a VERY stern talking to by Seth later that day for her talking back to us. She can get away with that ish at home but cannot with us and apparently needed to be reminded of that. Firmly.
We DID have a lot of fun on the beach with the sand. Both kids got buried. Kiddo found a shark on the beach and was ecstatic. (Ok, so it was plastic and it squeaks when you squeeze it but still it was a fun find). We had to drag the children away while they were hungry and before they hit hangry, and I suspect we’ll wind up back at that beach again before we leave.
That night, while snuggled safe in our beds, a massive hissing, scrabbling, grunting, snarling raccoon fight took place about 20 feet from our tent. It scared the pants off Seth and me. The kids slept through it. I wish I could sleep like that!
Yesterday we went for a drive down the coast to the DownEast Institute, which is a hatchery for mussels and oysters, and does research on them. There was a cool touch pool in the entryway which the kids enjoyed. They were bored inside but Seth and I found it fascinating.
On our way to the Institute, we found a flea market in Machias where I got a gorgeous hand made fishing rope basket. The girls then announced that they needed to find a gift shop with something for them. So when we encountered a weird round hut painted like a blueberry with an overgrown mini golf course beside it, we stopped and meandered inside. It was… eclectic. There were blueberry soaps and candies and preserves and jellies and jams and honeys and stuffies and t-shirts and mugs. I didn’t know so much could be made blueberry themed. There was also a mini museum on blueberry harvesting and some fresh pints of the things. They each selected a cute Maine-themed stuffy (lobster and moose) and were instantly happy to have found “their” gift shop.
Last night it poured. I mean it torrential rained. This morning we strung up clotheslines to dry out… well, everything. Ah, tent camping.
Speaking of tent camping, I may be reaching the end of my tent camping days. Crawling on my arthritic knees over rocks and roots bites. Getting myself on my feet out the door of one is like being born again. And frankly, the tent thing is making camping less enjoyable. It may be time to either throw in the towel on camping, or get a little camper. Even a pop up would give me what I need I think.
Aaaaand speaking of crappy, my body decided this was the perfect timing for an ulcerative colitis flare. It’s adding to my tent dissatisfaction because I’m finding I have the need to navigate small sleeping bodies, exit the tent at high velocity, and hurtle myself down the very rough rooty path to the latrines at odd hours. Good times!
Today we explored my favorite place in this world: Quoddy Head State Park. It’s a gloriously mystical magical place, with hiking trails that weave in and out of the woods and along the coast. The woods are mossy and damp, with little alcoves under rotting moss-covered tree roots. Seth and I have always said Quoddy Head is the home of the fairies, and apparently other folks agree because this trip we found a bunch of fairy houses in the woods along one little section of trail. Kiddo explored her first tide pools and found out just how waterproof her new LL Bean shoes are… or aren’t. It was lovely to share the place with the kids.
We are currently questing for ice cream. Because it is vacation, after all.