Summer Vacation Highlights

We took our vacation this year at the very end of the summer - too close to the start of the school year! A little hard for me to relax thinking about all that was going to go on when we returned.
So we went back to beautiful Camden, Maine. This time though it was a little different. They had a heat wave. We escape LI in the summer to cooler weather locations...but not this time. Believe it or not, 90's and humid the week we were there - very unusual for Maine. And because it is so unusual - there is no A/C in the house we rent. But there is a lake in the backyard, so that is where the kids spent a lot of time.

Fishing, kayaking, canoeing, and swimming....

On the way to Camden, our first destination was The Maine Diner. My son had seen them featured by Guy Fieri on Diners Drive-ins and Dives. We had to stop for some Lobster Pie and Crab Cakes. It was a pretty popular spot.

They had a beautiful flower garden on their property. Don't you love sunflowers?!

So our second night at the house we decided we were going to make some Stuffed Baked Lobster (you have to eat lots of lobster while in Maine!). This was so good! All but one child like lobster. I think it was the best meal we had there, well almost.

My husband and I did go out for a nice dinner alone one night to this great restaurant in town - Francines.

I had stuffed zucchini blossoms for the first time and of course more lobster. Wish I had taken the time to take a pic - it looked and tasted sooo good! Love this place!

So we did manage to visit Acadia Park while we were there and drive to the top of Cadillac Mountain. I also took some great pics of the kids on Sand Beach (a beautiful rocky beach in Acadia).

Mermaid toes...

We ended that day with dinner in Bar Harbor. Even Bella (our chocolate lab) had a great time. Maine is very dog friendly and many of the restaurants allow you to eat outside on the patio with your dog.

The Celladoor Winery was another great find for us on this trip. They had such a gorgeous view from the deck. The wine was pretty good too! They're having a Vinfest the first weekend in October - I wish we could be there!  If you're planning to go I'd love to hear about it.

Our last night in Maine we made a delicious dish - linguine with shrimp and clams. We all enjoyed this one.  It was sad to leave - but I was anxious to get back to LI and cool off!

Of course we were right back into the crazy schedule when we returned - a soccer tournament and team BBQ.  The day after that was Labor Day - the last day of summer vacation, so we spent the day unpacking and getting ready for the first day of school.  That night we had dinner on the beach - we had to wear sweatshirts - just the way I like it!

Goodbye Summer 2010 - it was a great one but it went too fast!