Maine, part 2

We finished up our trip to Maine at York's Wild Kingdom - a small zoo complete with amusement park rides. We had a fun day looking at lots of primates, lions tigers and bears (oh my), as well as feeding goats, deer and ducks! Unfortunately Jack's vacation timer expired and we weren't able to see the elephant show - which I think he would have loved if he wasn't so exhausted. All told, we had a wonderful time and hope to get back there sometime soon!

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Maine - The Way Life Should Be

Or so the sign reads as you cross the border from New Hampshire to Maine.

This weekend we packed up the clan, and if that makes you conjure up thoughts of the Clampets, you aren't far off (why is it that small people require so much stuff?), and head north to Maine. We have a precious few weekends left in New England and it seems like an endless "places to visit" list! But, both Matt and I wanted to make sure we took in the sights in Maine. Not only does it seem like the heart of New England, but also because we have several friends from Maine who are always singing it's praises - so we had to check it out to see what's so great.

As most of you know, I haven't been thrilled about our last 6 1/2 months in New England. The weather hasn't been great and the "island" lacks some of the amenities I am used to. I have enjoyed the ability to travel to places I have never seen (or at least don't remember because it was when I was so young). But I have been knocking all of New England when maybe it was just Newport that wasn't doing it for me. So far, both Matt and I have loved Maine. Maybe we just picked a perfect weekend - it is the middle of June and it was 80 degrees today. But there is just something different here and I'm not sure I can put my finger on it. I think it should be a top 10 destination for anyone who has never been. I would love to come back - and hopefully next time we can see a moose!

The landscapes are just gorgeous - and yes we have several pictures- from the rocky coast in Portland to the beautifully manicured lawns of Kennebunkport. Heck, even the drive up 95 is lush and green and just beautiful. Maybe I'd been singing a different tune in February!

We got a late start yesterday afternoon (thanks SWOS!), and got on the road around 3pm. So, of course, we were able to enjoy a great deal of Boston's rush hour. We made it to Portland around 7pm. The kids napped in the car, so we were able to push bedtime back a bit. We stayed right next to the airport (because we wanted a suite hotel room that was cheap!) and we weren't disappointed. We were 200-300 yards from the runway and Jack had a blast watching the planes. We took a quick dip in the hotel pool and had a yummy, and low key room service dinner.

This morning we were up early -thanks Emma - and started our day at Portland Head Light. This is supposedly one of the most photographed lighthouses in the US, and the first one commissioned to be built in the "US" by George Washington. It was manned until the 80's, when it then became automated. It is still a functional lighthouse today, so we weren't able to go in the lighthouse, but you can get right next to the outside. And what a beautiful morning to visit a lighthouse - a little fog, a light mist, brisk air. We took in the outside of the lighthouse, listened to the fog horns, and then took a little walk down the path to get a better view.

After the lighthouse, we headed to the Old Port district of downtown Portland. We walked around the Promenade and headed to the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum - as you will see, most of our trip is meant to be enjoyed by a 2 year old boy. The museum offers a 20 minute train ride every hour. We were about to make the 11am train and we lucked out, there was also a Civil War reenactment today on the train ride. So, we had a ride and a show! After the ride, we took in the trains in the museum - real and wooden (Thomas table and a tot-sized play train). We were all getting hungry, so we grabbed an outdoor table at a fun looking chowder house in the Old Port area. Lunch was yummy - lobster rolls for Matt and I. The kids were getting tired and grumpy, so we loaded up in the car and headed down to Kennebunkport.

We decided to drive around Kennebunkport for a while to give the kids a nap. We headed into the main part of town with the trendy restaurants and boutiques - saw Dock Square - and then headed down Ocean to gawk at the incredible mansions and the Bush compound. Secret Service was bumping at the compound - maybe 41 was in town to celebrate Father's Day?

Once the kids had a decent nap, we headed to the Seashore Trolley Museum. Again, a big hit with Jack! We were able to see tons of restored and unrestored trolleys and buses from all over the country and the world. There was even a trolley car from Australia! We took a quick ride on a restored trolley car from Wheeling, WV. The museum (and all the trolley restoration and maintenance) is taken care of completely by volunteers. The car we rode on actually took 33 years to restore from start to finish!

Everyone was getting tired at this point so we headed down to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (which is really in Kittery, ME - but says it's in Portsmouth, NH). We are staying at the Navy Lodge tonight. Before settling in for the night, we drove to York Beach, ME and had dinner in Lobster Cove. Beautiful view of the beach and amazing food. I had the Lobster Pie - huge chunks of lobster mixed with lobster bisque and topped with bread crumbs, and baked. Big time fat girl dinner, but amazing none the less! I'm sure you all saw Matt's dinner on Facebook!

We have lots of plans for tomorrow, so check back! I put all the pictures on Facebook, so check my "Maine Trip" album.

And, last but definitely not least, Happy Father's Day to all the dads, granddads, pops, great grandads, dads -in - law, and dads to be out there. Have a wonderful day! We love you!

Catching a game...

Last night we took in a Newport Gulls game at Cardines Field in downtown Newport. It's a summer collegiate league, so the players all play baseball at colleges across the country. One of the pitchers for the Gulls plays at Tech, but we didn't get to see him pitch last night. We did see several players from UofMD though!

What a fun place! It's right in the middle of downtown Newport. A small, but picturesque field. Two small sections of green, wooden bleachers sit behind a chain link fence than separates you from the field. Very intimate and it feels like it's the way you should watch baseball! They even have a balcony (of sorts) with two rocking chairs that are called "The Best Seats in the House" and people win the chance to sit there for the game. Most of the people who work there are volunteers - local schools can use the game to raise money, etc. - and the announcer is amazing (probably because he has been doing it for the last 100 years). The food is reasonably priced, and our total ticket cost for the 4 of us, $6! It didn't even matter than the kids only made it through 1 hour of the game at that cost!

Yummy Bread!

I had a lot of comments yesterday about my facebook post with a picture of the bread I made for dinner. So, I thought I would share the recipe for anyone interested in trying it out. It's called Amish White Bread and it's absolutely the most amazing bread you have ever tasted and heaven for a bread lover (like me!) Making bread doesn't ever sound easy, but I promise you, this loaf is easy! It really has only about 5 minutes of hands on time - that is broken up into 1-2 minute segments. It's the perfect "toddler bread" meaning you can chase babies around while making it!

We have it for breakfast, lunch and dinner! One word of warning, it is a little on the sweet side ( for those of you who make bread a lot and know the normal ingredients, this one has A LOT of sugar), so don't plan on it going well with a really savory dish. I reserve it for sweeter type meals - like pulled pork sandwiches. But, because of the sweetness, it makes an excellent morning bread and delicious for french toast. The bread is very dense, and as long as you wait until it's cool before you slice it, it makes a decent piece of bread for a sandwich - it's going to be a thick slice though!

This recipe makes two large loaves - I normally split the recipe in half because I only have one loaf pan. However, well wrapped, this bread freezes really well.

Ingredients -

2 cups warm water (I've found the yeast proofs better with water that feels hot- not burning - but hot)

2/3 cup white sugar

1 1/2 TBSP active dry yeast (this is equal to two yeast packets, one packet if you make half the recipe)

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup vegetable oil

6 cups bread flour

In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in the warm water. (I normally use a whisk) Stir in yeast. (I normally just sprinkle it on top and don't stir it in). Allow yeast to proof. (it will look like a brown creamy foam - normally takes 5-10 mins depending on water temperature)

Mix in salt and oil. (I normally whisk it in). Add flour one cup at a time. Move onto floured surface and knead for 2 minutes. (It's done when dough looks smooth and all the chunks are mixed in - normally only takes 2 mins or less). Place in a well oiled bowl and turn to coat dough. (I spray a bowl with cooking spray, put the dough in, and spray the top of the dough with cooking spray...easier and less calories). Cover with a damp cloth. (I prefer to cover with saran wrap - tightly - rises better). Allow to rise until doubled in bulk - about 1 hour. (I normally turn my oven on to 400-450 degrees and place the bowl on one of the back burners. This creates a very warm environment for the dough to rise, and it never takes longer than the 1 hour).

Punch dough down. Knead for a few minutes, and divide in half. (I normally knead for less than one minute). Shape into loaves and place into two well oiled 9x5 loaf pans. (Again, I use cooking spray, not oil. If you want the loaves to be really smooth looking on top after cooking, you have to smooth them out now when you shape them. If you want it to look like mine, more rustic, just stretch it to fit the pan and plop it in.) Allow to rise 30 mins or until loaf has risen 1in above pans. If you use the same trick on your back burner on your oven, it doesn't take more than 30 mins and mine are never normally 1 in above the pan - I think it depends on the height of your pan - mine is large. I always use a stone loaf pan, gives the best result, I think).

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. (I have always cooked it for 30 minutes on the dot - in both of my last two ovens - and it comes out perfect). (Let cool for about 10-20 mins and turn out of pan to cool on wire rack. The bottom will get soggy if you leave it in the pan too long.)

Wordless Wednesday (mostly because it was too hot to talk)

And a quick "happy 9 month birthday" to my lil bit today!