back from vacationland

we are just getting settled in back at home after our extra long weekend in maine. it was one of those family vacations where the parents do a lot of talking through gritted teeth, under their breath. and meanwhile, somehow, everyone comes away with great memories and new experiences. 

my memories of family vacations from when i was a kid are mixed with the good and the bad. there were always great times, true fun and excitement. but there were also threats of "turning the car around" and reminders to "not ruin the vacation". i know that vacation is stressful for everyone, especially the parents. i know that, now that i am one, so very clearly. i just hope that we can try to at least fake it or ignore the less than desirable behavior and focus on the fun. i tried to put that in practice on this vacation and we did pretty well despite some less than ideal circumstances. on the bright side, bee probably won't remember much from this year and henny is a blank slate!

and now a photographic journey through some of the highlights....

of course we visited the beach. it wasn't the best beach weather but bee didn't mind......
we spent some time at york beach which not only has the greatest throw back of a taffy factory and restaurant,but also dazzled us with it's little kid-friendly amusement park! bee went on her first real ride. alone! as in with no adult and actually alone because there were no other kids on this rainy night!

my favorite part of the trip (other than the 20 minutes of alone time in a clothing store where i actually got to try things on! bonus: they fit!) was our trip to mackworth island. i found this little gem online months ago and it was worth the hype. it's a tiny island near portland. they have a walking trail all around the perimeter of the island and a patch of woods that has become a fairy village. people visiting the island just add their own house to the many, many others. it is an amazing sight to walk around and see all these creations. some log cabins, some made of rocks. some up high, some so tiny you almost step on them. it was enchanting for us so i can only imagine what bee thought.

here is bee walking on the trail.
and us working on our fairy house. it was perched on some old broken branches.
and finally, the house from the outside and the inside. bee made sure to have the house plus two porches. it was well decorated with birch bark, buttercups, shells, pine branches and some soft crumbly wood that we found. i'm sure some sweet fairy is kicking up her feet right now!