Summer Vacation

My husband and I are trying to figure out what to do for our summer vacation this year.  We had planned a trip to Iceland in August but it was cancelled so we are working on other ideas.  Despite all that thought and planning, I did my own summer vacation to Maine.

I went to visit my friend Nancy Whitbeck.  I have known Nancy for nearly 30 years but now that she has moved back to New England I don't see her very often.  Nancy raises dairy goats and she was my main resource when I first bought goats.  She is working hard to get her certified kitchen and shop up and running.  She has always made and sold goat's milk soap but you can't legally sell milk or cheese without a certified kitchen so she is working on that.  She also plans on selling cut flowers and sweets so when it finally is open to the public, her store should be wonderful.

Maine is a very long way from Cat Spring, Texas.  Despite our temperatures in the 90's the entire week I was gone, I spent that week in chilly temperatures.  Lows were in the 40's and highs in the 60's.  I love that temperature range but my blood has obviously thinned from all the years I have lived this far south because I was cold the whole time I was gone.

Here are some of the great things about Maine in general and Nancy's place in particular... lobster rolls and crab cakes, cool temperatures, baby goats, lots of dogs, chickens and fresh eggs, no poisonous snakes or fire ants or scorpions, Edgecomb Pottery, livestock guardian dogs, Boothbay Harbor, Dunkin Donuts on every corner, L.L. Bean open 24 hours a day and pretty darned good pizza.

Also lilacs in full bloom everywhere, Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream, beautiful trees and lots of hills and valleys, watching the tides go in and out and seeing the lobster boats.

Here are some of the bad things about Maine... ticks, cool weather, ticks, lots of rain, ticks and ticks!  Yes, the good list is quite a bit longer than the bad list.  Nancy is perfectly willing to trade the ticks for the poisonous snakes, fire ants and scorpions.  I'm not so sure.  I find the ticks really creepy.

I'm glad to be home but I miss some of the great jobs that I was assigned up there.  I sometimes got to gather the eggs and feed the chickens.  And I spent a lot of time washing the eggs and putting them out in the kiosk by the road.  I can't milk the goats but I did get to feed the baby goats which is always fun.  I got to enjoy the wonderful beauty of Maine and spend time with my old friend.  That makes it a great vacation.