the squibix family blog

But it was a beautiful day, and we were well-supplied with lunches and treats, so spirits were high as we headed up the steep cliffs at the base of Penobscot Mountain. Unlike the previous day's varied hike, the way up Penobscot has basically two parts: first straight up the cliffs (though not so straight as to require any ladders) and then gradually up the ridge for a full mile. The wind got stronger and stronger as we approached the summit, and Harvey wasn't too sure if he liked it. When we finally ran out of climbing we posed for the requisite photo, and ducked into the lee of a rock to have lunch.

On the way down we detoured a little bit to take a dip in Sargent Pond, where the Archibalds were the only ones foolhardy enough to put their heads under. Harvey loved it, as he loves all natural bodies of water, and I wore myself out tossing him up and down. Rascal only swam a little bit, distracted as he was by another dog who dared to invade his presence.

The way back to the car was long but unremarkable, as Leah failed to fall in the mud like she did last time we were on this hike. Back at camp we went for a swim—civilized camping here, none off your backwoods stuff!—and headed into town for burritos. Apparently Monday is the day for band concerts in Bar Harbor, and we were lucky enough to catch part of one; but baby bedtime kept us from seeing if Mary, local saxophonist extraordinaire, was with the band that night.

The following day everyone but us was heading home, so after another delicious Cafe This Way breakfast we did some shopping in town and took another walk along the shore path. This time the warm sun encouraged us to hang around, and certain members of the group tried to show off their jumping skills and earned a good sized scrape of the knee for their troubles. Harvey was happy sitting still and playing with rocks, smart boy.

After everyone else had left we declared a rest day and headed back to camp to play on the playground, swim, and read. It was relaxing enough that we decided not to bail on our last day and head home early. That warm pool—and contemplating another long trip in the car with Harvey—even made us think about setting up permanent residence at the Narrows campground. If only we'd brought more clothes...

Unlike last year, I remembered to take photos of our totally sweet setup before taking it down (just before). You can see our front porch, and beyond that the queen-sized bed to the left and the changing station for Harvey—which Rascal appropriated to sleep on, when he wasn't on the bed with us—to the right. I think I did a pretty good job of keeping things neat and organized this year; Leah might agree if she's in a good mood.

After breakfast we headed out for a short hike—very short, as it happened. I think it took us longer to park and get our gear together than it did to get up North Bubble, our fourth and smallest peak of the trip. Despite it's curtness it was a beautiful hike, and we regretted not having the camera when we got to the top and saw the view down the length of Jordan Pond. It was fun to compare how much we could do this year after only making it up the even smaller South Bubble last year; as we ascended the beginning of the trail, which is shared between both Bubbles, Leah asked incredulously: "You made me do this at five weeks post-partum?!" Yes I did!

Back down again it was time to get going. Harvey fell asleep almost immediately, and we used some portion of his naptime to procure a film for him at the new Walmart in Ellsworth: Homeward Bound, which, if you understand as little language as Harvey, is mostly just dogs walking around. Just the thing! He liked it when he woke up.

We made our next stop in Searsport to eat a late lunch in a tiny park across the street from the Maritime museum and explore a wonderful little bookstore called Left Bank Books that I can't recommend more highly. They allow dogs in the store, they had a chair and toys for Harvey, and they have all the good books and none of the bad ones. We were sorry that, at the end of the vacation, we were not in a financial position that would allow us to buy something; we'll definitely be back, and if you're anywhere in the area you ought to stop by.

We skipped Linconville, having hit it on the way up, and crowded Camden, and on Leah's suggestion took our next break in Warren where there's a little park just off the road with a playground and a river: two of Harvey's favorite things! It has a name that I can't recall, but if you're interested you can find it on Google maps. The babies enjoyed playing in the water, as usual.

By then it was almost dinnertime, so when we reached Wiscasset and noticed that for once there was no line outside the little lobster shack on the corner of Rt 1 and the train tracks—and parking right there, too. We had to stop and see what the usual fuss was about. It turns out that Red's Eats is famous for their lobster rolls, so of course Leah had to order one—even if we did have to stop by the ATM to fund our cash-only dinner (you see that we value food more than books... a sad commentary). Harvey can't eat lobster, but he liked the rest of the dinner.

As the sun set we rolled into Freeport, where we were disappointed by the lack of a Gap outlet and where I was kind of horrified by the mall atmosphere after a couple days out in the sticks. Then on to Portland and more construction traffic—but this time Harvey fell asleep in the middle of it so our stress level never had a chance to even begin to tick upwards. The rest of the ride was uneventful, and we made it home just after 10:00. I call that a successful vacation.