Monday, June 04, 2007

Rejuvenated!

Tired and sore but…WELL worth it! When I got home from work on Friday afternoon, DH asked me if I wanted to go to Bar Harbor, Maine and how fast could I pack. Was this a trick question? Just in case it was, I was packed within 15 minutes ;o)

Pickles was taken care of and the two other kids (Duncan and Brie) were dropped off at DH’s parents on the way out of the country so we were officially childfree all weekend! The drive down was beautiful and when we got our first glimpse of ocean, there was a big sigh of contentment from both of us.

We arrived on the island about 7:30 pm their time and quickly scoped out a place to stay. We tried the High Seas Motel this time and we weren’t disappointed. It wasn’t a five star hotel by any means but it was very clean and roomy for the price range we were looking for. Once that was taken care of, into Bar Harbor we went to track down some food! We hardly got five steps past Rosalie’s Pizza when the heavenly scent pulled us in :o) They make their pizza from scratch and you can watch them twirl the dough. Um-um good! McKays Public House was the choice for dessert :oP

Afterwards, we walked around town. This is what Main Street in Bar Harbor looks like –

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

On Saturday, we decided to check out a couple of our favorite gardens. The Thuya Garden is a gem we found a few years ago. It’s hidden waaaaaaaaay up a hill and you can either hike or drive to it. Since it was so early in the season, not a lot was in bloom yet but I did manage to get a few good pictures –

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

The second stop was The Azalea Garden. It was started in 1957.

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

This is a BEAUTIFUL place early in the season. There are azaleas and rhododendrons galore!

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

We even spotted a resident along with her “nine” children :o)

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Since we were on the other side of the island, we decided to go to Southwest Harbor for lunch. Here lives the DryDock Café and they have “the” most delicious Grilled Chicken with Portabella Mushrooms and Boursin Cheese sandwich! There are a few nice shops and we hit those while we were there. We also found a nice “summer cottage” for a cool $3.5 million :oO Once the batteries were recharged, DH and I went into Bar Harbor for the evening. We checked out a few shops that I wanted to see but I didn’t find any bargains. For supper, we decided to brave it and tried a new restaurant called Guinness & Porcelli’s and what a good choice it was. I had the Seared Duck Breast with Portabella Mushrooms and Pistachios. Mama Mia! It was so good we decided to stay for dessert :o) DH and I split a “dessert sampler” that featured a piece of Tiramisu, Cannelloni and a piece of Flourless Chocolate Cake. We spent a lovely evening walking around town and just sitting and watching the world go by.

We woke up Sunday with heavy hearts but DH and I still made the most of our time left. Shopping was the last thing to do so we picked up a few things that we had seen along the way. I can’t believe how restrained I was but I was mostly interested in relaxing and that I did :o) The puppies were picked up on the way home and it was clearly evident that their weekend was just as exciting. Poor Brie could hardly keep her eyes open and Duncan looked like he had a hang over this morning. LOL!

All and all, it was a wonderful weekend with beautiful weather, scrumptious food and heavenly views. Last but not least, I had my special DH with me and I want to thank him SO much for suggesting this trip. This time away was desperately needed and it has done wonders. We finally did something spontaneous so let’s keep it up ;o)

I took so many pictures that I have put them into a Picasa album for easier viewing. It might take me a few days to get the pictures all labeled so check back often.

Enjoy!

10 comments:

Irene said...

Sounds like a great and well deserved mini vacation. I looked in your Pisca album, and just love the pictures you took.

Karen said...

Sounds like you had a wonderful time I love the photos you took

Jenn said...

What a nice relaxing weekend you had. The gardens are so pretty thanks for sharing the pictures with us.

Mary Ann said...

Oh Cathey, your weekend sounds heavenly in every way!! I really think you and your DH should consider purchasing that nice little "summer cottage"! :) I would volunteer to be your first houseguest. :D

You had asked in your comment on my blog when my birthday is--June 13.

Anonymous said...

Wow!! You really take beautiful pictures!!! I just love your flower pics!!

Faith Ann said...

What a fantastic weekend!! Bar Harbour always brings up fond memories for me. We used to go there 3 or 4 times each summer and have picnics at the top of Cadillac Mountain. The big treat would be getting to buy some maple candy at the gift shop lol.

Now I have to check out your other pics. The gardens look gorgeous!

Lori said...

It all sounds divine, and I loved your pictures.
Thanks :)

Leeland said...

Lol! Looks like DH has read one of my comments? Men can be wonderful... Thanks for sharing all these beautiful pics and happy moments, Cathey.
Take care!
Lili

Barb said...

Sounds like you had a great vacation. Beautiful pictures you have of your trip.

Jamie said...

Love the pictures. It sounds like such a wonderful weekend. {{HUGS}}