Gavin & Kindli’s News, events, updates & opinions on the weather
Just added & updated: Maine Photos in my Yahoo Album
Our cute little Matrix from ZipCar outside our hotel this morning. It is very peppy and very fun to drive!
Gavin gazing at the Atlantic. We took a scenic drive on the way home, it was quite lovely.
Gavin and Johan. We stopped by in Westbrook (?) on the way back to Boston and had lunch with Johan (originally it was going to be dinner, but we got an early start this morning).
The pretty colors of fall, the view from our hotel room window at the hotel.
The fountain view from the hotel room window
Gavin in front of the L.L.Bean 90th Anniversary Boot with the Dunkin Donuts coffee (his) and hot chocolate (mine).
Pretty landscaping near the L.L.Bean store.
Fun links & palces around Freeport that we enjoyed:
– Isabella’s Sticky Buns Cafe & Bakery
2 School Street, Freeport, ME
– Edgecomb Potters http://www.edgecombpotters.com/
– Copeland Furniture http://copelandfurniture.com/
This morning (Saturday… this was not posted until Sunday) we went to Dunkin Donuts. We went to Dunkin Donuts because the “Freeport Cafe Home Style Cooking” (Gavin: If you made that at home, oh boy, I’d be cooking!!!) next to our hotel was… awful (and that’s being generous). We’re really not sure how the place stays open, the service and food are terrible. I think it’s locals who don’t know any better (the place was PACKED this morning, or at least their parking lot was), Gavin thinks its hotel people who don’t know any better. It’s probably both.
Today’s adventures took us back to the L.L.Bean outlet where the search for winter boots/shoes for Kindli continued. I tried on a LOT of shoes, Gavin lost track around 17. We tried L.L. Bean (I did end up with a very nice a pair from there), Timberland, Bass, and Clarks/Bostonian (I also got a pair from there). Gavin was quite thrilled when the shoe saga was over.
After we found the shoes we went to Copelands (a very nice furniture store, very out of our price range… and they wouldn’t fit in the apt). The sales lady was very shocked to find we lived in Boston. “We can usually tell before they come in the door, they’re quite jaded,” she remarked.
We also went into many little stores that Gavin described as “like Galveston, only with more moose.”
Then there was lunch at Isabell’s Cafe, it was quite the little place. Very cozy, good food, and a unique decor (and clean bathrooms).
Lunch was followed by more shopping, including the Lindt store (a 140 lb. box of chocolate would’ve been “too much chocolate” –according to Gavin, I’d like to disagree, I just think it would last a while), and then back to L.L.Bean (again, noticing a pattern?)
When we tired of the outlets and L.L.Bean, we drove back to the hotel with a 45 minute stop at a “antiquarian and used book store” (”If we ever have a bookstore it’s going to be organized better,” Gavin grumbled). While I perused a found a few good deals, Gavin fretted nothing was in any semblance of order (by semblance of order, Gavin is accustomed to our neatly organized library, this place was far far far from that. “KINDLI! I found the SAME BOOK in three different ROOMS!! Point that out! The man has a CARD CATALOGUE, it’s not even complete!!!” Gavin waved his arms around).
Eventually we headed back out for dinner. Again, the little cafe by the hotel was not an option (although the parking lot was still surprisingly full). The Internet was our friend and we found the menu for Crickets (”How did people do these things before the Internet? They had to plan these things in advance? Or ask for recommendations from the hotel? That must’ve sucked.” Yes, the hotel recommendations did in fact suck).
Crickets was a family style restaurant with reasonable prices and VERY GOOD food. We highly recommend it. Gavin had the chicken Parmesan, and I had some of the best chicken fingers on the East Coast. Dessert was Apple Crisp and hot chocolate (also excellent).
We’re now back in the hotel, and Gavin is dancing anxiously behind me protesting that I’ve commandeered his precious laptop. “You need to bring your own laptop on these excursions.” He’s finally given up and is now watching FOX sprawled on the king-sized bed.
The website for Crickets http://www.freeportusa.com/freeportmember078.html
Pictures to be posted eventually!
Yesterday Gavin and I drove to Maine, or rather, I drove to Maine and Gavin read maps and fiddled with the XM-Satellite Radio in our little Matrix ZipCar.
We did not get lost, we just had a slight scenic detour past the Atlantic, and as Gavin exclaimed once we were there: “This is the same place Mom and I turned the wrong way!”
We easily found our way to the Kittery Outlet Stores where we got Gavin some nice (much needed) new polo shirts and continued on to Kennebunkport for lunch at Alisons. We also looked at the local bookstore, and I got a little lobster for my charm bracelet.
Once through there, we drove on to Freeport, past our hotel, a Best Western, and on to the L.L.Bean stores. We’re going back there today. I looked at winter shoes (apparent the ones had at college are not sufficient for a Boston Winter, no complaints here, I like my toes).
Did I mention it was raining? Nearly the entire time it was either light drizzle, heavy down pour or drizzle and fog. Not really fun to drive in, and even less so when your husband/navigator keeps exclaiming “Look at the pretty colors!” Of what? The red Ford SUV in front of me?
I was a little less than thrilled when Gavin dramatically swept open the curtains this morning and exclaimed “Look at the pretty colors!” I was quite pleased, however, that the rain had let up and it was actually possible to see that there was in fact some scenery outside our hotel window.
I took a picture, it will be uploaded later along with some of the postcards I bought –because we left the camera in the car and it was raining…. they’ll be idealized images, but you can imagine how it’d look dreary and gray.
Today we are going back to the L.L. Bean outlet… but not until we’ve had breakfast. Apparently we’re going to Dunkin Donut.
Gavin and I will be in Maine for the weekend (Friday 10/20-Sunday 10/22), we’re “going to see the colors.” Yes, there will be an update with pictures when we get back.
If you REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY need to reach me/us, I’ve got my cell phone (those of you who’d need to reach me have the #).
I hope all of you have a fantastic weekend!
Total nerd alert, there’s a series on PBS called Warrior Challenge, it’s a series about modern day enlisted men (both American and British) who’ve volunteered to try out living, training and fighting in Roman times, 2000 years ago. They’re also going to have the Viking, Knight, and Gladiators.
I am so thrilled by this. They’re going to live in a replica (or restored) fort, live near the coast, with the cold North Sea winds. After they’ve trained they’re going to fight each other, American v. British along Hadrian’s wall. I’m looking quite forward to this!
I’ve just started the Romans, it looks to be exciting.
Today Gavin and I celebrated our five month anniversary. He went to work, I went out, ran errands and finally mailed the package to Nick. The lady at the post office noticed “wedding album” on the customs slip.
“Congratulations,” she gushed. “When did you get married?”
“In May.”
“Oh my! Are you from Canada?”
“No, that’s where the best man lives.”
“How sweet.”
For dinner we had slightly blackened breaded chicken, broccoli, garlic bread and caesar salad. This evening Gavin is going to play World of Warcraft while I give him dirty looks.
And something new to ponder: why are we getting LandsEnd catalogues for Plus-Sized women and School Uniforms?
I am quite fond of the month of October. I used to like it because of Halloween, trick-or-treating and dressing up in costumes, now I like it for simpler reasons, like Orange-Colored Oreo cookies.
Wednesday as I walked the aisles of MarketBasket I was over come with a wave of nostalgia. Although Oreos were strictly regulated growing up, they still managed to sneak their way into the kitchen and (every once in a great while) onto the kitchen table for a snack.
I like Oreos, they are a fun cookie, I enjoy twisting them open, scraping the stuff, dunking them in milk, and masticating away.
According to Wikipedia’s entry on Oreos:
Oreo is a trademark for a popular type of sandwich cookie manufactured by the Nabisco Corporation, introduced in 1912. The modern design of the Oreo was developed in 1952 by William A. Turnier. It consists of two circular chocolate wafers, invented by John D. Unger [citation needed], with a sweet white filling (commonly referred to as “cream”) sandwiched between them.
There are also websites with fun activities that you can do with Oreo cookies. My favorite so far is the paper-plate Oreo-moon-phases activity.
What does any of this have to do with October? It’s simple: in October Nabisco releases the orange-colored Oreos. What’s not to like?
Fun Fact: In Scottish Gaelic, October is called an Damhar, meaning “rutting time” (of stags).
Freya sits in her perch (Friday night) and watches the goings on in the apartment. Freya is Ragdoll, a breed that got started in CA in the 60s so she’s a pacifist woosie kitty, she also sheds everywhere.
Elizabeth sits infront of Monday night’s dinner of breaded chicken, herb rice, and broccoli. Elizabeth is a gradstudent at Villanova studying History, she was the Maid of Honor at my wedding, and went to Principia with me.
More pictures of my weekend with Eliz & Freya can be found on my Yahoo photo site (on the right).
