The Maine Point

Last month we drove up to Maine one Saturday morning. It was a beautiful fall day and Jim, being the adventurous and spontaneous soul that he is, was not going to waste one moment of Saturday bliss. I, on the other hand was prepared to put my nose to the grindstone and work the day away, cracking the whip on our two older girls and Jim to assure that they would be working hard right alongside me. Jim easily won out and we found ourselves packed into the minivan and off on an adventure.

The drive stretched on and on and I was beginning to wonder if we were ever going to get there. The kids started to fall to pieces and I was feeling like this unplanned trip was not going to be worthwhile. Eventually, we ended up in Freeport, Maine at a run down L. L. Bean outlet. This could not be right. We browsed the store in utter shock that this was the world famous L. L. Bean store. It just could not be. We finally broke down and asked the most “New England” looking person where the “big” L. L. Bean store was. She laughed and pointed us in the right direction. With her directions, we found our way down into the center of town and ate some lunch at a really unique restaurant. It was a Mediterranean grill (who knew? Good Mediterranean food in Maine?) We ordered shish kabobs, falafels, chicken noodle soup, and spaghetti. It was all so delicious. The service was very quick and friendly, in spite of our noisy children. After lunch we did some window shopping on our walk down to L. L. Bean. The L.L. Bean store is enormous, it takes up the whole block and we just so happened to be there on the day of the Christmas Lighting Celebration. It was crowded and Christmas was in the air! There was hustling and bustling and a desire to buy something just to buy it. Lucky for us, we got out of that store without spending any money. Whew! But, on the way out of town I was lulled into a little jewelry boutique called, “Olivia’s”. It had a great array of beaded jewelry- just what I was looking for! And of course, just what Anna, Miri, and Susan-Grace were looking for too. There was a lot of begging and a few tears and we left with just one bundle, mine. I found a really fun amethyst necklace.
Jim and I were anxious to get home now. The ride there was soooo long. We drove headlong down the interstate and about half way back to Massachusetts, Jim asked if we should drive along the coast. We both looked at each other exhausted and said, “No”. What a big mistake! We missed all of the quintessential Maine sites: lighthouses, coastal villages, and above all the ocean. What a bummer! I felt so disappointed after talking to my mom and dad, who both consider the Maine coast to be one of their favorite places on earth. I wanted to get back into the car and do it right. I couldn't help but think of the quote my aunt Bonnie had in her kitchen when I was a little girl, “If you haven’t the time to do it right, when will you have the time to do it over?” Moral of the story, “When in doubt, drive the coast!”