Everyone needs a break occasionally, and nothing is more relaxing than visiting beautiful seascapes, especially when a visit with family is included in your plans.
This year our vacation took Northeast with a stop in Portsmouth, New Hampshire for lunch at Sander’s Fish Market. We had tuna sandwiches made of fresh caught tuna. Never has a tuna sandwich tasted so good. Portsmouth was an interesting city with beautiful old homes nestled along the Piscataqua River.
From Portsmouth went on to Portland, Maine. From our hotel room, we had gorgeous views of the port. We watched as the seagulls swooped in on the fishing boats unloading the day’s catch.
A short trip Southeast of Portland to Portland Head Lighthouse at Cape Elizabeth was a dream come true. My husband George and I love lighthouses and this one has long been our favorite. It is more beautiful in person, but George’s photos are fantastic and they will give you a sense of the beauty that awaited us here.
Our next destination was Bar Harbor, Maine. Bar Harbor is a quaint seaside town with all the shops, restaurants, and cute little houses you would expect to find there. We had a lunch of lobster rolls on the waterfront while enjoying the unusually warm weather.
Acadia National Park was spectacular! I can’t begin to describe it, so I will let George’s photos speak for themselves.
In the photo below (an enlargement of the one above) you can see hikers making their way to the top.
Our next stop as we headed south was Kennebunkport, Maine. This little town offered so much in the way of souvenir shops where you can purchase George Bush memorabilia or other keepsakes. No, we did not seek out a peek at the Bush home there.
Our final destination, as we headed down the coast to Boston, Massachusetts (Needham, to be exact) included a stop for lunch and some shopping in my favorite town of all – Newburyport, Massachusetts. Situated near the mouth of the Merrimack River and the Atlantic Ocean, Newburyport is a picture-perfect waterfront town. Surrounding a town square are quaint shops and restaurants with a short walk to the boardwalk along the river where there are more sailboats than you could count.
Our final stop was the best stop of all. We spent several days with our son Todd, daughter-in-law Tricia, and grandsons Tyler and Taylor. Each time we visit, we try to see different sights. This year we went to Lexington, Massachusetts. The towns surrounding Boston abound with historic sites, and Lexington did not disappoint us. The area is rich in Revolutionary War history. No matter what we do or where we go while visiting, the important thing is, we have a chance to enjoy our time with family.
Me with Tricia
Tyler and Taylor
Tyler and his cat Taney
Todd and George
Lexington, Massachusetts
Tricia, Tyler, Taylor, and Todd
No matter how long we visit, it is never long enough. Time flies and before we can blink, we are back home again.
A beautiful part of the country Michelle. Thanks for sharing the stunning views.
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Thanks, Colline. I am glad you enjoyed it. New England is an unbelievably beautiful area.
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It is noce to see photos of places I have read about in books.
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You need to visit. It’s not that far from Toronto. At least not as far as it is from Cincinnati. 😀
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Looks like you had a wonderful trip! 🙂 And thanks for taking us with you (virtually) with the amazing pics. That Lighthouse is just too pretty and I would love to visit it one day 🙂 And your grandsons are all grown up…..glad to see you had some nice family time 🙂
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We did have a wonderful time, but like all good things, it was over too soon.
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What beautiful places/photos, Michelle. It looks like everyone had a wonderful time. Great memories. Hugs!
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It was wonderful! Hugs back to you.
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What a beautiful photo tour, Michelle. Thank you for sharing. It is wonderful to have the time to spend with family, and how relaxed and happy everyone looks.
I can understand why the lighthouse is a favourite. It is magnificent! And the poem and its story make it all the more so!
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Thanks, Norah. I’m glad you enjoyed the photos. It was a wonderful trip, especially the time spent with family.
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Wow, it all sounds so wonderful, Michelle. And I love all the photos! I’ve been to Boston, but not to the other places. I’m not a big seafood fan anymore, but if it were truly fresh, like what you experienced, like from ocean to skillet, then I might change my mind a bit. Especially north Atlantic seafood.
I love all of your photos, once again. I feel like I took the trip with you. And your grandsons are very handsome! I’m so glad you had a wonderful time, my dear one.
Blessings for a glorious, healthy day,
Marianne xox
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Awww, Marianne, thank you, and the same sentiments back to you, dear friend.
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It does look like it was FANTASTIC !!! I simply love all the quaint shoppes, olde arcitecture, the seaside vista’s and the BEAUTIFUL Lighthouse 🙂 See, I should really move to New England 🙂 Then you could come visit me and we could read, eat seafood and stare at the sea 🙂
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Sounds good to me, but you might have trouble getting rid of me 😉
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🙂 You could watch the house when I hopped across the pond to England now and again 😉
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Wow beautiful. Thanks for sharing this wonderful journey, especially for those of us who’ve never been. Great pics! 🙂
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Thanks. If you get the chance, you should go. The pictures don’t really do the scenery justice.
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Oh, one day Michelle. Bucket list. 🙂
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🙂
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Amazing pictures… it reminds me of the holidays we used to take as a family when I was a child!
And those lobster rolls look delicious!
Thanks for sharing these lovely pictures Michelle 🙂
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Those lobster rolls were delicious! 🙂
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Awesome, thanks for taking us along!
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It was awesome. Thanks for stopping by.
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Such great photos! Sounds like the trip made for some lovely memories. And I love the short hair! 🙂
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Thanks, Nicholas. It was definitely a memory maker. We had gorgeous weather for the whole trip, so we were able to see everything we had hoped. The time with family trumped the time in Maine though.
The hair? Getting used to the big change. 🙂
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Fantastic photos! It looks like you had a wonderful vacation. I’ve never been to Maine, so I enjoyed seeing what it looks like.
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It was our first time there, Nicki. We loved it so much we were thinking we could live there, until a shop owner in Portland told us the temperature drops to -30 in January and February. I’ll visit anytime it’s warmer.
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Michelle, these photos are amazing! I love the lighthouse especially and the very pretty and colourful Kennebunkport. I visited Nubble lighthouse a few years ago. Glad you had such a good vacation 🙂
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Thanks, Cathy. My husband does a wonderful job taking photos. We had a fantastic time. I haven’t been to Nubble, perhaps sk\omeday on another vacation.
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What amazing photos. I loved your vacation! Glad to see you back! ❤
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Thanks, Colleen. It’s good to be back, but I would go again at the drop of a hat! 🙂
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Beautiful photos Michelle and all the places looked wonderful and so peaceful 🙂
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Thanks. Vacations are so rejuvenating.
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What a great journey and its nice to be invited along, I am naturally really jealous that you had the opportunity to see some George Bush memorabilia hehe.
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Haha Ste J, not on my bucket list!
The trip was wonderful. I’m ready to do it again, especially the visiting family part. 🙂
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Maine looks beautiful and a wonderful place to vacation. 🙂
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It positively is if you go during the summer, but we were told Portland gets to -30 degrees F. in January and February.
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That’s chilly weather!
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Too chilly for me. I was ready to pack up and move there until he told us about their winter. 😉
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Wow you have some serious stunning photos it’s so picturesque and sounds like you had a fab time and some lovely family time too 😊💖
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Breathtaking photos.
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Your pictures are so beautiful! I love Maine and the whole Northeast coast. It looks like you had a wonderful time.
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We did, and I’m ready to go back.
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What a wonderful trip and thank you for sharing. The photographs were fantastic, such stunning landscape and seascapes. It looks like one very special holiday.
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It was wonderful from day one to the end.
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