Off to Maine for a week!

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rkovars
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Re: Off to Maine for a week!

Post by rkovars »

jkbarnes wrote: Thu Jun 23, 2022 4:31 pm
rkovars wrote: Thu Jun 23, 2022 3:27 pm A couple of more suggestions:
Today we trekked down to Ogunquit and will stop in Kennebunkport on the way home. Dinner in Saco with friends tonight. Hopefully back to Port on and tomorrow. Saturday is beach day, Sunday is open.

Leaving for Cape Cod on Monday.
Rats! The Ramp Bar and Grill on Cape Porpoise is a must stop when I am in Kennebunk but it is closed on Thursday! Parsons Beach (south of Kennebunk off of route 9) is a nice beach to walk on. Kind of off the beaten path. Driving Beach Ave in Kennebunk is also nice. Some good picture taking scenery!
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Re: Off to Maine for a week!

Post by jkbarnes »

rkovars wrote: Thu Jun 23, 2022 5:05 pm …Some good picture taking scenery!
Indeed it is! Thanks for the beach suggestions. We might check them out.

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Re: Off to Maine for a week!

Post by Kansas City Milkman »

Looks great, Mr & Mrs JKB. Have a good holi.
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Re: Off to Maine for a week!

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rkovars wrote: Thu Jun 23, 2022 5:05 pm Driving Beach Ave in Kennebunk is also nice. Some good picture taking scenery!
Outstanding drive! Thanks for the recommendation. My wife, a Cape Cod girl born and raised, was in heaven.
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Re: Off to Maine for a week!

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Photo update…

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Re: Off to Maine for a week!

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Wow, looks idyllic and some lovely weather to boot.. have a fabulous rest of stay and enjoy the good company, fantastic scenery, great food & drink and well deserved relaxation!
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Re: Off to Maine for a week!

Post by JAFO »

I take it that's the same lighthouse in both pictures. That was a long walk :D
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Re: Off to Maine for a week!

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JAFO wrote: Fri Jun 24, 2022 8:09 pm I take it that's the same lighthouse in both pictures. That was a long walk :D
Yeah, same light house but not that long a walk. The wide angle of the one pic makes it look a further off
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Re: Off to Maine for a week!

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Final pic from the vacation. We’ve left Maine and have driven to Cape Cod to see my wife’s parents. I love Cape Cod and have come to think of it as a second home. My in-laws still live in the house they built as a newlywed couple. My father-in-law spent his first few summers as a teacher selling ice cream from a truck so they could afford a lot with a view of the pond. This is the only home my wife ever had until she moved out as an adult. It’s a special place to her and has become very special to me.

This image is bittersweet as it captures the bittersweet nature of this visit. This is the back deck. It’s homey, comfortable, a bit shabby, and a bit eclectic. It captures my in-laws’ place, and them, perfectly. If you look closely through the door to the right, you can make out my father-in-law Michael in a hospital bed. He’s been on hospice care since January. He wants to pass away at home, in the house he built with my mother-in-law, where he raised his family, and with a view of the pond he spent summers selling ice cream to have.

This is my in-laws’ anniversary weekend. When we booked our trip, we thought Michael wouldn’t be with us. My wife didn’t want her mom to spend her first anniversary without Michael alone, so here we are, and Michael is still with us.

As I type this, we’re sitting on the couch thumbing through old pictures. I’ve only been with my wife for eight years, so my history with my in-laws is short. My father-in-law and I are peas in a pod. I wish I had more time with him but am incredibly grateful for the short time I’ve had.

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Re: Off to Maine for a week!

Post by strapline »

^^ ^^
This is a very touching post, Andrew. It's a really beautiful and engaging story about your father in law, Michael. It seems that his circle of life is nearing its completion; in some ways it feels almost wrong being able to see a man whom I have no connection with in the twilight of his life in the home he built.

This post has left me feeling very philosophical about life and its impermanence. There is a message therein for all of us I guess.

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Re: Off to Maine for a week!

Post by Amor Vincit Omnia »

That is so poignant, Andrew. My heart goes out to you and to your wife’s family. Such a beautiful place.
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Re: Off to Maine for a week!

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strapline wrote: Mon Jun 27, 2022 8:12 pm in some ways it feels almost wrong being able to see a man whom I have no connection with in the twilight of his life in the home he built.
I thought quite a bit about that before posting. I had not at all had any intention of making a post like this, nor of capturing that particular image. I went out on the deck to listen to the wind through the trees as a storm approached. I caught Michael through the door and was really struck by the juxtaposition of the image.

As my wife and I enjoyed our time in Maine, this final stop was always looming in the background. If I thought too much about it, I found myself almost feeling guilty about Maine knowing we’d be coming here.

But this image of Michael tied it all together. This situation is heartbreaking (and really came out of no where in January), but this image helped me come to terms and find some peace with it - Michael is spending his final days in the center of his world, what he spent his life working to achieve and then maintain. I choose to see the beauty in that as a counterweight to the heartbreak we’re all feeling, and thought it a worthy way to end my vacation thread.
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Re: Off to Maine for a week!

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That is an amazing image Andrew. Taken with compassion and respect. I hope that when the time comes his passing is peaceful and without incident. I will be thinking of them and you up here in NH.
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Re: Off to Maine for a week!

Post by missF »

I feel so humbled that you shared this image and your thoughts. Such strong words giving me a lot to contemplate. Thank you
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Re: Off to Maine for a week!

Post by Soporsche »

Thank you Andrew!
A beautiful place, whilst I commented about pics/scenery in your earlier posts being idyllic, this one truly is!
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