My granddaughter is sixteen soon to be 17. She’s an amazing young lady. She tried out for the football team and is now the sole female on the JV team. She’s a kicker and plays safety.
But she’s all female. Loves to dress up, fix up, and look lovely. All when she’s not engaging in sports.
Her Mom and stepdad are away so Bruce also known as Poppop and I are here to supervise or just be here for her. I’m not sure how much I will get to see her but our first night we ate at a nice Mexican restaurant.
Kadyn is quite a bit younger
We spent a day shopping and I bought her a Kate Spade pocketbook for her birthday.
Then we went out for sushi!
Today Kadyn had schoolwork to do and she was gone a good part of the day. Bruce and I went for a walk at Lassiter Mill Park.
It was a short walk but we enjoyed it. I wanted to be around when Kadyn was home.
For our anniversary and Bruce’s birthday, we booked what they call back to back cruises. The first one was four days and the second was three days.
We are still on Celebrity Reflection and have our original stateroom. For our anniversary and Bruce’s birthday the ship gave us wine and sweets.
We stopped by Truman’s Little White House. Although we did not take the tour it was very interesting.
It was interesting reading about Truman. I did not know that FDR did not tell his Vice President about the Manhattan Project – developing the atomic bonb. He found out the day he was sworn in.
There are so many interesting homes in Key West.
We stopped at the Wicked Lick for ice cream, coffee and banana bread. Bruce had Mexican Vanilla., which means the vanilla beans came from Mexico.
Daniel owns Doing Work Coffee and he shared with us his love of coffee as well as serving foods on and in biodegradable vessels.
The banana bread was the best I ever had and if you are on Duval Street, you must try a delicious piece.
By the way, the fork is made of corn. It is very solid but will break down in a short period of time.
Of course, no visit to a city is complete without a church. St. Paul’s Episcopal Church of Key West is located on Duval.
After church and lighting a candle we made our way to the Ernest Hemingway House. Known for the polydactyl cats having an extra claw, there are supposedly 57 cats many of which have the extra claw, on the estate.
We took a short tour in the house.
Ernest Hemingways writing room contained the typewriter he wrote many of his books on.
The grounds were lovely with an Olympic size pool.
The cost to tour the home and grounds was $17.
Interesting homes and buildings along the way. One being the Enchanted Tiki Home.
Before we headed back to the ship we stopped in First Flight for some conch fritters. They were pretty good and the service was great.
Key West is really a cool place to visit with lots to do!
Bimini is a small island that is part of the Bahamas. It is the closest point in the Bahamas to the mainland United States and is about 130 miles to Nassau.
Bruce and I bought a shuttle pass and it came with a drink and chaise for $38. If you travel to Bimini, it’s a free shuttle and you can use the chaise lounges. So I wouldn’t purchase this again.
The beach was lovely with temperate waters and so clear I could see my feet. The water was particularly salty which made it easy to float. And the sandy bottom felt soft and smooth.
We could see our ship in the distance.
It was a wonderful way to spend our 32nd Wedding Anniversary.
We are on another Caribbean cruise on Celebrity Reflection. We did a back-to-back taking 4 days and 3 days. The first four had a sea day yesterday with Key West today and Bimini tomorrow. The three days are the same ports but no sea day.
So 7 days of being pampered.
Celebrity Reflection is the ship that began our love of cruising. In 2016, we took a 16-day Transatlantic trip that included stops in Malaga, Cartegna, Barcelona, and Nice. My dear friend Mary Beth was on board, and she was actually the person who really introduced us to this new way of life.
On our first night in the dining room, I ate my usual escargot. Celebrity has it on the menu daily. I forgot to take a photo before I dug in and consumed the escargot.
The show for the evening was a production show. It wasn’t our favorite but still entertaining.
Afterwards, we tried our luck in the casino. While we were playing one of my favorite slots, the pigs, old friends from South Carolina saw us. Chris and Carrie, we have known for 20 years.
We made arrangements to meet for dinner last night. It’s unbelievable running into friends. It was an elegant chic night. Bruce and I were probably more formally dressed than most people. Celebrity in the Caribbean doesn’t seem to require a dress code. I saw jeans and very casual dress in the dining room.
In the morning we did a meditation on the pool deck, worked out in the gym, and then had breakfast.
Our day was packed with fun and relaxation. We went to a talk on cruising and did a little gambling. Our luck was better today.
We met Chris and Carrie for dinner and spent a lot of time reminiscing about old times. We are all avid cruisers and we will all be on a ship out of LA next month.
We played a little in the casino but Bruce was tired so we made it an early evening. The show was a mentalist, not our favorite so we decided not to go.
Today we woke in Key West.
We spent a leisurely morning in our cabin and then had a late breakfast with Chris and Carrie.
Bruce and I decided to visit the Mel Fisher Nautical Museum. Mel Fisher was an adventurer who spent a good part of his life looking for treasures.
Mel Fisher and his wife and children discovered a Spanish ship that sunk off the coast of Florida in the 1600’s. It was filled with gold, silver, emeralds and other jewels.
The museum is a three minute walk from the dock and cost $17.95 to get in. It was a very interesting museum.
Next time we hope to go to the Hemingway House.
We met up with friends for coffee in the afternoon. I hadn’t been drinking coffee but I indulged in a cappuccino.
We met Chris and Carrie out on deck five. That’s where they take little Toby to do his business.
Celebrity allows dogs on the ship and Toby is a perfect little pup. He sits still and is quiet. Carrie trained him well.
While out in deck 5 we saw a pod of dolphins swim by the bow of the ship on the port side. Unfortunately, all I have is pictures of water. I missed.
We ate dinner together and then Bruce and I went to the show. It was another production show and it was great.
Bruce and I wandered outside to see the sunset but we just missed. The sky was lovely though.
We played a bit in the casino and we finally won a bit so all was good!
Today we had a leisurely start to our day heading to Dysarts for breakfast. I wasn’t very hungry so I had a toasted blueberry muffin. It was delicious.
If you never had Maine blueberries, they are much smaller than high bush blueberries from other states. These little berries are packed with a powerful punch of flavor. Once you have a Maine blueberry, all others will pale in comparison.
This is an old picture of the kids when we went blueberry picking in Maine.
Kristy and Trafton came to say goodbye today so we spent a little bit of time visiting with them.
We headed out to an antique store.
This store had a basement and an upstairs—a lot of stuff. From garden statues to coffee mugs, they had it all.
We even ran into the Blues Brothers and Marilyn.
And of course Bruce found a cannon.
For dinner, we ate at Wimpy’s again and I had my fourth and final lobster for this trip.
Tomorrow we head home to Florida to rest up for our next adventure!
35 years ago today, my life changed. Everything I knew about myself and thought of myself was going to be challenged and ultimately changed. I would no longer be chained to feelings of low self-worth, shame, and guilt.
So, to celebrate the day Bruce, Michael, and I drove down to Acadia National Park. I have to say it was a bit disappointing due to tremendous crowds. The first time Bruce took me here in 1992, it was magical. Yet the landscape and the trees are still magnificent.
Lovely lily pads floated in a pond.
The smell of wild roses filled the air as bumble bees flew from flower to flower. I went to smell the rose close up but the bee beat me to it.
It was low tide and people were looking for treasures in the sand.
I’ve never noticed this bridge before, although we have driven this route many times.
I’ve been to Acadia in all four seasons. It’s enchanting in each and everyone.
We decided not to venture into Bar Harbor since the crowds were just too much. We headed over to Northwest Harbor for lunch.
I had a hamburger!
We walked around the town and found this cute bear guarding the store.
Northwest Harbor is whimsical and much smaller than Bar Harbor but quaint. We also drove down to the harbor to check out the boats.
We drove to Blue Hill where Bruce was born. The hospital was brand new and we couldn’t find the old hospital building. We stopped at a store going out of business. this was across the street from the Town Hall.
The American Legion was named after a Wescott which is Bruce’s maternal grandparents name.
I caught a glimpse of the sea from the town hall in Blue Hill.
I saw this barn with the background on our way back to Michael’s. I sure do love photographing the buildings in Maine.
It was a lovely day, the weather perfect and all was good in Maine!
The reunion was fantastic. There were lots of laughs and great food, and everybody started heading back home. Jay, Bethany, and the girls decided to stay, so we met up at Young’s Lobster Pound.
The girls decided not to come so it was just us adults. We each enjoyed a 1-1/2 lb lobster and I also had steamers.
The view from Young’s is great with all the sailboats and birds flying about.
We sat upstairs inside because we felt the sprinkle of rain. Only misting but who knew if it would lead to a downpour.
Since the rain held off, we decided to take a quick trip to Belfast for the Scottish Festival. We listened to the haunting Celtic music as we watched the Scottish games.
But within a few moments, the skies opened and the rain came down. Bruce, Bethany, and I went under a walkway to avoid the rain as Jay ran back to the car. Our hideaway had spaces between the boards so the rain came through anyway. There was a river of water and when we finally reached our car, we were soaked through.
We said our goodbyes to Jay and Bethany and headed back to Brewer.
Most of the roads were lonely with green trees and no inhabitants. But we occasionally ran across some interesting sites.
Last night I forgot to post the beautiful sunset over China Lake.
Now we are back at Michael’s until Wednesday when we head back home to Florida.
Bruce is now the patriarch of the Dunbar family. Bruce’s children, Ryan, Colin, Bethany, and Alyse, along with their spouses, our grandkids, and furry family members gathered at the McWade Camp on Sheepscot Pond. Kristy, Michael’s daughter, her spouse, and two of their children also joined the festivities.
We spent the day by the water or on the deck. Kristy’s son Garrett and Renee’s son Ray did a muscle pose.
Wyatt, Garrett, and Ray were enjoying the paddlenoards and swimming. For me it was a touch too cool. The air temp was around 80 degrees.
Alyse and Bethany were out in the kayak, while Renee and Sally were paddleboarding.
Bruce and Nate enjoyed chilling on the beach.
In years to come the children can reminisce about jumping off docks, swimming with dogs, and fishing for bass.
Jay grilled hamburgers and hot dogs while Bethany and Renee fixed up salads and set up the table. All was delicious.
Landon sat chilling in the living room enjoying a moment of quiet time.
The family gathered on the deck for conversation and eating.
It was a wonderful day filled with love and laughter and we are ever so grateful to Bethany and Jay hosting it.
Bruce and I hadn’t been to the McWade Camp since 2019. This picture shows just how much the grandkids have grown-up. That was the year of the tie-dyes shirts.
Hopefully, we can all meet up again before the grandkids are off to college or wherever they may go.
Today we went to breakfast at Dysarts. I had one egg and one pancake. That was plenty. I forgot to take pictures of the pancake but we agreed that they aren’t as big as they used to be. That was good for me or I would eat it all.
There are a lot of interesting things around the restaurant.
Afterwards, we checked out Stephen King’s house. Notice the bats and spider webs on the fence? And the wooden statue is quite interesting. It was created by chainsaw artist Josh Landry from a dead ash tree. It features owls, ravens, cats, frogs, mushrooms, climbing vines, a dragon, and a corgi.
My brother-in-law is a big collector. Here are a few of his cars.
We headed down to Ellsworth on a tour of Bruce and Michael’s ancestry. Our first stop was his maternal grandmother’s farm which had been in the family for over 150 years. Both brothers were sorry they didn’t buy it years ago.
Built in 1830
Down the road away was a swimming hole where the boys would enjoy spending time during visits to the old farm.
We decided to visit their old camp, cottage to most people, on George’s Pond. It was sold several years ago but we sure miss our times there.
The walkway to the pond is overgrown. Apparently, the new owners don’t use it very much.
I looked in the window and the old GE refrigerator from 1953 was still there. Those old appliances keep on going!
We stopped by Fox Pond where I took a walk down to the water, enjoying the fragrant smell of pine.
We stopped at the Dunbar Store. No relation.
And our last stop was Ruth and Wimpy’s.
This was a cool little restaurant where I ate my second lobster.
And for dessert, I had a very berry cobbler and Bruce had a strawberry Rhubarb crisp! Yummy!
This was a really cute place with great prices and cool surroundings.
thefouramigosblog 