Maine Coastal Living

Hot summer days, high tide/low tide, sandy toes, salty lips, wet towels, dirty cars...

This is the weather we end up at the beach almost daily for a quick dip. Mostly we go in the late afternoon/early evening, when the beaches are nearly empty. Nothing like the frigid waters to make these hot/humid temps more tolerable. Thankful we only live 6-7 miles to the ocean. I leave the van packed so we can scoot over at almost a moment's notice. We tend to stay just an hour or so. I rarely bring my camera and I do not have a cell phone to take pics (this pic is actually from last year), but if I did bring my camera, I'd have oodles of pics from the fun we have.

Just today, my two big ones made a friend and dug these elaborate rivers from my chair to the water. Squeals of surprise? delight? torture? as they fully plunge into the waters that truthfully are never warm (kids don't care). Audra collected some crabs, snails, hermit crabs, mussels, shrimp and this little worm thing with legs that I have no idea what it was. Adrian made a bunch of roads with his John Deere tractor. (Yes, he plays farming at the beach, that surely isn't surprising if you know him!)

This season marks a whole new dimension. Today I had Anna-Kate napping on my chest while I actually read a magazine (the entire thing in one sitting!), so relaxing. I love snuggling my little girl. When she woke up, I put her little toes in the cold waters and she smiled and loved it. This one woman looked at me and said "You look like you have it all together." Certainly, throughout the day there are moments I feel utterly scattered, frustrated and exhausted. But, at the beach, all is well.

Thankful for Maine Coastal Living.

The Sweet Duo

Oh, this duo...tugging at my heart strings.

 Love this baby girl!

My Cowboy and his Tortillas

I think that tortillas definitely taste better when made by a cowboy.  Especially a cowboy with dimples.

Happy Summer Solstice

The longest day of the year.  I remember Summer Solstices when I was a kid, staying up late, reading in bed well past my bedtime. It was a gorgeous evening here.  Big two running around in their underwear looking for ripe strawberries. I was nursing a fussy baby while weeding the carrots.  Sweet fussy baby calmed right down in her new to us (free!) swing. Then a James Herriot marathon book reading session.  Now I'm enjoying a summer snack of crackers, cream cheese, topped with fresh homemade jam.  Summer has officially begun. It's going to be a good one!

Wild Kingdom

Our annual trip to the zoo...with mama made tails. Somehow they always want me to be the elephant.  I accidentally 'forgot' my elephant tail in the car this year. Oops.  

 She's also sporting a mama made hat and mama made skirt. He says he's wearing mama made shorts because I cut them from pants to shorts.

 Seriously, can't get enough of these tails!  They just went about their fun, forgetting about their tails, whereas I was smiling at those tails all day.

 Someone slept through most of it.

 Woke up at the end.

A fun time, indeed!

Hot days...

It's funny how the seasons change and our rhythm follows.  During the winter, we are inside during the morning and evenings and head outside midday, to catch the warmest part of the day.

Now that we are almost officially into the months of summer and the weather is uncomfortably hot (for me anyway!), we tend to spend the bookends of our day outside, with the middle part of our day inside.  Thankful this old farmhouse stays pretty cool most of the summer.

 Inside midday unless, of course, we're at the beach.  This was Anna-Kate's first beach trip and I didn't bring my camera. Oops!  I coaxed my husband to walk back to car to take a couple of pics with his cell phone.   He gets the credit here.

Tiny sandy toes, I love them so! Thankful during these hot days that cooling off oceanside is only 6 miles from our home. Just another reason why I'm glad we have made our home-sweet-home in Maine.

Fields of Daisies

My favorite flower, my most favorite time of year. I've worked to get this field of daisies looking like this. Just looking at it makes me happy.  Taking pictures of my littles in it makes it even happier. (They have been wearing their matching goat shirts, thanks Grammy!)