Trip to Maine

On Wednesday of last week, A and I's family called to see if they wanted to come up that weekend (to their farm in Maine) for the yearly lamb slaughter and Mexican lamb feast.

We were invited along and were thrilled to go- it's always a treat to visit! It's hard not to take a million pictures, and I'm not sure if I can narrow it down to a manageable amount... but who wants just a few pictures, anyway?

When we arrived, we parked across the road at the little house (now used as a guest house). The first things you see there are the ornamental crabapple trees that flank the little house:




To get to the main house, you walk past the orchards:




and the vegetable garden:




and the flower hedge bordering the vegetable garden:




If you can pull yourself away from the beautiful flowers:




and the stunning view:




you will be greeted at the main house...




by three of the sweetest mastiffs you will ever meet!








If you can catch them, you will also find at least a handful of darling kittens:








C has a reputation for being able to find loads of wild mushrooms, and there are usually baskets of them all around the kitchen.






When the lamb roasting was done, everyone feasted; as usual, the food was incredible, and everyone happily ate way too much. I was too busy eating to catch pictures of the platters of roasted lamb, stew, chowder, chimichangas, enchiladas, homemade tortillas, salads, and bowls of refreshing, fiery salsas and sauces. A made quarts of his fabulous mojitos, and there was enough beer to satisfy an army!




When we felt like we could move again, and sunset was starting to creep in...




L, A, L, I, A, (what a funny set of initials!) and I took a walk past the beehives:




to the vegetable garden, where C and W gave all of us loads of gorgeous vegetables to take home!




Then, we moved on to the orchards, where we harvested tiny kiwis (you eat them whole!):




pears:




damson plums and sweet crabapples, to add to our already overflowing boxes of produce.




When we couldn't carry any more, the mosquitos were driving us mad, and night was fast approaching, we went back to the house to try a beautiful spread of delicious desserts.

I can't think of a better way to spend a Saturday!

Summer Vacation!

Sugar Baby watermelon

Gasp... shock... we are actually taking a vacation this summer! This afternoon we head north for a weekend of camping with friends, followed by a lazy week with everyone at our house.

We've all known each other for a lo-oo-ng time and we've done things like this together before, so I can say with certainty that it will be a crazy vacation, albeit the absolute best kind of crazy.

The dishwasher (my BFF*) will be called into service every night. The water will run cold for the last person to shower each morning. We'll stay up obscenely late and wake even later. Suitcases will be piled in the guest room. The 'fridge will be stuffed. We'll drink more mojitos and margaritas than I should state publicly (!). We'll cook up a storm and eat way too much.

Out in the wilderness, the spastic New England weather and hungry mosquitoes will hopefully cooperate. If it rains, as the weatherman predicts it will, one of the three tents will certainly leak.

It will be especially funny if this is someone else's tent.

I can't wait! See you after Labor Day!

* Best Friend Forever. I love it that much.