The Maine Event

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Added: Tue Oct 2nd 6:10pm
Posted in: Travel

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This summer, my husband and I took a long-awaited trip to Maine. My family owns a beautiful piece of property in Tenant's Harbor, just north of Portland. I was actually born in Bangor - we moved when I was just a baby. We spent every summer up at "the big house" when I was a kid. But after I graduated from high school and moved on to college and then the real world, the trips to Maine stopped.

My family was very patient - they understood that it was tough for me to take vacation days; expensive to buy tickets; too hard to find a place for the dogs, etc. But this summer - the excuses ended. My husband and I decided to join the clan up at the big house once again, to celebrate my grandmother's birthday.


So there we were … me and my husband, my brother, our parents - alongside my grandfather, grandmother, uncle and aunt. One big happy family, crashing together for a week. And it was great! There were some bumpy moments - caused in part by a lack of cell phone service and mobility issues - but for the most part, everyone got along and just enjoyed the quiet time together. I learned more about my grandparents - a lesson that I couldn't have taken just a few years ago.
Now, I'm married … I live far away … I have a job, a mortgage, pets and more. That puts a different perspective on everything - from my grandfather's stories about traveling abroad while working for the government, to my grandmother's tales of raising two young boys. They are remarkably "current" - we talked about political candidates, sports teams and more. But they are grounded in the past, and for the first time I realized what a gift it is that I have had so much time to absorb their wisdom.


Someday, my children will visit my parents at the same house. They'll have some of the same memories that I did - the funny wallpaper in the guest room, the warped wooden floors in the dining room - and they'll make new ones. I feel so lucky to have a place that I can call home, even though it's away from home.

I hope you enjoy some of the pictures I've included. If you have a travel story you'd like to share - please send me a message, or post a blog on your own profile page! If you have any trouble, just let a GB staffer know.