My Vacation (Photo Dump!)

(edit) I started writing this post when I got back from vacation, ignore mistakes related to time, thanks!

–Trying to relive fond memories never works, the easiest thing to do is just make new memories.

I had a plan for my vacation last week. I was going to do some longboarding, jump off some cliffs and spend the last few days sunning myself on Maine’s rocky coastline. That was the plan because that was exactly what Allison (my wife) and I did the last time we made the same trip back in 2010. We often remember it as our favorite vacation, even though we’ve only taken a handful together. To my initial dismay, that’s not how it worked out at all. I say initial because a couple days into the trip I realized if I were to do the same things as the last time, I would only be disappointing myself.

It had rained every day in June in Vermont, which meant the river water would be quite high and possibly not safe for jumping. We went to two spots where we might be able to jump, but both were running too fast to jump. Usually a lot of white water in the area a waterfall lands means there’s something in the water like a log or rocks churning it up. I didn’t jump, but I got some great time sitting with Allison and my cousin Patrick.

While we were in Vermont we got to spend every night eating and drinking with the Tracy family. The Tracy family is made of my dad’s best friend from high school, John Tracy, his wife Lynn and their five children. In order they are Marc, Jack, Merritt, Patrick and Alex. I didn’t get to see all of them, but I got some great conversations in with Patrick, who is my age, about design. He taught me quite a few things. Those nights of sharing meals and drinks were fantastic. As I get older, the more I value time with my family. Each trip makes me long for the next.

We made our way from Vermont to Maine mid-week. I immediately got to spend time with my cousins Chad and Amy, as well as their spouses Nikki and Chad. They all brought their little ones, so we had a blast splashing around in the pool and having hot dogs in the sun. It was great to spend time with them. All of my cousins are about 7-10 years older than me, which made family hang outs kind of a bummer when I was younger. But now we’re all adults, and that age gap seems a lot smaller than it used to. I loved getting to know my family a lot more and find that we have more in common that I thought.

We stayed with my Uncle Ernie and Aunt Sarah while we were in Maine. They are always so hospitable, making us food, offering us their home and pool to use and my wife loves the king bed in their guest room 🙂 The last night we were there Aunt Sarah made us lobster rolls, which still have my mouth watering. The last day we were there we found a bird nest in a wreath on her front door. There was a small blue egg inside, so we left it alone. Hopefully the birds aren’t attacking her head as she walks by.

Thursday I got to see my Aunt Michele marry a man named Tim, who she’s been dating for years. Tim’s a nice guy, it was a pleasure to have him at my wedding and now I get to call him Uncle Tim! It was a small ceremony in a friend’s back yard on a BEAUTIFUL lake on a sunny and warm July 4th!

We spent the last few days just sunning ourselves on the rocks, at the beach and by the pool. We were sad to go, but had such a good time. It was packed with great conversation, which I enjoyed more than I expected. Not that I was expecting bad conversations, but a lot has changed in everyone’s lives since the last time we all got to visit and it was great catching up and relating to new things.

Whew, that was a long story, but here are a few pictures to rest your eyes! (Warning: Photo dump!)