So, yeah, vacation.

We left on Saturday morning at 4:00 on the nosey. I was really disorganized in my preparation this year, and having to pack Mommy as well did not help matters. (especially since she doesn't just bring herself and her clothes - there's the fan, the small TV, the basket of food, the boxes of craft supplies, Petie, his bed, his food, etc.) I wound up having to pack the back of my truck on Friday night, racing against the dark (with the dark winning). But, I got it done, and we were off. On board: Me and Petie in my truck and Sheila, Mommy and Marty in Sheila's car, leaving from Seymour; and Mary and the kids leaving from their home in Rhode Island.

The week went by much too quickly, like they all do. The weather was pretty crummy, with a few rainy days and a stubborn fog that clung to shore, but we made the most of the nice days we had and played a lot of Yahtzee on the others. And watched Chitty Chitty Bang Bang about 6 times, a newfound favorite of the kids, in spite of the wretched Child Catcher.

We managed to fit in a couple of hikes and picnics, along with a couple of trips to Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. We drove up Cadillac Mountain on Tuesday, the three sisters and the two kids. As we climbed, it became progressively foggier, to the point where we couldn't see the car in front of us. And the wind was roaring! I have never been up there when it was like that. Needless to say, we hopped out at the top, took a couple of pictures on the kids hanging on to each other for dear life in front of the non-existent view and then jumped right back in the truck for the somewhat frightening trip back down the mountain.

I took Zachary with me on Thursday night when I went to buy the lobsters for dinner. We were listening to an oldies station in the truck, and "Do You Believe In Magic?" was playing as I pulled into the parking lot. I stopped the car, and Zachary asked, "Can we stay in the car until the end of the song?" I said sure and we sat there and sang along until the end.

On Friday, our last day, the weather cleared up and as a result we crammed as much as we possibly could into that day. Our skiff was tied up at the dock in the cove and no one was going to be at the cabin during the week after us, so we had to row the skiff back inland to the boat access ramp and pull it up. It was early in the morning so the fog hadn't burned off yet. Sheila did her best to row the boat, but Sheila as it turns out is not the most coordinated person I know. We ended up sitting side by side in the middle of the boat, each with an oar and paddling like we were in canoe. We had a great laugh, and, as a bonus, a bald eagle flew overhead right as I looked up to the sky.

When the sun came out we went for hike along the shore trail and the kids did a great job for a 7 and a 3 1/2 year old. That night we had a (pitiful and quite smoky) bonfire on the rocky beach in front of the house, and the kids got to eat some s'mores and light some sparklers. And Mary and I got to have some beers.

We were all gone by 11 AM the next day. It never gets easier to leave there, even after all of these years.