Norway Day 2

 A lovely day filled with many goals fulfilled. 

We started off by going to Julie's favorite beach. It is in a park that used to be an old manor house. The water was absolutely gorgeous and we noted that a number of people were already there by 10am. 

I got to buy a Norwegian sweater. It's colors are "traditional." There were similar sweaters which were half off but the colors were "seasonal," only sticking around for three years.

We then went to the Porsgrunn porcelain museum which was small but so informative about the pottery that was made in this city for over 100 years. Now the bases are made in China but I believe the art is still done here in Porsgrunn. 

Lunch at Oya was delightful. I got the Insalata di Chevre with Hysell as my drink. I thought just the cheese would be warm but it was actually the whole salad which was interesting but delicious. There was a gooseberry sauce on top with walnuts and another berry mixed in with the greens. Julie's husband was able to join us after work and he and I each had a Birra Moretti, an Italian beer. It was pretty darn good. 

The day was capped off with a long rest time and dinner with our tube food. Apparently the tubes are not like EZ cheese where you just toss it on a cracker. They are meant to be a condiment like mayo or mustard. Julie made an amazing spread with hard boiled eggs, veggies, and a cracker that was very similar to a Wasa. The evening ended with Aeperol Spritzes on the porch. 

Norway Day 1

 Woke up this morning and finished "The Flanders Panel " on Misŏ and Julie's patio for a lovely Norway morning. Laura and I tagged along while Misŏ and Julie's ran errands. We did the river walk and then went to Down Town, the local shopping mall.

Julie got done and took us to a local sports store and the grocery. There are a lot of foods in tubes here.

We were still suffering from jet lag so we had a quiet afternoon that included naps. Even me.

Dinner was meatballs with options to add veg, peanut sauce, and pho from a cube. We enjoyed some drinks on the patio afterwards and met many of the neighbors. They were just walking by and stopped to chat. Is was just lovely.

Cabbage Island -- Booth Harbor, ME

Obligatory morning shot from my bed.

I was sleepy from having gotten to bed late last night after hanging out and talking with Sierra and Christine. When Courtney came out to smoke, I pulled the blankets back over my head. But 30 minutes later, I hadn't gotten any sleep so I yelled out the door, "Paddle?" and she said, "How much time do we have?" I said 20 minutes and we were out. The lake was glass smooth and we made it almost all the way out to the privately held island and back. Then it was time to wake everyone up so we could be to Christine's by 8:30. We made it by the skin of our teeth and then... off to Booth Bay Harbor for our clam (lobster) bake trip.

You can just barely see the Bennie Alice on the right.

The ramp to get on the boat was very tippy. An Adventure!

Yellowstone is EVERYWHERE!!!!

Though I spent most of the trip in the back with Dan (most everyone sat on the long benches on the top deck), I did get to the front of the boat with Sierra as well

Arianna and I hit the nearby trail before anyone else and made it to the tip of the point... almost.

It is wicked hot by the lobster grills. Last year (during COVID), even operating at half-capacity, they put out 20k lobsters. In 2019, it was 38k

The clam chowder was a little thin for me but excellent!

The line to get lobsters was long but moved incredibly quickly. You can tell they've been doing this for 33 years... :)

Our food options were amazing! I forgot to get a picture of the bowl of steamers that were included but there were also 2 lobsters, a hard boiled egg, a baked potato, and a corn on the cob. 

I'm so happy

Courtney only wore the bib for a moment but I captured it for posterity

We stopped to get ice cream afterwards

Another Yellowstone connection in the ice cream store

We also hit up a candy store and the local bookshop where Sierra and I wandered for quite awhile. Courtney and The Teens found what they wanted quickly and then hit the restrooms before we headed back to Leeds. After a fun day in the sun, it was a long, tiring trip back.

It was nice to hang out by the lake and watch the sun go down

 

Saco

Waking up to Breakfast mimosas in front of a tidal pool is a thing I can repeat often. Granted, it was after a run so... health first!

We hung out for awhile but then got an Uno tournament going on the new porch. We did have to move indoors but I am proud to say that I won a few games. 

Courtney and Sierra arrived around ten and were kind enough to run back to the gas station. THEY DID HAVE THE LOBSTER ROLLS. And they are still amazing.

The tide was close to being all the way out so Courtney, Sierra, The Teens, and I headed out toward the island.

Even the lighthouse island was accessible

Right around 3, we headed back to Leeds. I had time to hop on the paddleboard for about 20 minutes before we headed back to Christine's. Dan had made us tacos with option of either turkey (which was perfectly spiced) or moose. I tried both and was satisfied by them all. 

Courtney had burned her legs pretty good so she went to sleep early while Sierra and I hung out with Christine.

 

Maine

Woke up briefly around 4:30 to an amazing sunrise. Went back to sleep

Lots of deer in the area; we had a running joke about zombie deer

Thursday morning all the gals went over to get pedicures. I got a french tips with black instead of white. Then we had lunch at Portland Pies in Hallowell and grabbed seafood for the festivus.

And by festivus, I mean that Dan had prepared a grand meal for us. It. Was. Amazing.

Anytime bibs are involved, the food is going to be good

I forgot a picture of the haddock/sole course

Scallops are amazing

Homemade potato salad from Donna

Yes, there was a lot of tomfoolery

Always celebrate butter

Steamer course

Lobster pot

Not done et

Perfection

An amazing crew

Still eating

Dessert course -- Donna's raspberry bars were beyond amazing