Maine

I had three objectives in our visit to Maine.  Collect rocks on the beach.  See my friend Rebecca.  Go with my family when they ate lobster.

Lobster - Me and Brooklyn can't do seafood.  Just can't!  I'll do those tiny shrimp that you get in pasta salads sometimes, but beyond that?  No thanks.  We went to a restaurant right on the coast (I'll have to ask Mat the name of the place.  I can't remember!)  We knew it would be an expensive dinner.  It was! We knew that 4 of our 6 would love every bite.  They did!  Me and Brooklyn managed with "other" items on the menu.  It was so fun to be sitting on the water and know that those critters we were eating were caught right there.  The entrees were exotic, definitely a locally inspired meal!  I love McKinley's face in the next picture.  And I don't know where she got her love for seafood!  Except oysters, she says.

Shrimp appetizer

Lobster tail with THE BEST garlic mashed potatoes underneath

This is a lobster roll, not my thing, but my people loved it!

The Beach - My main objective was to collect smooth black rocks, and I did!  In fact, I was so busy collecting rocks that I didn't take any pictures on that beach!  It was so beautiful and perfect, there were at least a million perfect rocks I could have picked up.  I'll have to raid family members phones to get pictures from that beach.  The next day we went to a different beach, one with perfect sand and virtually no rocks.  That's where I took my one beach picture.  I love McKinley's raw enthusiasm and pure joy at finding a beach to play on.  She literally threw her hands in the air like she had won the lottery.

Rebecca - I just love this lady.  We met at an Image Reborn retreat in Park City in February.  IR hosts breast cancer patients from all over the country to come spend 3 days with people who "get" you.  This retreat was just for women with stage 4.  I'm telling you it's different when you're stage 2 or 3 vs. stage 4.  There are just issues we deal with that earlier stages don't have to think about yet.  Like chronic pain from cancer eating our bones, for example.  The CANCER word is scary anytime you hear it.  And there are exceptions.  Don't be sending me hateful messages if you're offended.  Just go to one of their retreats for anyone with breast cancer!  😁

When I heard she was from Maine, and I told her we were coming to Maine this summer, we sat down and she showed me a map of Maine, told me what to see, which harbors to go to, and said we should meet up.  It was so great seeing her again.  She took me to this shop that sells a cross between a cinnamon roll and a croissant.  I loved them so much I took my family back to get one!  And I got another one.  There was one place I wanted to go but we just couldn't take the time.  Acadia National Park, maybe I'll get there someday!  I never thought I'd get to Maine the first time!