Pilgrims, Lincoln and Thunderstorms

It is hard to believe that day three of our second road trip is coming to a close. The last few days have been an absolute blur.

On the first day of our road trip we stayed the night in Middleboro, MA. This site is about 45 minutes south of Boston. It was a good stopping point for the first day.

On the second day we visited one of my favorite places on the planet, Plymouth, MA! The Mayflower II is currently under renovation however we still visited the exhibit, wandered through a few of the gardens and toured the Jenny Grist Mill. It was just lovely and the weather was wonderfully cooperative.

After our amazing visit to Plymouth we traveled through Western Massachusetts and Eastern New York. We spent the evening in Herkimer, NY where we braved an insane thunderstorm. Thunder, lightning, hail pieces the size of quarters, 55 mph winds- the whole nine years. We were incredibly grateful when the morning dawned bright and clear.

We originally had planned to visit Saratoga however that was far too much of a detour. Instead we stopped at the William H. Seward House in Auburn, NY. Seward was governor of New York in the mid-nineteenth century and secretary of state under Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson. His house was gorgeous and contained so many wonderful tidbits from that particular time period.

After our tour we hopped on the road to Buffalo, sped through Erie, PA and are now camped in Ohio.

Tomorrow we hit up Chicago and begin our trek through the MidWest!

Searsport

About a week ago, Christopher and I needed a little escape from Bangor. A day trip to Sea report was just what the doctor ordered.

Searsport is about 45 minutes southeast of Bangor and about ten minutes away from Belfast. It is a charming little town right on the Atlantic. I first wanted to visit all of the museums and historical buildings, but these were all closed for the season still.  Instead we wandered around town and stopped wherever we fancied.

We explored a local bookstore where there was a mix of old and new books. I nabbed a lovely copy of 1001 Arabian Nights. We also wandered through Pumpkin Patch Antiques, a high end antique shop. They housed some very interestingly microscopes and Ethiopian artifacts that I wish I had the money to purchase.
 

 

After a lovely lunch at Route One Roadhouse, we meandered to the beach. The weather was breezy but so refreshing. We collected shells and sea glass, climbed over mounds of seaweed and just had a fantastic time. We ended the day with some of the best ice cream we have ever had at a place a bit closer to home.

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 We always love getting out of town and exploring a new place. What has everyone else been up to?

Budding

Slowly but surely flowers and plants are starting to bud. The trees are regaining their leaves. The weather is heating up and staying warm. Everything feels so hopeful this month.

I will officially be done in with class on Monday and Christopher will be finished a little later in the week. After that we have about a week and a half to prepare for our road trip and for me to do a little of my own personal research! We have a massive to-do list to accomplish before we hit the road.

We are visiting some familiar spots and a few new places too.

We will be visiting my favorite place on this planet, Plymouth, MA.  We will spend a few hours in Saratoga, NY where the famous Battle of Saratoga took place. Christopher and I will grab dinner in Chicago again. We will get to experience the light ceremony at Mount Rushmore and catch a glance of Yellowstone National Park. We will conclude our road trip with a day-tripping in Seattle, a day and half with Christopher’s aunt and uncle in Washington, and about four and a half days with Christopher’s grandparents and my very best friend Lizzy in Oregon. We will be home very late in the evening on June 3^rd!

 Bring it on May!

Fly Like a Butterfly, Sting Like a Bee

Today is rainy and dreary but last week the temperatures hiked up into the 60's. Christopher and I were completely amazed by the number of butterflies flitting about Essex Woods.

We also found huge chunks of quartz in the forest. I had no idea that it was so abundant around here, but it was a neat find. We even snatched a piece to take home as a souvenir.

How is spring sprouting in your neighborhood?

A Quick Trip to the Sea

This past weekend I attended a lecture series at the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland, Maine. Rockland is about fifteen minutes away from the popular vacation spot of Camden and roughly a hour and a half from Bangor. The lecture series was about the subject of my thesis, the works of Rev. Jonathan Fisher. He is mostly famous for his gorgeous oil painting, A View of Blue Hill Village (which you can view here). I  was personally more drawn to his books and woodcuts.

After the lecture series, I drove as fast as I could to the nearest beach. I was still wearing my pencil skirt and blazer! The weather was hardly warm, but it was so refreshing to smell the sea air, let the breeze run through my hair and dip my toes in the sand. I have missed the ocean so much.

 Sunday was spent watching Dr. Who and eating way too much junk food with a good friend. How did you spend this gorgeous spring weekend?

Cajun Chicken Pasta

This recipe was delicious and made for great leftovers. It is the perfect in-between season recipe- not too heavy and not too light. Give it a go. You won't regret it. Original recipe from here.

Yields: 2
Time: 45 Minutes

Ingredients:

4 ounces of linguine pasta

2 chicken breast halves; cut up

2 teaspoons of Cajun seasoning (we added way more than two teaspoons)

2 tablespoons of butter

1 green bell pepper; chopped

1/2 red bell pepper; chopped (we actually used a whole red pepper. Add as many veggies as you like)

1 green onion; minced

1 1/2 cups of heavy cream

1/4 teaspoon of dried basil

1/4 teaspoon of lemon pepper

1/4 teaspoon of Salt

1/8 teaspoon of garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon of black pepper

2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese; grated

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add linguine pasta, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes; or until al dente; drain.
2. Meanwhile, place chicken and Cajun seasoning in a bowl, and toss to coat.
3. In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté chicken in butter until no longer pink and juices run clear, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add green and red bell peppers, sliced mushrooms and green onions; cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce heat, and stir in heavy cream. Season the sauce with basil, lemon pepper, salt, garlic powder and ground black pepper, and heat through.
4. In a large bowl, toss linguini with sauce. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.

A Weekend in April

There is a saying in Maine- “If you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes.” We have literally had everything this week- sunshine, rain, sleet and snow. I would love for the weather to warm up.  I am due for a healthy dose of sunshine and warmth. The pictures below are from several of the walks we have taken in the last three weeks. 

This has been a very busy week for us. I figured out a thesis topic, so I have many books to read and a lot of conferences to attend. The end of the semester is also around the corner (less than a month!) so there are numerous papers I am finishing up. I am so excited for summer break. We are about to start planning our next road trip!

Speaking of summer, Christopher and I ordered invitations and created a wedding website. You can access the website here. Everything is slowly but surely falling into place.

I made this wreath in order to will Spring into existence. Let’s hope that Spring is starting to feel more compliant. 

Stay tuned. Hopefully I will get to start posting pictures about what April and May bring in Maine.