All Good Things Must Come to an End

It was a great trip, but it was time to go home.

We had our choice of seats!

Southwest plied us with plane crackers.

There really is no place like home.  The very best part of any trip is returning home to your own bed and your own shower (before you have to face the real world!)
It was a neat experience to take David back to his mission.  It was obvious to us that he was sent to the right spot for him and how much he loved the people in Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire.  Those feelings were mutual.

Massachusetts!

We spent a little time in Massachusetts.  Our hotel was in Revere (where my grandparents went to high school) next to the New England Confectionary Company.

We took off in our rental car armed with our GPS wanting to go to the Boston Temple.  This is when we found out that our GPS does NOT like Boston.  There were so many twists and turns that we ended up going in circles.  But we persevered!









We didn’t have enough time to explore the Boston area, but that wasn’t the point of our trip.  Perhaps someday we can see the sites in Boston, but not this time.

Sunday in Maine . . . and New Hampshire

After attending a branch that David served in, we headed out.  David really wanted to visit a couple he met on his mission, but they had moved to Old Orchard Beach, Maine.  So we re-arranged our route to our next destination to make it happen.

We reached their apartment before they did, so we hung out at the beach . . . which was right outside their door!


David was thrilled to see them!  They had called a few times when he was on his mission to let us know what a great job he was doing.  Things like this bring joy to a missionary mom’s heart.

From there we drove to New Hampshire and stopped off at a family’s home.  While they are not members, they know how to take care of missionaries! 

One of the neat things about this trip was to see the relationships that our son formed with so many different people, members or not.

Lighthouse!

We decided upon a side trip on the way back to the hotel. 

We went through a little town called Stockton Springs to get to Fort Point Lighthouse.

We didn’t have enough cash on us to pay the day use fee so we took a quick peek (with enough time for a few photos!)


We drove by Perry’s Nut House so many times that we HAD to stop and check it out.

We did not leave empty-handed!

Later that day, we met up with a gal that David met on his mission.  She would play games with the missionaries at a game store on their p-days.

Penobscot Narrows Observatory and Fort Knox

We went sightseeing with a family that David really enjoyed.  We went to an observatory tower and a fort (which were right next to each other.)

That skinny thing in the distance is the bridge observatory.

This was the fun family we went with.  It was awesome to watch David interact with their boys. 

I decided to go for it and try valiantly not to let the height bother me.  My plan was to stand as far away from the windows.

I tried stepping closer and point my camera down.  Just looking at the photo makes my heart race and I can feel the fear creeping in!

But I did it!  I was grateful to see the beautiful landscape.
Next we headed over to the fort.  David was messing around outside.. . .

There was a small town across the bay called Bucksport that really caught my eye.  It was just as I imagined all small towns in Northern New England must look like!

This was the outside of the fort as we were heading to the entrance.

David facing down into a canon.

There was a reenactment of a canon being shot that was pretty fascinating.  The fellow below was narrating and telling the others what to do. . .



I tried to take of picture when they shot it off, but I JuMpEd and this is the shot I ended up with.  I thought it was pretty funny.
The inside of the fort was pretty cool.  I can’t imagine how cold it must have been during the winter months.

There’s Bucksport!

It was a fun sight seeing adventure.

Belfast and Beyond

We began our exploration of Belfast, Maine.  We parked near the water. 
David told us that he once crossed the bay on the footbridge below the bridge we drove over. (It’s the white bridge close to the water.)  He said it was nasty weather that day!

Paul wanted to get a little bird watching in.







A decorative lobster trap

Bowen’s Tavern . . . we didn’t go in and see if we knew the owners.

David lived behind the home of some non members when he served in Belfast.

Downtown Belfast

We visited a family he really enjoyed . . .dad at home with the boys and the mom at work. . . .we *forced* ourselves to have some ice cream.

We drove down to Camden, Maine (a touristy little town) for lunch.

The drive was so pretty.  Just off the coast is Islesboro, Maine where John Travolta has a home.  David said it is accessible by ferry which has limited hours. (I didn’t take a picture of the island, but there are some other photos along the way for your viewing pleasure.)

David spent many of his p-days (preparation day) at a game shop where he would play games like Settlers of Catan with the shop owner.  What a nice fellow (it is a crummy photo.)

We stopped by to visit another family that David really enjoyed.

We were invited to dinner at perhaps David’s very favorite family’s home.  Their little girl reminded David of one of our neighbor's.  The Bernards will always hold a special place in David’s heart.

David’s first kiss after his mission!

We are grateful to this family for taking care of our boy and feeding him so well.

It was a wonderful day and we were pooped!