My week in Maine

So wow... what an amazing trip. We all agreed that it was definitely one of the best trips we've ever taken. The bed-and-breakfast we stayed at was amazing. The innkeepers and everyone that worked there were wonderful and so helpful. They gave us great suggestions for dinner and we were not at all disappointed. Now with my family, our vacationing centers around eating and shopping. While we shop, we think about where we're going to eat and while we eat, we discuss where we're going to shop. I mean, is there anything better? That's just what we do. Now we did spend some time in Acadia National Park but left as soon as we found out there was an hour wait at the restaurant in the park. There are tons of things to do for you outdoorsy people... great hiking trails and whatnot. Our version of checking out the park though, was limited to hopping out of the car, saying "ooh ahh," snapping a pic, complaining about the cold, and then getting back in the car to move on to the next spot. It was beautiful though and we got some great pics. My dad especially got some good shots - he becomes Mr. photographer extraordinaire on these trips.

Look at these crazy people in the water at Sand Beach. Crazies! It's freaking freezing.

Another view at the park...

We did the whole park thing the 2nd day we were there. The first day we actually did a whale watching tour. Here's a pic of our boat...

So anyway we're heading out on the boat and I'm sitting next to my mom. The tour guide chick keeps referencing stuff we're passing... "lighthouse such-n-such at 3 o'clock... a school of dolphins at 8 o'clock..." At one point I leaned over to my mom and said, "bad case of camel toe at 9 o'clock." "Camel what?!" "Nevermind." The offending camel toe lady was taking pictures left and right and had this big ass camera lense, so I can only assume she knew what she was doing. At one point she even leaned on me to get a better angle. OK, lady. I'm sure her whale pics are way better than mine, but here's a decent shot...

It was very, very cool. The whales we saw were a pair of finback whales - the 2nd largest whale, and 2nd largest animal on Earth. It was pretty humbling to see these massive animals only yards away from us. So... on the way back, many of us huddled in the center of the boat to escape the brutal wind. My parents were seated inside and my mom motioned for me to come over and she asks me, "who's the Asian girl on the Today show?" "Ann Curry." "Doesn't that woman over there look like Ann Curry?" "Oh wow - yep that's Ann Curry." OMG - crazy camera CT lady is Ann Curry! She had on a cap and sunglasses outside, so she went totally unrecognized. My mom was just all flustered. "Do you think it's her?" "Yes, mom, it's her - no doubt." She was with her whole family. Her daughter - who looks about 14 - is the spitting image of her. Totally gorgeous. They were with another couple too and I recognized the wife but I cannot place her to save my life... some NBC correspondent or exec maybe? I know I know her and it's driving me mad. My mom, desperate to know if it's *really* Ann Curry, proceeds to ask the person in front of us, but she didn't speak English (there were a lot of foreign tourists on the trip). Omg mom, it's her - seriously - you DON'T need to ask around. I had just spit this information out, and I swear she said, "OK," but then she immediately leaned over to someone else and asked them. They agreed -so maybe now she's sold? My dad took some incognito pictures. These totally don't do her justice - she looks so amazing in real life.

So we're all getting off the boat and I can tell my mom is just waiting around to say something to her... oh goodness. Mom please - she's on vaca... with her fam... But oh yes, as soon as Ann walks by my mom approaches her (gasp!) and says "Are you doing 'where in the world is Ann Curry?!' ahhahahaha!" Omg, mom - seriously? Seriously?! Ann just kind of fake laughed and said "no" and walked on (not in a rude way, but probably in a did-you-really-just-say-that way). But anyway, that was a super fun surprise to see Ann - especially since I'm a total Today Show nut. Two big whales with a side of Ann Curry - can't beat it.

So our first couple of days were really great. On Monday we ate dinner at Cafe This Way. I had some yummy crab cakes. The service was lacking, but the food was quite good. Tuesday (whale and Ann day) was my Dad's 60th birthday, so a fun dinner was in order. The innkeeper recommended Havana, so we ate there. Also very good. I had a hanger steak dish that was really tasty. Wednesday (Acadia day), we decided we needed to hit up a true lobster pound and do lobster the Maine way. So the innkeeper sent us to Thurston's. It freaked my mom and the hub out because they literally pick up a live lobster in front of you, so it's sitting there with its beady little eyes staring up at you. My mom cried, "omg, so we're personally responsible for their death?" The girl taking our order looked at my mom like she was from outer space. Doesn't get much fresher than that, I don't guess. I have to admit it was a little disturbing, but it sure didn't stop me. That was some damn good lobster! Quite a mess - but what fun!

Thursday was spent just enjoying the town of Bar Harbor and shopping, of course. One of the funniest things we noticed is that there are as many ice cream places as there are lobster pounds. These people sure do love their ice cream! And so do I... we had ice cream every day we were there. It was like the thing to do there at night. Now that's my kind of town. It's also a REALLY dog friendly town - which I just love. It made me miss my poochies so much. Being that Thursday was our last night, we wanted to do dinner right of course, so we hit up another restaurant recommended by the innkeeper... The Burning Tree. It was definitely our favorite of the week. I had a wonderful salmon dish. So it was a week of good eatin' - that's for sure! And by good, I mean bad... I was so bad. I just don't hold back on vaca - but who cares? Calories don't count on vaca, right?!

Well those are pretty much the highlights of our week. We had a lovely time and I can't wait to go back. I will post another blog with more pics but I've got to hang it up for now. I'm feeling kinda crappy and my pillow is calling my name.

Oh and by the way... my mom left a message on our machine Monday morning... "Hey it's just me. I was wondering if y'all were watching the Today Show cause Ann was just telling Matt how she was in Maine all last week on vacation. So it was really her! Isn't that so cool?!" I think she's finally convinced.