108 Hours in Maine

Gosh, I'm really sorry it's been so long since my last post - my in-laws were in town for a long weekend and all the entertaining completely precluded any Mouseblogging. I feel badly about leaving my giant fanbase (that sounds better than just saying "fan") in the lurch. Tomorrow night: the Deadwood S1E12 recap, I promise! And I just picked up the BtVS S8E5 comic as well as Bill Willingham's Fables: Legends in Exile and Fables: Animal Farm, so I should have plenty to write about in the next few days.

What We Did On the Mouse-In-Laws' Summer Vacation: Thursday night dinner on the patio at the Foreside Tavern which was lovely until the mosquitos got hungry at sundown [Geary's Summer Ale on tap]. Friday, as Mr. Mouse went to work (ha ha!), the in-laws, Becky and I walked around Back Cove [3.5 mile scenic walking/jogging loop] and then stopped for coffee.

Saturday was Mr. Mouse's big race: 53 minutes in the Beach To Beacon 10K - which was wicked impressive, given his 9-week mid-training lapse. After a quick run home to shower and resupply, we made the 2:15 p.m. mailboat run. This is one of our favorite things to do, with or without out-of-town houseguests: a 3-hour ride on the ferry with potential stops at six Casco Bay islands to deliver passengers and freight; we fill a cooler with beer, sit in the bow of the boat and soak in all the cool coastal breezes. This trip, the highlights were (1) two portopotties being delivered to Long Island and (2) island kids flinging themselves off the top of the dock shack into the ocean at Cliff Island. [The FM photo was taken front of Cow Island, next to Great Diamond Island.]

Sunday we actually had glorious weather: clear, mid-70s and sunny. We rented a pontoon boat on Brandy Pond in Naples for 4 hours - superfantastic! fishing, swimming, picnicking - and then stopped at Bray's Brewpub on our way home. By Monday us younger folks had to go back to work, but Mr. Mouse had breakfast with his folks at Becky's and we all met up for dinner at Shay's [$4 house specialty pineapple martinis - yummy!]. My in-laws departed Tuesday morning, phoning in later in the day from the Long Trail Brewery in Bridgewater Corners, Vermont ... so clearly they weren't leaving the party just because they had to leave us, and I think that's just outstanding.