Go. Be. Do.

"The charm of fishing is that it is the pursuit of what is elusive but attainable, a perpetual series of occasions for hope." John Buchan Continuing on in my pursuit of catching up to the present day on this blog of mine, I am taken back in time to when it was warm and sunny. There was sand between my toes and a fishing pole with my name on it. It was October and all was right with the temperature in Florida. Every once in awhile there are opportunities too good to allow to pass by in life. I consider a chance to be on a boat, in the Gulf of Mexico, with a reel in my hand to be one of those opportunities. We were blessed to go on a trip with a trip with friends to Destin. There are no for certains of getting anything in the boat. There may be several full-bellied fish in the water by the end of your trip without ever seeing their beady little eyes staring at you as you remove the hook from their mouths. But it sure is fun making an attempt for the biggest ...

We have arrived at the preteen year. The year of 12. The year where he begins to step up and out of childhood and into the world of teen-dom. I am not really sure either, he nor I, are ready for this, but here we go. My first born.  The one who gave me the name of "Mom" for real. (There's a story behind that "for real" part from my college days for another day.) My Alexander Henry, named after his great-grandfathers on both sides of the family.  The one who has always been task oriented, self motivated, and energized like a pink bunny we all know and love. He's growing up. When I first held him in my arms I did not believe I could love him any more than in that moment. But, I do. In spite of our similarities and differences, agreements and disagreements, highs and lows, this boy has my heart. Always and forever. No matter what.

Quickest trip in history to and through Washington D.C., but we made the most of the time we had there. The day was amazing.

We took a detour off the main road to go find a lighthouse.  Finally, one was on the map not too far out of the way and was not "closed" for the winter.  It was a beautiful spot for a lighthouse and the history behind it was such a great treasure.

Back to New York (via Rhode Island and Connecticut, two more first time visits) and into New Jersey to take a ferry to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.

From Boston, to Plymouth, to Cape Cod...all first time visits on a beautiful day from beginning to end.  Good food, friendly people, and blue to beyond where the eyes could see. Boston Harbor was the choice stop for the city.  Walked the boardwalk to stretch our legs for a spell.  Beautiful city. Plymouth held much "history came to life" moments for us.  We were forewarned, thankfully, that Plymouth Rock is rather small and not that spectacular.  That being said, we walked to see it and found it to be exactly as described.  Saw a parade while in town, too. On to Cape Cod.  Honestly, I could have stayed in Cape Cod's West Dennis Beach for a long, long time.  So quiet.  So peaceful.  So, so beautiful overlooking Nantucket Sound.

prettiest Maine sign in the state was on the way out Anglers had more desserts than entrees. The blueberry pie was good. ;) apple tree in our campground Saco KOA had a tie-dye t-shirt activity for campers.  Saco KOA also had the best and largest blueberry pancakes ever. This made me smile. We spend the morning in Searsport relaxing and getting our plan together for the trip South, toward home.  We then made our way over to the local flea market and found some treasures.  There, we found out a good lunch spot. Anglers...where the menu holds more sweet than savory items.  After a late lunch and a blueberry pie to go, we headed to Saco, our final stay in Maine. Saco held much fun and a little rain as we settled in for the night.  Staying there was worth it for the breakfast the next morning...blueberry pancakes!

Maine. We made it! Time to settle in for 3 nights, eat blueberries and lobster (pronounced lob-stah), and visit Acadia National Park. Oh, the beauty of it all. We spent our first night in Bar Harbor KOA.  Spent the next day on water and land exploring and viewing Maine.  A ferry ride in Bar Harbor gave us an unobstructed view of the rocky coastline and gorgeous mansions from the water.  Exploring Acadia's coastline and Sand Beach on foot gave us a hands on adventure of the park.  Drove over to Searsport to camp for the night after a roadside pullover for a sunset photo, grocery shopping, and coffee in Bucksport.  Dunkin Donuts is the preferred coffee shop in Maine.  They are everywhere.