A week in Peaks Island, Maine

What a wonderful time we just had up at Peaks Island in Maine! We rented a house on the island with the folks, and had people pop in and spend time with us throughout the week.

John and I started our journey on the Friday evening of 25th August - we wanted to hold off until most of the weekend traffic had left the city before we ventured out (of course, DC people tend to start fleeing the city by about 2pm!). By 7.30pm, we thought it was safe - the car was packed to capacity with everything but the kitchen sink.

We hit traffic almost as soon as we left our street, but then it thinned out the further north we drove and the later it got -- we made it as far as Edison, New Jersey, before we called it a day (about a 4 hour drive). We stayed in a hotel that murder/mystery authors write about - there's always something slightly dingy, dark, and sleazy about staying at a hotel off a motorway! Especially when one turns up at midnight......actually, it wasn't that bad, although the walls were paper-thin and we had a very loud couple next to us - a woman with a really high, squeaky voice that could pierce through metal, and she talked incessantly from about 12am-3am, until John got up and yelled at her to shut the heck up....luckily that worked!

We got a nice early start in the morning (couldn't get out of the hotel quick enough!), and after breezing through NYC and Hartford, we made into Massachusetts by mid-morning, and were house-hunting in Concord, MA by 11.30am. We saw some great places -- driving around and getting a feel for it again (4th visit) has really re-affirmed our decision to look for a house here.

We then wandered over to Andover and Winchester and did the same; by 3.00pm we were exhausted, so we headed into Boston, where we were staying at the newly-opened Westin Waterfront hotel - a far cry from the one in Edison. NJ!! We really pampered ourselves that evening, not only staying in a nice hotel, but having dinner at Anthony's on Pier 4, a Boston landmark which has been around for ages and has wonderful views of the harbour/city. We both had lobster (of course!), which was positively yummy, before heading back to the hotel and enjoying our lovely room with a view.

We headed out of Boston in the morning, stopping in York, Maine to do a bit of food shopping before meeting the folks at the ferry in Portland - they had just as much stuff as we did! We loaded it all into the car and got onto the ferry for the lovely little 20 minute trip across the harbour to Peaks Island. It always feels so far away when you get on a boat!

The house we rented was on the back of the island, more secluded (which was a mixed blessing as I'll write about in a minute!), and it was truly gorgeous. It was not your every day rustic cabin or cottage, but a modern place, with huge open-plan rooms and loads of windows to enjoy the spectacular views of the ocean.

On an island with limited connectivity, it really was easy to wile the days away reading, sewing, walking around the island, and generally sitting and watching the beautiful sea.

The inability to use technology (mobile phone, wireless connection, etc) was a bit of an issue, as both John and I were working during the week - we had to laugh that every time I needed to make a conference call, I had to hop into the car and head down to the tennis courts in town, as that was the only place with a cell phone signal! And that if I needed a wireless connection, I had to hang outside the public library and use theirs!! Still, even with those minor inconveniences, I'd rather no connection in a place like that - it's not meant to be a hub of technology, it's a place to get away from all that!

While we were there during the week, we had numerous visitors and people staying with us, which was just lovely. It was great seeing everyone and spending time playing Scrabble, eating lobster rolls, and walking along the rocky shore. The weather was kind to us as well, which is always nice when you're on holiday!

This is the view from our porch - a stone's throw away from the ocean. We went swimming one day, which was numbingly cold!

When it came time to leave on Sunday, I hated to go; I really had switched off and was not ready to get back into the 'real world' just yet -- I guess that's the sign of a good vacation!

Supporting the Brits & 'Tubing' the Shenandoah River

This weekend, we heard that although Tim Henman did not make it through to the semi-fimals in the Legg Mason Tennis Classic here in DC, Andy Murray did (yay!), so on Saturday, we felt the need to go and show our support for the Scotsman and cheer him on at the semis.

Luckily the match started at 7pm, so the heat of the day was behind us - this is the second year we've been to this tournament; it's not a Wimbledon atmosphere by a long shot, but more of a Marlow Jazz Festival (ie beer vs Pimms!) -- very laid back, everyone enjoying themselves, no one standing on ceremony or formality. We wandered around the grounds, had some dinner, and sat in the evening sun and enjoyed the blues band before the match kicked off. Our seats sucked, even though we paid a fortune for them, but there were loads of seats available (I think that Americans unfortunately do not watch it if there are no Americans in the finals), so we were able to sit about 10 rows from courtside.

Andy Murray played fantastically well, only one or two signs of clenching in the 2nd set (we were so worried he's pull a 'Tim'!!). But he did fab, won the match, and we really had a great night out. The attendants there were so nice -- because they knew I was pregnant, they let us park right next to the entrance and let us leave first -- what lovely chaps!!

On Sunday, it was still hot, even though it had cooled dramatically from earlier in the week (we now deem the low 90s to be 'cool'!), so we headed up to Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, for a bit of 'tubing' down the Shenandoah River - now, I know that sounds like a medical procedure, but I assure you it's not! Tubing is a large inner tube that you wedge your butt into, as you let the river currents take you downstream. What a great way to spend a few hours, meandering down the Shenandoah River; perfect for me, as I'm not in the best condition for our normal white-water rafting excursions! Baby loved it I'm sure, bobbing down the river on an inner-tube....we did this last year with John's Mum, Beck and the kids, and it reminded us what a great time we had with them last year.

Great day out, and very refreshing!!

Our new car! ...and our road trip in it - July 28-29th

It's been over a year and a half since we gave up the Mercedes (sob!) and came to the US, determined not to have a car. We lasted a long time, but now with the baby on the way, we decided it was now an unfortunate necessity. So, we've thrown our hat in the ring and got a car that will easily carry the enormous amount of baby stuff which we have somehow already accumulated (and the baby is still 3 months away!).

Here it is - we actually really enjoy it. I think you become accustomed when you don't have something, but then appreciate it more when you do. We were never really inconvenienced without a car - we are close to shops and the Metro, so getting around was always easy, and it felt good doing our bit for the environment. But this allows us to get farther afield, which is quite refreshing when you live in a city.

So, on our first day as new car owners, we took it on a proper Sunday drive, up to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. This place puts Manassas to shame....at the height of the Civil War, over 50,000 people troops perished here. This is also where President Abraham Lincoln did his infamous 'Gettysburg Address'.

There are just rolling hills and fields as far as you can see, and monuments erected form each state, depicting which regiments died where. It was sombering, to say the least.

Afterwards, we headed about 10 miles outside of Gettysburg to the Adams County Winery, where we plunked ourselves under the shade of the vineyard and had a picnic. And of course did a little wine tasting and purchasing while we were there (it would have been rude not to!).

We also visited a cool place called the Round Barn Farm, and I'm sure you can guess why it's called that...! They have a lovely little farm shop there, where we got some freshly picked fruits and veggies.

John got a photo of the newly born baby goats (too cute!).

So, we both love the car and know it will be enjoyed for the next few years (and covered in baby spit-up) - ah, what we have to look forward to!!

Weekend in UK - July 15th 2006

I've just realised how much time has passed since I updated the blog.....apologies!! We've been very busy these past few weeks, the highlight being our trip (albeit fleeting) to the UK, to attend Jeremy and Aimee's wedding. And what a lovely occasion it was.

We left on the 7pm flight out of DC on Friday evening, arriving in London bright and early on Saturday morning. After a brief stopover to visit John's folks, we went to our B&B in Henley, to get ready for the afternoon's festivities. The weather was perfect for a wedding, particularly a wedding held at the Upper Thames Rowing Club, right on the Thames River!


The ceremony was beautiful, held in the gorgeous St Nicholas Church. Everyone then meandered down to the river, where the Reception was kicking off - the sun was shining, the Pimms was flowing, boats were meandering down river, it was just perfect for the bride and groom.

People were kicking off their shoes and sitting on the banks of the river, cooling off in the early evening sunshine. The hours flew by as we caught up with everyone, chatted, and thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere.

At the end of the evening, boats were lit up and it became a parade of lights, a magical way to end a truly memorable day.

On Sunday, we left our lovely little B&B and headed over to John's folks for Sunday dinner - nice to catch up with the family - it was another hot day, dazzling sunshine - John had a great time playing cricket with the kids!

We headed back to the US on Tuesday morning, again another memorable weekend back in the UK.

4th of July Weekend

On Saturday morning, we took an early flight from DC to Boston, where we popped in to see Grandpa on our way to the 4th July weekend in Maine with the folks. Luckily we got to Grandpa's in time to watch the World Cup (England vs Portugal). I dread to think the state John would have been in if we did not get in front of a tv for this!

After 2 overtimes and a penalty shoot-out, England lost the match - John was rather gloomy for the rest of the day, as it was so disappointing for him to watch them lose yet again. It's hard for us to support English teams at times (him with this, me with Tim Henman!!). Speaking of Wimbledon, it's been really weird following it from the US for the first time - we miss Sue Barker of the BBC! The American commentators are not as entertaining as Sue and John McEnroe....

We spent the rest of the day around Boston, where we had a lovely room at the Copley Plaza Hotel - they upgraded us to a suite on the 33rd floor which had 2 huge bay windows with spectacular views of the city. We wandered over to the shopping plaza in the evening and meandered around the shops and had dinner.

On Sunday, we took the back roads up to Maine - we were meeting the folks in Portland and taking in a baseball game - the Portland Seadogs are the 'understudy' team for the Boston Red Sox - loads of their guys have gone on to play for Boston, so it's always great watching them, because you never know if one of them may be a Red Sox player next year!

We met the folks and sat down to enjoy the game. The Seadogs (who were playing against Trenton, the New York Yankees' understudy) didn't start out well, but by the 3rd inning, they were tromping the opposing team 11-2. It was so amazing to see them get 7 runs in one inning! Everyone was so sure they'd win.....but somehow Trenton came back and the score became 12-11, with Trenton in the lead! It dragged on for hours once the Seadogs tied, as it went into extra innings. So, it became 12-12 in the 12th inning, then 13-13 in the 13th (we left at the 7th inning stretch!), and FINALLY the Seadogs got a run and beat them 14-13. What torture, over 5 1/2 hours of baseball.....you really had to be a die-hard fan to stay for the whole thing....still, it was a great day out, as usual.

On Monday, John and I went looking at cars - we have been good citizens of the Earth and have gone sans car now for over a year. We not only have preserved our little bit of the environment, but we have really enjoyed alternative means of getting around (bike, walk, train). More people should do it if they can. But, with circumstances changing, now is the time to get a car again. We really loved our Audi when we lived in the UK (I'm a sucker for German cars - I also had a Mercedes which I adored, but they are horrifically expensive here in the US), so we're looking at the Audi A3.

The weather was spectacular on Monday, so we ditched looking at cars and lay out in the sunshine instead. The folks have a huge backyard and it was lovely to just lie there and soak up the rays. Once we tired of that, we hopped in the car, drove 5 minutes to the local pond, and had a dip to cool off. We ended the evening with a yummy meal of fresh Maine lobster...

Tuesday was the 4th of July, and the town where my folks live (and where I grew up) really goes all out to do their part to celebrate. The locals turned up in droves to watch the parade, which was made up of kids on their bikes, the local fire, rescue, and police services, the farming community with their horses and agricultural machinery, you name it, and it was in the Parade!

They had games for the kids on the village green, but the highlight of the festivities had to be the town's famous strawberry shortcake. People queued for an hour just to get a bowl of this wonderful mixture (freshly made scone/biscuit with freshly picked strawberries, all topped with homemade whipped cream) - it was truly heavenly. All proceeds went to the local library, so we had no problem stuffing our face for a good cause!

We headed back down to Boston in the afternoon, as we were leaving for home the following morning. It was a lovely weekend, great to spend it with family and with the community.

Our Central American Adventure in Belize & Guatemala

We have just come back from one of the most ecologically beautiful countries in the world, Belize. Our travels started very early on Sunday, May 28th:

We had to leave at the crack of dawn to catch the 7am flight to Charlotte, North Carolina and then onto Belize City. From Belize City (which was wonderfully sunny and hot!), we boarded a little 6-seater plane which took us directly to our first eco-lodge, Kanantik Jungle & Reef Resort http://www.kanantik.com . There are only 25 cabanas here, and with it being off-season, we pretty much had the place to ourselves - there were only 4 other couples while we were there for the week.

Our cabana was lovely, with lots of Mayan touches in the design and sculpture. The hibiscus flowers surrounded the doors and windows, which meant we got regular visits from hummingbirds (taking a photo of a hummingbird is quite the challenge!).

Over the course of the week (the weather was sunny and hot every day we were there), we did very little except sleep, read, and eat....which was exactly the point of this part of the trip. The one thing we did do which required us to actually move was snorkeling, which was spectacular. Belize is home to the 2nd largest Barrier Reef in the world, and we had it at our doorstep. We took a boat out one day and spent the day in the ocean, amazed at all the different types of fish and coral. In between snokeling, we had a spot of lunch on one of the many islands around the reef, South Water Caye. After lunch, while John was off snorkeling on his own, he actually spotted a nurse shark (he's standing by the statistic of 5ft in length, which is rather impressive!) - nurse sharks don't have teeth, so he felt rather safe to swim with it for a while.

On our boat trip back to the resort, another amazing thing happened - three dolphins came upon the boat and started swimming - they were attracted by the sound of the motor. Needless to say, everyone jumped into the sea to try and swim with them. They stuck around for a good 10 minutes, but kept a safe distance.

Still, we got some great photos...

So, while at Kanantik, our main decisions were whether to sun ourselves by the pool or in the hammock, whether to have the fish or the chicken, and which tropical drink to have....such a rough life! The mosquitos were quite nasty the last few days we were there, so it was nice to know we were going to be heading to the mountains.

The second leg of our journey took us from the sea to the mountains, a 3-hour drive through the Belizean countryside to the Mountain Pine Ridge Reserve and Blancaneaux Lodge http://www.blancaneaux.com . Although it was a rather bumpy ride, our driver/guide made the three hours seem like minutes - he knew so much about the culture, the ecology of Belize, he just talked to us the whole time - it was great!

When we arrived at Blancaneaux, it felt like when Dorothy opened the door in the Wizard of Oz (black and white to colour) - everything was in bloom and there was just a total overdose of colour once you turned into the estate. Blancaneaux is owned by Francis Ford Coppola, and his presence is everywhere in the architecture and design.

They welcomed us with a drink and a smile at the main building, which housed the reception, bar and restaurant. The bar actually has the actual ceiling fan which was used in the opening scene in 'Apocalypse Now', now which was lazily rotating above our heads - tres cool!

Once we were chilled out from the long drive, we then made our way to our Cabana (and what a cabana it was....a deck leading right down to our own private garden and rock pools within the Privassion River - this is our 'pool').

In the evenings, they lit hundreds of candles around the main building (and also in your room), which made it feel so warm and inviting - and not a mosquito to be seen, which was fab!!

This was the more active part of our holiday - Blancaneaux was set on hundreds of acres of which there were gardens, horseback riding, and miles of trails along the river and grounds. We had a wonderful time just wandering around the river and taking dips in the various rock pools when it got a bit hot. For relaxation, they had a Thermal Pool, which I absolutely adored!

One of the highlights of the trip was our travel to Guatemala, to visit the Mayan ruins of Tikal. Another 3 hour drive (each way) in a 4x4, but it was worth it....these ruins were spectacular. We set of at 6am and got there by 9am, still cool enough to enjoy a walk through the jungle (the ruins are part of a natural reserve). You walk about a mile through the jungle and then come upon a clearing, where you see this:

There were four main temples which made up Tikal, along with a 'Grand Plaza' - it's stunning that all of this was built not only 2000 years ago, but without wheeled transportation of any kind, AND they had to clear the dense jungle as well!

John managed to climb to the top of 3 of the temples (no easy feat in 90 degree heat!).

As we walked on the trails which led to each of the temples, we could hear loads of howler monkeys and actully saw a group of spider monkeys. The most wild things were not the mammals in the jungle but the BUGS! Thousands of leaf-cutter ants, army ants, really bizarre beetles, David Attenborough would have been in his element!

We wrapped up our hike and sightseeing after about three hours, then headed over to Francis Ford Coppola's other property in Flores, Guatemala, La Lancha, where we had a refreshing (and much needed!) lunch. La Lancha is located right on Lake Peten Itza, a beautiful setting to relax after an exhausting morning.

The rest of the time at Blancaneaux was rain, and I mean torrential rain (which is what we expected, going deep into the rainforest!). You can see the difference in the water level of the river, before and after one rainstorm:

Staying indoors was fine for us - the lodge had ample supply of cards, backgammon, and Scrabble to wile away the hours! It was a wonderfully relaxing way to spend our holiday...listening to the rain, sipping a specialty drink named after Sophia Coppola (all I know was that it had champagne in it!), playing cards, surrounded in candle light - I didn't ever want to leave.....

The 'Godspeed' comes to Alexandria, Virginia

On May 27th, the day before we were due to leave for our holiday in Belize, we had the opportunity to see the 'Godspeed'. The Godspeed, Jamestown, Virginia Settlement's new re-creation of one of the three ships that brought America's first permanent English colonists to Virginia in 1607, set sail on May 22, 2006, to launch "America's 400th Anniversary," an 18-month national commemoration marking the founding of Jamestown. The Godspeed arrived at Alexandria's historic Old Town Waterfront for the first stop in the 17th- century replica ship's 80-day tour of six East Coast cities.

I was just so proud of the fact that the ship had been built in Rockport, Maine! (here's a photo of the launch from the boatyard in Rockport)

They allowed people to go onto the ship, and all the kids were just so excited - the queue was HUGE! We were happy just to meander around the waterfront and enjoy the festivities before our Central American adventure began the next day....

Springtime in DC

Well, the weather in Washington DC is just beautiful this time of year - it's just on the cusp of summer, you can feel it. We awoke to sunshine and the forecast of temps in the 80s. We hired a car for the day, packed up a picnic lunch, and headed over to Great Falls National Park, about 30 minutes outside the city.

The area around the park is gorgeous, lots of rolling hills and horse farms. The park is visited most for the waterfalls, of which there are many! This is a part of the Potomac that few get to see; a wild torrent of water as opposed to the tranquil expanse of the river you see winding through the city and up to Mt Vernon.

The park is full of walking trails, fishing spots, and places for kayakers to enjoy the rapids. We wandered around several of the Overlooks before plunking down beside the river for a spot of lunch and a leisurely read of the day's newspapers.

We then walked a few miles alongside the River (on the aptly named River Trail!) before ending up in a place called Matildaville, a former canal town which then turned to ruins as the canal ceased to be used with the onset of modern transportation. Throughout the park and on all of the trails, there are places to climb rocks and get a great view of the falls, wherever your perspective. The best was watching all of the guys in kayaks fighting the rapids and looking like they were having the time of the lives! Even when they were sucked underwater.....! We ended the walk with a much-deserved ice cream and both agreed it was one of our more memorable days out - one of those perfect days that you don't plan, but just happens.

Florida

I'm just back from a much-needed break with the folks down in Florida...I love Florida as it is a complete dichotomy - on the one hand, you have gorgeous, tan, taut bodies all basking in the sun, and on the other, you have tottery old people racing along on their Zimmer frames to make it for the Earlybird dinner specials at 4.30pm! Old and young, all loving the sunshine and warm ocean.

As we did -- we had a wonderful time, getting into a routine of lying by the pool, reading, and practicing the art of 'sitting' - one does not need to do a darn thing in Florida - you can just 'sit'; they don't read, they don't speak, they just are happy to plunk themselves down on a bench and watch the world go by. It is nice, having time to ponder, reflect, and generally 'sit' - I do not think people do it enough. There is always a tv or radio, phone or laptop which distracts - I highly recommend it!

We caught the King Tut exhibit while it made it's debut in Ft Lauderdale -- over 650,000 attended; it was smaller than the tour that came to the US in the 70's, but it was equally impressive. Stunning how some of the pieces are 'one of a kind' - the exhibit is only going to 4 cities in the US before going to the UK, so we were very lucky to have been able to attend.

We also made sure to catch some of the works at the Boca Raton Museum of Art - where better to see some amazing pieces of art than at a Museum which boasts a huge collection from local private donors?! Boca is one of the wealthiest communities in the US, and some of the people there have donated some stunning pieces of art to the Museum - Klee, Picasso, Warhol, Kandinsky, Hockney, Matisse - you name it, they were there. It's mind-boggling to think that these pieces were just one someone's wall in their house! Truly a wonderful musuem to visit, if you ever visit Boca and have a few hours to spare.

I ended my visit with an evening in Hollywood Florida, at the Westin Diplomat - views from the 30th floor were stunning!

Weekend in New York City & Washington DC's Cherry Blossom Festival

Weekend in NYC - March 24th
We've had some VERY busy weekends this past month! I had to go to Salt Lake City for business in March, and instead of heading back to DC once business had finished, I flew to NYC. Two reasons: 1) to visit my good pal, Ben, who I used to work with in the UK. He was over here in the U.S. on business, and so a little detour was warranted, and 2) it was my birthday weekend, so John was flying up directly from Atlanta and meeting me in the city!

Seeing Ben was great -- we had a lovely few hours on the Thursday evening, catching up on all of the gossip and really enjoying our time together. On Friday morning, I got a taxi into Manhattan and met John at the hotel. He got an early flight, so it was great that we were able to have the whole day to meander around the city. We both love New York - we can just wander around for hours, with no real direction in mind. We had a leisurely breakfast at a local cafe, and then headed over to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. That's the one that neither of us had been to yet, but both really keen to experience (we've been to the Guggenheim and Museum of Modern Art on our last visits).

The Met is positively huge -- you could honestly spend a whole week there and not see all of the exhibits. We decided to focus primarily on their modern and contemporary works, as well as their fantastic African and Asian art collection. We were just blown away by the sheer amount of art that they have on display.


By the afternoon, we were getting quite peckish - one of the things I always meant to do whilst living in London was to have afternoon tea at the Ritz, but never did....so we decided to do it in New York! We strolled through Central Park and enjoyed the beautiful, crisp spring day - there were loads of people out and we stopped to watch the ice skaters twirling around the rink (well, some of them; others just fell on their bottoms!).

It was rather windy, so after our long walk through the Park, the Ritz was a welcome sight. We were swept into this lovely lounge where tea was being served, and had a wonderfully civilized few hours of sipping Earl Gray tea and munching on deliciously warm scones with jam & clotted cream. A birthday cannot get more perfect than that!

Once we had had our fill of tea and scones, we walked back to the hotel to get ready for our evening out at the theatre - we were going to see the Broadway play, The Odd Couple, starring Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick.

And what a performance! Those two perfectly complemented each other, it was hilarious. The theater itself, the Brooks Atkinson Theater, is a gorgeous little intimate place; I loved the fact it was small and therefore you felt they were performing just for you.

Needless to say, after a whirlwind weekend, we were both happy to be on our way home on Sunday! I couldn't have asked for a better birthday gift.

Washington DC CHerry Blossom Festival - April 2nd
The weather was just spectacular on Sunday, so we decided to go and see what all of the fuss was about with these cherry blossoms. Washington DC is renound for it's Cherry Blossoms, which only bloom for 2-3 weeks out of the year. It is the biggest tourist event of the year, and millions of people come from all over the world to appreciate these beautiful blossoming trees.

The trees themselves line the Potomac River around the George Washington Monument and Jefferson Memorial - not a lot of room for people to get around! And we were aghast at the crowds; never had we seen so many people in one place (and John went to Live Aid!).

Still, their reason to be there was justified - the trees were in full bloom and breathtakingly beautiful. As crazy as the crowds were, we were really glad we got a chance to see the trees (but we were also glad to run away!!).