Sunday Snapshot {the recap}

So, I foolishly thought I would be blogging every morning on the previous days adventures while on vacation in Maine...

So when I shared my plan with friends and family, they all looked at me like I had 2 heads! 

"Really?" and "We'll see..." were the kinds of responses I heard.  "But I did it last year," I thought to myself.

By now, you must be laughing, right?

Well, I blogged one day...

And then started a post the next morning!

Not a  bad start...

But then I hit a wall.

A "tired from work and driving 12 hours and vacationing with a 3 year old, a house full of people, kids and dogs..." kind of wall.  Do you know what I'm talking about?

So, I put my camera down and closed the computer...

And just tried to enjoy the days...

away from work...

away from our house...

and away from our usual routine.

To enjoy the days with no particular plan...

and no particular goals...

except to laugh...

and smile...

and forget about the real world for a little while.

Which isn't very hard to do when you get to vacation in Maine every summer.

Because life just seems to slow down a bit up here...

And makes you really appreciate just spending time with somebody special...

not doing anything in particular...

really does a heart good, and makes the most special vacation memories!  Thanks Mom and Pop, Holly, Eric, Jackson, Chip, and Gracie for a great time in Maine. Hope to see you all there next summer- and Pammy, Jenny, Danielle and Nathan too! 

 

P. S. I'm just a point and shoot camera girl, linking up to Ni Hao Ya'll just for fun--those of you who link up, know what I'm talking about.  Happy Sunday Snapshot!

Acadia's Big Adventure Vol. 2 {the walk}

If you've ever been to Acadia National Park, you know about Jordon Pond.  Its a pristine lake with a beautiful, flat 3.2 mile walk around its perimeter. 

Naturally, its a great way to warm up for some more difficult hiking and an easy walk for the kids.  It's also a great place for the little ones to get close to nature and and see some wildlife in the process.

And it doesn't hurt that there are scrumptious popovers back at the Jordon Pond House just out of the oven and waiting to be devoured by hungry hikers!

But we still took our time to play in the dirt...

 To stroll along the path...

And play on the rocks.  Because you never know when you might see something you've never seen before!

Because one the best things about being on vacation in Maine...

Is that you don't really have to be doing anything to be doing something!

In Maine, nature provides the entertainment.

And dictates the "to do" list.

It "recharges our batteries," so to speak...

And renews our friendships...

And makes us as giddy as kids!

And the cool night air, just gives us another excuse to sit around a campfire...

And just hang out together!

Ahhh....vacation is finally here!

Sunday Snapshot {safari dad}

"Hoppy Fosser's Day, Daddy!" were the first words Christopher heard from his little girl this morning. So sweet!  Since the weather was cool and dry, we headed up to Halifax, PA to the Lake Tobias Wildlife Park for a safari and some fun.

One of the friendly llama's that come right up to the safari bus to be hand fed by the "tourists!"  They love the attention and they have the sweetest faces.

We loved watching these very graceful creatures run!

Lots of these little babies running around. Many mama's were still sitting in their nests, on their eggs waiting for their little ones to hatch.

Coming up on a herd basking in the warm sun and cool breeze.

These stunning little creatures are all growing new antlers for the season, which makes them very hungry.  They also come right up to the safari bus for a hand fed snack.

Growing new antlers every year is hard work.  You can see just how velvety soft these antlers are early in the season.

Mama and baby.  And a view of another safari bus in the background.  Mama wouldn't come to either bus for a snack.  She won't stray too far from baby just yet.

A baby born just the day before, laying in the grass near its mama.

This big fella wouldn't leave our safari guide, Rick, alone.  He just wanted to be scratched and petted.  Cadie got a kick out of the fact that many of the big animals will just climb up the steps of the bus. She wasn't the least bit afraid, the bigger the animal, the better! 

What a sweet face!

A Texas Longhorn in the background, but Cadie is looking at and trying to feed a big Watusi that is right along side the bus.

Being able to touch many of the animals is what's so fun about Lake Tobias.  The guides work very hard at educating the public about the animals' natural habitat and conservation.  It is well worth the trip.

This little guy was very charming and happy to have an entire watermelon to himself!

Watching a baboon peel a banana...they peel from the bottom up!

Feeding a baby goat.

"Can we take one home, Mama?" 

Cadie loved this little guy and immediately wanted to ride him! 

Watching the camel.

I'm quite certain she's thinking about how to get that baby goat home, because right after I took this, she asked me again if we can take one home!

Baby goats mama would miss him for sure!