Up North and So Forth

Oooh, yeah, I started this blog about our adventures in Maine… I guess it is time for an update.

We are loving Spring in Maine! The winter was good, but I’m glad it is over. I think I heard that the snowfall total for Portland was 93 inches.  It sounds like a lot (and it is!) but the Maine DOT was so efficient at removing it from roads and sidewalks, that it didn’t really affect our day to day life much. I think I only got 3 snow days out of it. Trying new winter activities was fun and kept us from being stuck inside. We were determined to be all season beach walkers, so we strolled the beach in a snowstorm or two. One thing I noticed was that it was really sunny all winter. I don’t know if that is typical or not, but it really made a difference. There is nothing worse than a cold and overcast day.  It was definitely still cold, but the sun helped to lift my mood….and helped to grow a very successful window herb garden.

We are excited to plan all our Spring and Summer adventures. The top places in Maine we want to visit are Camden and Bar Harbor/Acadia. There are some places around New England I’d like to check out, but we’ll see if we have time to get to them all.  We’d also like to spend some more time in Boston. 

I’ve taken up jogging lately and have been loosely doing the couch to 5k program. I say loosely because I have yet to run 3 times a week. I run on the beach, which means I am dictated by the tide schedule and sometimes low tide isn’t at a time I can get there. I find running on the beach extremely relaxing. I’ve also kind of jumped on the barefoot running bandwagon. A few months ago, I read an article about the amazing design of the foot and how barefoot/minimalist shoe running is much better for you. I’ve since read many articles about it, both creation-based and evolution-based. Although I believe that the foot was designed by God- the science is the same. The foot is made to run, walk, skip, hop without the need for cushioned sneakers. It works for me because barefoot running on the beach is pretty easy. I’m looking into purchasing a pair of minimalist shoes (probably Vibrams?) if I end up sticking with running. But who knows, I’m not known to stick with any one exercise routine. I don’t really enjoy running…but somehow the beach makes everything better. 

Our summer vacation out west is all planned and booked. We ended up cutting out Colorado and Arizona because we found too many things in Utah that we wanted to do! We are going to Arches, Bryce Canyon, Zion and Monument Valley before heading to New Mexico to see my family. We leave in exactly a month!