Sometimes when the weather interferes with your plans, it’s best to move on to Plan B. Rain has sent us racing to the nearest B-and-B when we were camping in New Hampshire. (A hot shower never felt so good!) We literally flew to Oahu when the forecast was better there than the continued wet weather we were experiencing on Kauai.
I understand why the Native Tlingits called glaciers “white thunder.” We see harbor seals lounging on chunks of blue ice in the water. The glacier looks like blue cotton candy with chocolate sprinkles.
Food, of course, is a big part of vacation and that’s certainly the case in Maine famous for its no-frills lobster “shacks” where you can get lobster rolls—lobster salad sandwiches typically served on a hot dog bun to restaurants in Portland, about 20 miles from here, known for serving food that have just come from local farms.
“Sometimes the girls have more patience,” acknowledges Capt Bruce Hebert, known for his stint on the National Geographic Channel’s Wicked Tuna reality show but here in Kennebunkport for his Libreti Rose II fishing charters that cater to families and is named for his wife and three daughters—Lisa, Brie, Tiara and Rose.
Wherever you go this summer, encourage your kids to chat up local kids, join a pick-up soccer game in a city park or play in a playground or on the beach. They’ll go home with an entirely different perspective. I met these Bahamian kids at the Abaco Beach Resort where they’ve signed on to be Bahamas Buddies
It’s July 4th night and everyone is in vacation mode after a long day on the beach with teens setting off sparklers, parents nursing a beer or a glass of wine and everyone, for the moment, feeling all is well in the world, especially here in Maine where locals have been welcoming vacationers for generations—including the Bush family.
A day at a theme park like Elitch Gardens is about more than having fun, we discover. It’s about facing disappointment when we lose at an arcade game and it rains when we want sun. It’s about riding that first thrill ride and recognizing when it may be too much thrill for a little girl (or a grown up).
In the past year, a growing number of hotel chains have revamped their kids’ menus to make them healthier with less fat and sugar as well as prepared with locally sourced foods. It’s terrific to see a travel industry contest that actually focuses on something families care about—healthier and better children’s menus–rather than giving them another toy or backpack they don’t need or want.
This small island — just 14 miles East to West and 3.5 miles north to south — is so pretty with its weathered gray shingle houses, roses climbing white picket fences and cobblestone streets in Nantucket town. There are more than 800 pre-Civil War houses on the island, which shares the name with a county and a town — the only place in the country that all three have the same name.
Wow! Even the most jaded teen or tween can’t help but be impressed gazing up at The Statue of Liberty, reopening July 4 for the first time since Liberty Island was seriously damaged and closed last fall in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.
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