Cape Elizabeth, Maine. Fort Williams & Robinson Woods

I have lived in Maine my entire 26, almost 27 years of life. I have been going to Fort Williams State Park AKA Portland Head Light since I was born. It became a family tradition very early on to visit Fort Williams with my mom, dad and my little brother, Sean. We would stop at DiPietro’s Market on Cottage Road in South Portland on our way to the park to get the BEST Italian sandwiches I have ever tasted & then a quick stop at The Cookie Jar to get cream horns! A little side note…I still stop at DiPietro’s on my way, but The Cookie Jar was a casualty of a storm in October 2006 that ripped off the roof  & forced the closure of what had become a tradition for many. The bakery will be re-opening this June & I could not be more excited to get my hands on a cream horn once again So despite the lack of the famous cream horns, this adventure still makes for a spectacular afternoon. I have always been fascinated by the huge mansions that line Shore Road on the way to Fort Williams. I always tell myself, “Someday! I will own one of those homes”. & well I will…someday.

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Tags: Cape Elizabeth, DiPietros, Fort Williams, Maine, Portland Head Light, Robinsons Woods, Shore Road, The Cookie Jar

I am running a 10K…At least that’s my goal.

So about a month and a half ago my boyfriend Nate signed us up to run the TD Banknorth Beach to Beacon 2010 10K Road Race which is being held on August 7, 2o1o. I am now kinda sorta regretting what I got myself into. 6 miles?! That is further than I have ever run. Ever, ever. I do not like to run and to be quite honest, I never really have enjoyed running. Well, I didn’t mind it so much in high school when I played field hockey, but maybe it was more interesting to me because I was running after a ball, not just aimlessly running for the sake of running. This is the 10th year anniversary of this race. It is a 6.2 mile (10K) run, starting at Crescent Beach and ending at Portland Head Light, both of which are in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. Last years race had 6,000 runners and approximately 10,000 spectators.  Joan Benoit Samuelson, a native of Cape Elizabeth, Maine, won the 1st ever women’s marathon in 1984 at the Olympics in Los Angeles & is also the founder and co-chair of the 10K race.

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Tags: 10k, Beach to Beacon, Cape Elizabeth, Maine, Portland Head Light, road race, TD Banknorth

The Valentine Bandit(s?) of Portland, Maine♥

I have spent the past couple of years living in & around Portland, Maine, enjoy my 20s. It is by far my most favorite city ever & as I have come to realize, it seems to get more & more interesting each & every year. Maybe it is because I will soon be approaching 30 & seem to notice a  bit more, but there are so many little things that happen in & around Portland that make it unique & truly unlike any other city in America. One of which is the Valentine Bandit which has struck Portland every February 14th since 1976, taping red hearts printed on sheets of white paper all over Portland and even in other nearby cities (I saw a heart taped to the new Westbrook Middle School this year!) People try and guess who it is responsible, but if you ask me, I will tell you that I don’t want to know! That takes all the fun out of it…just relax people & try to think for a minute that maybe there is someone or more than one out there that just wants to put a smile on your face whether you are acting miserable & single or happy & in-love. It can bring you back for a minute & help you to realize what life is all about. LOVE. It is what we are all chasing & don’t try to deny it because it is human nature. It is the ultimate emotion that we can feel & experience as humans (at least I think so) & maybe one of the only pure & true things that still exists on this planet. I guess it is what keeps us going everyday & keeps us together. I do know that the heart is frail & easily broken, but it is wonderfully resilient

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Tags: February 14th, Maine, Portland, Valentine bandit, Valentine's Day

Looking for some fun in the snow? Try cross country skiing!

Winter has not ever been my favorite season, but since I live in Maine and have my entire life, I might as well  just get used to it and embrace it. Right? So a couple of weeks ago we (Nate &I), as well as a couple of our friends went cross country skiing at Pineland Farms in New Gloucester, Maine. I had never been there before and had only seen the commercials on TV and heard that it is a great place for cross country skiing. So, we got all our snow gear together and headed North on Route 95 for about a half hour. Pineland Farms is a “5,000 acre working farm, diverse business campus, educational & recreational venue…” Their mission statement is to “…provide a productive & educational venue that enriches the community be demonstrating responsible farming techniques, offering educational opportunities & encouraging a healthy lifestyle through recreation.

We all rented the skiis because none of us had any cross country skiing equipment. You can find the cost here.

Also, I would recommend grabbing a map to keep in your pocket for when you get out on the trails. The trails are all marked clearly, but it just helps to have one with you in case you get lost

They do a great job of grooming the trails. However, if you haven’t been cross country skiing in a while, prepare for a GREAT workout! You will be sore the next day. They have all difficulty levels of trails; Beginner, Intermediate, & Advanced. And now that I am looking at the map more carefully, I am realizing that we were mostly on the Intermediate trails, so no wonder why it was quite challenging! There were a bunch of little hills and turns that made it exciting. We came across a Warming Hut that you could go in to warm up. It was so cold the day we went, so I would recommend going after we get a big snowstorm and for the temperatures to be in the mid 30′s! So round up your friends, get outside and do something!

Oh & the best part is that they have a really nice, big market, The Market at Pineland Farms. After your adventurous day of skiing, head in to grab some yummy snacks & treats to bring home. They have all of the farm-fresh goodness from the farm, as well as an expanded assortment of Maine made foods, beverages & gifts. My favorite part, besides the yummy Gatorade that saved my life after skiing for 3 hours, were the assortment of cheeses that they make right their on the farm. They also have samples all over the market, so that was fun as well I plan on going back again this winter, but not until it WARMS up a little bit. Oh & we need some snow to ski! The rain took it all away!

Tags: cross country skiing, Maine, skiing, winter

Ferry Beach, Scarborough, Maine

I took this picture a couple of years ago during the Summer and wanted to share it with you guys. I entered it into a photography contest and it is published in a coffee table book. I did not purchase a copy of the book because it was one of those contests that they want you to enter, win & give them about $75 to see your picture published. I have my photo and that’s what  matters…They were not getting my money. They should have given me a copy of the damn book since they got my permission to use my photo.

Tags: Beaches, Ferry Beach, Maine