Day 15 & 16

Hello everyone,  Last night, we dropped off Pam at Tera's, enjoyed holding little Lakyn for a while..played with sport, had some great sandwiches (thanks Tera!), and tried to separate all the luggage (which took a some time). All the while discovering items that we bought a few weeks ago and somehow forgot:)
 This morning after leaving Sharla and Ollie, Patty and I went on our way.  I dropped off Patty (and Bella was very happy to see her) and transferred luggage one last time to my car and headed home!  Thanks to Pam, I had a audio book to help the trip go a little faster.
So now, I am sitting here in my recliner at home, thinking about how wonderful the past few weeks have been.  I am very thankful for my three sisters (and two brothers:)!  We got to spend two great weeks together, seeing the countryside and just enjoying each others company!  Thanks girls!  It was was fabulous and a lasting memory!!
So...for the last time on this trip...good night everyone!
Jammin Judy
Charlie Ann
Pamie Sue
Peppermint Patty

Sport!

Two dolls!

Great aunts!

ONE of Lakyn''s presents from a very proud grandma!

Until our next trip!

Day 14

Greetings from West Lake, Ohio (just East of Cleveland)!

It's 10:45p.m. and way past my (Charlie Ann's) bed time so this will be short and to the point.

We started out early this morning and got to Niagra Falls by 3:30.  It was just as impressive today as it was when Patty and I were there some 20 years ago.  Pam and Judy saw it for the first time today. They were equally impressived.

We decided to hit the road again around 5:30 and took our chances on finding a motel. Judy did most of the driving today, bless her heart, and did a great job.  Two books on tape made the day go much faster.  We plan on being to Tera's by around 6:00 tomorrow night depending on how long it takes a few people (not to mention any names)to put on their makeup, drink their coffee and do their hair! 

Note:  No seafood in the last 24 hrs.!  Also it's too early to tell if we have forgotten anything in motel drawers.  All is well.

See you all soon,
Charlie Ann
Peppermint Patty
Jammin Judy
Pamie Sue

Day 13

Bar Harbor

Trolley Guide

Hi everyone!  This is Judy writing tonight!  Today we woke up to a nice day, looking forward to a trolley ride in Acadia National Park.  Here are some of the highlights:
  A 2 1/2 hour trolley ride to the top of Cadillac Mountain. 
  Porcupine Islands

Porcupine Islands

  Bar harbor
  A fascinating tour guide that gave us detailed information and history of the area!  The time flew by!
  The highest point in Maine

Indian Chief

  Cottages (mansions) owned by allt he old money such as the Rockefellers, Roosevelt's,  J.P Morgan,   Pulitzer family, Campbell Soup people, and even MARTHA STEWART had to find her fame somewhere! 

Stunning view!

  Amazing views (thank goodness I was on the opposite side of the cliff views!)
Anyhow, we were very thankful we were NOT driving!  Highly recommend the trolley!

Jay Leno???

From there, after driving a bit in Bar Harbor and deciding that we did not want to fight the crowded streets and shopping was not all that fun anymore (since we don't have one inch of space left in the car) a vote was taken and we decided to leave a day early and head back west!  After a little wrong turn, but not too far out of the way, we were headed south on Highway 95.  Judy and Sharla were listening to a great book on tape, while Patty napped and Pam navigated from the backseat.  We figure if two of us agree on the direction, it must be right.  I was just driving and once again doing what I was told.
While driving toward Ludlow, we had our first thunderstorm on the trip.  Thank goodness Sharla was driving at that point!  It really poured but we made it safe and sound to our Comfort Inn in Ludlow.  Tomorrow will be a day of driving, heading toward Buffalo to see Niagara Falls and a little closer to home.
At this point we have two days to get home to beat the package the hotel (a week ago) is sending to my house. (I sort of forgot to pack up a drawer)  Evidently it wasn't that important, because it took me two days before I realized I didn't have it.  Thank goodness for honest people and a nice lady at the front desk who packed it up and sent it!
Oh well...senior moments!
Until tomorrow...sleep well and see you soon!
Love
Jammin Judy
Charlie Ann
Pamie Sue
Peppermint Patty
Footnote:  Except for Jammin Judy, these names have been with us for quite awhile.  Peppermint Patty started at Lake Okaboji on a family vacation, Pamie Sue has always been her nickname and Charlie Ann started with Sharla's softball.  When the coach wanted her to throw a change up (and for you non-softball pitchers or cheerleader, that's when she would not pitch her speed ball or fast ball and change it to a slow ball) he called her Charlie Ann! The girls are really getting a charge out of this one!! Don't ask me where Jammin Judy came from...we were desperate and that's the first thing that came to mind.  Actually Jukebox was probably more common. 

Spring water!

Day 12

Greetings from Ellsworth Maine, gateway to the Mt. Desert Island and Bar Harbor,

Look what we found Dad!

Amazing

Pamie Sue giving you a play by play report of our day's adventures.  We left this morning from Ledges by the Sea with tears in our eyes(or at least mine, surprise surprise). What a quaint little inn with charm and a million dollar view.  But off we went to explore new territory.  One thing about Maine, if you miss the turn for a lighthouse, you'll always find another one.  We missed Indian Island Light but found Curtis Island Light instead(turned out to be one of our favorites.)  Of course since we were here, we had to explore Mt. Battie in Camden Hills State Park to get a panoramic view of Camden and the surrounding areas. Beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!  Guess it was worth the $18 park fee to drive up to it. Next we continued down the road and took another detour off Highway 1 to see Fort Point Light at Stockton Springs.  It also was located in a state park.  It was located along a beautiful rocky shore, so typical of Maine.  Of course we took many pictures.  It will be a miracle if we will be able to identify each one by name when our trip is over.  I've lost count now how many lighthouses we have seen.  Back on the road again.  Funny how an hour and half drive can take us three hours.  So much to see and so little time.   We only stopped at one antique store today so that made Judy happy(although she didn't get much knitting done today.) Since she is our chauffeur, we want to keep her happy! But she's been a real trooper and hasn't complained.  By now we were getting hungry so we stopped at a lookout area and had a little picnic.  Dad would be proud!  We ate our cheese curds and whoopie pies we had bought earlier this morning.  The pullout was overlooking a suspension bridge so we had a nice view.      

Overlooking Camden on Mt. Battie

     We checked into our hotel and decided to hit Acadia National Park today as well.  So we drove down, yes,to another lighthouse.  This time it was at the tip of the peninsula and were told it was the most frequently viewed lighthouse.  This one was called Bass Harbor Head Light.  It wasn't as impressive as the others, but had another wonderfully peaceful rocky shore.  We spent over an hour searching for sea glass.  It became a treasure hunt for all of us.  You would have thought we had won the lottery every time we found a piece of broken glass.  A lady actually asked what we were looking for and probably thought we were crazy when we told her.  But wait until Sharla makes some beautiful jewelry when we get home.

      On the way back, cars were pulled over and traffic was backed up.  We were sure there must have been a terrible accident.  As we got closer, we noticed people jumping out of their cars and running to the scene.   We were fearful for what we would see.  BUT WAIT!  THEY WERE ALL CARRYING CAMERAS! So, we grabbed our cameras and out we went.  A moose, a whale, porpoises or maybe even a bear!  We positioned our cameras and looked up.  What would we see, was a bald eagle.  Yes, we have to admit it was impressive, but come on, we have those in Iowa.  But after taking several pictures, we continued down the road.  The excitement was just too much for us!  But first we had to look up several restaurants we had been told about.  Yes, you probably guessed it,  lobster.  What else would we want in Maine.  So we are now back in our hotel and getting ready for another day of adventures tomorrow.  We plan on taking a trolley or bus tour around Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park.  Hopefully, there won't be any fog to delay our travels.  Today it was clear, so we're hoping for another adventurous day.
       Hope all is well there!  We miss you all
Pamie Sue
Jammin Judy
Charlie Ann
Peppermint Patty


    
    

Day 11

Mariner's Grille

Hello from Maine!!  This is Peppermint Patty! Our day started out this morning at 4:00 a.m....  No Judy, we are not going to play cards  Luckily, we were all able to go back to sleep.(lol)  When we did decide to roll out of bed we looked at the bay and it was white.  We were socked in with fog.  So our travels started a little later than usual.

Our first stop was at Goodwill..  (We have to keep Judy happy :)  Of course, a few treasures were found.  We then turned North and headed to Camden.  Inland was okay but the ocean was still covered with fog.  So much for going up to Mt. Battie to see breath taking views, maybe on our way back to the hotel the fog will lift. Thank goodness we never run out of quaint shops, antiques and galleries.

Pam finally found her blueberry pancakes!

I am sure you are asking what we had for lunch today?  Well, once again we were not disappointed.  Here is a surprise, none of us had seafood!! (we have to get our systems back to normal again.)  Pam had the best wild blueberry pancakes she has ever had, the rest of us had a good old fashion juicy bacon cheeseburger and mushroom and Swiss burgers with sweet potato fries, sitting on a deck overlooking a waterfall that flowed into the marina.

At Camden with some treasures!

Just a little taste:)

After this delicious lunch, we headed farther north to Lincolnville.  Judy and I sat on the beach and was entertained by a lonely loon, Pam and Sharla went on investigating the shops.  The fog was still a problem so we had to figure out what else to do since we couldn't see the ocean. The sun was shining every where else but low fog loomed over the ocean all day.  On the map we found the Cellardoor Winery and Vineyard.. "Hey, we haven't toured a winery yet"  So off we went.  Lucky us, there was even free wine tasting!  Don't worry Mom and Dad, Sharla was our ever faithful big sister and was the designated driver :)  

It was now 4:30 and we still had low hanging fog so we didn't stop at Mt. Battie and headed back to the hotel for a dip in the pool, rest and relaxation, and time to start packing because tomorrow we are heading to Ellsworth a small town near the Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park area.

Stay tuned for more adventures of "The Griffin Girls on the Move" tomorrow night.

Good Night,

Pamie Sue
Charlie Ann
Jammin' Judy &
Peppermint Patty

I finally found one!

Dinner view

I thought only Minnesota had these!

View at the winery!

Oh baby.........here we go again!

Send us a comment!

Hi everyone,  Send us a comment, amusement or gossip from home! I think you have to sign in first. We are checking out Camden today, it's a bit foggy (I mean very foggy) right now, so we will wait until it lifts! Patty and I are actually very glad it's foggy, we can have another cup of coffee!!!!!!!

Day 10

Farnsworth Art Museum

Day 10

It's 8:30 p.m. and we have just finished another great day in Maine.

Patty brags about being the first one up this morning but she was already taking a nap at 8:30! No one including me (Sharla) was moving very fast after our adventures on Monhegan Island yesterday.

We planned on going to Rockland (a couple miles south of here) only to get bread at the Atlantic Baking Co. (recommended by our hotel host) for tonight's usual meal but ended spending the whole day there.  We spent most of the day at the Farnsworth Art Museum. We especially enjoyed the exhibit of Andrew Wyeth.  We had seen his home near Monhegan Island yesterday and it was interesting to see his works and learn more about him. 

Great seafood chowder!

Fiore' Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar Place

After a bowl of you guessed it, seafood chowder, we walked down the street to the Fiore olive oil and balsamic vinegar tasting shop.  They had at least 50 different oils and vinegars you could taste test.  Very interesting!  Judy and Patty went down to a park on the shore while Pam and I went to a few more shops.  Then I went to the shore and Pam looked in a few more shops. 

Owl's Head Lighthouse

Up close!

The next stop was at the Owl's Head Lighthouse.  We went down to the beach and looked for more sea shells and sea glass before heading for home.  Did I mention the high today was in the upper 60's?  Had to get out the coats. 

Because the Goodwill store was closed (we have to keep Judy happy) we stopped at the Cold Stone for ice cream and headed for the motel.  We are now having our usual supper and trying to stay awake until at least 10:00 (I think I will make it tonight)  Tomorrow we are off for Camden for their 4th of July celebration.  

Hope everything is well at home,
Love,
Charlie Ann
Jammin Judy
Peppermint Patty
Pamie Sue

Day Nine

Happy 4th of July!

Boatride over to the Island!

Oh my goodness, we are feeling it tonight.  It is actually our oldest sisters night to write, but she is in bed! (She almost made 9:00!)  So it is a collaborative effort.  Judy is typing, and the rest of them are telling her what to write (so what's new!).  She is also driving, so is used to it!  Today started out early, it was daylight at 4:30 a.m.!  I had to look at the clock a few times to make sure I was reading it right.  Peppermint Patty was already out on the balcony!  Go figure, the sun gets up early around here.  We had to be at the boat landing at Monhegan Bay by 10:30, so this is the way it went:  we had to be there to load at 10:15, we wanted to make sure we got there, (didn't get lost, may stop at a stray garage sale or something) so added an hour and a half!  We did find a few garage sales, but managed to get there in plenty of time. 
We loaded the boat and chose to sit on the upper deck, so we wouldn't miss anything! It took about an hour to get there.  We saw some dolphins frolicking (Patty's word) in the water, much to our amusement.  Pam met a man! Oh...I mean she sat by a man whose name was Tom.  Tom owned the second most beautiful home on the island.  She was hoping for an invitation to come and visit, but she must have lost her charm...NO INVITATION!  But we did see it from afar!  Monhegan is an old historic place where artist can retreat and be creative.  It's like a step back in time! We discovered that a few hours would have been sufficient, but enjoyed the scenery.  We got in a lot of hiking (actually Pam and I were very thankful to have found our way back to familiar territory, I think she needs a little lesson on reading a map).  But we were okay, since Pam had all the boarding tickets for getting off the island: she knew what she was doing!)  It brought back painful memories of the airport in London (LOL)  We saw a beautiful lighthouse on the island, and Patty and Pam went through the museum, while Sharla and Judy napped along the hillside!  Thank goodness some of us are getting a good educational experience!  We did see (this is the surprise we didn't tell mom about) a WHALE or maybe two of them out along the bay!  That was amazing!  I told Patty we would see a whale today!  But didn't see any puffins, it is a little too early in the season.  After boarding the ferry, we were tired and VERY hungry, so took the advice of the hotel hostess and checked out the Main Street Grille in Rockland!  We had a wonderful margarita (now you know why Sharla is in bed) and speaking for myself the best prime rib and lobster along the bay.  Patty had a chimichanga, Pam and Sharla had a seafood alfredo for the seventh night in a row!  Anyhow, we are in our room, happy as a clam (and half baked like one) and this blog post will be shorter tonight, due to the fact we have to treat our sunburns and hit the sack early!  Sweet dreams.....
love
Jammin Judy
Pamie Sue
Peppermint Patty

Minutes before the naps started!

Lighthouse on Monhegan Island

and Charlie Ann

Day Eight

The start to our day!

Shipyard at Bath, ME

Red's Eats!

The view off our balcony!

Ledge's of the Bay

View off our balcony

In the Penobscot Bay!

Exploring the beach!

WOW!  I can't believe it's day eight already!  The writer tonight is Jammin' Judy.  Although, as you have been reading, our days have  been full of sight-seeing, shopping, (knitting) and eating!  Today was no different, some of us (Sharla and Pam) started out the day checking out a Flea Market, while Judy and Patty enjoyed a slow start with great coffee!  For some reason, the Flea Market didn't have their usual vendors, so that didn't take long.  We packed up the car and headed north to our next stop, Rockport, ME.  On the way there, we stopped in Bath to do a little exploring,( okay shopping) and even stopped by a shipyard.  A man was fishing at the end of the pier, actually worked at the shipyard and told us they were building a destroyer (that takes approximately 4 years).  Evidently today was the live bait opener, although we didn't see them catch any fish. Winding our way north, we stopped at an Antique store with 3 floors!  Needless to say, I got a lot of knitting done and even a nap!  The girls loved it! When inquiring about a restaurant called "Red's Eats" (a place Sharla discovered in her pre-trip research) the man at the Antique store told us to head down the road, and we would definitely see it.  It would have a long line winding down the street.  Well, normally we wouldn't waste valuable time standing in line, but this place was voted #1 for lobster rolls in Maine!  COME ON!  Even Rachel Ray, QVC, food network, etc. etc. raved about it! So about an hour later, we got the best lobster roll EVER! (See picture) Every roll had over a pound lobster in it (AMAZING)! Of course the melted butter didn't hurt:)  Oh yeah, sweet potato fries and fried zucchini was right up there with the ratings!
After our wonderful meal, we continued on our way to Rockport.  We had our first little rain shower, but nothing that lasted very long.  Coming into Rockport, we were anxiously anticipating our home abode for the next four days (didn't that sound like Pam's words, we are all writing this together.  Although, we are having a hard time agreeing on the order of our day.  So far, Patty and Sharla are winning this little contest)  So... on with the story.  Much to our relief, surprise, and awe...we found the "Ledges of the Bay".  It is just PERFECT!  A cute little Inn overlooking Penobscot Bay.  It is just what we were hoping for!  A beautiful view of the Bay, nice rooms, nicely decorated in and out, a very warm swimming pool (that we enjoyed after a walk on the beach) and much more to come. SHARLA DID GOOD! Once again, we made a trip to the grocery store and enjoyed a simple meal of bread, cheese, strawberries, summer sausage and wine. After a planning session for the next day (which is exploring Monhegan Island) we settled down for a little tv before hitting the sack.  Another fabulous day in Maine...hope you all are well and staying cool.. lots of love!
Jammin'Judy
Pamie Sue
Charlie Ann
and Peppermint Patty!