September 20th: Birthday celebration and Trip to New England

 After Big Bear Lake, I had two weeks before heading to Burlington, Vermont to visit with my sister's family, the Scotts. I played a lot of pickleball and spent some time catching up with Matt and Wendy and hearing about their trip. 

Also, our family was finally all together to celebrate Wendy's and Rebecca's birthdays. Rebecca agreed to drive to Encinitas for the gathering. The Dog park Beach is always a big hit for us and London and Trevi. The dogs like running around on the Dog beach with other dogs

Rebecca with London and Trevi

Someone created a dog welcoming display. It's pretty funny.

Birthday cupcakes for Linda, Rebecca and Wendy

Rebecca pointed out it was closer to Linda's birthday (September 20th) than Wendy's or Rebecca's so we celebrated her birthday also. Of course a Boston Cream cupcake was purchased in Linda's name! We all agreed that cupcakes would work well in lieu of a cake.

We played some video games and watched the new Avengers movie. It was a fun gathering.

September 14th I headed to Burlington. Wendy dropped me off at the airport and all went well. My sister picked me up in Burlington and we spent the night at her house. Early on the 15th we headed to Portland, Maine for some sightseeing and lobster roles. 

On our way to Portland we stopped at the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge. Rachel Carson info It is a very peaceful and secluded area. We saw a few shore birds but it was difficult to get a good picture. The salt marshes are huge and beautiful. 

It is a very peaceful and secluded area. We saw a few shore birds but it was difficult to get a good picture. The salt marshes are huge and beautiful. 

Although we didn't see a lot of birds, the salt marshes play a large role in maintaining a balance for all living things in the area.

We drove along the coast on Route 1 so we could enjoy the ocean sights on the way to Portland. Many small picturesque towns. The tourist areas were packed with people. We had intended to stop for lunch but some places were closed and others had a very long wait. We decided to just get lobster roles in Portland after we checked in.  

I had found an Airbnb in Portland for us for two night. We arrived Wednesday afternoon. It was a quite old home that had been turned into a rental property. 

It has three floors and we were on the top floor, formerly the attic. The stairs were "interesting". 

Portland Airbnb

Overall it worked out just fine other than Scott kept hitting his head on the vaulted ceilings! It reminded me of his visit to our trawler when we finally asked him if he wanted a bike helmet! Sometimes it's better to be shorter.

The first night we went in search of  lobster roles. We discovered some of the places were closed on Wednesdays! However, we found The Highroller Lobster Co. It is a great place in town and we hardly had to wait for a table. The lobster roles were wonderful!

Tomorrow morning we visit the Portland Head Lighthouse, do some hiking and look for more lobster rolls!