Maine living

We are settling into our new location. **MAINE**

I know Maine is a good size state so let me be more specific. We are living in South Monmouth, ME. What I am affectionately calling the countryside because it's a very peaceful quiet area away from town. I'm not sure if the locals call it the countryside or not. Caleb is working in Lewiston, ME about a 25 minute drive away at Central Maine Medical Center. Lewiston is the second largest city in Maine boasting a population of a little over 36,000. 

We plan to spend a few days every other week in Lincolnville, Maine which is my mom's hometown. Lincolnville Beach pictured here  >>
It is a small town on the coast with only about 2,000 people. I grew up coming to Maine every summer, and I was excited to introduce Caleb to Maine when we were dating back in 2009 and he came a few summers after that too. Thankfully he likes summertime in Maine too! Maine has always felt like a second home to me with lots of family here- grandparents, aunts, uncles, and many distant cousins. Sadly my grandparents are no longer living, but it is special to have time with the rest of family.

Caleb striking a pose feeling relaxed at Belfast Harbor

There are two towns next to Lincolnville where I love going to the harbors. One is Camden and the other is Belfast. We went to Belfast to run an errand one day and walked around a park looking out at the harbor. I love the sounds of the boats clanging, the water hitting the shore, and the seagulls.

Coleman Pond - family kayaks at our camp

My favorite place to be in Maine is our family camp. In Maine people call their second homes or vacation homes "camp." A camp can be a fancy large home with ocean views or it can be as simple as a trailer parked on property without water views. My grandpa bought waterfront property on Coleman pond in Lincolnville when my mom was young. My mom's family lived in a house a few minutes away from camp. They built an outhouse at camp and used the property for access for swimming and at some point bought an old row boat and a canoe. Years later a trailer was bought and put on the property. I have a few memories from very young using the outhouse and the trailer. When I was 7 years old we built a cabin. The family has added kayaks and sailboats, but that old row boat and canoe from decades ago is still at camp and used.

We love for family and friends to use the cabin to explore and experience Maine. When you hear me refer to "camp in Maine" I am referring to the family cabin on the pond.  My cousins own a camp on the other side of the pond. It's a fun cottage they rent out when family isn't using it. I put together a short video collage showing our first few days in Maine. Click the bottom right icon after you hit play to enlarge the video to full screen. And switch the HD quality setting to 1080p.

Another term I should define for you is a "pond." In Maine, there are many lakes and ponds. Tons of them! We are living in one of the Lakes Regions of Maine in South Monmouth. Our camp is on a pond in Lincolnville called Coleman Pond. A pond usually isn't as deep or as large as a lake. Coleman Pond is large enough when you are in a boat you can go far enough so you can't see where you came from and it's large enough for speed boats to pull for water skiing and water tubing. It's a mighty fine pond in my biased opinion and it feels like home to me so I love it.  

I'll end with one more Maine favorite of mine. **fresh picked blueberries** Maine has many blueberry fields, farms, and wild blueberries you hunt for while hiking or walking.  Raspberries and blackberries also grow really well. If you're familiar with the children's book Blueberries for Sal its setting is in Maine. The author Robert McCloskey wrote four children's illustrated books which take place in Maine. More pictures and videos to come over the next weeks. We are in Maine at least until November 11th.