The Benefits of Density

We are adjusting to our new place in Portland and Cesar's work schedule. Che has stopped asking "When are we going to another hotel?" and we purchased some workbooks, legos, and other distractions to keep the kids occupied while Cesar works in the mornings. We went to a fabulous playground on the Eastern Promenade in Portland that has an amazing view of the ocean with sailboats and little islands dotting the horizon. It was hot out, but there was a cool breeze off of the ocean. There were lovely Victorian houses and condos surrounding the park and there were lots of people picnicking, sunning themselves, and there was even a hula-hooping class (perfect for Mamita when she comes!). It is actually where we were going to rent an apartment but decided on our North Yarmouth farmhouse instead. We definitely have more room in North Yarmouth and the grounds are beautiful and peaceful; but, it would have been nice to have been close to the ocean and a playground.

Thursday Cesar took Che to the doctor to check out his back again. The lump on his back has gotten bigger and we just wanted to make sure everything was ok. He was there for five hours, but was able to get an ultrasound and find out that it is most likely a lipoma. I am relieved that we finally got an answer, but it certainly took a long time. After Cesar and Che got home we went to a pizza place that is relatively close by because we were all hungry and did not want to drive. Our waitress seemed to hate her life until Sabine began chatting with her and the patrons around us. She was being very loud and vocal-- not whining, just vocal. It seemed to warm the waitress up quite a bit and at the end she told us that Sabine reminded her of Will Ferrell's little girl who was tiny and cute, but screamed and cursed like a banshee in the You Tube video. Ahhh, my daughter makes me proud.

Friday we drove out to Cape Elizabeth to a little restaurant on the rocks called the Lobster Shack. It is a very informal place where you go up and order your food and then sit down at picnic tables with a view of the crashing waves and a light house. It was refreshing to see a living, breathing, powerful ocean again as opposed to the quiet and placid bays we have grown accustomed to in these little Maine towns. The waves crashing on the shore and even out at sea were awe-inspiring. Although it was warm in North Yarmouth, on the rocky shore it was cool because of the sea breeze and there was a heavy fog when we got there. We could hear the fog horn right next to us alerting ships to impending rocky cliffs. Cesar had some delicious lobster stew and we also tried the whoopie pies again--this time they were delicious--and I had strawberry shortcake, also very good. Then we drove by another lighthouse at a park that also has a fort and tons of walking trails--we'll have to come back and explore when we have more time. We went home and the kids rested while we waited for the Croneys to call. They were making their way south from Acadia and were planning on stopping in Portland for the night. They came to our place and the kids played while we listened to their camping adventure stories and then we headed to the playground at the Eastern Promenade and then to Amato's for dinner where we all ate way too many calories for the price. The kids had a lot of fun running around Amato's courtyard and then we had to say goodbye.

Saturday morning we woke up and went to a Farmers' Market, only I got the address for another farmers' market in Portland--OREGON!!!!--when I put it in our GPS it said it would take us 2 days and two hours to get there. Although I am sure it is a terrific farmers' market, it looked very cool on the Internet, I am not sure it would be worth the drive. So, I looked it up again using our trusty little IPad and we found the spot. It was a great farmers' market located in Deering Oaks Park, which we found out has an amazing playground, a little kids pool with fountains that shoot out, plus lots of walking trails under the the pretty trees. Like the Eastern Promenade, it had a great vibe. People were juggling and tightrope walking under trees, a guy was playing a ukelele, dads were carrying their babies in slings, people were doing yoga under the trees, and the hula hoop teacher was giving demonstrations. Portland is definitely starting to grow on us. We are starting to see some benefit to density--two terrific playgrounds (that we've found), fun restaurants, lots of diverse people, farmers' markets--- it is definitely a nice place to spend the summer; the winter is another story altogether.

A little Che story:
One of the books we bought Che and Sabine at Barefoot Books in Concord is a book based on the Princess and the Pea. In it a bunch of brothers fall in love with various princesses. Che is very familiar with the book and whenever we get to the part where another brother is meeting his princess for the first time he says "He is in love." I asked Che if he has ever been in love and he said "Yes, with Kaeden." Very cute.