December 29:
I woke up bright and early, finished loading the car, and said good-bye to my family. It had been a really nice visit with them, albeit it quite busy, but I knew I would be seeing them again soon so I was eager to start my next journey. I drove from MD to my home in NJ (a bit over 3 hours), traded my MD luggage for my ME luggage, got some gas, and headed up to ME. I drove thru New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire before finally reaching my destination (about 7 hours later!). It was very windy, but luckily there was no snow. At one point in Massachusetts Roxy (my car) reported that it was 3 degrees outside. I called my sister to inform her I might freeze to death.
I arrived at Evan's cousin's house in Auburn, ME and finally got to see my sweet. : ) This had been the longest we'd been apart- it was soooo good to see him! I got to meet his cousin Ralph, and the three of us went to dinner at a Thai place in town. We spent the night in Auburn the drove 4 more hours to Starboard, where Evan's family lives. (If you've been counting, this adds up to about 14 hours from MD...that's A LOT of driving!)
When we reached Starboard it was dark out, so I couldn't see much scenery wise, but I finally got to meet the people I've heard so much about! We stayed at Nana's and met her, then Evan's parents came down the hill to meet us. They are all such lovely people. I felt at home right away. We were all tired, so we didn't stay up visiting terribly long.
The next morning I woke up, walked into the kitchen, and went, "Wow!" This is what I saw:
I got to meet more family that day; Evan's uncle and his family live right next door, so I got to meet Jeff, his wife Tracy, and their three children, Jeff, Andrew, and Maya. I fell in love with Maya right away, but it took her a little while to warm up to me. By the second or third time she saw me, she was asking for candy, having me carry her throughout the house, and signing to me. I was so excited to sign with her (she's deaf); she is super smart, and picks up new signs very quickly.
She loves Evan:
(in this picture I asked her what her name is, and she is signing it to me)
During the blizzard we made donuts and bread with Nana- she is a wonderful baker, and during tourist season sells her baked goods at stores in town. She gave me some recipes to make in Madison, which I am very excited about. : )
On New Year's Eve Evan had a gig in Eastport, the eastern-most town in the United States. They played at neat little place called the Rose Garden. It was a lot of fun; despite the snow, it was well attended, and everyone had a good time. I have a feeling we'll be spending next New Year's up here.
I had a wonderful time in Maine; I absolutely love Evan's family, and I think they all like me too (apparently, I'm a keeper). I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to visit his home and meet his friends and family. It was a great start to the New Year!
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