It should come as no surprise that when sharing about another beautiful place I’ve visited, it would be just another beautiful part of Maine. Maine always has my heart every time we visit and it becomes ever more clear when we cross the state line and we’re greeted by the state sign that says: “Maine – Welcome Home”. ❤
We were so lucky to be invited out by our friends Lisa and Nate to Lisa’s family lake house. The lake house belonged to the grandmother and started out as a basic little home. Over many years it has been added to and passed down through the family so that everyone can enjoy a little piece of Maine heaven. I just love family investments. A place shares so many memories and has a story when it’s been a place you’ve grown up going to all your life and can look forward to passing down to your own children. My favorite part of this little lake house is that the family has kept it decorated as it was when grandma had it. The air smells of an antique store and is filled with colorful chairs, lamps on every table with long towering bases, and stylish bathrooms with pink and blue toilets and tubs. It doesn’t get any better than this!
My favorite indoor spot was the part of the house that originally was a porch. The porch had been closed in and had tons of cute windows that opened up just enough to let the cool lake air blow through. There were tons of places to sit – a daybed, small table with two chairs, a rocking chair, and a couple other small seats. It was the perfect place for enjoying a bit of quiet comfortably if you didn’t want to be outside. The room we slept in was just as adorable. Our bed was two full size beds that had been pushed together. The beds were made separately, each having their own sheets and covers. I giggled at this as I immediately thought of 1950s television shows where the couples slept in separate beds. Which is also a piece of heaven by the way if you’ve never had the opportunity to sleep separately together.
The lake where the house sits is called Sabbathday Lake. It’s a little community of lake homes and it’s just big enough where no matter how many people are on the lake, there is still plenty of space for privacy. I loved walking out to the dock each morning, coffee cup in hand of course, and enjoying the most peaceful meditation. The water was warm so I would enjoy my coffee with my toes tipped in off the dock. You could see straight down to the bottom where the little fish would swim past. The air was wonderful and it was so peaceful and quiet, with the occasional motor boat passing by causing small waves to crash up against the side of the lake – still a wonderfully peaceful sound.
After coffee each morning, Lisa and I would start the day by kayaking around the lake. This was my second time ever kayaking so I was slightly nervous at first but I caught on pretty quick and fell in love with it by the time the weekend was over. Being out on the lake was so nice. We would paddle by all the different lake homes, say hi to all the cute doggies sun bathing on the docks, and we even got to see a bald eagle and eagle babies. We got up close and somewhat personal to a small group of Loons fishing in the lake. I had never heard of a Loon before and had no idea that the sound they make I’ve probably heard a million times before. They are beautiful large birds with a sharp knife like beak and they spent most of their time under the water fishing. They were absolutely lovely.
After kayaking we would have a quick simple lunch of sandwiches, chips and beer (of course). Then we would head back down to the lake with floaties and enjoy literally the rest of the day floating and chatting until the sun went down. I don’t think I’ve actually relaxed that much in a very long time. Typically when you go on a trip or vacation you usually have a few things you want to get out and do. This ends up taking up most of your day, and while you’ve had fun you end up exhausted from it all. This trip was not the case – it was complete and total relaxation. Dinner the first night was delicious! Nate fried up a sea bass he had caught deep sea fishing the week before and Lisa made the most amazing squash casserole I’ve ever had. I’m typically not one to eat seafood, not a fan, but I had 3 pieces of the sea bass so I think it’s safe to say it was really good. I all but inhaled about 4 servings of the squash casserole and have acquired the recipe – which I’m not sharing until after Thanksgiving. 🙂
Carlos managed to catch his first fish in years! I’m not kidding – it’s actually been a long running joke between all of us that no matter how many times he goes fishing he never catches anything….like ever. The sad part is he really enjoys it, so the fact that he hasn’t been able to catch a thing in years makes it all the more frustrating. This weekend the stars must have been perfectly aligned because he actually caught a decent sized large mouth bass. His weekend was made! We agreed he probably shouldn’t fish the rest of the year to ensure he goes out on a good note.
Our last night there we enjoyed a delicious meal at Sea Dog brewing in Topsham. We ordered appetizers of brussels sprouts and fried pickles – both delicious. For meals I had their California roast turkey sandwich with sweet potato fries and Carlos enjoyed a lobster roll and crab roll. I do have to give props to Sea Dog for their perfection on serving sizes. With appetizers and drinks, our meal was just enough food where you felt good after it all and didn’t need a to go box – it’s a good feeling.
I was super sad to go home and honestly I could have stayed forever. It was such a wonderful weekend full of little silly adventures (we got locked out of the house the first day & the guys thought they broke the dryer the next day) but it left me feeling super appreciative and renewed for the week ahead. I hope to enjoy a little slice of Maine heaven again soon – cheers to adventure!
jenfromtheheart.com 