Maine Meet Madison

When we awoke from our first night in Maine, we knew we would be meeting Madison at the airport. You might remember Madison had to move her flights around to accommodate work, and then her flight out of Kansas City had maintenance issues. As she boarded the red eye to North Carolina, we thought all would be well. Madison had a three hour layover in North Carolina, so we were prepared to pick her up in the early afternoon. However, once the flight to Bangor took off, the cockpit heated up to over 100 degrees. Her flight returned to North Carolina, the pilot was treated for heat related issues, and we waited for more news.

Meanwhile in Maine…

Prior to our arrival in Maine, I made contact with my friend and former boss, Gi. We worked together in Texas years ago, but now Gi and her husband Eric (also a colleague) live in Maine. Gi lives a few hours from where we were staying, but because she received a stipend to complete the Acadia Teacher Fellowship Program, she had been living and working at Acadia National Park. It placed her much closer to me, and thankfully she was able to carve out some time for us to meet up. Tracy and Hannah were gracious enough to spend a few hours of our vacation visiting with Gi.

We decided to meet at The Black House at Woodlawn in Ellsworth. Boasting two miles of trails, a museum of the home and out buildings, and the nationally-sanctioned croquet court, The Black House property was lovely.

The trio arrived first. While we waited for Gi’s arrival, we decided to watch those playing croquet. I’ve played croquet before, but I couldn’t understand what these players were doing. Dressed in white, I felt we were witnessing a regal and traditional match—one that utilized a croquet mallet and ball but set up in a unique configuration. Curious, Hannah went over to the group during a pause in the action to ask about the game. They were indeed playing an unfamiliar version of croquet—Aussie croquet. The players quickly explained the rules to Hannah, and she then relayed them to us (we were a small distance away).

Before we could confiscate their mallets and give it a try, Gi arrived. We made introductions and took to the trails. Within minutes we were separated into pairs.

The last time I had seen Gi was at her wedding over twenty years ago, so we had much to say. It was so good to see her, and it felt as though we picked up where we left off. Gi and I shared what our Facebook pictures could not. I felt such deep comfort as I shared the synopsis of my life with her and she with me. She knew me already and knew my heart too. There was such joy spending this time together, and there’s hardly a better feeling than knowing you are in the midst of a great friend.

Our walk and time together ended at the stables. It was not enough time, but we had known the time was short. When all was said and done, we agreed more time together would be fantastic. We talked about meeting up with Eric on another day, but we just couldn’t make it work. I’m just grateful for the time we had and realize another visit should be on the horizon soon.

We still had some time before Madison’s arrival, so we decided to stroll downtown Ellsworth. Many of the stores were quite charming. As you might imagine, lobsters and nature were big themes. I love to look at different things to get a taste for a town, but I don’t usually purchase much more than a magnet. Hannah and Tracy don’t mind picking up an item here or an item there, so I willingly became their biggest supporter and encouraged their shopping sprees. (Please note: LL Bean got me later—it was free shipping after all.)

At one point, we walked into a bookstore. While there we spent at least 15 minutes talking with a man who had a Sporting KC shirt on. For those of you who are not familiar with Sporting KC, it is a soccer team from Kansas City. This man had moved with his family to Maine. He was able to shed light on some questions we had about pronunciations (Orono, Calais, Topsham…), and he also provided some insight into places we could visit. On top of that, it was a great opportunity for us to make a connection with someone from our hometown.

The “Hopeful” sign intrigued me. Its fanciful design and prominent placement delighted me and others. I didn’t realize it was something special until I witnessed several around the state. Then, of course, I researched. Designed by Charlie Hewitt, this sign took $40,000 to build and was dedicated Sunday, September 29, 2024. As of that date there were seven signs in Maine communities and one other sign that was sent to Ukraine. I loved the sign and loved seeing it throughout our trip as it was a reminder that despite the changes in my life, I should always remain hopeful.

After this small excursion, we headed to the airport. Along the way we discovered there was an extra delay due to a hot cockpit, so we stopped in downtown Bangor. Here are some of the sights we took in…

There isn’t much exciting to say about our visit to Bangor as it served as a time filler. We did feel safe, and I imagine there would be plenty to do and see. We just had another important reason for being in Bangor.

And now, my friends…the moment we have all been waiting for…Madison arrived! We were all so excited to have her with us, and despite the lengths it took to get her to Maine, she was happy too. We offered to take her to any place she’d like, but the exhaustion took over. We decided instead to head back to the Colonial Inn and have pizza. While I could share with you the unexpected hiccup in ordering pizza, I will let you rest up for now. Because…tomorrow the adventure begins!