A Fiesta, Lobster Bake, Umbrella Tree & Windows 8 . . .What a Week!

The belated Cinco de Mayo dinner party with our Gourmet group last Saturday evening was so much fun! Here are some photos of the table...

and the Senors y Senoritas who attended...in sombreros and mustaches, of course.
The members of our Gourmet Group are nothing if not good sports!

What do you think? Should I keep the mustache???

Our Mexican meal was delicioso. My sister, Joanne, brought an amazing selection of Mexican hors d'oeuvres including authentic fish ceviche. The rest of the meal featured salad in baked tortilla cups, marinated grilled short steak, pablano peppers stuffed with rice and chorizo sausage, Mexican street corn rolled in cotija cheese, and for dessert ... Tres Leches cake!  (Did I mention the Margaritas???)

 Lots of work but a great time. 

The next day I was determined to blog about the dinner on my new ASUS laptop, which so far I love. But, by the time I figured out Windows 8 and uploaded my photo software, etc., I was exhausted. No blog post that day!

The reason I bought a new laptop is so that I can blog while we travel...which we hope to do lots more of now that I'm retired from teaching. For a trial run, I brought the laptop to Searsport with me last week. (We impulsively decided to "run away from home" for a few days in the Casita for some fresh air and R & R).

While we were walking in the woods at Searsport Shores, we came upon this amazing piece of "forest folk art" that we never knew was there. You climb the magical tree-steps...

and sit in a little carved out tree-chair under a huge umbrella woven of twigs.

From this hidden perch in the tree, you can sit and look down over the stream that runs under it, listening to both the sounds of the small waterfalls in the stream and the ocean waves just beyond the treeline.

I felt as if I was in a fairy tale!

Even though it rained a lot, we had a wonderful week. We searched for sea glass that had washed up on the beach, learned a new game (ironically, Mexican Train Dominoes) from our friends Anita and Fred, and shopped in Belfast with our friend, Carolyn, who drove up from Kennebunk for the day.

We got home from camping just in time for today's beautiful weather and the 4th annual lobster bake in Cape Porpoise/Kennebunkport to raise funds for my sister Nancy's Memorial scholarship at Wells High School. It is put on every year by her friends, who all volunteer their time...and their lobsters!

Cape Porpoise Harbor & Goat Island Light



the "Stunning Smith Sisters"...Joanne, Andi, & Cheryl.

 

some of Nancy's friends & family

Tomorrow we pack up again...this time to fly to South Carolina for our grandson, Robert's, graduation from boot camp at Fort Jackson. Our other grandson, Brian, will be graduating from Westbrook High School next Sunday. We're really proud of both of them.

Busy couple of weeks...I'll be blogging from the road!