We Love Maine. We Love the Chandlers. We Love Rhino.

Summer in Maine is bliss. On Friday, we left the humid smog of the city behind with a quick flight to Portland and a short drive north to Carly and Richard's place in Poland - clean blue lake, green trees and fresh air. Susannah couldn't get enough of the place, especially their dog Quinn and her fellow toddler Orrin.

I have noticed considerable changes in Susannah over the last weeks. Perhaps this is because I haven't spent as much time with her lately, working a lot and being gone to Africa for two weeks. In Maine, and as we moved from Poland to Portland and then further south along the coast to Kennebunkport, I witnessed growth mainly in two areas - speech and defiance. She is putting together more short phrases ("dadda drives" "I need mama" "I need help" "more hot-dog please"...). She has also looks me in the eye while repeatedly disobeying me (e.g. "Susannah don't touch the ants, just watch..," after which she puts both hands on pile of ants and scatters them all over - "bye-bye ants!!". I secretly wished they had bitten her, but for some reason they were merciful).

Regardless, it has been a fantastic trip with amazing weather - cool, blue skies - and we still have a few more days left here in Kennebunkport with its gorgeous coastline (even if it is the home of the progenitor of our late jack-ass-in-chief. Today we drove past the compound, busy with gawking tourists in pastel polos, security cameras and black town cars).

Any-who, back to Poland - below Susannah continues to resist the love of water, which we know she eventually will overcome....

S on the dock with dadda and Scratch Dent.

A popsicle on the dock with mama



Remember a similar shot several years ago? She is slowly liking kayaks more - one stroke at a time.

Chillin on the boat with bff Lauren Hansen!

Driving the boat with Carly - a huge highlight, especially for a girl who is on the fence about boats. Susannah LOVES Carly.

Below: Orrin, Richard and Rhino, the latter an extremely important member of the Chandler family (FYI, Rhino doesn't float).

Orrin and Susannah - bf4ev.


Susannah, Orrin, Carly and Maisy - shhh...night-night.