Four Day Furlough: Part 1

Southern Coast of Maine

Entrance to Footbridge Beach, Ogunquit, ME

My spirit was in desperate need of the ocean, so I headed to Maine Thursday night for a some solitude and silence. I rented a tiny little beach cabin in Wells, ME, and drove there just in time for dinner at the ocean. My food find came from The Village Food Market in downtown Ogunquit. Sometimes it's hard to know what to eat in a place that isn't home, especially when you have a gluten allergy, but I was gratified to find sesame rice crackers and chicken salad with gorgonzola and roasted tomatoes. It was the perfect light meal to take with me to the ocean to spend a few hours in the sand and surf, watching the sun set over the Atlantic bay. I fell asleep that night with an unsurpassed contentment and peace.



Gorgonzola Chicken Salad

      

And there was evening, and there was morning. The third day.
~Genesis 1:13

I woke up the next morning and took a two mile walk along the ocean shore, looking for treasures and watching the sun rise in the sky.






Open wide!

I left the beach around noon as it was fairly cool and windy and headed down Route 1. I stopped many times along the way, including the Stonewall Kitchen Company Store in York, ME and The Kittery Outlets. I may have bought out the Coldwater Creek outlet! There were also fun finds at Old Navy and Bass Shoes :). I am my mother's daughter!

I continued on down the road with a random whimsical stop in Newburyport, MA. It's a quaint little harbor town with a harbor park and sweet little shops.

It was so fun to not have a particular thing to do, and have the freedom to end up wherever my heart desired. A text from my friend Amy while in Newburyport drew me back to the present, reminding me of my final destination for the day: Boston, MA.

The day ended with dinner at Joe's American Bar & Grill at Boston's Long Wharf pier with friends. And this is only Part 1 of my 4 day furlough...