If you’ve been following along here for any length of time, you’ll remember that we made a point of going on “adventures” as often as we could last summer, when nearly every trip in the car was an adventure because everything was new. Last summer we were also a one income family, and our breadwinner had every Friday off, so we had the flexibility, if not the funds, for frequent outings. Adventures have been in short supply this summer. With both of us working oddball schedules now, time is the major issue, so when I was reminded that I had a flex holiday to use up within the next few weeks, we decided to take the chance to go adventuring.

To the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens.

About an hour’s drive away, the gardens are just gorgeous. Rustic and decidedly un-fussy, they have a wildness that is so very Maine. It was a very comfortable place to visit. Not overly manicured, but still carefully curated. We spend the majority of our time in the Children’s Garden, visiting with Little Bear in the blueberry patch and clambering across the rope bridge in the treehouse, but wandered through most of the Central Garden area as well. Mama loved the kitchen garden best, and our littles made wishes with pennies tossed in the fountain. There’s a lot we didn’t see, and I’m keen to try one of the boat tours, maybe as a date day with J. Either way, I think we’ll be back.

Wouldn’t you know, all that adventuring can make a girl hungry. We stopped in Wiscasset on the way home and enjoyed a lobster roll on the water. It’s kind of fun doing the touristy things now and again, without the pressure of trying to cram it all into a short trip, particularly knowing that we get to go home and sleep in our own beds. It’s the best kind of adventuring.