Portland, Maine

When we pulled into Portland, Maine on a sunny Saturday morning, we weren't too sure what to expect. All we knew was that 1. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow had a home there & 2. there was excellent lobster to be had.

What we found was a quiet, pleasant (surprisingly hilly) place to walk around & explore for a few hours. After walking up to explore a church whose steeple we could see sticking up over the town, we wandered the narrow streets in the port area, just as stores were opening up for the day. We did find Mr. Longfellow's house (that would be it below), as well as some excellent lobster rolls (they deserve their own post). It was a great morning of exploring!

Photo © Christina Saull-All Rights Reserved


Photo © Christina Saull-All Rights Reserved

You all know I am a sucker for an awesome public library... Portland's did not disappoint!

Photo © Christina Saull-All Rights Reserved

City Hall

Photo © Christina Saull-All Rights Reserved


Photo © Christina Saull-All Rights Reserved


Photo © Christina Saull-All Rights Reserved

While in Portland, we discovered the Maine Red Claws, a minor league NBA team. The best part about the Red Claws? Their motto: "Join the crustacean nation." LOVE. IT.

Photo © Christina Saull-All Rights Reserved

Kennebunkport: By Land

Photo © Christina Saull-All Rights Reserved

Photo © Christina Saull-All Rights Reserved

Photo © Christina Saull-All Rights Reserved

Photo © Christina Saull-All Rights Reserved


Photo © Christina Saull-All Rights Reserved

Kennebunkport: By Water

Photo © Christina Saull-All Rights Reserved


Photo © Christina Saull-All Rights Reserved

Walker's Point

Photo © Christina Saull-All Rights Reserved


Photo © Christina Saull-All Rights Reserved

Captain John

Photo © Christina Saull-All Rights Reserved


Photo © Christina Saull-All Rights Reserved


Photo © Christina Saull-All Rights Reserved

and finally, one very Jackie-O looking picture of me on the boat... ;)

Kennebunkport, Maine

I forgot to blog yesterday. Oops. How about a double dose today to make up for it?

Kennebunkport, Maine is one of the most charming places on earth. You can just feel the cute, the wealth, the "New England-ness," the love of the sea & the spray of the ocean air.

During our trip last month, we spent on afternoon in Kennebunkport. On the way there, we drove through Kennebunk & Kennebunk Beach (both equally charming).

Once we got there, we hopped on a lobster boat for a sail down the Kennebunkport River & out into the ocean where we got an up close view of Walker's Point, where President George H.W. Bush & the Mrs. reside during the summer months. We also got to see a lobster trap up hauled up & got to hold a live lobster. If that's not living it up on vacation, I'm not sure what is!

Following our little sail, we walked around the Dock Square, popping in & out of quaint shops filled with Christmas ornaments, candles, tee-shirts & kitsch. We stopped by "Maine's smallest ice cream shop" (it was quite tiny, just a small window) & had some fantastic Maine wildberry ice cream, before eventually making our way to the most touristy shop of all, where Brad picked up a "Kennebunkport 41 43" hat (that would be President George H.W. Bush (#41) & President George W. Bush (#43) for you non-politicos).

As we headed out of town back to Portland, we took one last swing by Walker's Point (trivia note: Grandpa Walker purchased the land many years ago for a whopping $20k) & the extravagant country club next door which was hosting a wedding. It's a place we both said we would love to vacation in, but honestly know that we would never be able to afford to do it right. Besides, the thought of Brad walking around with a popped collar on his polo shirt all summer is enough to make me lose my lunch.

Pictures coming in the new few posts....

Lighthouse love

Photo © Christina Saull-All Rights Reserved

I need to move to an area of the country with more lighthouses.

Hot Summer in the City

Some scenes from a New York City summer day

Photo © Christina Saull-All Rights Reserved

Photo © Christina Saull-All Rights Reserved

Photo © Christina Saull-All Rights Reserved

Photo © Christina Saull-All Rights Reserved

Photo © Christina Saull-All Rights Reserved

Photo © Christina Saull-All Rights Reserved

Photo © Christina Saull-All Rights Reserved

Photo © Christina Saull-All Rights Reserved

Five for Friday

1. Wohoo! We're back! Okay, actually that is not really something to celebrate, since it means we're no longer on vacation. But I guess you gotta work sometime, huh?

2. Our vacation to Maine & Canada was amazing! Really, amazing doesn't even cover it. The weather was crisp & cool the entire time (except for you Boston, what's with that heat?). The nature & scenery were gorgeous. We ate & laughed our way through New England & Canada, & threw in a sea kayaking trip of epic proportions along the way. I can't wait to share pictures with all of you - editing down the 1200 we took has been a bit of a bear!

3. As a gift from the vacation-gods, the weather in D.C. has been nothing short of fall-like this week. It is the only thing that made coming back from vacation a little easier. We'll return to summer on Sunday though, when it's supposed to be 90 degrees - ouch!

4. Honestly, who isn't excited about the football season being, literally, right around the corner? Our evenings have been filled with NFL pre-season games & college games start next week. There is nothing I love more than a Saturday tailgate!

5. One of the hardest things about being back from vacation is getting my sleep schedule back on track. For 10 days we went to bed when we wanted & (mostly) got up when we wanted. I have not been able to shake the grogginess this week. Hopefully a restful weekend will cure all ills.

Happy weekend people!

P.S. I know you've missed my 52 lists project - they'll be back next week!

Strolling the Brooklyn Bridge

Photo © Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

For all the times I have been to New York, & all the touristy stuff I have done, there was one thing I hadn't done: walked the Brooklyn Bridge.

So I picked the hottest day of the year to do so! Armed with my camera, a tank top & a $2 bottle of water, I headed from Manhattan across the river to Brooklyn.


Photo © Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

Photo © Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved



Photo © Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

Photo © Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

Photo © Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

Squares

Photo © Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

Spotted this fabulous building coming into Brooklyn by foot on the Brooklyn Bridge

New York Holga Love

In mid-July, I took a long weekend up to the greatest city in the world with the hopes of getting the creative juices flowing again. To help enhance the creative energies, I took two cameras: my D200, with only a 50mm lens, & an old fashioned, good ol plastic Holga.

This Holga is life changing, let me tell you! The lack of control over your image, the "what you see is what you get" when shooting with film, the light leaks & the imperfections of each image make each image, to me, all that much more perfect. These were all shot on Kodak Black & White 120mm film & are straight out of the glorius camera.

I'm in love.


Photo © Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved


Photo © Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

Photo © Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

Photo © Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

Photo © Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

Photo © Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

Photo © Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

Photo © Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

Photo © Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

see you lovely people in September!

Five for Friday

1. Sorry there has been a bit of a radio silence on my blog this week. It has been one of those weeks with no end in sight... so busy! But, it's finally Friday, which is great news for everyone.

2. I had a great time in New York City last weekend & have lots of photos to share. I even spent half a day just shooting with my Holga camera, which really was an exercise in creativity. This was one of my most relaxing trips to NYC yet, with lots of time spent lounging in Bryant Park & enjoying the breezes coming across the Brooklyn Bridge. I also saw "A Little Night Music," a Stephen Sondheim show with Bernadette Peters & Elaine Stritch. If you don't know who any of those three people are, I can't believe we are friends. It is a great show, with a superior supporting cast, so if you find yourself in NYC, it's definitely worth checking out.

3. In less than two weeks, Brad & I leave on our big trip for the year: a 10-day Royal Caribbean New England & Canada cruise. While we have things sort of planned out, if anyone has suggestions of "must see's" or "must eat's" at any of our destinations (Portland, ME; Bar Harbor, ME; St. John, New Brunswick; Halifax, Nova Scotia; Boston), please let me know!

4. Something for those of you in the D.C.-area, which I mentioned before: a few of my photos were selected to hang in the Historic Alexandria History Center and Museum Store. After a couple unexpected delays, they're finally up! I haven't been down to check them out myself yet, but that's definitely on the agenda for this weekend. They should be up until December, so stop by & check them out.

5. Finally, in typical Washington fashion, my blog is going to go on its annual summer recess for the month of August. I promise to be back in September with tons of photos to share of New York City, New England & Canada. And, of course, my whitty ramblings that you all have come to know & love.

list 22 - things I love about Brad

He makes these really crazy faces all the time. It's ridiculously cute.

He has the kindest soul... he literally is the nicest person you'll ever meet. No, I mean it. Every time he meets someone new, they always say "He is SO nice!"

He grills a mean turkey burger.

He carries my camera bag & regular bag & purse & jacket & anything else.

He lets me buy discounted books, even though we have two eight foot bookcases full of them.

He is really smart.

He looks extremely sharp in a suit and tie.

He carries the groceries.

He always encourages me when I don't want to go to the gym... but do anyway.

He listens to my crazy dreams & even lets me follow through on some of them.

He always says "I love you" when we hang up the phone, even if we've only talked for a moment.

He still considers me his bride, three years later.

He has a knack for taking photos of me taking photos.

He buys me flowers.

He rubs my feet.

He has no problem spending a Friday evening watching DVR'd TV & eating take out thai.

He loves me for who I am.

list 21 - why we do what we do

I get asked a lot why and how Brad &I travel so much (sometimes nicely, sometimes snarky). I thought I'd address the issue in today's list.

at the top of Mt. Vesuvius, Naples, Italy

Travel...
- allows us to experience cultures completely different than ours
- allows us to put ourselves in uncomfortable situations & test our limits
- allows us some "us time" away from the stress of jobs, commutes, & the ridiculousness of every day life (oil changes, bill paying, folding laundry...)
- allows us the chance to stay in really comfortable hotels... & not have to make the bed in the morning
- allows us to check things off our bucket list while we're still young enough to enjoy it
- allows us the chance to stretch our thinking caps & research skills... we always get the best deal possible on every aspect of our trips
- allows us to take strategic advantage of our vacation time & long weekends (& BlackBerry's & working remotely)
- allows us an opportunity to explore new places that may one day be home
- allows us to appreciate quiet evenings at home even more

Travel isn't for everyone, but it is definitely for Brad & me. We consider ourselves extremely lucky to be able to travel the way we do, but we also believe that with strategic planning & budgeting, a lot of people could travel more than they do. We enjoy our life, but know that some people find that hard to believe. We work hard & enjoy the benefits of that.

I know this probably sounds a little defensive... but we just really want you to understand why we do what we do... & to stop judging us for it.

Concrete jungle where dreams are made of

I keep forgetting I'm going to NYC this weekend.

With all the crazy planning for our cruise in August, with crazy things at work including a two day work trip to Atlanta this week, with the crazy schedule of having my brother in town, and with crazy life just keeping us running,
I keep forgetting.

Keep forgetting that I can spend as many hours in B&H as I want.

Keep forgetting that I will be able to rest my head in the amazing Library Hotel (and drink many, many decaf cappuccinos!).

Keep forgetting the peace that washes over me after a few hours of strolling through Central Park with no agenda.

Keep forgetting the feeling of dough in my hand as I enjoy my traditional midnight Times Square hot pretzel.

I've missed you, NYC.
I'm glad we'll have some time to get reacquainted this weekend.

Malley's Candies & Ice Cream Parlor

Doesn't the name just sound like an old fashioned childhood summer?

My childhood was filled with Malley's ice cream, luckily not bound by any one season, so I was ridiculously excited to go back & explore the ice cream parlors that shaped my youth in Cleveland.
True story: when we drove past the one with the merry-go-round in it (yes, it really does, more on that in a minute), on the way from the airport to meet my brother in law for dinner, my excitement nearly caused us to drive off the road. Probably should have left the driving up to Brad.

The good news? They're still there. They're still exactly the same. They're still delicious.

The bad news? My hips are much bigger & my metabolism much slower than they were when I was six years old.

First stop: the Malley's ice cream parlor in Lakewood,
a.k.a. "the one with the garden veranda."

This is the Pink Elephant Sundae. Peppermint ice cream. Homemade whipped cream (I have dreams about their whipped cream, it's so good). Hot fudge on the side (this is key, since it keeps your sundae from melting prematurely). Spanish peanuts with the skin still on (this is also key).
This sundae was SO much better than I remember it being!

To ensure that we properly gave nostalgia its due, we stopped at the Malley's in North Olmstead, a.k.a. "the one with the merry-go-round," on the way to the airport.
It too did not disappoint.

This is the Peanut Butter Cup sundae. I don't think I ever had it as a child, but I should have. Note the fudge on the side again. Also, make no mistake about it: the focus of the camera fell squarely on the fudge & left everything else a little fuzzy. My camera clearly knows excellence when it sees it.

This is the "North Olmstead pink pachyderm" which is the namesake of the awesome Pink Elephant Sundae. Divine, no?

Last, but certainly not least: the merry-go-round. In the restaurant. And yes, it goes around (albeit extremely slowly). It's fantastic.