So much for getting this out here this morning. I got home so late last night, and being that it took me forever to unwind from the drive back from Maine, I couldn't get all the inner-noise to hush until almost 3:00a.m. this morning! I felt like I had just closed my eyes when the alarm went off in order to get Gaby up and ready for school! I should have gotten out of bed and worked on this post, but of course, that thought occurred to me as I was finally drifting off to sleep.
When organizing all of this stuff, I realized that I completely forgot about last Friday's meals. Friday wasn't great as far as eating. I didn't eat much. My stomach is still bothering me a great deal. My doctor's appointment on Wednesday can't get here soon enough.
I took pictures of everything I ate Friday but it mostly just amounted to dinner out at Applebees because we were running late, and I had to be on the road early Saturday morning. I did choose a meal from the Weight Watchers Points Plus menu. It was the Peppercorn Asiago Steak with roasted potatoes and veggies. It was OK. Too salty though. I did have 1/4 of a portion of the starter that Gareth ordered, a Michelob Ultra, and one of their "Dessert Shooters." My entire meal was right around 1000 calories, if not a wee bit under. I didn't eat all of my meal though. Like I said, it was too salty and I took my time and let my stomach let me know when enough was enough.
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Amazingly enough, I found it pretty easy to eat well, while on the road. I did splurge a couple of times but I'm not beating myself up over it, because overall I made great choices.
BUT...we'll get to the food, after the fun and fabulousness!
Every so often Gareth senses that I, well, that I need to go home. I had a couple of things that needed to be taken care of back in Maine anyhow, but there wasn't any rush. However, like I said, Gareth can tell when I need a little break and that some time spent near my beloved Maine coastline and with good friends will heal whatever part of my soul that seems to have become untethered from the rest of me.
I also took advantage of the drive up to Maine to stop just outside of Springfield, MA and meet the lovely and very funny, Major Bedhead (I've been reading her blog for a long time!) and her two gorgeous and very energetic little girls. We stopped for coffee at a cute little cafe and then took the girls to the park. Guess what? Not only did I step outside of my insecurities and meet someone new, who happens to be every bit as wonderful as I'd imagined she was, but I stood there, at the park, for the better part of forty-five minutes without once feeling like I needed to sit down and catch my breath or that my feet were killing me. It might not seem like a big thing to anyone else, but to me, all those things combined? Well they're pretty freaking awesome!
It never fails, once I cross the state line into Maine, I feel like I can take a truly deep breath. I actually cried, right there on the Piscataqua Bridge. I was that happy to be home.
I always get off I-95 in York and head towards Nubble Light, also known as Nubble Point. This weekend was not only blustery, but the wind was unreal. I lost a lens cap for one of my camera lenses and a baseball cap. I call this self-portrait, "Nubble Nose." I'd been standing out on the rocks at Nubble Light, trying to capture some good images of the lighthouse, and the minute I took my lens cap off, it flew out of my hands and down into the depths of the Atlantic ocean. Then went my baseball cap. While it wasn't cold, it was chilly. My nose tells the story of just how chilly that wind, coming off of the ocean, was!
When I wasn't sitting in the car trying to warm up, I was standing on the rocks, trying to keep my hair out of my face (the former baseball cap had been doing a splendid job of that!). I didn't have much luck!
In between watching the seagulls trying to stay airborne and then managing to avoid joining my lens and baseball caps, in the ocean, I managed to get a decent shot of the lighthouse. I love how it stands out in stark contrast against the purple-indigo sky!
Once I'd shot about as much as I wanted to of the lighthouse, I wanted to see if I could capture a couple of shots of the powerful waves breaking against the rocks that jut out into the sea at Sohier Park.
click to enlarge
I eventually got tired of trying to keep my balance on the rocks and worrying about whether my luck had finally run out and I'd get taken out by a rouge-wave. I packed up and headed up north a ways to meet one of my close friends, Stephanie, who has a cottage right on Higgins Beach in Scarborough, where I'd be staying for the night.
We shared a fun meal (I say "fun", because it was at the Lobster Shack, and meals there are never ever a serious affair, especially if you're outside, you're more likely to spend a lot of time trying to keep the gigantic seagulls from snatching your lobster, shrimp, or clam cake!) at the Lobster Shack and then went back to her place for tea and lots of gossip, giggles, and girl-talk by the fireplace while enjoying hot tea, and listening to the waves sing lullabies to the shore and the wind blow against the cottage.
Early Sunday morning I woke up and took a walk along the shore. I managed to get in 3/4 of a mile (YAYYYYY ME! That's the furthest I've walked in probably 5 years!) before the chilly morning wind make my ears feel like they were being stabbed. I wasn't even the least bit winded!
I put together some collages from the photos I took over the weekend. Just a bit of some of what makes Maine so very endearing to me, and centers and quiets my soul.
top row; me taking a photo of me taking a photo of Higgins Beach at Sunrise, candles and tea back at the cottage, a paw print along the shore at Higgins Beach.
bottom image; the pinks and blues of a Higgins sunrise
top image; Long Sands Beach with Nubble Light in the distance,
bottom row; Nubble Light, sea shell tangled in seaweed at Higgins Beach, sun casting its rays on the water at Kettle Cove
Places I Love in Maine
top row, When Pigs Fly bakery in Freeport, Ocean House Pizza (the best pizza on the east coast!) in Cape Elizabeth,
next row, British Shoppe, in Freeport, where we get Gareth his fill of goodies from The Motherland, Oat Groaties found at the British Shoppe
next row, Moorebrook Farm in Scarborough, the Mangy Moose and then Cool as a Moose, both in Freeport, genuine Maine saltwater taffy from Mangy Moose, LL Bean's flagship retail store in Freeport
Before heading home Sunday afternoon, I hit up this place! Sadly we don't have a Whole Paycheck Foods [yet] here in upstate New York.
I was able to get a few things to bring back home, as well as Sunday's late lunch/early dinner.
Speaking of meals, I put together collages for my road-trip fare, as well!
Saturday
top image; dinner at the Lobster Shack -hot dogs, fries, 3 of Stephanie's shrimp, a homemade oatmeal raisin cookie
breakfast was a mix of carrots and strawberries. I didn't eat very many because, again, like most mornings recently, I just wasn't hungry.
Once I rolled into New Hampshire, I stopped and got some handcrafted local uncured, pepperoni, an apple and a bottle of water. It tied me over until we ate a late dinner at the Lobster Shack.
I didn't eat most of the second hot dog, left several fries, and I'm pretty sure the cookie is still in a plastic baggie in the bottom of my handbag.
Sunday
for breakfast I got one of those fruit, nut and yogurt things from McDonald's. I know I know...but it's only 210 calories and I didn't have time to run into the store and grab a few things.
lunch was an amazing salad I created at Whole Foods! Lots of greens - I even tried raw baby spinach for the first time and I liked it! Just don't ask me to eat the cooked stuff! YUCK! Also topped it with some asian noodles, a little bean salad, a few pieces of grilled chicken and NO salad dressing! Go me! That was a fist for me.
I had a low-calorie Izze beverage with it but really didn't like it. It was supposed to be watermelon but it lasted like sparking apple cider, which I don't like! I enjoyed my lunch at Ft. Williams in Cape Elizabeth - overlooking Casco Bay.
For a snack, when I stopped at When Pigs Fly bakery for some bread to bring home, I also picked up one of their organic orange, cranberry, graham cookies. I stopped at and got a massive Starbucket's worth of coffee to go with it. The cookie was really good, it was also really big. Some hungry seagulls enjoyed about 1/3 of it!
I was still on the road heading back to New York at 9PM so I stopped and got a snack. I had a raging headache so I grabbed a Coke without thinking anything other than, "OMG, look that adorable little bottle it's in! I must have one! And then to make matters worse, I bought a huge, warm, soft pretzel. I don't know why they can't make those things without the salt. I spent about twenty minutes picking the salt off. But, I admit, both the Coke and the pretzel tasted really good.
Overall, I did OK. I'm not going to punish myself for where I could have made better choices. I got in a great walk on Sunday and because I can't do the whole 5-hour drive without stopping at least once an hour to get out and walk (I'm still dealing with those blood clots in my left leg, dammit!), I got in a lot of other exercise as well.
I'll post today's meals, of which there was only a snack and then dinner, tomorrow. I'm exhausted and want to get into bed before Geronimo decides that because I was gone over the weekend, I have forfeited my side of the bed. Cheeky cat!
