We had such a wonderful time together two years ago at York, Maine that we decided to do it again. All 11 of us, 3 generations, 4 family units and one little dog returned to Mill Dam Cottage for the last week in July.
It is so hard to capture 7 days of family fun and togetherness. We have a LOT of photos again (over 900 photos and videos) and sorting through them takes so long! The 2024 blog has more pictures of the house and surroundings so this one will be more people pics.
A week of fun, laughter, togetherness, companionship and love through photos …..
Mill Dam Cottage, York, Maine. The character of this 1900 house is matched by its surroundings.
Addie and Ceci really enjoyed it, but look! Even Moms can have fun – go, Kerri!!
The kids quickly arranged “their” bunk room to suit themselves – all three beds lined up. 🙂
We brought another “family member” along this year. Al decided that the unsinkable Molly B should go with us for rides on the York River. There was a boat ramp for launching at Scotland Bridge Road and Al configured an anchor system right off of the house.
The ladies had their own ride in Molly B. 🙂
And the pool…… We would never rent a place without one. The pool at Mill Dam Cottage is near perfection – nestled among the pines, a great pool house and porch area, and HEATED. The kids spend 75% of their time in the water.
Cannonballs and jumping in.
Big and little kids!
We bring our “kid kayaks” but they never see the river, only the pool. Three at a time takes real effort and persistence.
Winston is very patient and cooperative.
A fine place to relax and chill.No caption needed!Papa gets his R&R time, too. Hmm…. what happened to that chaise?
Even nighttime swims.
Our favorite place in the house was outside on the porch. Room for all of us, a view of the river, and just a great place to relax and hang out any time of day.
The view of the river from the porch is a source of reflection, peace and also entertainment.
The tidal difference in York Maine averages 9 feet from low to high tide. Poor Molly B was sure high and dry at low tide! The kids loved exploring along the shore at any tide. The discovery of a dead fish fascinated them for several days. They checked on it daily and watched “nature” devour it.
Molly B got to stretch her sea legs quite often in Maine. The kids and Papa went for rides with plenty of driving time. Yes, Caleb is trying to touch the underside of the low bridge upriver from us.
We had all been curious about the dock across the river from us – what is it? With the Molly B, we got close enough to check it out. A very big scary -looking mermaid.
We stopped to watch people jumping from the higher bridge near the harbor. NOOooo, Caleb, you may not do that!
Moms and Dads (Adam & Steph and Ryan & Kerri) enjoyed kayaking on the river.
Mill Dam Cottage is only one house away from the entrance to Stedman Woods, the lovely trail that leads to Wiggly Bridge.
Frequent walks were taken along the shaded path.See tree, will climb……..
Must include at least one photo of Wiggly Bridge, the mini-suspension bridge at the end of Stedman Woods.
Although it is more work, we like to cook and eat together at the house.rather than go out. Each family unit is responsible for one dinner, but the rest of us always pitch in as much for the camaraderie as anything else. Everyone takes care of their own breakfasts and lunches.
We have early risers and sleep-in folks in this family so breakfast is ongoing for a few hours.
Arrival night is pizza night from York 54.
Lisa and Jeanne’s meatballs and spaghetti night on the back deck.
Adam and Steph made grilled chicken and shrimp with roasted vegetables and corn chowder.
Ryan and Kerri’s enchilada and taco night with so many toppings, cabbage slaw, and rice.
My pulled barbecue chicken with macaroni and cheese. I made all of mine at home and froze it so I didn’t have to work so much here. 😉
We had surprise delivery from Don & Cindy – 12 pints of Graeter’s Ice Cream!!!! To say the grandkids were delighted is a major understatement. Ok, truth here, the other two generations were pretty darn excited, too.
The brothers in the kitchen.
On a cloudy day we ventured back to Marginal Way, a 1.25 mile cliffside footpath that edges the Atlantic Ocean from Shore Road to Perkins Cove in Ogunquit. The name “Marginal Way”, refers to the “margin” between land and sea. The winding path edges the Atlantic ocean with views of the Atlantic Ocean, waves smashing against rocks, and tide pools.
Waiting to begin our hike on the Marginal Way.
Looking out to the rocks and sea.
If there are rocky ledges, they must be climbed.
Where are Ryan and Kerri???
A little lighthouse at the end of the path near Ogunquit.
Back in Perkins Cove, we all deserved ice cream after that hike.
Everyone wanted to make tie-dye shirts again. I did some research and got serious dye powders for better and more intense colors than the kit from the craft store.
It takes some prepping to get everything ready. The t-shirts were soaked in a soda ash solution first which is supposed to make the dye absorb better.
The overturned kayaks made good “tables” for the tying part of the process.
Busy hands creating individual designs.
After a 24 hour rest in plastic bags, the shirts get rinsed. Rinse and repeat… Rinse and repeat….
Spread out waiting for the wash and dry phase. Definitely more intense color!
We celebrated Jeanne’s birthday –
Morning celebration
And evening celebration.
Random grandkid photos because they are just so much fun. And cute.
One morning we drove up to Short Sands for a little shopping.
Perusing the candy shelves at The Goldenrod. Then trying to decide on a common sweatshirt design…… Nana always buys matching sweatshirts for them. Not so easy to get unanimous agreement this year! Nana finally said “I think this is the one!” and it was all settled with no complaints.
Next stop, Nubble Light.
There is no access to the lighthouse grounds but you can see it from across the waterway.
The new Maine sweatshirts!
Family photo
Ever changing scenes surrounded us.
Storm clouds are a coming.
A fiery moon
And a paler moon
Mill Dam Cottage at night.
Sunrise over the beach.
I think my favorite moment from the week was when the grandkids decided they wanted to make breakfast for everyone.
They shared their idea with Ryan and asked for his help.
Multiple copies of the menu were secretly created in their bedroom. Uncle Adam prepared the coffee the night before. Notepads for taking orders were readied and used.
The table is set on the porch, the coffee bar is all ready. Excitement is in the air!
Ceci takes the breakfast orders.
Caleb makes his signature scrambled eggs for everyone.
Lots of action in the kitchen.
Service begins. What a special morning.
Shared activities during this special week together reinforce our family bonds and create lasting memories, whether it is cooking together, tie-dying-shirts together and painting rocks together.
The barn/pool house was the perfect spot for this activity. Just as we did in 2024 the table were set up and covered with plastic on top and below.
This is serious business for our group.
Very serious artists.
The final products included a wide variety – funny, artistic, and inspirational.
There is a tree stump on the path through Stedman Woods that was “empty” this year. In 2024 it was a fairy house. We decided to paint some of our rocks with “inspirational” words to place there. Have Fun, Plant a Tree, Peace, Kindness Matters, Follow Your Heart, You Are You, Believe in You, Be Kind.
We hope people will notice, stop, and take a look. And feel good.
Wiggly Bridge!
I had promised Ceci and Addie that we would paint colored streaks in our hair …. someday. Someday arrived in Maine. And Caleb joined in. Not as easy as I thought it would be, but it did wash out!
And because it did wash out, they wanted it done again. I let the Moms take over. Adam joined in this time with a touch of blue in his beard.
A lot of laughs!
When it was time to take the Molly B back up the river, Adam and Ryan plus all three kids joined me on the 30 minute ride. When the boat was launched, Al and his crew drove the boat while I drove the car with the trailer back to the house (first time ever.) I did not feel confident to drive the trailer and back it down the ramp while Al drove the boat so we switched places.
My “boys” at the wheel on the unsinkable Molly B.
Nice to have extra hands to haul the whaler out.
We made s’mores again on our last evening.
Family photos in our new tie-dyed shirts.
What a wonderful week!
The usual antics on the lawn.
Cousins good bye hug
A week together with people you love is always something to treasure, but in these times it is very much needed. We are bombarded by lies, corruption, despicable acts, and chaos on a daily basis, leaving us feeling helpless, distraught and angry. A week like this helped us to ground ourselves, forget about it for a little while, and remember all that we have to be thankful for.
Mill Dam Cottage’s owner, Axel, is German. We have had brief but powerful email conversations about the current state of the U.S. Axel is very fond of the United States and truly loves the people. The view of us from across the ocean is one of anxiety, frustration and distrust of the U.S. government, separated from a true fondness for Americans themselves. There is hope that we will be able to restrain the current administration in the mid-terms and eventually begin the long process of reconstructing the United States in 2029. As a thank you for sharing his home, I wove two towels for him and his family – one in red, white and blue, and the other in the colors of the German flag. He sent the photos above to show me the towels and the flag he flies when they are living at Mill Dam Cottage. It is a blend of the German and US flags, with the EU flag below. He gives me hope.
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