The Last Few Days....

Hello Everyone!
I am sorry that I have not posted in a couple of days. We have been in Maine with our friends, and we have been getting up in the morning and doing things and then going straight to bed. It has been awesome. However, I will start off with a summary of the last few days before getting to Maine.

Day 8:
We went to the awards ceremony and got to march in the parade representing Nebraska. Then, the ceremony began. The awards ceremony is very long, (3 ½ hours) and our category was near the end. In the end though, the wait was worth it. William and I won third place in our category with our documentary. Joel and his partner came in first in their category with their website. After the ceremony, we visited Ikea, (My Mom’s favorite store) and then began our trek to Maine.  Maine is a VERY LONG way from Washington D.C. It is a good ten to twelve hour drive. So, we did not make it all the way to Maine that day. We went to Newark, New Jersey.

Day 9:
Today, we made it to Maine. On the way, we got to see the Statue of Liberty, (From a distance) the Liberty Tower (The World Trade Center) as well as the 9/11 Memorial for New Jersey residents.  We then continued north. We arrived in Maine at 8 P.M.

MAINE:
In Maine we visited our friends the McHughs. They live two miles from the ocean in a small town called Kennebunkport/Kennebunk. The town is known as the summer home of Former President George H. W. Bush. We did many things here, and as it will be easier to put it all as a single subject instead of divided into days, I will do so.

The day after we arrived, we made a basic list of everything that we wanted to get done. Here is what it looked like:

Kayaking
Boogie Boarding and Surfing in the ocean
Hiking in the woods
Exploring the woods
Go Man Shopping in the “Dock Square”. (The business sector of Kennebunkport)
Watch the Hobbit movie
Play Basketball

We managed to get all of that done plus a lot more. On the first day, we spent most of our day at the beach or playing woofle ball. The beaches are beautiful. We got to collect shells, boogie board, search in tide pools, and I got to try to surf. We also tried to build a sea wall and levy system to protect our sandcastles. It was awesome. We also played basketball. That night, we were so exhausted that we went straight to bed without any ado, which is not normal because generally we stay up and talk.

The next day was Father’s Day. I got up early and help Mrs. McHugh make breakfast. We made Biscuits and Gravy. We went hiking while the Moms went shopping. We then went ‘Man Shopping’. We toured several of the shops with our friend Elliot. That night, Joel, Jake and Elliot watched the Hobbit, the rest of us went for Ice Cream and an awesome creamery named Goose Rocks Dairy. Their Ice Cream was incredible. That night, we watched the College World Series on TV. I am rooting for Indiana and Mississippi State.
We were planning on leaving the next morning as the McHughs were going to go on a camping trip, however, they put it off a day, so we stayed another day. While the other boys went to play basketball and go to the beach, I went with Mrs. McHugh and Mom Antiquing. We went to four different shops as well as a flea market. I got two British Coins from the early 20th century. I also got a medallion commemorating the bicentennial of the United States as well as a Ronald Reagan political button. After browsing the shops, we went to a business called Port Canvas. Port Canvas is a business that makes canvas bags from materials all made in Maine. While the Moms were shopping, I started talking the General Manager, and she gave me a full tour of their headquarters. She showed me how the bags were embroidered and how they were put together. She also showed me all of the different products that they made. I got a medium sized duffel bag embroidered with my initials. It was a cool experience.

The next day, we packed and prepared to leave. We packed up and  left at around 10. I will post more on the trip home tomorrow. Today is our last day on the road, no matter how long it takes us.