This summer, my wife and I took a vacation with our three semi-grown daughters to one of the most expensive places in America. No, we didn’t visit our local insurance office. We toured several beautiful and fascinating cities in New England.
Our first stop was Newburyport, Massachusetts. We hadn’t planned to visit this charming coastal city, but after deplaning, securing a rental vehicle ginormous enough to accommodate the US Olympic Team (or our luggage), and heading north to our first planned destination, we were starving – at least I was. We found a restaurant in the historical downtown area, and in the euphoria of the moment, I made the grave error of telling the girls to order whatever they wanted.
After we inhaled appetizers of delectable clam “chowdah,” I heard my youngest and quietest daughter say something to the server about swordfish, and, unfortunately, she wasn’t asking how to catch one. Oh, well, I hear that retirement is overrated, anyway. Next on our list was scenic Portland, Maine.
I had always wondered if the local Mainers would continuously force-feed us lobster rolls once we crossed the state line, which didn’t sound too bad to me. I soon discovered, much to my wallet’s dismay, that the lobster in Maine, though scrumptious, isn’t complimentary–or even “buy one, get one free.” The highlight of our time in Portland was a sunset visit to the Portland Head Light in Cape Elizabeth.
Standing on a craggy shoreline, the lighthouse is truly .