July 1-July 8                         Southwest Harbor, Maine

Several days of fog preceded the arrival of our cousins from Texas, Julie and Greg Galier and their thirteen-year-old son, Tripp.  We made numerous trips to the grocery store, planned menus and activities, cleaned, scrubbed, and made everything ready.  Having guests or hosting a party usually provides us with motivation to do the things we postponed “until later.”

The Galiers were scheduled to arrive in Bangor at 8:30 PM on July 1.  The fog became denser and we were concerned about driving in such conditions.  The problem was solved when their plane in Fort Worth was delayed due to maintenance issues, they missed their connection in Washington, were given vouchers for hotel and food to spend the night, and were re-scheduled to arrive the following morning.  We would chill the eight lobsters, cooked and ready for dinner, and make lobster rolls for the next day.

Julie, Greg and Tripp are experienced travelers and they took the delay in stride.  They were greeted by a perfect sunny, cool Maine day and were eager to come to the boat.  Lunch was on the deck of Top of the Hill Restaurant with beautiful views of the harbor and delightful music from a local jazz trio.

Greg, who is six feet seven inches tall, could easily stand erect in the salon and aft deck.  His head barely touched the ceiling in the master stateroom and he admitted being a “little cramped” in the master head but he accommodated all very well.  Tripp easily made himself comfortable in the bow stateroom.  They were delightful, easy guests and we enjoyed showing them the Seal Cove Car Museum, Bar Harbor, Southwest Harbor, and the Asticou Gardens.  They toured Soames Sound in the dinghy and we made a boat trip to Bass Harbor and Northeast Harbor. Each day provided another opportunity to indulge in Maines’s great seafood. They took the car one day to do some exploring on their own, went to the beach, and mingled with the huge holiday crowds in Bar Harbor.

Tripp, a tall, handsome, and very bright boy was unusually adept at entertaining himself.  He frequented the basketball court in Southwest Harbor and found plenty of guys for a pick-up game.  He thought nothing of running the almost mile from the boat to the court several times a day to join a game.  At other times, he stayed occupied with shows and games on his electronic devices.  Always polite and respectful, he has a great relationship with his parents and was an exceptional guest.

The Fourth of July was a perfect day for celebrations.  Julie and I decorated the boat with bunting and banners, Greg grilled hamburgers and hot dogs on the bridge and we watched the active marina scene from the aft deck as other boaters gathered for a great view of the fireworks.

The duel display of fireworks, one from the water and the other from the shore, was magnificent.  It lasted for more than thirty minutes and was a non-stop show of dazzling color and spectacle.  Our bridge provided a great view of both displays.

On June 6, we returned to Bangor and said farewell to Julie, Greg and Tripp.  They were immediately missed.  The weather, beautiful every day of their visit, steadily clouded and grew colder as we made the trip back to the boat. Upon boarding, we immediately realized we had a problem.  Our head sensors had failed to alert us to the necessity of emptying the holding tank.  One head overflowed and we had the unpleasant task of cleaning wet floors and baling water to provide temporary use.  We were grateful this had happened after the departure of our guests. It would have been very embarrassing and terribly inconvenient.  A quick pump out the next day solved the problem.