Kennebunkport and Ogunquit (don’t ask me to pronounce that last one)

(Snapshot of the pond at our lovely Scarborough campground)

Jill's Journal: It’s a shame the sun doesn’t shine every day in Maine, because when it does, it is spectacular beyond measure. Somehow the sky is bigger here. The air is purer. The sunlight more invigorating. The views more beautiful. The ocean more intense. It is simply glorious.

About half of our days here have been filled with this amazing sunshine and it has been a virtual guarantee for a joy-filled day. Today was no exception.

The girls and I headed a few miles down the coast to a sweet little town called Kennebunk. Tom’s of Maine, makers of my favorite toothpaste, has an “outlet” store right there on Main Street with rock-bottom prices. We didn’t go there just to buy cheap toothpaste, however. I’d heard their factory is not far from there and one can sign up for a tour from their store. It’s supposed to be very kid-friendly and solves mysteries for kids of how the toothpaste gets in the tube and things like that.

It turns out all the above is true in the summer, but we are out of their tour-giving season. We’ve found that with many things in the area, but that’s okay. We’re clearly still enjoying the things we do find! And I did get a tube of cheap toothpaste. :)

Kennebunk also is well-known for its “Wedding Cake House.” I couldn’t see what all the fuss is about, but the girls thought it was wonderful.




A little farther down the road is the gorgeous little town of Kennebunkport. What a darling place. It’s probably the most beautiful, most charming, most quaint of all the seaside towns I’ve ever been to in this country. I absolutely loved it. And just outside of town is Walker’s Point, the summer residence of President George H.W. Bush. WOW. This compound has a peninsula jutting out into the ocean all to itself. Breathtaking.
The 41st president’s maternal grandfather bought the land in the late 1800s and built the mansion in 1903; the first President Bush spent much of his childhood there and didn’t move to Texas until he was a young man. Walker’s Point is clearly an attraction in town, because a little pull-off from Ocean Avenue was constructed for gawkers (like us!) and it was very busy. There was an older couple walking on the lawn of the main house while we were there; she had a shock of white hair and everyone around us was convinced the elder Bushes were in residence.

We concluded the day just a little farther down the coast in Ogunquit, yet another adorable seaside town. It has a 1 1/4 mile oceanside hike that is gentle and perfect for kids. We thoroughly enjoyed it. And of course, it is beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. I love Maine!