Kennebunkport

Saturday, I had about an hour and a half to kill before my dinner with friends in Kennebunkport so decided to check out the infamous Kittery outlet malls. Now, I don’t know about you, but I used to love my outlet malls of the 90s. I remember when mom and I first discovered them, a whole other world of opportunity opened up. And then they slid. The deals got less good and stores like TJ Maxx popped up. More often the outlets were not worth it. Which I think is still the case, but I hit some good sales this weekend.



So 1.5 hours, 100+ stores spread out over 10 shopping plazas, and a desperate need for new jeans – pairs to wear with heals and to wear with flats. Also a need for casual sneaker like shoes and more pants that fit would. Except I didn’t really know what size I was now. I’ve gained about 10 pounds recently (and quickly) and it all seems to have gone to the hips/thighs. Store after store I would wait in lines to try on clothes and find that the tops I picked out were too big and the pants too small. By the end of my allotted time, I came to accept I was coming back the next day on my way back home and just purchased a bunch of clothes without trying them on. I made out pretty well. Got a nice infusion to the old wardrobe. I even found a beautiful weekend bag set from Brooks Brothers (over $1,000!) that I paid a fraction of a fraction of the full price.



Off to Kennebunkport, picked up some beer (supposed to be wine but couldn’t find any). It was a wonderful night – full house of old high school friends (and their mates). Maggie and Dave hosting, Sarah in from DC, Nima and Shireen up from Boston with a surprise and Reegan and Mike with their two kids over from NH. Finally meeting Dave was good – got to reminisce about our college days. Although we don’t know each other, we went to the same undergrad school – one year apart. He was on the swim team even. I wonder if Cec know him. And Shireen is due in August! I thought maybe she was pregnant at first but she had her coat on so kept quiet – you never know. And it’s been ages since I saw Reegan and her family. Scheduling to go visit next month. I’m always surprised when kids remember you even though it’s been over a year since you saw them. A. came running to give me a hug when I first walked in, very charming



Good food, good company and my wine glass never seemed to be empty all night. Later in the night, the boys were off beating each other up on the play station and we were talking relationships and dating. Sara is a character so hearing her take on the dating scene was funny. Exactly the same as me, if not worse. And our married friends were stumped how we were both still single. Of course I have a new round of blind dates ahead of me with “sweet” guy friends of theirs. Who knows, it’s all about the numbers.



Spent the night and enjoyed a delicious egg sandwich breakfast on fresh sour dough around the kitchen table. Apparently I don’t like to pack anymore. The last several weekend trips, I pack the essentials, but that’s it. So didn’t really have another outfit to wear, but having run by the outlet, I did, kind of. Decided to wear my new Brooks Brothers button up shirt and plum wool sweater from Banana Republic. We headed off to check out some land M&D are thinking of buying to build on. Nice wooded plot at the end of a quiet road. Then we separated and I went with the guys to…. the firing range! But keep in mind we’re in Maine, so it’s basically some land with a shack on it and some stuff to shoot at in the distance. No one was there so we had the place to ourselves. D has some pieces that we got to try out. I’m fairly conservative on gun control - meaning I’m on the liberal side of things. And I don’t ever want them in my house, ever, but I’d still like to know how to handle a weapon just in case I ever got into a situation. We tried our hand at a Glock 9 hand gun (just had to look that up – didn’t know how to spell it). Unfortunately it didn’t have a safety which was one thing I wanted to learn about. D was a great teacher, relaxed and informative but also very aware of safety. It was a lot louder than I expected. I guess I figured I knew what to expect since our media culture is so full of shooting. And the casings would gently bounce back at you as they ejected which was strange. Also got to try out an AK 47. These are the rifles that have fought in so many wars. It was very strange seeing one in person, let alone empty a clip. It was loud and had a kick (but not too bad) and was heavy. And after you could really smell it. I’m glad I’ll never have to be a soldier. It really gave you a sense of what it might begin to be like to be a soldier. Something I’d not wish on anyone. I was glad to finally have this opportunity. I’d been wanting to go to a firing range for several years now, but really wanted to go with a friend to show me the ropes. I just didn’t think it would be up in the backwoods of Maine, while dressed up in Brooks Brothers.



On the way back we swung by the beach – beautiful salty air and every dog frolicking on the sand had their tails wagging a mile a minute. On my way back to Boston, swung by Kittery again. Returned some clothes, tried on a dozen more jeans, and left with a pretty good haul. Although mostly tops. Two pairs of pants and no jeans. And no shoes. The search continues. And can I add some of these stores I haven’t been to for awhile like the Gap or Banana Republic and the quality has gone downhill. The Banana Republic seems more like a Gap now and the Gap seems like some crummy mall store. I used to love the Gap. Oh well. Made it home exhausted from a late night the night before and way more shopping than I’m used to, and in heals too! Thank goodness for left-overs. I heated up some of my split pea soup and pineapple soufflé. Kicked off the boots and traded them for flip flops, snuggled up with the boys and caught the movie Penelope on cable (which I haven’t canceled yet). Charming movie.