Adventure’s with my Bestie- RACHEL arrived!

Six full days/nights spent with my bestie, Rachel Cohen! There is nothing better than a cherished friendship of 29 years!! Solid friendships mean SO much to me, and thankfully Im blessed with serious quality friends in my life. Rachel is a friend who makes me laugh SO hard, she is one of a kind! If you’re a loyal DTG follower, she was my travel partner to Vietnam/Cambodia in 2019, and visited last summer in Cape Cod. She is also a friend who is like a sister. People always think we look alike and are sisters. I take it as a compliment, especially these days.😉

As normal Dora fashion, I had a complete itinerary written out upon her arrival. I took 2 days off work to play on Monday & Friday, while working mid week and playing mornings & evenings. Older age causes both of us to awake at the crack of dawn. Rachel loves walks as much as I do, we were tracking 6-10 miles a day. She loves food as much as I do, that it was imperative to keep the steps going, oink oink! 🐷 Sunday night upon arrival, first stop was Eventide for IMO the best Lobster Roll. A very unique, not the norm….hot sautéed brown butter goodness in a doughy Japanese style pocket. It was a Portland must try….not Rachel’s fav, but glad she tried. We then crossed the street to head to Duck Fat and shared some fries & a grilled cheese…. Oink oink 🐽. She LOVED the fries. We did a sneak peak quick walk of the Old Port at night and went home to be ready for our first full day, Amazing Race Dora Style!

Monday started with the walk on the Eastern Promenade, which got us to the 10am ferry to my favorite, Peaks Island. We biked the Island like lil school girls- feeling SO free with the wind blowing through our hair, the sounds of birds singing and waves crashing, with the fresh salty air surrounding us. The scenery of this exhilarating, yet peaceful ride is out of a story book. We stopped many times for photos, to climb on rocks, talk to home owners where we captured more photos with gardens and a heart rock display, and simply explored many different spots on this magical Island. We ended our 2 hour ride at the famous Pizza place in the woods, scrumptious!! Imagine….best music while you eat Pizza in the woods under trees, with a wood fire oven baking fresh Neapolitan pizzas —like from Italy..…a magical day! We ended with yummy Ice Cream to slurp up on the ferry. The first of many ice cream cones to come. Enjoyed the quick ferry back to Portland.

Next stop was again the iconic Portland HeadLightHouse. Sadly it was a completely fogged in day. We got some pics, but Rach missed the real views. Instead we climbed on rocks like little kids, laughed, meditated in nature, and took lots of photos. The ‘Bite into Maine’ food truck is parked here and noted as the best lobster roll. Since last nights was not the norm, we opted to share one. I might have forgotten to mention we started the day with the famous Maple 88 donuts. A fattening Portland day. Oink Oink 🐷 !! All so good, no complaints. We ended the perfect day at my private Inn by the Sea resort…..you know my private beach club. Lol or so it seems. Well Rachel is really a Shelton, and fits right in at all these 5 star establishments….she is truly the 4th sister. Ha ha….she went to the pool area while I stayed at the beach. We both enjoyed the slowing down relaxation. This place is normally $900 a night. Tonight we had a progressive dinner starting Central Provisions for apps then at Street & Co for fish. After we hung out on Wharf St listening to live street music- I love this town! She thinks its a bit Industrial and parts remind her of San Fran. 🤔

Tues-Thurs we both worked….with an early morning exercise and after work beach yoga. The days fly by when your having SO much fun! You know those cards that have the 80 yr old ladies laughing, or the instagram videos with the old ladies drinking wine glasses falling down together…….well that is US. Lol Rachel and I laughed like silly teenagers everyday! Whether she was filming me starting to make my bed with her still in it, or making fun of me for my particular ways, and her trying to vacuum my living room, the laughter was endless. I wish I had a video capture of her orgasmic first bite of the 88 donut, Meg Ryan in When Harry Met Sally has serious competition. My nickname for her has always been, Hollywood! 😂 The performance was so well done, the girl offered us each a sample of the Oreo donut to try for free. They heard her say she wanted to try it. So Yummy!

I made dinner at home 2 nights, she was impressed with my domestic skills- a new Laurie exists in Maine. I think I blow my visitors away with my care taking skills of launderess, cleaner, and chef. Lol …Audrey trained us well, I did pay attention all these years. Rach actually tells me constantly how much Im like my mom, Ill take it! 😜Jr Audrey here!😂

We woke up so early on Thurs, I decided to venture back to Harpswell, ME where I had hiked on July 4th. If you read the last post, this was the Cliff Walk Trail…..a breath taking priceless experience with views out of a magazine. A place I knew she would love and appreciate….Rach thought she saw Bear paw prints, I had bugs attacking me, it was peaceful and comical. She loved the Fairy house section and actually the entire trail. We soaked up the beauty of nature at 6am with not a single soul in the woods- just all the creatures and us 😂. After, we found the cutest tiny coffee shop and got chai’s. It was actually called The Tiniest Coffee Shop. The 2 women who owned the shop were so nice, out of a New England Novel in your imagination. Tonight was happy hour at the fancy Scales followed by Crispy Gai, you know we need to get all the must have meals checked off the list. We ended with my espresso martini with banana foam at the dive bar, Room for Improvement. We did a video shoot here, a had to be there funny child like moment. So much more laughter. I kept pointing out Portland landmarks while we wander the streets, Rachel was over it and at times let me know. She does love me too ha 🤣

Friday, another day off to play. We started with a 3 mile bike ride around the back bay, after a delish breakfast at Rose Foods for the yummy bagel/lox, then got on the rd for our day of exploration. The Kennebunkport Trolley awaited our arrival to learn all the history of this quaint exclusive town where the Bush Family & Dr McDreamy reside. The mansions, the Bush compound, the coastline, gardens, and fabulous stores & restaurants all exude perfection. Our driver shared that the Bush family was home since the US and TX flags were flying. He taught us many facts…my fav was learning that 80 % of the lobster eaten in the USA comes from ME, 1.3 million tooth picks also come from ME, being that the largest tooth pick factory is here, this was a new fact gathered. We stopped to tour a beautiful church, and take photos of a Franciscan monastery. We both bought great dresses at a boutique before we left these cute New England towns. We made our way to Ogunquit, ME to the infamous Cliff House Hotel. Another fancy resort….we are naturals at owning a place. We got a drink at the bar and made our way to there stunning pool area. Yep, We are hotel/ pool crashers. We stayed here for 3 hours relaxing basking in the sun. Heaven on earth! On the drive home I made us stop at Higgins Beach in Scarbourough and The Black Point Inn for more beautiful spots to explore. Im a walking commercial for the state of Maine. I mean its known as the VacationLand. I think everyone needs to visit, although I keep being told to keep it a secret so it stays so quaint. Its heaven to me! Im truly getting sad to be leaving.

We were in no hurry to go home, but Rach was tired and needed to pack. We ended up grabbing a burger at a casual spot near my house. And, of course I dragged us to one outdoor live music show for a quick stop. We had big plans in the morning on Sat to do our long walk, get manicures, and experience my fav farmers market. Rach loved the market too. It’s finally blueberry season in ME, yum! The market is a special place, and she surprised me with a huge bouquet of my favorite, SUNFLOWERS as a thank u. She was leaving today. We got one last order of the 88 donut and she wanted a slice of Pizza for her rd trip. Oink oink🐷 Don’t worry we did an extra walk, 2 today. If you can believe it, my stomach hurt more from laughing than eating.

I dropped her at the airport to rent her car for the next chapter of her east coast adventure. We said our good byes….Both excited for whats ahead in each of our lives. So much good stuff is happening. We are both believers in trusting what life delivers and are our biggest cheerleaders to one another. Thank you to my bestie, Rachel for sharing 6 glorious days of fun filled laughter. By the way, stay tuned for a big comment from her, as Im sure she will have some details to add or defend, lol. I hope you approve all the photos, Rach. I had to use the one of you laughing, it speaks volumes to the joy you add to all the lives you touch. So thankful you are a part of my life! 💕

I ended my Saturday night with the Best of the Beatles Candle Light concert in my neighborhood with others in my complex.. Missing you all!

Love Laurie Sue AKA Dora xo xo 😚

P.S. The blog is behind, but to keep these posts manageable, I will wait a few days for my next update and catch up soon.