Our Grandma is from “away,” which loosely translates to anyplace other than Maine.  Therefore, Asa and I wanted to give her a true Maine experience for her recent visit.  Our original plan was to begin the day with a beach romp.  However, Grandma’s insistence on sleeping past 6 AM and eating breakfast first made it so we missed the allotted time dogs are allowed on the beach.  No worries though, we can easily do that at the end of the day.

Instead we started our day with a quintessential Maine activity, namely picking wild blueberries!  There is a reason why Maine’s official state fruit is the wild blueberry, they are everywhere!  This includes our backyard!  So we headed out to show Grandma where the best wild blueberries grow.  Ok, I admit more blueberries went straight into our mouths than in the bucket, but who can blame us?  All that picking worked up an appetite!  I’m not sure why Asa was so hungry though.  Grandma noticed that with Asa’s less than precise approach to picking, he was eating more leaves and twigs than actual blueberries.

Although industrious, Mainers also know the value of slowing down.  So once our bellies were filled with that delicious treat, we introduced Grandma to the art of porch sitting.  Grandma likes to always be on the go, even more than me!  So at first this was a difficult task for her.  But soon she was mesmerized by the slow rhythm of the rocking chair, and began to relax while appreciating the sights and sounds of nature.  She marveled at my honey bees hard at work going from flower to flower gathering pollen on their hind legs.  Then laughed out loud when our resident chipmunk popped his head out of his hole and squealed in surprise to see us quietly sitting there.  Grandma was equally surprised when a hummingbird paused to say hello to Asa after visiting our wild flowers.  Then as if on cue, two fawns came playfully running from the woods and across our yard happily chasing each other.  Grandma asked if I paid them to do that for her visit.  However, to be perfectly honest, I was upset that they were trespassing in my yard.  Ok, show’s over!  I had to bark to scare them away from overstaying their welcome.  They were stealing my spotlight from Grandma’s undivided attention.

While relaxing outside, Grandma also saw Maine’s version of the morning commute.  In between the campers and RVs driving past headed for fun at the many campgrounds in the area, our neighbor chugged along in his tractor on a mission to hay a nearby field.  Mainers don’t necessarily work on a Monday to Friday schedule.  So despite it being a Saturday, he was hard at work gathering this valuable crop.  Later in the day Grandma made a wish when she saw the farmer’s truck headed home piled high with bales of hay.  I never knew you were suppose to wish on hay!  However, from now on when I see his hay truck I’m going to wish for…well, best leave that a secret between me and the hay fairy.

Now a visit to Maine wouldn’t be complete without lobster.  So Dad made Grandma his top secret lobster roll recipe!  Spoiler alert: the secret is grilling the bun in butter.  Duke, the Bush’s Bake Beans dog, may be sworn to secrecy about the family recipe.  But this Golden is all about sharing, so you’re welcome!  Besides, Mom and Dad never share their lobster with me, so I might as well give away their secret recipe!

Finally we wrapped up Grandma’s day with our much anticipated romp on the beach!  Grandma was disappointed when we insisted that Mom and Dad had to remain leashed.  But that’s because we are doing so well with Mom and Dad’s new training regimen that we didn’t want to give them a mixed message!  No worries though, Grandma enjoyed her walk with us.  Grandma’s visit was cut short due to the heavy rain predicted for Sunday.  However, we think during her quick visit we gave her a true Maine experience, living up to our state’s motto: Maine: The Way Life Should Be!