In the United States, June 15 was Father’s Day, but we decided to celebrate it a week later on June 21. Our daughter Shannon, who lives in Boston with her husband Mike and their dog Holly, took some time off from work to come midweek. (Mike, who recently started a new job, couldn’t join us until Friday.)
A mini-vacation, with much eating and some drinking, ensued. (Because of the merriment, I couldn’t keep up with reading blogs and then commenting. My apologies! This week will be better.)
On a cool, misty Thursday morning, Shannon, Clif, Holly, and I went to nearby Hallowell to sit by the river. By gum, the sturgeon were jumping, but unfortunately I wasn’t fast enough to get a picture.
The next day there was a trip to Newcastle, a lovely little town by the Damariscotta river in Midcoast Maine. We got sandwiches at Salt and Pepper, a vegan cafè overlooking the river. Because we brought Holly, we decided to go to what must be one of the prettiest picnic areas in Maine, one that overlooks a salt marsh.
We all enjoyed our sandwiches, but the winner was Clif’s beet pastrami on foccacia. We liked it so much that I’m going to try to replicate it at home.
Then came Mike, on Friday night, and on Saturday, the beer boys were ready for a brew at Cushnoc in Augusta. (Shannon, Dee, and I are more cocktail girls.)
This was followed by a pizza palooza. (Don’t worry. We took some home for our Sunday night supper.)
On Saturday evening, stuffed with good food and drink, we sat in the screen house as dusk came to our home by the edge of the woods.
As well as being treated to delicious pizza and beer, Clif got some lovely presents, but as he noted, the best present of all was everybody getting together.
That’s the way of things, isn’t it?
Notes From the Hinterland 
I admire how your whole family gets together to celebrate events in style. Maybe because you have daughters?? My sons don’t seem to have the same drive, alas. 😉
I think that having daughters has a lot to do with it. Our society still sees family gatherings as something that women plan.
Not just that, my guys don’t even seem interested! Maybe if there was action involved, like jet skiing or bungie jumping? lol!
What about pizza? Could they be lured with pizza? In our family, it has a powerful pull. 😉
Ha, it just might be the lure! 🙂
It was good to read about such a splendid family get together. (I must bring the bit about lovely presents to the attention of my children.)
We had a lot of fun.
I can imagine.
Good company and good food (and drink). Who could ask for more? Glad y’all had a fine time together!
Absolutely! Fun for all.
Nothing beats a family celebration!
You bet! As I recall, you’ve featured some wonderful family celebrations on your blog.
Looks like a lovely celebration!
It certainly was. A lot of fun.
You have made me very hungry! Fortunately, I’ll be eating dinner soon: chicken salad wrap, corn on the cob, and beer.
Dinner to the rescue!
As we mature, ‘time’ is definitely the best gift of all, and your family certainly came through.
So well put! As we age, nothing competes with the gift of time.
Hi, Laurie – Clif’s Father Day weekend looks absolutely wonderful. And his sandwich — definitely worth replicating! ❤
Sure was! The sandwich was so good. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
You’re right, Laurie, there’s nothing at all better than being able to get together with your family. And Clif’s “women”, including Holly!, celebrated him in style!! 😊
It certainly is great to get together with family to celebrate. We are lucky that everyone lives close enough so that we can do this.
What a splendid celebration!
Thanks so much! We had a lot of fun.
Lovely vibes of contentment and relaxation travel thru’ the ether. Definitely good for the blood pressure. Hmm . . . Down Under Father’s Day is celebrated in September . . . different horses etc . . .
So glad you found this post soothing. A really nice time.
Happy belated Father’s Day, Clif! There is nothing like time with family, or friends.
Thanks, Lavinia! So very true.
that sandwich looks really good!
So good!
mmmm
Precious time together.
Yes, yes!
Again, I have to say I love how you all celebrate! I know Clif must have felt the love and delight from being together!!!
Thanks so much! We are a family that likes to celebrate, that’s for sure. It seems to me that your family does, too.
A lovely day for all of you.
Indeed it was!
Holly looks like a sweetie. I love beets, but not being vegan I have a hard time imagining them as “pastrami.” Looks like a fun time for everyone, two-legged, and four!
Really, they didn’t taste much like pastrami. But they were spiced and delicious, and I’m definitely going to try a version at home. Beets are coming in our farmer’s share this week.
We had a grand time. Our family gatherings are usually simple but fun. Like us. 😉
Your family knows how to celebrate! Glad everybody enjoyed getting together for a belated Father’s Day. It probably feels a little like Mother’s Day and Father’s Day each time both of you can gather with the entire family!
You bet! So grateful everyone lives close enough for family gatherings and celebrations. It hasn’t always been that way. Not so long ago, Dee lived in New York and Shannon lived in North Carolina.
It’s nice when the entire family feels the need for closeness!
It is uplifting to read such a soothing, happy and love-filled post! What a wonderful way to celebrate!
Thanks, Anne! Simple but fun is how our family rolls. 😉
What a lovely time you had.
Those pizzas look enormous! So good to enjoy them again – I always take a container with me to bring home food I can’t finish.
The pizzas are big, but the crusts are thin and the perspective might have made them look larger than they actually are. At any rate, enough pizza came home for a Sunday supper for Clif, Dee, and me. (Shannon and Mike left late Sunday morning.)
When I opened your post and glanced at the tab at the top of my browser, I had to smile. It says, “All About Clif – Notes from the Hinterland.” That brought memories of CliffsNotes and school essays, of course. Those yellow and black covers were as memorable as your family gatherings surely are; it’s wonderful that you’ve able to get together and tell your own stories over great food — no notes needed!
No notes needed at all.
Looks like a delicious get together! My mother lives on Cape Cod so my sister and I always make time to visit her there and enjoy good food together.
Your lovely glowing moon and irises make another appearance – were there fireflies flitting around this scene? I love seeing those tiny lights in summer.
Very delicious! Visiting your mom in Cape Cod sounds grand. Such a beautiful place.
Yes, there were fireflies, but I was unable to get a picture of them with my phone.
What a great Maine Father’s Day!
Fun, fun, fun!
What a great celebration – a fine time was clearly enjoyed by all.
We had a great time! Nothing grand, but we are a family that enjoys simple celebrations and pleasures.
A fine celebration
What a lovely way to celebrate!
We had a blast!
What a wonderful way to celebrate Laurie, it looks like you’ve all given Clif the finest of Father’s Days! 😊
Thanks, Xenia! We had such a good time.
That sounds a lovely way to celebrate Clif’s success as a Dad! Isn’t having family around just wonderful?
Yes, so good to have family within easy driving distance.
Looks like he had a lovely day !
He certainly did. We all did.
I’m glad you had a great celebration, Laurie. Lovely pics!
I can’t imainge a more enjoyable Father’s Day with good food and fresh air, lovely vistas and family all around. Food tastes better with family and friends.
You got that right! Food definitely tastes better with family and friends.
What a wonderful vacation and celebration! Enjoyed all the photos, especially pizza palooza and your beautiful garden in the evening. It’s great you guys are able to visit more often and share these wonderful moments.🙂
It certainly is. Not so long ago, Shannon and Mike lived in North Carolina and Dee lived in New York. Not as much getting together as their is now.
Spending time with family is the best thing, ever! It sounds like Clif had a great Father’s Day celebration.
We had such a good time. Great to spend time with family.
Laurie, Happy Belated Father’s Day. Always a great day to celebrate.
But Holly stole my heart 🙂
And we had a great time celebrating.
Holly is quite a dog, that’s for sure.
Cliff is one lucky guy, Laurie. What a lovely way to celebrate Father’s Day. (I’ll have to put a little more work into Randy’s next year. Lol)
And a beautiful evening glimpse of your garden. After seeing your moon globes last week, I bought three! They came in this morning. Thanks for the inspiration!
He had such a good time, as did we all.
Dee bought me the moon globes for my birthday last year, and I loved them the moment I saw them. I told her that you bought some for your garden, and she thought that was cool. Another wonderful aspect of the world of blogging.
They were glowing last night and the dog was barking at them non-stop. Lol. They’re really lovely.
Hi Laurie the best present of all IS getting together. Time with family and friends is priceless and memories to treasure.
the pizza looks huge. Was that just for the men?
I agree with Clif, the best part is a family get-together. The last image of your garden is gorgeous.
Thanks, Rupali. Iam far from professional, but the flowers bloom anyways.
Same here.