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We are here.  In Maine.  Finally. 
44 deg, 29 min north latitude ... the most northerly place of
The Chambliss 2011 Summer Tour.

We are now 3,150 miles from Vista, California.
     We are now 1,600 miles from Largo, Florida.
          We are way up north!  And it is beautiful here.

After a shopping spree for Linda at the holy grail of all yarn stores (WEBS), an overnight campsite in Massachusetts, and a gorgeous drive through picture-postcard-perfect Vermont and New Hampshire, we arrived in Bethel, Maine, on Sunday afternoon.

Why Bethel, Maine?  Well, our neighbors at the mobile home park in Florida are Bethel natives, that's why.  They spend 2 months up here every summer, and our original plan for this trip was to make it to Bethel and spend time with them before they headed back to Florida in August.  But, our timing turned out to be off, and we had those pesky delays, to boot. 

Nevertheless, we visited their summer camp today, and spent some time just sitting and enjoying the natural beauty of their place.  What a gorgeous place they have to spend their summers.

Downtown Bethel is downright quaint and beautiful . . . so many lovely buildings and interesting shops.  There is a lot to see, and the community is bustling.  We contributed heavily to the local economy when we discovered a "Made in Maine" store and purchased lots of souvenirs and gifts.  We intend to take in the Bethel historical museum tomorrow and have dinner at the highly- rated local diner.

We are so glad we made it to Bethel.  We intend to come back.