Hello again! Welcome back for more of our adventures in Maine. In case you missed Part One, here are the Cliff’s notes: It is cold but beautiful, and there is not where else I’d rather be to ring in the New Year.

First things first, I found this sweet little buoy all dressed up in lupines at a shop in Portland and just had to bring it home with me. It may be winter, but I can still go looking for lupines.

When in Maine, we like to visit our favorite Maine brewery, Oxbow. They have two tasting locations, one in Portland and another in Newcastle, and we prefer the latter. The Newcastle location is rustic and cozy and quintessential Maine. On this visit I discovered yet another reason to prefer the Newcastle location.

Dear readers, I give you Dizzy the Oxbow Kitty. I'm a sucker for a sweet, sleepy cat and when I wasn't sipping my favorite Oxbow beer (Luppolo), I was pestering Dizzy. He didn't seem to mind. Just kept right on snoozing while I scratched the top of his head.

Near the end of our trip, we layered up (lots and lots of long underwear!) and explored the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. CMBG was dressed up for the season with Gardens Aglow. The gardens, which are pretty great in the warmer months, were decked out in hundreds of thousands of string lights. The result is a display that is magical.

Each of the gardens buildings, from the tree house to the potting sheds, were aglow too.

I’ll leave you with this last photo from Gardens Aglow that I find to be particularly magical. Sure, it was chilly and we were bundled up beyond belief, but this was like walking through a wintry, glowing fairy land. Now that it is officially 2018 and the new year is upon us, I wish you all a new year full of joy and magic. Life is meant to be experienced and enjoyed, and I hope you all continue to live creatively in the months ahead. Until next time...