We live in the busy suburbs of Northern Virginia and work in the fields of software and writing. We have two teen boys and lead a crowded, if fairly ordinary, life full of work, classes, and carpooling for the kids. Work and family provide reasons for us to make our home in the D.C. area, but we yearn for a place with less emphasis on commuting and rat racing.

Whenever we tell people we have a house in Maine, they ask us if we have family there.

Nope.

A day at Lake Damariscotta

In fact, we didn’t even grow up by the water. Both of us moved around a lot. Between us, the list of places we’ve lived spans most of the U.S.A. and even part of Europe. However, neither of us ever lived close enough to the ocean to smell the salty air. In 2009, we attended a wedding on the New England coast and stayed right on the water. WE WERE HOOKED. From that moment forward, we devoted ourselves to realizing our dream of owning a coastal home in Maine. We spent four years visiting towns in and around the mid coast and as far up as Acadia.

In the end, our hearts always led us back to Rockland. We love its sassy vibe. We thrive on the activity and the down-to-earth forthrightness of the Rockland life. We need our coffee shops and our craft beer and our special olive oil. It’s all here.

Relaxing like a pro!

Dan and Alicia windblown at Waterman’s Beach Brewery

We have been successfully welcoming guests at Sadler House now since the summer of 2014, and we’re more enamored of Rockland and of our home than we were when we started. As soon as we have to leave to go back to Virginia, we start scheming about how soon we can return, because there’s just no place like Rockland, Maine.

If you’re already a fan of Rockland, you know what we mean. If you’ve never visited, we urge you to make a lunch date with Rockland on your way through town, if that’s all the time you’ve got.

We have a feeling you’ll be back.