I recently returned from a vacation to Maine where my husband’s family lives. Though they have visited us numerous times, it was my first trip to Maine. Despite the lousy weather when we visited, Maine was beautiful and has much to brag about — blueberries, lobster, wide open spaces, wildlife, lighthouses and more. I missed home though. Here are 7 reasons I missed Kent, Washington – HOME SWEET HOME:

1.  Starbucks: Dunkin’ Donuts is to the East Coast what Starbucks is to the West Coast. There was a DD on every street corner and, despite their delicious donuts, their service and mochas left something to be desired. On the last day, I caved in and drove 10 miles to the nearest Starbucks…mmmm, love the tuxedo mocha!

2.  Dungeness crab: Sure, Maine has its lobster and we had our fill of that, but it can’t hold a candle to our Dungeness crab which is in its peak season right now. It is lighter, sweeter and more pleasing to the palate than any Maine lobster.

3.  Pacific time: The three-hour time difference doesn’t seem like a big deal, but now that I’m home I realize just how much my body had adjusted to it. I am waking up at 5 am and going to bed at 8 pm. I can’t wait until my body acclimates itself to PST.

4.  Seattle summers: It was just a fluke that the weather was bad while we visited, but it made me long for our Seattle summers:  dry, warm-but-not-beastly-hot, and relatively bug-free. Maine was rainy, muggy and full of mosquitoes.

5.  Daylight: In Maine, it was typically dark by 9 pm, almost a full hour earlier than it is here. I missed our long summer nights.

6.  LA Fitness: I joined the new LA Fitness in Covington in February 2009 and have enjoyed going regularly to try out the classes, do cardio, work out with weights, and to pal around with friends Dena and Robin. Aside from a Curves here or there, I didn’t see a single gym in my Maine travels. I walked instead, but it wasn’t the same.

7.  The People of Kent: Maine was great and the people were friendly. Everyone knew everyone including my husband, but no one knew me. The town we stayed in – Falmouth – had a population of about 15,000 and was a very close-knit community. Kent is about 90,000 and is just as close-knit…in a liberal, we-love-everybody kind of way. I like shopping downtown or visiting Kona Kai Coffee Co. or Cypriana and having folks know my name. While gone, I realized how much I value that.