Ever since COVID happened, the end of one month and the beginning of a new one has brought with it a surge of optimism, a hope that with the mere flipping of a calendar relief would come. Maybe it’s just been me who has felt this way. Nevertheless, month seven of the Age of COVID has begun, and my Facebook feed is still full of people who believe it’s all a conspiracy, nothing more than a bad cold that has been transformed by the press and the deep state into a cudgel with which to destroy Donald Trump. The realization that there is literally nothing I can write to change any of their minds on this matter is profoundly troubling, but it is just one of a great many things about which I am powerless. Such is life.
Now for some good news. Pam and I leave for our second Maine vacation in just 23 days. This one will be jam-packed with all sorts of momentous events. We will be returning to our favorite lake house of all time, the one that convinced us that one day we would have to buy a place of our own...the irreplaceable Loon Landing. During our time there we will be hosting some friends of ours, Chip and Lynn Hewette for five days. They have never travelled to Maine, and there isn’t anything that Pam and I love more than introducing our friends to the joy and beauty of mid-coast Maine. Serving as tour guide to first time guests is a blast and we cant wait! But this trip will be different than all others for us in that we will be setting aside a couple of Saturdays to cabin-hunt with our realtor, Tiffany Ford. She is compiling a list of candidates and setting up tour times for us. Just in case we find...the one...I’ve been told to bring my checkbook! Very exciting.
The other day we had a Facetime appointment with Tiffany to discuss things and she said something that really got my attention. She mentioned that some people from away who buy cabins in Maine immediately set about trying to transform it into something that looks like where they came from. They want Maine to change into something that accommodates them. Ok...full stop.
If I could write a letter to the State of Maine, here’s what I would say:
Dear Maine,
My wife and I have been vacationing in your beautiful State for over 35 years. Long ago, we fell in love with you. Over the years, we have dreamed of buying a place where we could spend our summers, but for much of our lives together were prohibited from doing so by circumstances and stubborn financial realities. Now, the circumstances are right and the financial realities are in agreement, so here we come! But first, I would like to make a request of you. Please don’t change for us!! The last thing I want my cabin to look like is Short Pump, Virginia. Don’t get me wrong, I love Virginia, am proud to live here. But I also love Maine, but for different reasons. I love you exactly the way you are. I don’t want your stores and shops to be the same ones we have in Virginia. I don’t want all the conveniences of home at my fingertips. I don’t want everything in the world to be within five minutes of my front door. I want two lane roads instead of interstate highways. I want roadside lobster roll shacks instead of Burger Kings. I want towns full of nothing but local businesses where I can spend money that never leaves town. I want my cabin to fit in. I want my behavior and customs to be appropriate to my neighbors. because, even though we have been coming to your shores for 35 years, we still consider ourselves...guests. As such, it is our job to conform to you, not the other way around.
Sincerely,
Doug & Pam Dunnevant
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