Delightful Belfast

Today is Kaitlin and Jon’s last full day with us. We have been packing each day with fun stuff while enjoying some of the finest weather that the State of Maine has to offer. Kaitlin—being her mother’s daughter—has a list of things to check off before she leaves, so we have been accommodating her. We took them to Owl’s Head light house, she devoured a lobster roll at Hazel’s, ice cream at Riverduck’s, and has learned how to cross-stitch in the evening with her mother. Later today we are going on a three hour cruise on The Lively Lady out of Camden harbor to see another lighthouse, followed by dinner at Peter Ott’s.

A few nights ago on a whim we all piled in the car and drove into Belfast for ice cream at the Wild Cow Creamery. In doing so we knew we were giving up what promised to be yet another stunner of a sunset on the lake, but when ice cream calls we must answer. It was a magical decision.

Belfast continues to amaze us. For us it is one half of the twin cities of Midcoast Maine. While Camden has always been our favorite, the more time we spend here the more we have come to appreciate the unique charms of Belfast. It is a different town with a real working harbor, more blue collar, less old money. But it is possibly the most accommodating coastal town in all of Maine. The place is shot through with people-friendly shops, walkways and parks. Everywhere you turn there are chairs, picnic tables, gazebos all bearing witness to glorious harbor views…

Of course, old favorite Owl’s Head never fails to delight…

So, tomorrow we will take them to the airport and send them back into the world. There will follow three or four days of rest and recovery before Patrick and Sarah arrive. Then we will do it all over again. 

Can’t wait!

Dinner Hour

When Kaitlin and Jon arrived they brought sensational weather with them. The past three days have been stellar with light breezes, clear skies, no humidity and high temperatures around 80. Consequently we have spent most of our days outside either on the lake, in it, or sitting around gazing at it. There has been fishing, kayaks, paddle boards, power boat rides, floating and swimming. We’ve gone in to Camden once for breakfast and a couple hours of shopping. All of this fresh air has resulted in a vitalization of our taste buds. Everything taste better at the lake. No where is this phenomenon more evident than at dinner.

The last three nights we have eaten dinner around 7:30 or so outside at the table on the deck. First of all you will note the late dinner hour. There are several reasons for this but none of them make much sense. Part of it is that time flies up here. By the time someone thinks to ask what time it is the answer is “Quarter after one”, to which we all say, “Whattt?? So, we end up eating lunch at 1:30. Then, around the time we would normally eat dinner, everybody is floating on the lake and too annoyed by the prospect of having to remove ourselves from the flotation devices long enough to make dinner. So, we bargain with each other saying, “well, we just had lunch like five minutes ago…” The end result is that by the time we have found the motivation to start making dinner its dang near 8 o’clock before its served and we are all starving. The payoff is…everything is delicious. Last night I grilled some chicken and Pam and Kaitlin made this insanely glorious salad thing with grilled corn, tomatoes, some sort of homemade basil dressing and crouton-sized chunks of rosemary and olive oil infused bread which had been cooked on the grill. Essentially a bread salad. Not sure what it sounds like, but I am here to testify that it tasted better than any salad I have ever eaten.

After dinner we all ventured out on the still as glass lake in an assortment of crafts to watch the sunset from the middle of the lake so we could see the 360 degree perspective. I could show you a dozen or more pictures of the explosion of color. I could attempt to describe how amazing it was when a swarm of swallows flew overhead, the humming sound their wings made as they flew past. But I will only include one picture. It perfectly captures the magic of the moment. It also serves as a reminder of why we do this, why we spend so much money to spend six weeks up here. Nobody loves this more than Pam Dunnevant…

The Corruption Begins

The heat wave is over. This morning at 5:23 I woke up to 59 degrees and crystal clear blue skies. Immediately I climbed the ladder to the loft bedroom, stumbled around in my suitcase to find the long sleeve t-shirts I had packed, then came back downstairs to close all the windows. Now I’m sitting here drinking my coffee watching this…

Yes, that’s a loon to the left of the dock. There’s a family of them who have decided that our cove is their home, which ordinarily would be a wonderful thing, but because Lucy seems determined to make friends with them at every opportunity, we must all stay on high alert. Speaking of Lucy, her life just keeps getting better and better. Yesterday afternoon, Kaitlin and Jon arrived, doubling the number of people here devoted to making Lucy’s life as wonderful as possible. Usually when K&J come they have Jackson in tow, but up here Lucy gets them all to herself and she is thrilled…

This photograph is notable because Lucy is not known as a snuggler. She always stays close to her people but also likes her space. But she has been Miss Lovey Dovey on this trip, especially with Jon.

Last night, after a wonderful dinner, the rain storm that had blown through earlier in the day began to clear out so Pam and the kids went out for their first sunset paddle of the week while Lucy and I fished from the dock…

Now, if I am being honest I have to admit that all is not moonlight and magnolias here. Once the paddle was over and everyone had showered and gotten into jammies, my daughter’s corrupting influence was brought to bear on my idyllic world. In what will certainly guarantee her a seventh consecutive LVV award*, Kaitlin prevailed upon my wife to…turn on the television…so they could watch…The bachelorette. I’m surprised they didn’t set up a group text with Bernadette back in Richmond to gab back and forth about the show. So, essentially Kaitlin hadn’t been here 6 hours before corrupting the place. Before her arrival, in 18 days the television had only been used once…to livestream our church service…(spoiler alert: The Bachelorette ain’t church). My daughter partially made up for this disturbance of the peace by finally giving me my Father’s Day present…

In honor of the truth of that statement I offer this:

What do you call a medieval spy?

Sir Veillance…

* Least Valuable Vacationer

Lucy vs. Loons

So…I did a thing that Mom and Dad were not happy about yesterday. I think they overreact way too hekkin much. Here’s what happen. You tell me if I wrong or they wrong.

It was nice day and I was chill on dock by myselfs…

Then, Mom comes down to say hey. I walk to front of dock and begin major sniff of wind. All of sudden a big floating bird ploops up right in front of me…ploop! These guys everywhere and they make crazy noises. But I never sees one so close before. Since I am a very good girl, I decides to make frens with birds that ploop up out of nowhere. I dive in the lake and swim to the big birds when I notice that there are two more birds now…a mom a dad and a pup. Now I super excited! So many new frens!! But then I hear Mom scream at me. She say, “Lucy, get back here, you no have vest!!” To make matter worse, new frens start screaming loud noises at me, raising out of water flapping huge hekkin wings. But I not afraid…I swim faster! I sure we will be great frens once we take proper smell of each other’s butt. Then I hear Mom scream to Dad for help. He taking napper and springs out of house in stupor saying…”what the heck??” He then jumps in kayak and start yelling at Lucy too…like everyone in world it seem! Soon he is along side me keeping me from my new frens…which I must say not seem very frenly. They squawk like fluffin crazy birds, make huge splashes in water. They drama birds.

Anyways, I make it back to dock and Mom give me talkin’ to about how ploop-up birds are not my friends.

Still…I keep sharp eye out.

No worries…I loves it here!!

Mom and Dad worries about me too much, I thinks.

Back Home at Loon Landing

Yesterday was moving day. We packed up all of our stuff from our two weeks at Summer Dreams and moved down the lake about 1500 feet to the place that first captured our imaginations over ten years ago, the magical Loon Landing. It was a difficult day. Maine, along with just about everyone else, is in the midst of a heat wave, yesterday’s high temperature reached 89 with suddenly NO WIND. When you’re sweating and there’s no air conditioning and no breeze, the only relief is going for a swim. So, around 6:00 last night all three of us did just that. Pam and I took advantage of the still conditions by breaking out the floats. Lucy, who is never more relaxed than when we are all together in one place, swam circles around our floats, occasionally coming over to lay her head on the arm of the float, close her eyes and just hang there in the water for a nap. It was adorable.

Perhaps I should give you guys a tour of the place. When you enter the door of the main cabin this is what you see.

Wall to wall glass with magnificent lake views. Walk up a tricky, very upright set of stairs and you are in a bedroom with a spectacular view. This is where some of the most epic naps of my entire life have been taken.

But, as cute as the inside of the place is, the action is outside. This is where we eat our meals.

This is the amazing deck that stops practically at the water’s edge.

The dock provides great views not just of the lake but especially of the cabin.

Loon Landing even comes with a sandy beach.

There’s a guest house just behind the cabin which has housed many of our friends over the years.

When you pull up into the driveway this is what you see.

So, this will be home for the next 4 weeks. In our hearts it is always home away from home.

My Maine Job

Tomorrow we move down the lake a few football fields to Loon Landing. Pam will make several trips over dirt roads with our stuff while I will paddle down the lake at the head of a two kayak, one paddle board flotilla. We have enjoyed our two weeks at Summer Dreams. The weather has been great, aside from the fact that the past three days and the next two have featured much hotter than normal temperature, which for Maine means upper 80’s and humid. I know enough about what is happening back home in Richmond and many other parts of the country to be careful about complaining about 88. But, keep in mind that there is no air conditioning up here. However, we do have a clean and refreshing lake to jump in anytime we want maybe 30 feet from the cabin. Once we arrive at Loon Landing the distance from deck to water shrinks from 30 feet to three.

I am firmly entrenched in my Maine summer reading. Each year when I come up here I devote myself to reading for pleasure instead of work. 

I picked up a couple of these at Hope Thrift, the rest I bought at the most adorable book store in all of Maine, Camden’s The Owl and Turtle. I’ve finished two of these already, three to go, plus another book that I had to order from Owl and Turtle which should arrive soon…

That’s Christopher Buckley, Bill’s son, who writes the kind of satire that has always been my favorite—unflinching and hilarious. Can’t wait. By the time August the 20th rolls around and we have to head back home I’ll have finished probably eight books, or roughly the same amount of books it takes me the rest of the year to read.

In Maine my mind is undivided. The only competition it has comes from puzzles and card games. We have been here two weeks and the television has been dark. I got a notice from the worried algorithms at Apple telling me that my screen time last week fell 51%. That, on top of a 35% drop the week before.

One more thing, this morning I teed it up for the first time in what seems like months. Got the 6:30 tee time at Rockland Golf Club. I rented a set of clubs and bought some golf balls and a bag of tees. On the first hole I lost two of them while carding an 8. Wasn’t sure that the 6 balls I had purchased would be enough. However, my play did improve and I played the remaining 17 holes with the same ball, shooting a respectable 91. 

My only birdie attempt came on the par 3 10th hole when I hit a 5 iron 176 yards to here and then left the putt on the edge of the cup. I plan on playing twice more and will keep you posted on my scores. Hopefully they improve, but even if they don’t, walking five miles and playing a round of golf in two and a half hours is its own reward!

A Special Guest

It has been a crazy couple of days. It all started on Saturday when I received the following text from one of Pam’s dearest friends, Becky Baldwin:

Okay, hear me out……what is your HONEST opinion for me to fly up for Pam’s bday? I have tons of miles that I could use to come in Monday afternoon/evening and leave Wednesday afternoon. I’d fly into the smaller airport in Rockland as it’s only 10 miles away. Do you think I’m crazy?

My answer began, “Well, of course I think you’re crazy.” Two days later I tell Pam that we are going out for lunch to this new restaurant that I had found in Rockland. When we arrive at the Rockland airport she is confused but still clueless. “Apparently the airport cafe serves amazing haddock chowder,” I lied. A couple minutes later, this happened:

These two go back over 30 years. They were in the same Sunday School class together at Grove. They became mothers around the same time. Although their lives went in different directions over the years, the friendship endured. And yes, it is not your imagination…they very much look like sisters. But the resemblance isn’t limited to their physical appearance. Their friends tend to use the same adjectives to describe them—kind, generous, loving, loyal etc…

So, when Becky arrived, it was the hottest day we’ve had so far. The skies were overcast, the wind was blowing like a hurricane, a cloud of haze has settled in over Camden. Pam was so disappointed that she wouldn't get to show off her happy place when it was looking its best. Then, on Monday night, an incredible rainstorm blew through overnight. yesterday dawned bright and clear…and it was on!

Turning the two of them loose on the streets of Camden, Maine was like a revitalization plan for the local economy.

No store was safe…

Mount Battie has never looked so beautiful.

Gazing out across the Penobscot Bay at Vinalhaven, I heard Becky say, “Wait…is that a Kate Spade store?” Pam calmly replied, “Becky, that’s a lobster buoy, settle down!!”

This morning we will head out to Owl’s Head lighthouse, which is a mere five minute drive from the airport, then put her on a plane back to Virginia. It has been a great couple of days. Pam got to celebrate her 60th birthday with one of her all-time buddies. I got to enjoy watching the two of them catch up. Having the privilege of introducing our friends to Maine is one of the greatest joys of our lives. Thanks Beck, for given us that chance.