A Late Afternoon in Andover, Maine

Wednesday I knocked off from working just after 5:00 pm and Lauren and I drove up to go swimming at the covered bridge in Andover, Maine. I guess technically, looking at the map it’s considered South Andover. It’s about 18 miles from our house and a beautiful ride though that valley that probably has a name but where the Ellis River serpentines its way south toward the Androscoggin River which it joins at Rumford Point. The Andover Covered Bridge which is also known as the Lovejoy Bridge was built in 1867. There is a plenty of perfect white “beach” sand on the east side of the river bank where you can plunk down your towel before you jump in for a swim. The water was cool and refreshing. The scene was… well…did you ever see an ugly wooden covered bridge? It was beautiful. We stayed for about an hour and then decided to drive over to a nearby lake which we heard was another good swimming spot. The lake apparently has three different names, Ellis Pond, Silver Lake, or Roxbury Pond, so take your pick. It was a beautiful lake with the sun getting ready to set beyond the tree covered hills on the west side, a couple of kayakers, a water skier, a few kids happily swimming from the dock of their family cabin, and multiple other conversations carrying over the still water of a peaceful summer late afternoon. Lauren did a solo swim at this lake which was quite a bit warmer than the Andover Bridge swimming hole.
We then continued to drive to the east side of the lake to check out the summer camps and cabins which eventually turned into a dirt road. Now I love dirt roads even though you shake, it’s loud and you stir up dust as you drive along. You really know you’re in the country when you are driving along a dirt road. Just before we crossed Garland Brook I spotted two Moose off in clearing maybe 100 yards away. We just stopped the car and watched them. They watched us… and after about 8 minutes of that they decided we were boring and headed into the woods. Naturally we forgot our camera which we seem to do a lot on occasions like this. The pictures above are from other times when we actually remembered our camera.
My plan was to take a road I saw on the map on the north side of the lake that heads back east toward Andover. It was 7:30 pm now beginning to get dark and I think Lauren was beginning to get nervous, out in the middle of nowhere… on a dirt road….with me. She took out The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer to check out my plan. Then she got technical on me and pointed out that the dirt road we’ve been shaking are brains around on for the last 15 minutes was considered a “Other Passable Road” according to the map legend and that the next road I was planning to take was called a “Unimproved Road”, and that the next thing below that would be called a “Trail”. So in a sign that I must be maturing in life I turned around and headed back in the direction we came.
We made it back to the center of Andover just before 8:00 pm and were hungry. Luckily we made it in time to eat at the General Store and Diner before they closed. What is the best way to end a day in Maine? How about a Lobster Roll on a toasted bun, with French fries and homemade Cole slaw for $7.99? Yes, we took two. Mmmm…Per-fect-O! So far this is the best tasting and best lobster roll deal I’ve come across. But we are not done as we seek to find more swimming holes and eat yet more lobster rolls. Thanks for stopping by. - Pete

Beer

Beer

When I drink beer

I drink IPA

When I drink beer

IPA lot

Summer..and the Living is Fun

Summer is my favorite time of year. This July had been so nice with family coming to visit and doing all those summer things like toasting marshmellows on a campfire, swimming in a river or pond, watching fire works, hanging at the Mollyockett Days fair and celebration here in Bethel, listening to live music at the gazebo, eating lobster rolls, watching the frog jumping contest, watching the parade, looking at fireflies blink off then on in our yard. Summer is my Nirvana and here are just a few of the photos taken over the last month.

Perennial Gifts

When we looked at our home for the first time last November before we made an offer to buy it, well it was November. The leaves were all off of the trees and covering most of the yard area so we really didn’t know just what to expect come this spring and summer. The bamboo came early and fast and I’m still battling it convinced I’m going to win even though I have heard more than once the phrase “You’re never going to get rid of that stuff.” I’m patient and persistent and I’m giving myself a good two years to fight the bamboo war. On the other side of the worm though came beautiful flowers; Irises, Tigerlilys, Peonies, Hostas and an assortment of other perennial gifts which were unexpected and are delightfully appreciated. Here are some pictures of what has been growing around the house to date. Enjoy!

Dusty’s Alive!

Lauren called me last night about 10:00 pm from Massachusetts and in a very excited voice said “Some woman has Dusty!” That was a shocker for both of us. It has been six weeks since we last saw Dusty and we had final come to accept that she wasn’t going to be in our life anymore. Boy she proved us wrong.

Sarah called Lauren after she was able to lure Dusty into her garage with a can of tuna fish and read the tag on her collar which fortunately remained around her neck. I called Sarah right back, got directions to her house and booked it over there. I couldn’t believe how far Dusty had travelled and I couldn’t believe she was still alive. Sarah and (Dave…I think) live over by Rabbit Road off of Route 26 which is four and a half miles from our house on the other side of town. They were so kind and concerned and were keeping a close eye on her until I arrived.

As soon as I went in their garage I picked her up and said “Dusty…where have you been?” in kitty talk and she immediately started purring. She hadn’t forgotten me. After thanking Dusty’s “Guardian Angels” we drove back home and Dusty chowed down a whole can of cat food. She remembers the house and me and I think she’s wondering where Lauren is. She’s lost some weight and feels boney. I don’t have a scale but I would guess she lost about 3 pounds and because I know she was only 10 pounds before she feels light at 7 pounds. She has a little patch of fur on her head that looks like it got scraped off somehow and is growing back. She has been SO “lovey-dovey” since she came back. She slept on me and tight against me all night long and every time she woke she would talk to me to be sure I was still there and I had to pat her and talk back before she would go back to sleep. She’s wiped out and has been sleeping most of today but every now and then when she wakes she rubs against me, jumps on my lap and relishes every pat I give her. I can tell she is really happy to be home and we’re really happy she made it. If she could only talk what a story she could probably tell us.

Welcome back….you little bugger.

Amber and Tommie

Amber and Tommie sitting in a Tree
Mom is W-A-I-T-I-N-G
First comes LOVE
Then comes College
Then comes Maya and
Then comes Marriage

Yep. Who would-a thunk? 11 years together and Thomas Locke Watson pops the question to Amber Elizabeth Gailitis and she says…..YES. (Although I think she first said…Are you kidding?)

So it is Official. Amber and Tommie are engaged to be married. We don’t know when yet because I don’t think they know when. First the Planners must Plan and then they will reveal that Plan at the Planned upon hour…so stay tuned.

Congratulations Tommie and Amber. Maybe it was Pre-Destined when you could smell each other in the Maternity Ward at Addison Gilbert Hospital 26 years ago. Who knows? You two are definitely kindred souls and amazing individuals.

Thanks for letting us know on Father’s Day. You definitely caught me by surprise and it was such a neat gift even though it’s about you. I love you both and I wish that all your Desires move you True.

Good Bye Dusty Noel

It’s time to say a proper good bye to Dusty Noel our cat of 11 years. She’s been missing for about one month now and given the deep woods which are located behind our house and the variety of creatures which live in those woods, the likelihood that she was caught as prey by one of them seems high. It’s been a sad thought for us these last few weeks. Dusty seemed to have had more than 9 lives. She was an indoor/outdoor cat and did pretty well herself catching the mice, moles, and unfortunately birds around the neighborhood.

She came into our life very shortly after our previous cat Rachel had passed away of old age one weekend. If I remember correctly Amber’s friend Claire Guidry knew someone who had young cats or kittens out behind their house and the family wanted to find a home for them and Claire was the temporary caregiver of Dusty. A cat was the last thing I wanted after our other cat died but Lauren and the girls decided to “surprise” me after work one night and picked me up with our “new” kitten in the car. It’s not easy arguing with daughters who want a kitten. So Dusty became part of the family.

Over the years Dusty and I built a symbiotic relationship where early in the morning mostly just before dawn (if it wasn’t cold and raining) Dusty would rustle around letting me know she wanted to go outside and my bladder said you might as well, you need to pee anyway. So that’s how it worked many a morning. She related to each one of us in the family a little differently. I think we all agree she seemed to like Amber the best maybe because Eva’s music was a little LOUD during those days. Dusty was a well travelled cat and when we moved to California she flew out in cargo and adapted to the life style of big apartment living in San Diego. She remained an indoor/outdoor cat there and when we lived at The Villas of Renaissance it was on the fourth (top) floor, so we would walk down the hallway, open the door at the fire escape and she would walk down the four flights of stairs and hang outside in the tropical shrubs and landscaping at The Villas all day long. Sometimes when we were at the pool or hot tub she would know and come around to visit us. At the end of the day I would jingle my car keys at the top of the fire escape stairway and she would come up and in for the night. We lived in three different apartments in San Diego and each one she adapted to quite well. One night Lauren saw a coyote chase her up a tree upon which I climbed up later to get her down from the tree.

When we left San Diego this past winter she ended up being my sole travelling companion in the cab of the Penske Truck for more than 3,000 miles and a full week of driving. At night she would let me know if the hotel/motel room was to her liking. She preferred the Hampton Inns over the Motel 6 and so did I.

When we made it to Massachusetts we left her there in Magnolia with Amber, Tommie and Maya (and Frank and Joan) for a few months until we were able to go back down to pick her up and bring her to her “new” home here in Bethel. It didn’t last long….three weeks…and the last time I saw Dusty she was out behind the Barn with me around 8:00 PM as I was gathering kindling wood for a campfire we had.
Ah Dusty….we all miss you, you little bugger. Rest in Peace.