tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24975626072865540492024-03-05T19:46:56.950-05:00Cabin WorldAnything & Everything to do with Cabins, Cottages, Camps & LodgesKay Hardy Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10655646072881460264noreply@blogger.comBlogger53125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2497562607286554049.post-82446358548268096582014-06-23T19:32:00.000-04:002014-06-23T19:32:36.417-04:00Camp WandawegaWe just came across the amazing website - and books - and blog - of the folks who run Camp Wandawega in Wisconsin. This is a great site that epitomizes why rural lakeside life is so appealing in today's crazy world.<br />
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The business ranges from a resort to an on-line business and books. They will even rent out their place for photo shoots.<br />
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Here is the link to the actual "Camp" and I recommend taking a tour of each<br />
of the buildings.<br />
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<a href="http://www.wandawega.com/tour/">Camp Wandawega</a><br />
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Amazingly, you book your reservation there by AirBnB unless you are part of a pre-packaged program. A very cool mix of old and new.<br /><br />Kay Hardy Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10655646072881460264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2497562607286554049.post-27806748836964145952014-03-05T16:42:00.001-05:002014-03-05T16:55:17.650-05:00Looking for Love: Must Have a Lake, Loons, Moose, and Pine Trees<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4N7LqeiQsZs8v8kCCGne-PNokCVKPprEUqTXc7uSllJfeEtSJACLqeZemE34fwWkXp7m6rMTcbnuFpnKgVB2HM3H1asQdR4bBDiWKasx5goKEjb6c_di31h7Zw18XOxK1jp1qwzy6BhA/s1600/cabin+lake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
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We welcome guest blogger Gwen Sayian - a writer who is deep in her hunt for the perfect woodsy getaway.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4N7LqeiQsZs8v8kCCGne-PNokCVKPprEUqTXc7uSllJfeEtSJACLqeZemE34fwWkXp7m6rMTcbnuFpnKgVB2HM3H1asQdR4bBDiWKasx5goKEjb6c_di31h7Zw18XOxK1jp1qwzy6BhA/s1600/cabin+lake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4N7LqeiQsZs8v8kCCGne-PNokCVKPprEUqTXc7uSllJfeEtSJACLqeZemE34fwWkXp7m6rMTcbnuFpnKgVB2HM3H1asQdR4bBDiWKasx5goKEjb6c_di31h7Zw18XOxK1jp1qwzy6BhA/s1600/cabin+lake.jpg" height="200" width="320" /></a></div>
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by Gwen Sayian <a href="mailto:gwsayian@hotmail.com"> gwsayian@hotmail.com</a> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
Picking the right cottage/ camp is a challenge. It’s like
finding the right person to share your life. You need someone who has all the
right things, and few if any “bad” things. And of those “bad things”, you need
to know you can live with them with eyes wide open. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>
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<span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span>For the last few years, we’ve been toying with
the idea of purchasing a cottage (“camp” I understand is the preferred term
providing there are pine trees and moose). </span>We’ve been sailors for 40
years and we know salt water in all its renditions of cold fog, formidable seas
as well as the whispered hiss of a boat as it moves through the quiet sea with
barely a hint of a breeze to propel it. A glass of wine in the cockpit while
enjoying a glorious sunset after a perfect sail on a perfect day is something
that I will always treasure as one of the blessings of my life. But life is
only so long and if you have dreamed of trying something else, you have to make
it happen.</div>
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<br />
So begins our tale of finding a camp. My first experience
with a lake house was when I was in high school the summer after my father
died. I was the only child still at home and I suggested to my mother that we
rent a cottage up north for a week. She was game for the idea and I was allowed
to bring a rented canoe and a girlfriend. It was wonderful and an experience I
still well remember. The hushed sunrises, the clean feeling of the lake water
on your skin as you dry in the sun, the dull distinctive thud of a wooden
paddle when it bumps the side of an aluminum canoe as you paddle, the slam of a
wooden screen door as it bounces back to closed. </div>
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My husband had never experienced “camp” other than the Air
Force kind and he was not eager for the idea until last summer. My daughter had
surgery and we decided it was not a good idea to do an extended sailing trip,
so I found a little cabin on a small lake just for the weekend, and he loved
it! He loved the simplicity of life which is like sailing except without the
work of trimming sails, pulling anchors, and navigation as our little cabin never
moved in all the time we were there. The idea of a cabin as a new phase in our
life was launched, pun intended. </div>
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We know we are not looking for a large open lake, the kind
that is perfect for speed boats with tubing and water skiing as the focus for
recreation. Kayaks are our preferred boat these days, so an interesting lake with
multiple islands and coves to explore sounds about right. Our kids are older,
no grandchildren yet, but realizing that at some point there might be little
feet pattering around, a larger lake of at least 500 or more acres makes sense,
just in case tubing does happen to evolve. How we’d ever pull a tube with a
kayak, I don’t know but we’ll figure that out if the time comes.</div>
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We began, as most people would, with a Google search for lake
houses in New Hampshire and Maine, and a dizzying variety of real estate websites popped up, all being the promised gateway to nirvana we sought in the
woods. Thus began a new sport of geography trivia as we tried to pin point just
where these properties were. A quick run to the car produced an old dog eared
map followed by a thorough search of the house for the one and only magnifying
glass, which was last used to find a lost contact lens back when Regan was in
office.</div>
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We quickly realized the antiquity of our ways, and jumped to
working multiple open web sites on the computer using Google Earth to identify
lakes, state environmental sites for the size of the lakes, water quality, and the
issue of invasive weed control. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once we
figured out the property we wanted to investigate, we played the challenging
game of would you open the correct window on the first try for the information
you want, or would you go from one web site to the next always seeming to miss
the one you were actually looking for. <br />
<br />
Word to the wise here: be wary of the
unexplainable desire to search Google Earth for your house. It will only lead
you into the time wasting but rather pleasantly entertaining game of “Where’s
Waldo” as you search the surrounding areas for inconsequential landmarks like
the convenience store or the neighbor’s house with the barking dog and illegal
kennel in the backyard. Add to the collection of open web sites a few lake
association and Facebook pages (check it out, as a number of lakes have them), and you’ve got a great game of jeopardy with lots of open web sites all
collecting at the top and bottom of your computer screen, just waiting for you
to guess which is which. Of course, if you have enough computers and the band
width for it, you can spice up the experience and open each web site on
different lap top to get a mission control experience. It will also impress
anyone else who happens to walk by with your computing savvy and obvious
importance.</div>
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Using those tools, we have been navigating the lakes, ponds
and puddles of New Hampshire and Maine and building an enviable local knowledge
without ever stepping out of the house. Of course you do need to take a few
field trips, which we have, because nothing compares to the feel of a place,
and Google Earth can show you all, but doesn’t tell you just how bad a pig farm
can smell.</div>
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We also needed to face the boringly commonplace reality of
how much can we <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">really</i> afford. It is
said life is a series of trade offs and how it applies to your search for
heaven among the pine needles is poetic. For us, we wanted to stay within three
hours of our home, which is in a metropolitan area. I’ve read it makes for
better resale value, and is also good for minimizing road rage. We quickly found
we couldn’t afford the picture perfect camp settled on a sandy beach with a
dock, a green border of pine trees and a charmingly sparse lawn with a few
clumps of green grass generously interrupted with scatterings of pine needles.
Too rich for our budget. </div>
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So we faced the
question; do we go for the weathered, sway- backed shack on the sandy strip of
lake shore land with exposed interior wall studs and linoleum older than your grandparents,
or should we jump for the cute as a button little house with 3 bedrooms, 2
baths, with a right of way to a so-so beach and “filtered” water view? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Filtered water view’ means you can see the
lake if the wind is blowing hurricane force and the trees are being bent in a
perfect parting, like Moses and the Red Sea. These questions are clearly
determined by your energy level, expertise and if your brother in law is a
decent carpenter who happens to be laid off. </div>
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Knowing that trade offs were in our future, we made a
list: seasonal or year round; view or not so much; loons or are just ducks ok;
dock access or beautiful sandy beach. By the way, if loons are a factor in your
search you can find that on the web too, usually at an Audubon site. Linger for
while when you're there as it will provide with you with renewed energy in your
quest. </div>
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<br />
So this is
where we stand at this moment, teetering at the brink of falling into
conditional love, with our list of acceptable trade-offs, and the undeniable
knowledge that our lists will mean nothing when we find our true love.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Web sites to
help in your search:</div>
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<br /></div>
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* <a href="http://www.googleearth.com/">www.googleearth.com</a>
Use it to find your way around and identify lakes you might want to seek
property on.</div>
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* <a href="http://www.mainelistings.com/">www.Mainelistings.com</a> for Maine real
estate. You can enter the name of a body of water you want to look for property
on</div>
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* <a href="http://www.trulia.com/">www.trulia.com</a> for New Hampshire real estate.
You’ll need a local town name to search. There are other web sites but I found
this one to be the most comprehensive.</div>
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* <a href="http://www.des.nh.gov/">www.des.nh.gov/</a> Go to “Lake Quality Water
Reports” and then “Summary Data.” You’ll find a listing of all the lakes with
depths, fish populations, water quality etc. There is a companion page which
explains the definitions.</div>
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* <a href="http://www.lakesofmaine.org/">www.lakesofmaine.org</a>
An easy to use site for all information about a specific lake</div>
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* Web pages
for lake associations. It will give you a good feel for the general tone of the
community, and any specifics like no digging holes in the beach large enough
for small children to disappear into.</div>
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* Face Book.
Many lakes have Face Book pages. Inspiring pictures of sunsets, good
information and a fine way to find out just who in the group knows everyone
else’s business.</div>
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* Snow shoes
if you visit in the winter, and mud boots if you visit in the spring.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Stay tuned.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thank you to Cabin World for letting me
set-a-spell and weave my tale. </i></div>
<br />Kay Hardy Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10655646072881460264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2497562607286554049.post-25415451834635320812014-01-06T20:58:00.001-05:002014-01-06T20:58:44.205-05:00Antidote for Christmas Cabin Fever<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCZAzQWqj6eXtSps8GB7ba4CIemlMtCz8ZYyY-Flh-y1PdvWNPoazAJvTwHysXA4rGguXfImEzUFpP5R9CW-3yiaoL7Z_y9gtGirTSC2uPT4Xc-BpcRBYOqOD2WK_LucZ6T_y032TCuwg/s1600/full+view+on+mantle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCZAzQWqj6eXtSps8GB7ba4CIemlMtCz8ZYyY-Flh-y1PdvWNPoazAJvTwHysXA4rGguXfImEzUFpP5R9CW-3yiaoL7Z_y9gtGirTSC2uPT4Xc-BpcRBYOqOD2WK_LucZ6T_y032TCuwg/s1600/full+view+on+mantle.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A view of the whole mantle. (We hand-carved the trout under the mantle)</td></tr>
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Today all the Christmas decorations came down. Among them a mantle diorama of a cabin scene.<br /><br />
Our first winter season after buying our little cabin we had a severe case of cabin fever. It is so remote that we can't get there in winter, so we created a little 'cabin scene' to envision what it would be like if we could go there.<br /><br />For the trees, we use white pine cones, the tips of branches from spruce (our Christmas tree), and any other shrubs that are still green, like juniper. We lean them up against the white wall. Then we set stones here and there to create the look of huge rocks, and use a small 7" round mirror for a pond scene. We add 'moss' (that model railroaders use) for the bushes.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0t1-_mxAeGSplO-SMAwCD3vrOPMCAkn9INquTFFS0T5kgdSnXFnldLV11L6uMGCaTEgEU92NrlmoPCFcSHlUX-ffQwhiptNcy9GmFJwEzd30qqnQfR08YlWPtvIgpjdHGhvjJ9ic4614/s1600/cabin+scene.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0t1-_mxAeGSplO-SMAwCD3vrOPMCAkn9INquTFFS0T5kgdSnXFnldLV11L6uMGCaTEgEU92NrlmoPCFcSHlUX-ffQwhiptNcy9GmFJwEzd30qqnQfR08YlWPtvIgpjdHGhvjJ9ic4614/s1600/cabin+scene.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />We place miniature animals here and there, including bears, some moose, fox, and rabbits...even a house cat. Later we added a kayak and a canoe, including tiny paddles. <br /><br />The miniature cabin even has interior 'lights' you can turn on when children are visiting.We know it's corny, but it really did take the edge off that first winter, and we've enjoyed it every year since.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi34BRYnhnd1pHrgiZeFqCtk2mJSliWMC5jJwBrxaH7kQrGoeCp2rcUOV7UAygXaJU8QHUfSWBoDpsDnqBa3yZkOWD6_wWhXdHCiJylDARRK_Xk3NcGDIOMzr4Th_msdio-VtOLYN40YzE/s1600/lit+cabin+cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi34BRYnhnd1pHrgiZeFqCtk2mJSliWMC5jJwBrxaH7kQrGoeCp2rcUOV7UAygXaJU8QHUfSWBoDpsDnqBa3yZkOWD6_wWhXdHCiJylDARRK_Xk3NcGDIOMzr4Th_msdio-VtOLYN40YzE/s1600/lit+cabin+cropped.jpg" height="382" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cabin lit up - after the rest of the diorama had been taken down.</td></tr>
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<br />Kay Hardy Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10655646072881460264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2497562607286554049.post-56733199448511794172013-12-29T12:07:00.003-05:002013-12-29T12:07:59.564-05:00Advice on Starting the Hunt for a Lake HouseOne of our winter-time neighbors is starting to think about buying a cottage on a lake. As she talks about why it would make sense for her family, ideas fill my mind. What to tell her? What not to tell her? <br /><br />In the end, I had three things to say.<br />
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1. Every lake place has plusses and minuses. You will know when you see 'the place' that's meant for you because it will rank just right on the most important features. It will 'speak to you'.<br />
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2. Keep an open mind as you look, because setting out to see places for sale may uncover other places that are good candidates. Take the side roads and explore. If there are people around, ask if there are other places for sale. Property owners may just be waiting for someone to ask. Leave a note in the door if you see your 'dream cottage' unoccupied and would like to make an offer. You never know!<br />
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3. Plumbing, plumbing, plumbing. Try, if you can, to have more than one bathroom if you plan on entertaining guests for any length of time. Add an outdoor shower too. They are heavenly.<br /><br />Lastly, I should have said to her that she should try to get a feel for the culture of the lake community. Let's face it, there are party lakes, with lots of pontoon boats, and there are quiet off-the-grid lakes where silence and bird calls reign.<br />
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Happy Hunting! <br />
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<br /><br />Kay Hardy Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10655646072881460264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2497562607286554049.post-72452609651921024012013-07-02T22:09:00.003-04:002013-07-10T08:37:25.879-04:00Bathing in LichenIn the woods, bird calls are often the loudest sounds we hear. They are a musical feast, a constant conversation in the trees that continues all summer from earliest dawn long into the night. <br />
<br />
Our cabin is surrounded by tall hemlocks, white and red pines, and spruce trees, with a few maples and birches mixed in. We have many bird visitors, but most of the time we never see them because they stay high up in the trees. We know they are there because we can hear them calling. Fortunately I enjoy picking out the bird calls, driving everyone around me crazy as I name the bird that is singing. My husband is now used to this after more than 30 years of marriage. Even when I'm in the suburbs walking with friends, I want to say the name of the bird call I'm hearing, even if I'm in mid-sentence. It's an obsession, I admit it. And most of the time, I manage to keep it to myself, unless it's a Wood Thrush. When I hear that bird calling, I have to stop and listen, and create enough silence around me to hear its beautiful timid song.<br />
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A couple of weeks ago a warbler was calling in 'front' of our place near the water. I didn't know its call (warbler calls are the biggest challenge for me). I wandered out to investigate, mug of coffee in hand, and strained my eyes high into the branches of a white pine festooned with light green bearded lichen. About 20 feet up, I could only make out the outline of a bird flitting about inside a long thick beard of lichen. It seemed to be taking a bath in it! That was the key to identifying that warbler, a northern parula. I didn't get a good luck at him at all. But Sibley's guide revealed the parula loves to nest in and near bearded lichens. And then I checked the call on-line (Cornell website) and 'bingo', confirmed it was a northern parula.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMtURjjbgvbB910EBdMa2FnUfAYlwyWVG5bAKlDDt_mg-y1EUqsW2Sg3tTLM7kma21bmkWE5tGnhyphenhyphen1usQ93G8eZoC-m1dE8L3dh3qk-5Ct_q6FTEErxGXe2rw2-e-UhArTr1XTpyiEfhk/s250/nopa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMtURjjbgvbB910EBdMa2FnUfAYlwyWVG5bAKlDDt_mg-y1EUqsW2Sg3tTLM7kma21bmkWE5tGnhyphenhyphen1usQ93G8eZoC-m1dE8L3dh3qk-5Ct_q6FTEErxGXe2rw2-e-UhArTr1XTpyiEfhk/s250/nopa.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Northern Parula in some Bearded Lichen</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKqlGxi64-DQbqc2jNLK0jt-KTy6u5ZnpGtB4rZZnWD6GcCrfi3zep44vK5IpWeM2-hS9SgPqtH99UCIkTQPxS5ZC4s1u2PMQtpdIdnXZN0Ed4q8nt6AHUvSQrC2tMKP_yiKVHtiKv7us/s225/blackburnian.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKqlGxi64-DQbqc2jNLK0jt-KTy6u5ZnpGtB4rZZnWD6GcCrfi3zep44vK5IpWeM2-hS9SgPqtH99UCIkTQPxS5ZC4s1u2PMQtpdIdnXZN0Ed4q8nt6AHUvSQrC2tMKP_yiKVHtiKv7us/s225/blackburnian.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blackburnian Warbler with his distinctive orange throat </td></tr>
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Another day this week my husband caught a rare low-altitude sighting of a Blackburnian Warbler with his apricot throat coloring. Doublechecking his calls, we confirmed who he was. We also spotted a Hairy Woodpecker and his mate pecking at a red pine that is on the decline. All summer I'd been missing the call of the Black-Throated Green Warbler, and this week his song started up. I wonder where he's been?<br />
<br />
These days of early July we hear the songs of a Winter Wren, a Song Sparrow, Robins, Pine Warblers, and other Warblers I haven't figured out yet. The ravens and crows continue their long standing turf wars. Bluejays, nut hatches, and chickadees pass by with a few remarks. Then at dusk each night a mysterious bird flies through the forest with insistent chipping and then a kind of <i>freeet </i>call - and is gone. Then late at night when the weather is fine, the loons call on the lakes nearby. <br />
<br />Kay Hardy Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10655646072881460264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2497562607286554049.post-54264456107213903252013-06-22T18:35:00.001-04:002013-06-22T18:35:13.941-04:00Summer's FanfareThe summer solstice at the cabin is magical. The longest day is followed by a lovely evening with a waxing moon rising over the water, then hours of lingering astronomical twilight. Later the moon stands guard over the forest and lake until earliest dawn. Darkness never really falls; light and shadow wander through the woods. Accompanying this spectacle is the chorus of frogs in the early hours of the night, then the dawn chorus of birds. Nature's fanfare for the opening of summer. Kay Hardy Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10655646072881460264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2497562607286554049.post-65030362784745502942013-05-03T21:06:00.002-04:002013-05-03T21:09:21.363-04:00Raking the Forest<br />
<br />
We are up at the cabin and it is very dry. Northern New England is stuck in a high pressure weather system. Fire danger warnings are up; no one is making campfires. <br />
<br />
One of our neighbors at the lake tells me she always rakes away from her cabin in spring to clear out the dead leaves and pine needles. She does it to lower fire danger.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5o01Sb3TJ2H93E3zofftTaw8rBC31girnttHOZ5LQ5kyJEmoAQQBF8iZDsPaZBJdTQAFGO6aNVNY18JNYRQULxVcc7b_PChScgdBNQ5ks6CO5WWy_p3qHLQHA8v_hLMpa3ZemyF9nz68/s1600/flat,550x550,075,f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5o01Sb3TJ2H93E3zofftTaw8rBC31girnttHOZ5LQ5kyJEmoAQQBF8iZDsPaZBJdTQAFGO6aNVNY18JNYRQULxVcc7b_PChScgdBNQ5ks6CO5WWy_p3qHLQHA8v_hLMpa3ZemyF9nz68/s320/flat,550x550,075,f.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
We never rake at the cabin. We let the pine needles, birch and beech leaves pile up as they always have, decomposing and hopefully enriching the soil of the forest floor.<br />
<br />
But to each his own. Once a year, my sister rakes the forest around her cabin in the Northwest. I laugh at this, but she swears that it allows the moss to thrive. I also recently learned that another neighbor here at the lake also rakes the forest in spring. Gets up all the pine needles, and pine cones...from the driveway and the mossy rocks. <br />
<br />
To me, the forest has not had rakers for thousands and thousands of years. Does it need it? I suppose if one wants to cultivate moss it makes sense. And I suppose if one has a staff to do it, it would be a nice thing to have done. But when I'm at the cabin contemplating such things, a certain woodsy slothfulness takes hold. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Kay Hardy Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10655646072881460264noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2497562607286554049.post-19572113152415131592013-03-27T08:37:00.001-04:002013-03-27T08:37:43.597-04:00Moose in the Morning<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo from Pinterest - http://pinterest.com/pin/265219865527729715/</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<br />
Wonderful poem by May Sarton, found today on NPR (and website) of The Writer's Almanac. You can link to it <a href="http://app.info.americanpublicmediagroup.org/e/es?s=1715082578&e=12266&elq=7fd6b6d143ef44c9abca414a7f3714dc">here </a>and listen to it recited. <br />
<br />
<div class="episode_title" style="text-align: center;">
<h2>
Moose in the Morning</h2>
<div class="author">
by <a href="http://writersalmanac.org/author.php?auth_id=1959&elq=7fd6b6d143ef44c9abca414a7f3714dc&elqCampaignId=1254" title="http://writersalmanac.org/author.php?auth_id=1959&elq=7fd6b6d143ef44c9abca414a7f3714dc&elqCampaignId=1254">May
Sarton<br /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="work">
<div style="text-align: center;">
Oh wild and gentle beast,<br />Immense antlered shape,<br />This morning in the
meadow!<br />Like something ancient, lost<br />And found now, promise
kept,<br />Emerging from the shadow,<br />Emerging while I slept—<br />Wilderness and
escape!<br />You set me free to shirk<br />The day's demanding work<br />And cast my
guilt away.<br />You make a truant of me<br />This moose-enchanted day<br />When all I
can is see,<br />When all I am is this<br />Astonishment and bliss. </div>
</div>
Kay Hardy Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10655646072881460264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2497562607286554049.post-38016280269266630232013-02-05T18:06:00.001-05:002013-02-05T18:06:35.696-05:00Midwinter ThoughtsWe've passed the midwinter mark, and it's now 43 days until spring. The days lengthen more than a minute every day. Sunrise gets earlier; sunset gets later. Birch tree branches are tipped in subtle pink. Last week we saw Canada geese flying in formation. It couldn't be possible that they are already heading north, could it? No, they must be hovering near the ocean and open waters waiting for the signal to head farther north. In a few short weeks the sap will start to run. One of my favorite bloggers, poet Kristen Lindquist, keeps an eye on bird migration on the Maine coast near Camden. Her blog is called Book of Days and you can link to it <a href="http://klindquist.blogspot.com/2013/02/february-5-downtown-eagle.html">here.</a><br />No, we're only in midwinter. Lots of snow yet to go, but it seems doable once we pass the half-way mark.<br /><br />Kay Hardy Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10655646072881460264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2497562607286554049.post-12123580160763159692012-12-08T21:41:00.003-05:002012-12-08T21:41:28.028-05:00Cabin Christmas - from Down East Magazine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidqhyE1Mn2ixn02AkfV67MBmbY0Ajqmu60ZmuZjVVw1y5-_ZjlYqYBznb-1v-VKigi22VQWq1iBbLar93Or0pazlyhl4pTKECITsd2epImgXae_KKNG7I1gMGoof16A05g1OtY0oRPEXA/s1600/dee1212cabin12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidqhyE1Mn2ixn02AkfV67MBmbY0Ajqmu60ZmuZjVVw1y5-_ZjlYqYBznb-1v-VKigi22VQWq1iBbLar93Or0pazlyhl4pTKECITsd2epImgXae_KKNG7I1gMGoof16A05g1OtY0oRPEXA/s320/dee1212cabin12.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
The December, 2012 issue of Down East magazine includes a wonderful Christmas excerpt from Louise Dickinson Rich's treasured memoir, WE TOOK TO THE WOODS. Dickinson and her family spent many years in the lakes of western Maine during the Great Depression, and she wrote about it. We recommend her books. WE TOOK TO THE WOODS makes a fantastic winter read.<br /><br />You can link to the article <a href="http://www.downeast.com/magazine/2012/december/holiday-unwrapped">here. <br /><br /></a>The photograph was taken at a sporting camp in western Maine, Bald Mountain Camps in Oquossoc. <br />
<br />Kay Hardy Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10655646072881460264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2497562607286554049.post-20638505725983049172012-10-14T20:31:00.005-04:002012-10-14T20:32:02.798-04:00Deepening SilenceIt's the end of our cabin season now. We're packing everything up. The canoe is stowed safely away. All liquids are boxed and ready to go. We turned the potted geraniums and impatiens out in the woods, setting them upright in their own soil, hoping they'll last a few more weeks on their own.<br />
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While working outside, we notice the silence more this time of year. On cloudy days the chickadees are silent, and the migrating warblers give only the smallest, highest calls. The brown creepers are quiet too, hopping up the tree trunks looking for bugs. How different this silence is compared to when we arrive in spring, when birdsong fills the air. We catch a few loon calls, the kingfisher chatters on sunny days, and at night the barred owl calls out in the woods. <br />
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Most of the cabin owners have left, so there are no motorboats, and no conversations float across the lake. And once the snow falls, which can begin any day now, there will be weeks of deeper silence until the deer hunting starts. Then the snow mobilers and ice fishermen arrive. <br />
<br />
But these sounds we will not hear. As we return to the city for the long winter, we'll keep the treasured silence in our hearts. Kay Hardy Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10655646072881460264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2497562607286554049.post-89292381400809135522012-10-11T17:55:00.000-04:002012-10-11T21:31:16.446-04:00Roaring windsAfter torrential rains last night, a cold front raced in from the northwest. All day the forest roared, wind ripping through the tall trees that swayed in the gusts. Whitecaps raced down the lake. Fortunately our little cabin faces east into a cove and is somewhat sheltered from the northwest gales. <br />
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All day the animals were nowhere to be seen. They can't smell or hear danger when the wind is high so they can't sense predators. Only the red squirrels chattered from their safe nests, as the trees rocked back and forth in the wind. At one point I stepped onto the porch and a lone robin hopped out from under our porch. He or she was hunkered down waiting for calm. The cat stayed in all day, only now near sunset did the wind die so he snuck out for one quick run. No doubt we'll be after him with the flashlight soon. Kay Hardy Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10655646072881460264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2497562607286554049.post-92106557232003957592012-10-02T21:02:00.002-04:002012-10-08T20:56:38.604-04:00Taking the dock out - ballooning over the streamThe season-end ritual of taking the dock out of the water is always daunting. Whether you are taking a multi-stage fixed dock out of the water in sections, or horsing a floating dock up onto the beach, it's a big job. Some years we've had a team of friends to help, temperatures in the 40's, everyone inside directly afterward for hot coffee. Some years it's been just us two, trying not to put our backs out, not exactly enjoying the process.<br />
<br />
This year, however it went much more smoothly. We finally realized that we've been making it much harder on ourselves by putting the 'connector section' on top of the floating part before winching it up tight on the beach near the rocks. The connector section weighs over a hundred pounds! So this time we did it without the connector weighing down the floating dock. Piece of cake. Where in past years we struggled for an hour, inching the dock up with the come-along and rusty chain round the big pine, this year we pulled the dock up tight in about fifteen minutes Done. Here is a photo of the dock all put away for winter.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBkkXt_Q4j3FDFW5Kw-5pWYOMm0XZLF8qEMCmusFHwDzdufdPaPhxK14w_w_J5wWk4jTTbc-xIkOFaa-Z8cC8XBUusfBcDDjL4oano3fpcngulKhCNLR31ZGh5K75ny_B0Ra6-mZUb64A/s1600/Photos+Sep+Oct+at+Cabin+007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBkkXt_Q4j3FDFW5Kw-5pWYOMm0XZLF8qEMCmusFHwDzdufdPaPhxK14w_w_J5wWk4jTTbc-xIkOFaa-Z8cC8XBUusfBcDDjL4oano3fpcngulKhCNLR31ZGh5K75ny_B0Ra6-mZUb64A/s320/Photos+Sep+Oct+at+Cabin+007.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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It was a beautiful day - sunny and in the 70's with a very light breeze. As I was putting waders on at the dock, I noticed spider webs flying up into the air, seemingly out of nowhere. Then I traced one of the strands to the top of the dock post, where a medium-sized spider was standing - a long strand flying above him in the light breeze. Suddenly he jumped up, and the wind carried him right out over the stream, as he held onto his long web/balloon. I hope he knew where he was going because it's about 300 feet to the opposite shore. I've read about this, but have never seen a spider 'ballooning' before. Just like the end of CHARLOTTE'S WEB.<br />
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Here we huge mammals were struggling over moving a dock a few feet, and this little creature fashioned himself a balloon and flew away.<br />
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Follow this link to a great blog entry about a family in Minnesota who hired the local highschool football team to take their dock out! The link is <a href="http://www.lakemarymusings.com/2010/10/taking-out-dock.html">here</a> Kay Hardy Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10655646072881460264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2497562607286554049.post-28274385509689185482012-09-28T17:04:00.002-04:002012-09-28T17:04:40.157-04:00Seasons endings and beginningsUp in northern Maine it's the first of two weeks of the moose hunt. I was just down by the water enjoying the deep silence and heard eight shots - a couple of miles away. I'm hoping the lovely cow moose we've been admiring all summer is not the recipient. Fortunately tomorrow it will be raining, and that's the end of the first week. No hunting in Maine on Sunday.<br /><br />Sunday is the last day of fishing season on most Maine inland waters. Today while walking I saw an up-lake neighbor out on his bass boat fly casting along the shore of a rocky cove, one last time. Most folks have their boats out of the water, save him and us.<br /><br />
On Monday, birding season starts so we'll be hearing the shots of folks going for ducks and geese and partridge. <br /><br />For Maine's outdoors enthusiasts, the seasons change with the calendar. But the denizens of the forest and water have their own timetables. Right now a solitary loon is calling outside our cabin. He or she is cruising the 'stream', perhaps calling to others to join up for migration. There are still several weeks until freeze-up so he or she has lots of time to find a group to move off shore or down south. Kay Hardy Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10655646072881460264noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2497562607286554049.post-80559066100160336052012-09-16T10:48:00.000-04:002012-09-16T10:48:08.341-04:00Last HummingbirdsThe activity at our six hummingbird feeders has dropped off to a few straggling visitors. Yesterday I heard them buzzing around, but didn't actually see any at the feeders, though the liquid levels in the most popular feeders are down a little this morning. The sun's declination is lower each day now. Maybe that's how they know to go south. <br /><br />The seasons march on. The birch leaves are yellowing and falling. We had an energetic thunderstorm yesterday. A few hours later, the brief revisit of warm humid weather was swept out with chilly (but refreshing) northerly winds. <br /><br />
During the summery stretch a good friend visited. We got in some fantastic fishing and a hike up a granite ledge trail where we saw no one else for hours. Saw two dozen geese land in the Stream, two beautiful honking V's come up the lake and land a way beyond us, welcomed by the others already waiting there. <br /><br />Perfect ending to the visit with a gourmet popover breakfast up-lake, hosted by veteran lake campers and season followers. We said our goodbyes until next year. <br /><br /><br />Kay Hardy Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10655646072881460264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2497562607286554049.post-7802882868527873612012-09-02T12:30:00.000-04:002012-09-02T12:32:08.979-04:00Dark Days at the CabinThis summer has been very sunny overall. Recently we've had weeks of gorgeous sunny weather. One cabin friend says that this has been the best summer ever, weather wise.<br />
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Wouldn't you know that today, after a glorious sunny start, the clouds rolled in. We do need the rain, so I am not complaining. <br />
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I'm wondering how to keep the cabin from getting too dark in feel on a dark cloudy day. Our place is all wood - and it has a warm glow to it. However, on days like today and those later in the fall, the depth of the forest with its greens, greys and blacks reaches into the cabin somehow. Cutting down a hundred trees to let in the light is not the answer. What to do?<br />
<br />
1. Turn on the lights. All of them. I do this but the warm wood seems to soak it up. Besides, it's a waste of electricity. I suppose if we had painted everything white we wouldn't have this problem. I shut most of the lights off.<br />
<br />
2. Just use lots of the light in the area where you are at the moment. Doing that now. <br />
<br />
<br />
3. Get busy and stop thinking about the light/dark issue. Bake something; work on writing; read.<br />
Yes I know that is the right answer. So I will sign off and do just that.Kay Hardy Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10655646072881460264noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2497562607286554049.post-88653345722071319302012-08-31T21:44:00.002-04:002012-09-01T09:16:35.326-04:00The Last Day of August<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Our errands done, we go fishing. We take the Lund down the
‘stream’ toward the lake, zigzagging among the dead-heads, tall grass,
pickerel weed patches and boulders. Gary stops and puts the motor in
reverse to clear the weeds. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The afternoon sun is milder somehow than even just a week ago.
Some grasses near the shore have turned brown. The geese gather there, a few more
each day, eating in the grass, waiting for the hundreds who
will soon join them.The tips of maple branches are turning crimson.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As the boat glides through the channel, small bass and
pickerel dart past in the bright green underwater grass. Boatmen scatter around us. Huge dragonflies zoom overhead. Soon they’ll die off, but
for now they are powerful airplanes, droning above us and landing on dreiki -
freshwater driftwood – the old roots and trunks of fallen trees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A kingfisher poses on top of a huge tree root
base lying on its side in the water. Its roots fan up and out, like a pair
of Hindu dancer’s hands. They grow larger each summer as the water level drops.
The bird poses there until we get too close. It flies off and circles over the
stream.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We start casting as soon as we pass through the maze of Clorox
bottle marked boulders at the entrance to the lake. No luck in our
usual weed bed, but across the way in the cove, we put on heavier
lures and start catching bass, white perch, and a few yellow perch. One bass is so small that I can hardly tell he
was hooked. I hold him up and inspect him, as I get him off the lure. A micro-bass, he is the size of a Christmas ornament, an exquisite miniature.<br />
<br />
The breeze is light, but steady. Clouds
build to the southwest, but we can tell they will bypass us. The sun turns
orange in the haze as it hangs over the treetops. A Sandpiper stands on a rock nearby and bobs its head. We call him Bob. (Hours later, Sibley's guide tells me that he is a Yellowlegs Sandpiper.) We troll
out over the deep hole where the big fish are hanging fifty feet down at the bottom,
per our fish finder. None take our lures, as shiny and flashy as they are.
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We weave back up the stream at sunset. The water turns pale blue
to match the sky. Shy ducks, smaller than mallards, slip along side us and fade
into the weeds, trying to stay out of sight. Gary casts for pickerel on a Skitterwalk but no luck. Pulling up to the dock we find Jasper waiting for us
on the shore, which in recent weeks has transformed itself from boulders to a sand beach. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The full moon rises, a ripe persimmon. The crickets' quiet songs ring through the woods.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One month from now this will be a different world. But on
the last night of August, the stillness of late summer is rich with quiet
wonder.</div>
Kay Hardy Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10655646072881460264noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2497562607286554049.post-73892124651404174272012-05-28T20:10:00.003-04:002012-05-28T20:10:53.673-04:00Turf Wars<br />
So we made it back to the cabin earlier this month. At first, it seemed like everything was in order. We walked in, listened for anything vaguely like a mouse skuttling. Hearing nothing, we started to unload the car and get organized. The cat went right into the crawlspace under the cabin and within about half an hour, caught a mouse. Hmmmm. We didn't think much of it until we opened one cupboard and found that a mouse and his friends had had a major party in a big kleenex box. It was totally shredded, with a generous sprinkling of black rice. It cleaned up pretty quickly. So we thought all was well.<br /><br />A while later, we noticed a groundhog (muskrat) sticking his head out from under the shed next to the cabin. Our backyard was full of delicious greenery. At first we let him be. The cat was fascinated with him. They didn't bother each other. Then we learned that they can make big tunnels and burrows under buildings, and that those facilities would likely be inhabited by other critters down the line. So, we decided he'd have to go. We planned to get a "Have A Heart" trap to do some 'catch and release.' However, before we took that step, we played some Tower of Power out in the shed at a good volume. He or she wasn't a fan, and we haven't seen him since! <br /><br />We thought our experiences were quite unique, until a neighbor told us of a relative of his who unlocked his summer place up north, only to find lots of duck scat all over the house, a pile of duck feathers, and then a very smelly and very dead duck in the middle of the living room. Apparently the poor thing had flown down the chimney (they'd left the damper open) and couldn't get out.<br /><br />Today I was filling my car with gas and half-way through, I happened to look at the area around the gas tank opening. There was a miniature wasp nest, complete with an actual wasp on it! I managed to fill the tank, close the lid, and get home. My husband kindly took care of the nest. <br />Kay Hardy Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10655646072881460264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2497562607286554049.post-8248659410312516062012-03-09T09:21:00.004-05:002012-03-14T08:46:18.078-04:00What will we find when we get there?It's several weeks yet before many of us venture to our camps, cabins and cottages that are boarded up all winter. Just about two full moons from now, we'll be packing up, and venturing back to the woods to check things out.<br />
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Now is the time when we start to wonder what we'll find when we pull into the driveway. We'll smell the air, car windows down, and listen to the crunch of the tires on the gravel driveway festooned with pine needles.The cabin will have been waiting for us, silent and empty, for six months.<br />
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What will we find? Will there be dead mice in the wastebasket, lured there by the blob of peanut butter? Will there be live mice? One year we opened the cabin door, and the cat snuck by us. Once inside, he pricked up his ears and scampered up the ladder to the loft, commencing a week of nightly hunts, his favorite entertainment. Last year, we were grateful to find not one, not even a trace of one. Dead or alive.<br />
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Will we find piles of dead cluster flies? Yes. Especially since it's been a relatively warm winter. We did put up fly strips in the fall, but I bet they will have been overwhelmed, given the warm days that spur on hatches.<br />
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Will we find traces of moose visits? Always. We'll find broken off branches and stems of small birch trees, and piles of tater tot-like moose nuggets near the porch, places a moose might stand, out of the wind and snow. Heck, one of these years I'm sure we'll find some on our porch. Why can't moose enjoy a little porch therapy too?<br />
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Will we find piles of chewed up pine cones, courtesy of the red squirrels? Of course.<br />
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Will we find that the floating dock is still tied to the tree between the rocks? Yes. It always is.<br />
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Of course one worries about break-ins, but our neighbors check in on things for us. We have learned to relax about that somewhat. <br />
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And when at last we roll into the driveway and get out of the car and slam its doors, will we find the air so thick with silence that it pulls the tension right out of us? <br />
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And when we open the cabin's front door, and see the piles of cluster flies, the bins, the porch furniture piled up, all in the state of chaotic winter storage, at that moment will we find that longed-for smell? Will we breathe deeply, savoring the pungent scent of the wood - maple and hemlock - that has been curing all winter? I hope so!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqhvRClvvfjLIoketb8WA8NzQK2INOTISPHcr3B-xHpJXiHP3H2koOErZHtt-HKG0NbGhcSPkLlz7mjIFjg15YuUuUn8iykVXF7TJJB5fW7i9YtkvDqnS9OyJQV6L4ZQlPlNzA2QIosLA/s1600/driveway.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqhvRClvvfjLIoketb8WA8NzQK2INOTISPHcr3B-xHpJXiHP3H2koOErZHtt-HKG0NbGhcSPkLlz7mjIFjg15YuUuUn8iykVXF7TJJB5fW7i9YtkvDqnS9OyJQV6L4ZQlPlNzA2QIosLA/s320/driveway.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Here's a photo of a Jamestown, TN log cabin for sale. It captures the mystery of arriving at a silent cabin by car on a crunchy gravel driveway. Looks like a lovely place. <a href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/1093806/little-cabin-in-the-big-woods">Link to property</a>Kay Hardy Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10655646072881460264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2497562607286554049.post-52221652976214114262012-02-04T21:57:00.004-05:002012-02-04T22:11:04.094-05:00Very Pinteresting Indeed<a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/128563764332326479/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://media-cdn.pinterest.com/upload/196047389998577923_426XpEpv_c.jpg" width="212" /></a>Have you heard of the program Pinterest? If you like cabins and cabin decor, you should check it out. Pinterest <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/">(www.pinterest.com</a>) is a free program that allows you to organize images (photos, drawings, etc.) according to your own categories. And then you can share them with your friends, and pin up the images you like on your boards. You can 'repin' what other people have posted on their boards too. <br />
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One of my nieces invited me to join. (It takes a bit of time time to get approved if you request to join without being invited.) It is a fantastic way to collect ideas about cabin decor and design. Personally I have a 'board' where I pin everything rustic, another one for 'cabin dreams', another for decor ideas using twigs and branches. The only down side is that it gives you a bad case of cabin fever! Here is a photograph of what looks like a cabin bedroom. This has been 'repinned' by more than 5,000 people. It appears a lot of folks would like to be sleeping in a cozy cabin just about now. <br />
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<div style="line-height: 0px; padding-bottom: 2px;"></div><div style="float: left; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px;">Source: <a href="http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lu54ltqcB41r4qcobo1_500.jpg" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;">29.media.tumblr.com</a> via <a href="http://pinterest.com/kayakingkay/" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Kay</a> on <a href="http://pinterest.com/" style="color: #76838b; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></div></div>Kay Hardy Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10655646072881460264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2497562607286554049.post-72848739374829530652011-11-05T14:09:00.001-04:002012-11-20T21:11:27.285-05:00Really old camp shirtWhat's your oldest camp shirt? Mine is more than four decades old. OK so I'm dating myself, right? When I was 15, my dad bought this camp shirt for me. It's really not a camp 'shirt', it's a wool Pendleton-style shirt you wear as a fall jacket. At the time, he told me that I'd have this shirt forever. It's something you just keep for a long time. And he was right. There were many years when I was abroad, and many years when I never wore it. But it has lasted beautifully. <br />
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So after all this time, it's back in fashion. It's a blue and white 'Buffalo plaid' wool with a vintage straight fit. It keeps me toasty warm on these cool fall days. The label inside has my maiden name and 'camp nickname' still written in indelible marker. The commercial label reads "Rough Rider Clothing" by Woods Base Canvas Company Ltd., out of Toronto and Winnipeg, Canada. I can't find anything on-line about this company, so perhaps it went out of business. In any case, this year, after all these decades, it fits more beautifully than ever before. I put it on, and it keeps the chill away, and makes me think of my late father. How many times we raked leaves together and I'd be wearing this shirt. From now on, it's going to get a lot more use.Kay Hardy Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10655646072881460264noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2497562607286554049.post-83946046499244759382011-10-03T21:40:00.001-04:002011-10-03T21:43:24.568-04:00MigrationsThe last weeks before we close up the cabin are here - it seems like we just got here. However, the leaves are turning fast now. The days and nights are cooling dramatically. We'll get a possible frost by the end of the week. <br />
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In our area, many seasonal camp owners have been gone for weeks. Now, the last of the summer people are departing for southern climes. We went to a bonfire the other night - circling the fire in camp chairs was a huge group of 'snowbirds' taking off in the next few days. They were already making plans to meet up at restaurants in Florida. <br />
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The birds in our 'stream' - Canada Geese, ducks, teals, herons and loons, are coming and going on their migration south...until this morning when shots rang out, announcing the beginning of bird hunting season. It was a rather noisy day here today, and I wonder if any more migrating birds will even bother stopping here, if they get the word that it's not a safe rest stop right now. <br />
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Up the lake, a couple of beavers are making a massive beaver hut. They slap the water when you get close to them. They're piling up carefully trimmed sticks and they're patting mud on the outside of it. They are clearly planning to stay over the winter.<br />
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Not us, though. Our cabin, like many others up here in the woods, is not made for wintering over. When the day comes to leave, we'll be more than ready. But the moment we get home, we'll start longing for next spring. Kay Hardy Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10655646072881460264noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2497562607286554049.post-90035155892047128332011-09-20T11:03:00.000-04:002013-06-08T10:10:25.231-04:00Edmund Ware Smith Book Discussion<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAyn8pUj2GV1HbfZf-pKsgPcFTFFeCClT-9uQJFkkKI3SExHkmFGXr16XZ1yiibbSMVcyeqwXi2OItULFPMtrFxGAoAzyN7wKLGhtV6gCkw6LrzJ1-3uLL_1Z-BUCnFCh-KX97ZSqx4Nk/s1600/TreasuryMaineWoods.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAyn8pUj2GV1HbfZf-pKsgPcFTFFeCClT-9uQJFkkKI3SExHkmFGXr16XZ1yiibbSMVcyeqwXi2OItULFPMtrFxGAoAzyN7wKLGhtV6gCkw6LrzJ1-3uLL_1Z-BUCnFCh-KX97ZSqx4Nk/s320/TreasuryMaineWoods.jpg" height="320" width="245" /></a></div>
Recently we traveled an hour by car, through mists and rain, to get to a book discussion. Hosted by the historical society of the Maine village of Grand Lake Stream, the discussion focused on the works of Edmund Ware Smith (EWS), our favorite Maine woods author. <br />
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The visit was well worth the drive through moose territory. When you drive in late afternoon and night time around here, you have to keep a sharp eye out for moose in the road. Unlike most animals, when headlights hit moose eyes, they don't glow - and the dark brown hulk of a moose can be hard to see. So it's a bit risky driving at night on the quiet roads of Downeast Maine.<br />
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We arrived safely and found enthusiastic fans of EWS packed into a small room. We sipped mulled cider and discussed his work, his prose and the stories of the author's time in the lakes that surround Grand Lake Stream. <br />
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All his works are out of print now, which we all agreed was a shame. They are engaging, beautifully written, charming, funny and poignant. His love of the north woods and the characters in it shines through in every sentence. He brought the area around Grand Lake Stream - all the lakes in the Grand Lake watershed - to life and put them on the map for his generation.<br />
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To me, his most iconic essay is the one wrote about the day one of his sons drowned in Sysladobsis Lake (known as "Dobsy" or "Dobsis" for short). It's quite mysterious, this particular essay, and tragic of course. Yet the incident solidified the author's deep ties to the area that would last for the rest of his life. That essay is from his A TREASURY OF THE MAINE WOODS.<br />
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Attending the book discussion was a fellow named Harry Bailey, whose great grandfather and grandfather were caretakers at the Dobsis Club where the incident happened. Mr. Bailey passed around a letter from the author to his grandfather, and included in it was a photograph of Mr and Mrs. Smith with their son.<br />
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Here is a list of his book-length works. You can find them on e-bay and amazon, and at your local public library. He published many of his essays in national magazines.<br />
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<ul>
<li><a href="http://outdoorsportinglibrary.com/?p=120" target="_blank">Rider in the Sun (1935)</a></li>
<li><a href="http://outdoorsportinglibrary.com/?p=171" target="_blank">A Tomato Can Chronicle (1937, 1991)</a></li>
<li><a href="http://outdoorsportinglibrary.com/?p=236" target="_blank">Tall Tales and Short (1938, 1991)</a></li>
<li><a href="http://outdoorsportinglibrary.com/?p=250" target="_blank">The One Eyed Poacher of Privilege (1941, 1991)</a></li>
<li><a href="http://outdoorsportinglibrary.com/?p=244" target="_blank">From Fact to Fiction (1946)</a></li>
<li><a href="http://outdoorsportinglibrary.com/?p=280" target="_blank">The Further Adventures of the One Eyed Poacher (1947)</a></li>
<li><a href="http://outdoorsportinglibrary.com/?p=262" target="_blank">The One Eyed Poacher and the Maine Woods (1955)</a></li>
<li><a href="http://outdoorsportinglibrary.com/?p=296" target="_blank">A Treasury of the Maine Woods (1958, 1976)</a></li>
<li><a href="http://outdoorsportinglibrary.com/?p=287" target="_blank">For Maine Only (1959)</a></li>
<li><a href="http://outdoorsportinglibrary.com/?p=309" target="_blank">Upriver & Down (1965)</a></li>
<li><a href="http://outdoorsportinglibrary.com/?p=331" target="_blank">To Fish and Hunt in Maine (1991, edited by Thomas Kinney)</a></li>
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The list above was found on outdoorsportinglibrary.com - it has an excellent account of his life.<br />
The link to the website is <a href="http://outdoorsportinglibrary.com/?page_id=12">here.</a>Kay Hardy Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10655646072881460264noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2497562607286554049.post-52242696988446302222011-09-05T11:06:00.002-04:002011-09-05T11:06:54.577-04:00The storm passing in the night<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Last night we could hardly sleep. The still air was saturated with humidity. We noted that it might be the last warm and humid night of the season, but noting this didn't help us. A while later, having never quite fallen asleep, I turned over. Distant lightning lit up the woods like a swarm of papparazi. It flashed again and again, silently, but each time, it lit up the entire sky. The cat watched from the window sill. I wondered what the moose and owls and mice and voles were doing? Were they awake watching, or ignoring it and doing whatever they usually do at night? Finally a distant echo of thunder rolled down the lake. When it grew louder, I got up and shut most windows and unplugged the computer. Then I stood on the porch in the dark. The storm would pass us by, just to the north. The thunder only grew so loud, and the breeze only blew a little. After a couple of perfunctory rain showers, the storm was gone. Then we fell asleep.<br /><br />A link to the photograph above can be found <a href="http://www.shotaddict.com/tips/article_How+To+Shoot+A+Lightning.html">here..</a>Kay Hardy Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10655646072881460264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2497562607286554049.post-39601502591267078122011-09-02T17:53:00.000-04:002011-09-02T17:54:39.683-04:00Amazing hostess giftRecently we had some friends over for lunch, well, 'dinner', the big meal of the day, at noon. One couple brought a nice bottle of wine, which matched the entree, happily, for I didn't have the right kind in my cupboard. <br />
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The other couple, the wife of whom is never to be outdone in the creativity department, arrived with a basket in her hand, saying, "I brought some ladies to tea!" A photograph of the 'ladies' is below. Needless to say, this is about the best hostess gift ever given or received in the State of Maine. Underneath the little plate (the 'tea table') is a jar of home made wild apple sauce. Note the parsley hair, and the little elastics tying the gingham 'napkins'. <br />
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Thanks to our lake neighbor Julie who stopped in from a marathon solo kayak voyage and took a picture of it for us.<br />
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<br />Kay Hardy Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10655646072881460264noreply@blogger.com0