MaineCamp: July 2011

27 July 2011

Report from Connemara North - July 27th, 2011

On Monday night, I went out to the dock to fish with worms and my not too dependable rod as a spare. I was having no luck when I saw movement over on Voyer’s dock. I moved over there and on the second cast (something had taken worm on first cast) a good size small mouth bass grabbed hold and I got it on the line long enough for a photo (see above).

It has been raining off and on so we are pretty much trying to get caught up on paperwork and stuff. We did take time to go out to lunch at Friendly’s yesterday for fried clams, a real treat!!!!!

Today we are hoping it clears enough to start painting area at entrance where we had floor repaired where the leaks has rotted the wood. And we have to scrape and paint the outside wall where the gas tanks had been located for years. We switched to electric this summer and the tanks were removed Friday afternoon. Seems strange without the tanks but it is a delight to be able to bake again. I never could figure how to regulate the gas stove which I had not used in 10 years. The kids are happy the gas stove is history since one or more were reluctant to cook on it. One daughter had some issues with it long ago.

It rained hard during the night so I won’t have to water the flowers. My black-eyed susan plant finally bloomed with one flower yesterday. Hope this one survives. It’s the third one I have planted. This one is in full sun most of day when it is clear and seems to be happy.

We have had fun with the family of ducks who have come right up to the porch door each morning and evening this week asking for food. They come right up almost to our feet to catch the bread crumbs we have. They are fussy and would not eat cheese crackers or cheerios so we had to finish the hotdog rolls today for breakfast for them. The chipmunks continue to beg for peanuts but are getting competition from two gray squirrels that are fighting them for food.

Have to get down one of these hours to empty water from boat again. Maybe later when I go fishing. Need some kind of pumping system because this new boat is not easy to drain the water after a heavy rain. Can’t get under the front or back seats to collect the water.

Time to get to work. But not before I again thank Mom and Dad Connor for finding and preserving this camp so that all of us and hopefully many more generations can enjoy God’s special gifts of beauty, wildlife, and serenity in a place called Connemara North. Thank you God for Maine Camp and all your many blessings for all of us.

-Grandma/Aunt Joan

24 July 2011

Report from Connemara North - July 24th, 2011

What a beautiful day it has been on Cobbossee Lake. The heat broke last night and the air was fresh and not so warm this morning. As the day went on the sun warmed up the air but it was nothing like the past week.

There has been a delightful breeze from the lake all day and tonight it was cool when I went down to fish off the dock.

No boat trip for me today. I have to figure out how to talk to the motor so he cooperates with my handling of motors.

It is the same old story. Lawn mower motors always give me a hard time before they decide to cooperate and so have boat motors. This is a different motor and others seem able to operate it. But I have had little success. It starts right off but then when I get ready to move it shuts off and that’s it for the day. I nearly throw out my shoulder trying to start it again, but no success.

I usually end up rowing and the big oars in the boat are a challenge in themselves. Especially when the oar locks have been removed. But I will correct that before I go out again.

The camp is quiet and Lowell and I are rattling around wondering what happened. Katie and Tim, Casey, Kyle and PJ left early Thursday and JoAnna and Gracie and Jared left mid-morning Saturday. We had a wonderful time while they were here and we hope they feel the same. The weather was amazing and the evenings were filled with fishing and campfires and s'mores. Some nights we played games and there was the baseball on the TV for Lowell and PJ.

We have much to do now that we have the kitchen back in shape and most everything recovered from the various hiding places when the work was being done. We have had no success finding one cell phone which disappeared during the visits so we are still searching.

The chipmunks were back in force today after checking to be sure no dogs are around. Granddog Scooter didn’t bother with them outside but his barking bothered them. Neighbor’s little dog was over here quite a bit which unnerved them.

The floats are slowly being deflated now that it’s Lowell and I here and Lowell hasn’t been in the lake in more than 20 years or more.

Tom Voyer’s son-in-law from Florida made another good bass catch tonight off their dock. Didn’t go out to get a picture this time because there were so many people taking photos, I suspect the fish died before being tossed back into the lake. Anyhow, we know there are big bass around. Just have to keep fishing.

I took JoAnna, Jared and Gracie out in the cove to fish twice Friday. We planned to go to Beetle Bog in evening but like the morning trip, I couldn’t get motor to cooperate so we went into the cove. Jared caught six perch and Gracie had two fish on her line nearly to the boat before they got loose. She was so disappointed she didn’t catch anything of size this trip. Two years ago when she and Adam went fishing one evening, she caught a good size bass. We have a tracing of the fish in a frame on the porch along with tracings of fish caught by so many during the past two decades. They were on ceiling in loft but not seen by many people so I collected them and have framed as many as we have space for now.

Still a good pile which I will place in album so people can see them and the fisherman can take them if they wish.

-Joan

16 July 2011

July 16th, 2011 Update

Long time between updates due to work involved in finishing up and cleaning up from final work on restoring kitchen. As of July 12, we had all units in kitchen in working order although some of the supplies were still scattered throughout the camp. By Thursday night we had the camp in pretty good shape to welcome Katie and four of her kids and then Friday afternoon JoAnna and Gracie and Jared arrived.

Lowell and I worked almost non-stop for three days to settle stuff which was stacked up to make room for appliances and give workers room to work. By 6 p.m. Thursday, all beds were made and ready for the guests, rooms cleaned, loft mopped, swept, aired out and cooled by two fans and a porta potty set up.

We finally finished painting the outside of loft on southeast side of camp and the repaired screen was put back on the window with the help of Paul Voyer and his carpenter skills to tightened the bottom of screen against camp. We hope to get a second coat on all the new boards the roofer installed over the extensive flashing in connection with the roof jobs before we close camp next month.

The last job was to bucket out the boat which has been sitting at the dock since John W. left. I was lucky if I got down to the dock to throw in the fishing line every other day or so. There was lots of water from two pretty hefty storms in the past week.

Wednesday, July 13, Lowell and I went shopping at Wal-Mart’s Augusta store. I collected the household and carpenter items while Lowell shopped in the food store. I finished first and helped Lowell finish the list. We got home after 7 p.m. and by time we put everything way, we were not interested in dinner. We had soup and crackers and cheese.

It took much longer to complete kitchen than it should have because the company called in to clean up took samples and determined there was asbestos in the floor tiles. They sent an environmental firm to remove the tiles but they were unsuccessful. They never did send anyone to clean up from the damp walls and insulation which I finally cleaned up and disposed of. After waiting two weeks for someone to finish the job, I authorized the carpenter to remove lose flooring and board which had been damaged, replace floor boards, install plywood over entire floor and install new floor. Not a big job. He did it in less than one day. He had already enclosed wall after installing insulation and repairing the boards that needed replacing. He returned again to apply the wall covering: Armstrong vinyl with black and white squares. Looks great especially after John W. and I applied a final row to finish off the top of wall. We didn’t think we were going to cover the whole wall but decided to try it. That way we didn’t need to paint any of those walls. I am sorry I have not had time to send photos. Will work on getting them mailed soon.

So now we are hosting grandkids and plan to fish and swim and I may even take them out in boat. Ran motor and it stayed on for me for awhile after I emptied the water. Maybe it didn’t realize I was running it.

Dock seems to be holding up with all the activity by grandkids and granddog . Granddog jumped in while I was working on boat and finally swam around to get out.

Will try to update when the grandkids leave.

I thank God each day often for the blessings of Maine camp. No amount of work will dampen my love and enjoyment of these special surroundings and the joy of echoes of those who have made this the best of places in God’s country.

God bless,

Joan