28 August 2011

Late August 2011 - Hurricane Irene/Closing the Camp Update

Good morning everyone from a beautiful and rainy day on the lake in Maine.


We have only begun to see signs of winds but we have had plenty of rain; sometimes just light and other times torrential. It still is beautiful here and quiet.

The lake has a strange look with no boats few if any docks and no birds, loons, ducks, and no chipmunks in sight. Everyone worked yesterday to pull out boats and docks and we had a front row seats as many from cove used Baileys loading dock to pull out the boats and docks and skidoos etc. Lake was sooooo quiet for a weekend day!

We were blessed to get our boat out Thursday before Mat left and the two brothers we hired to take out dock came Saturday morning and entertained us as they pulled the new dock and walkway up on the bank next to the boat. All is tied to trees and secured, we hope.

We brought in everything from the yard except the grille which we may need, depending on severity of storm when it hits full force. The only sound other than rain on the new roofs and old peaked roof is the Voyers delightful chimes on the tree near the lake. I pulled in my two chimes from the terrace along with humming bird feeder. We have cleared all chairs and about only thing left is the clothes pole which neither of us thought of last night.

It is good we cut down that big leaning pine in front of camp. The reports of trees coming down along coast make me think we would have had that monster in the camp were it here.

The lake water had been dropping the past two weeks but looking out it appears it is up quite a bit already. Guess there will be good fishing when this is over.

I went down yesterday to fish before they pulled the dock but they were little ones chasing my lure. Guess the fish I caught in July is my catch for this season.

It is soooooo good to hear the rain ON the roof and not to worry about it coming into camp. We are watching the peak roof to see how it manages in the wind. Several suspect shingles were inspected by roofers when they worked on roofs over porch and kitchen. They said we had time yet. Hope they guessed right.

I finally got Black-eyed susans to flower and I guess this rain will give them a chance to get watered before it snows.

Lowell and I cleaned up the campsite this week and I finished trimming the bushes on the lower level of terrace which we didn't get done earlier. The lake is more visible and I cleaned out all the dead limbs so they don't end up in the lake. Dad worked on seedlings among the pines along property line to east and out around the shed. Some of the trees in area of shed will have to be cut down whenever we get the septic system upgraded. That's where main drainage fields will be so we also have to relocate the shed?????!!!!! Lowell has the shed organized and I know he is just delighted at the thought of unloading it! But that is for later, God willing.

One of the new additions to the camp site is a fishing rod holder on the tree along the walkway to the dock. I saw the one Voyers had on their tree and got some hooks and a board and made one for us. Works well too because at one point I had five poles on the holder and they were solid in the rain and wind earlier. I only have one pole hanging on it now. All the rest or on the rack in the camp. The last year Adam was here he suggested we relocate the rack to next to the lake side of the porch which he did for us. He was right. It is so much easier having it along the lake windows and I can reach them to put up and take down. My good reel is still giving me problems and I couldn't get it opened to fix it. I gave up and tagged it as a sick rod and reel until someone can show me how to restring it in Spring. The one I have been using is a cheap reel which works great although I have no fish stories to confirm that. It casts halfway across the cove when I fish off the dock.


Before Mat left he and Lowell put on all the storm panels on windows except for one in our bedroom and one in the kitchen. It is such a help to get that done. Lowell and I can do it but not as easily as Mat. He devised a new system with some kind of a gizmo he inserted in the frame of camp into which the screws on the panels go. It makes it easier to put them up and take them down, he says. Everybody is looking for ways to make our jobs easier. They don't know how much fun we have doing things the old fashioned way.

We have a little painting to do on deck floor and overhang on lake side of camp and then we will pack up the paint for another year. Lowell is hoping we can use up the porch green on the porch floor and touching up where we have white overlapping the green on the porch and that the work I am doing on overhand and deck will use of the Waldeyer green exterior paint so we don't have so much paint to transport. We can't leave the paint in camp to freeze.


Yesterday, Lowell put the first coat of gray on the floor in the living room that he didn't do last year. We had to move linen cupboard so the living room looks like we were moving out again. Only fitting, we started the summer with the living room in disarray while the kitchen was repaired and we are getting ready to leave and it is again in disarray.

We are planning to close up Wednesday and head to Syracuse for football game Thursday, unless we have damage to deal with at home. The young man who opened up for us will come Wednesday morning to take care of water system before we leave. New hookups etc. need to be winterized and we want to see what is needed that is different from old lines. Saves us from climbing under the camp too. He can slide under much easier. Thank God Adam put the shutoff units on each line that last time he was here. We are indeed enjoying his handiwork in so many ways. Thank you God for Adam and his ingenuity and willingness to make things easier to deal with under the camp as well as inside.

So here it is 10:21 Sunday, August 28 and we are enjoying the sounds of rain on the roof and the chimes from Voyers. Ah, this is the life for us....

Until next time, God willing, enjoy your day and thank God for each day is a gift.

Love and God bless from soggy Lake Cobbossee and warm and dry Connemara North....

Grandma and Grandpa T.

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