You never know what we'll churn up in cleaning a stall
It’s what many people expect when they come to Maine, but rarely like this.
the lobster feast, of course
I had two and a hot dog
and a watermelon slice
skipped the kabobs and corn-on-cob
the cream-colored tamale
quite tasty, delightful
the obscene excess of two lobsters
without formalities
just rip and crack
imbibe
memories of Chaz telling of arranging such feasts
who as a biker in Maine
ripped the tails off
and tossed the rest
my, how I still miss him
As all of the activity was picking up overhead, a mason our contractor had contacted earlier in the season showed up to touch up the top of our chimney and add a protective cap.
While Jason was at it, the exterior of the foundation could finally get some attention – the foundation itself was in good shape, thank you, despite the appearance from the sidewalk, but the housing inspector we had when bidding on the property suggested this as “something to do down the road.”
And it turned out, Jason the mason and his sidekick, Roger, could also relocate our new wood stove and its metal chimney to the corner of the front parlor. I was outvoted on that one (I hate taking steps backward) but will concede that the position will be safer and the flue will have a straighter shot to the sky, meaning less creosote buildup.
The chimney wound up needing a rebuild from the roofline up, but the results look great.
The foundation, meanwhile, got more than new mortar and concrete – it got a coating of Flex-Coat, too, which covered up the pink paint we had planned to replace anyway.
We had considered blue or perhaps gray as the new color, but seeing the gray in place sealed our decision. Somehow, it makes the place look more solid.
We do feel reassured seeing craftsmen who take pride in doing good work, and that includes taking extra steps on details joyfully.
I hope they have a big, happy, extended family and tons of good friends. (Plus plenty of hired help for the upkeep.)
This coastal manor is in Bristol, Maine.
Along the Machias River, Whitneyville, Maine.
The delivery of cut, split firewood means I’ll be spending much of my upcoming time stacking it neatly. With luck, this will then season for a year before warming our house.
Alas, stacking it also means feeling my age. And how!
Using what I had previously thought of as life boats was a common practice during the cruise.
Babson Island a wet landing
wearing Converse high tops sans socks
a mistake
lucky I don’t have blisters
a fine-shell beach
unlike any we have to the east
I know of
so here we are going ashore again
this time for lobster
Babson Island, Maine Coastal Heritage Trust
Just walkin’ along and there they were.
Do we need say how excited we’re feeling?
Let’s look at the continuing progress from the inside.
Next steps will be the roofing, foam insulation, windows, siding, trim, and flooring.
Can this really be happening?
Where, for heaven’s sake, would this place be? We don’t have a lot of options in our remote rim of Maine.
And then I was told the restaurant was a late and lamented site a block from my home, now reincarnated as an echo of the grill and bar next door. Only, perchance, a shade better.
Well, as a reaction, I did have an appropriate Greek slang expression I’d found earlier when researching background for my novel What’s Left, not that I’ll quote it here.
