Day Sixteen – At the Lake

July 6, 2016 – A different sort of adventure

As promised – here are a few shots from last night’s sunset.

With no pressures we can sleep as long as we like. But since we went to bed with the sun, it’s pretty difficult to sleep past six!  That’s still about nine hours’ sleep and boy do I wake up refreshed! The air is crisp and the humidity is low.

We experiment with making coffee in the percolator on the propane stove.  Not too bad for our first try!  We finish the instant oatmeal and add raisins and half ‘n’ half;  With toast it makes a good breakfast.  We’re going grocery shopping later but for now we enjoy the quiet beauty of Big Lake, across from the Passamaquoddy Indian Reservation.

Johnny Jump-ups!  They remind me of bygone days at our cabin.

Yesterday Dana showed us how to pull in the boat, with it’s pull-start motor;  but the waves are quite choppy and the dock is quite wiggly and the idea of trying to get into the boat, much less brave the bounces, is not appealing.  We’re quite content for the moment to breathe deeply and play with our computers.

We finally gather up our computers and accessories, and our grocery list, and head down the four-mile gravel road to La Grange.  Our thought is to charge our electronics, and catch up on our email and I’d like to post my blog, too.  I’ve not brought the wifi password because I thought it was the same as their phone number.  Turns out it’s a different phone number! 

 Marilyn’s phone works here!  She’s in the finishing stages of the sale of her mother’s home and has details to work out, so it’s good that she can be in contact.  We do as much as we can without the wifi and decide to go hunting for Dana or Sharon.  We work out where we think their apartment is and are heading that way when Marilyn misses her footing on the walk and lands on her side, hitting her head on the concrete.

I go running, looking for help and calling, “Hello!!!”  The man who was working in the barn is deaf.  Instead I go to the long-haired, bearded, white haired man splitting logs with a noisy machine.  I finally get his attention and bring him back, only to find that Marilyn now has not one, but two white-haired ladies fussing over her!  One had heard me yelling and looked out to see “someone is down!” Marilyn isn’t dizzy or confused, although she’s got a pretty good cut on her forehead. After a few more minutes’ rest, the gentleman helps her up.  She’s got one ice bag on her head and another on the battered area on her ribcage.

By now Dana and Sharon are home and they bring us back inside to make sure that all is well.  Dana entertains for a while and then goes off to cut wood or whatever other maintenance chores he has.  Sharon stays with us, bringing pain meds and TLC.  

The inukshuk is Dana's symbol.

 When Marilyn is feeling better, we head to the IGA for groceries.  It’s a small, but well-stocked grocery and we find everything on our list.  I’m glad, though, that I bought GF food in Ba Haba! We stop back by La Grange to see if Marilyn has gotten an answer to her email, and for her to sign some paperwork; and back down the four-mile road we go.  We’ve left the car running at La Grange so our ice cream doesn’t melt and when we get home I figure out how to lower the thermostat on the freezer.

Not sure what's in this!!

After we’ve unpacked and stashed the groceries, it’s time for an early dinner, since there was no lunch!  We’ve liberated four slices of pork from Sharon’s freezer (with permission!) and have them with baked beans and sauerkraut. Later there will be ice cream!

We take a glass of wine and go sit by the water. Around six, Dana and Sharon arrive by boat to take us out on the lake.  The weather is a bit “iffy” so it isn’t a long ride;  just the perfect length for me!  We see an eagle fly over and Marilyn spots where he has landed!  Everywhere you look there is nothing but forest!  Dana had promised a thousand trees for every car he saw in Florida.  I think he’s delivered!

Crockett was Dana's great grandfather, who settled here.

These are for Bill and Sandy!

This is the entrance to our "gated community"! The lock isn't actually connected to anything!

Sharon, up close and personal!

Bald eagle derriere!

Just trust me, he's there!

Our home away from home!

Captain Dana and First Mate Sharon!

Marilyn starting the generator

After the ride we turn on the generator one last time for showers, dishes and final flushes, turn it off, and go to bed with the advent of darkness.  Before Marilyn goes to bed I finally get to use the Ace bandage that I always bring on trips!  She says her ribs feel much better with pressure on them, so I wrap her up as tightly as she wants, and safety pin her securely. It’s cooling off quite a bit and the snuggly blankets are ideal for sleeping. I’ve brought along a little sachet of lavender and I’ve been sniffing it before bed every night.  I think it really helps.  Thanks, Natalie, for the knowledge that lavender helps you relax!)