After Shyla’s wedding, Julia and I hopped a quick flight to Bangor, Maine, to spend most of a week with madison friends. Stephanie and Hope have a extremely sweet cabin on a lake.  There is no electricity and the first night I was a stunned by the dark, but Julia and I soon got used to living in the light and sleeping in the dark.  Gas powers the fridge, the stove and the water heater for hot showers.  Everything else battery powered and so, needed to be thought about before turning on.  We learned a few new games, put a puzzle together in record time, explored a little bit of Maine and ate great food curtesy of Stephanie’s skills and some lovely, simple restaurants.

We spent a day at Acadia National Park.  It be crowded, especially in light of the rest of our Maine time, and as beautiful as I remembered from a camping trip with my family of origin when I was a kid. Julia and Hope had a wonderful time on the beach although the water was too cold to do much except for washing off of feet and legs.

The girls climbed on rocks. Hope and Julia have been in the same church class for many years.  Hope has always been friendly to Julia and hasn’t always been rewarded for her attention.  This week I saw Julia be interested in what Hope wanted to do.  She wanted to do it too.  How lovely is that!!  Of course, it could be a bit stifling for Hope at times.  Watching them climb together, Hope and Julia looked like friends.

At night, we watched the sun set over the lake.  We sat around a fire (with some bug spray) and roasted hot dogs and marshmallows.  Superior chocolate really adds to the taste of smores.

We visited an Amish general store that certainly did sell everything. The store was lit by sky lights and gas lights.

The closest town to the cabin is Patten.  Just outside of Patten is the Lumberman’s Museum.  Those cutting and taking trees from the old forests lived hard lives.  Another kind of life I am grateful not to lead.  Young men were digging holes for the Bean Hole Supper that was happening the weekend after we left.  Yes, pots of bean are cooked for hours in covered holes in the ground like the river drivers used to do it.

The most peculiar part of the collection was a model T Ford whose chasie was made entirely of wood.  The trunk looked like an old cellar door.