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Published: September 14th 2006
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The owners of the campground have a habit of throwing a lobster bake for their workampers a few times every summer. Our first one was in July. They help finance the lobster with the money the workampers collect doing the recycling from the campground. In the playground area is a large fire pit. They start a big fire going and have a huge iron saucer like metal thing (about 4 feet across) they put on top of the fire. Then they pile on wet seaweed then lots of lobsters, clams and potatoes then more seaweed on top. Then they let the whole thing steam for awhile. They also stash corn in the fire to cook at the same time. When it's lobster time (kind of like Miller time but much better) (did I mention this is real Maine lobster?) we all fill up our plates with lobster, clams, corn & potatoes with a small cup of melted butter on the side and dig in. There is a covered patio nearby with picnic tables and there is no need to keep your elbows off the table. The first time we ate lobster it was the season when they had just molted (is
that the right word?/shed their hard shell) and their shells were soft and easy to rip into with just your fingers. This Sunday it will be more difficult but I won't let that slow me down.
The summer weather here in Maine has been tough to deal with. I feel like I am in a California winter but with much more humidity. We have been here for June & July and only a few periods of nice summery weather. For instance, today the humidity has been running at least 80%. Every piece of paper in our trailer is soggy and limp. The sun has peeked out only about twice, the rest of the time it has been overcast with dark mean looking clouds. I can safely say we will not be returning to New England to enjoy their summer in the future. And as wet and overcast as it usually is I'm not sure we would rather be experiencing Chico's 100+ temperatures.
Along with all the humidity and rain we are having is the unique way we have of knowing the summer season is progressing. That is to be noticing which insect is hatching that week. When we
first arrived you might remember our up close encounters with the swarming black gnats who are very friendly, about a week later was the hatching of the large black carpenter ants. Shortly after arriving we went to the hardware store and bought some green astroturf to lay down outside our front door. A few days later we noticed all these ants crawling out from under the astroturf. Yucko. Then it was the small biting black flies. Those are pretty bad, when they bite it hurts then itches like crazy for a few days then you have a red welt for about 2-3 weeks. Takes forever to heal. And of course through it all have been the faithful ever present mosquitoes. Soon after came the locust and large moths. This, combined with a large supply of ticks, bees and wasps. We have found several wasps nests around camp. Mike was the recipient of a nasty looking spider bite on his lower leg. Never saw the spider, but it left a dark circle that took 2 weeks to go away.
Wow, it's hard to believe an entire summer has passed. We really thought time would go slowly with us not working
at a real job but it has been the opposite. We feel like it was last week we pulled into the campground and fought the flies. So, let's summarize....
We pulled our huge trailer cross country (almost 4000 miles) without any major mishaps. We nudged a few things out of our way (not intentionally) but no large damages
Explored our area of Maine mountains on foot and trekked part of the famous Appalachian trail. A footpath that goes over 2000 miles from Maine to Georgia. We have met hikers who are on the trail for 2 weeks or more.
It has been a really good summer. We are kind of liking this retirement thing. For the last 2 weeks we have been planning and discussing our next move. Which involves friends, Florida and Christmas trees. We are going to start out with visiting a cousin in upstate New York, friends at Buffalo NY (home of the buffalo wings and Niagara falls), cross Pennsylvania and tour Philadelphia and the Amish area, more friends in Harrisburg PA, even more friends in the Wash DC area, then further south to Charleston South Carolina and the plantations and pirates, then we're in
Florida and sunshine! We have been hired to sell Christmas trees in the Fort Lauderdale area. One month of really hard manual labor, but hopefully the $$ we get from that should allow us to play the rest of the winter.
The leaves are starting to turn different colors and the temperature is steadily going down. Which means it's time for us to go. We'll be pulling out of our campground on Tuesday, 6 October. Our phone will be disconnected, internet too ;-( Think good thoughts and send them our way.
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