Uh Huh

Many people probably feel daily life can be summarized by this month's title. Sometimes I think we started our adventure specifically to avoid that fate. There sure have been many twists and turns since we embarked. It will be a year next month since we jumped off the cliff. On the whole, it's been rewarding. There are some parts I'm glad to be done with. And we are still adapting to life in this fascinating state Maine.

The picture above was taken out our back window. It is one of two glorious, ancient apple trees in the yard. Beyond the trees is a large open field. This field is frequented by a fox, crows and other birds. We watched the fox at work recently, executing a series of hops, probably dropping on some unlucky creature. We are also priveleged to have nice song bird population including goldfinch, rose breasted grosbeak, blue bird, tree swallow, chickadee, white breasted nuthatch, song sparrow, cardinal, blue jay and of course crows. At a nearby farm we also saw a bobolink for the first time. It's great to have old friend bird species as well as newcomers.

Another view from our backyard at sunset . . .













Vehicles are another challenge in Maine. As you can see, for some reason I'm holding the van's side door handle. Last winter, the handle got ripped out when things got cold and the door wouldn't open. Getting parts for a 1994 Toyota Previa isn't the easiest thing these days. In Maine they have a mandatory vehicle inspection program. Unfortunately the inspection determined the van needs a new windshield, exhaust work and patching of two body sheetmetal holes. Old faithful Emma (our van) has about 243,000 miles and is still going strong. Still, we wish we didn't have to spend the money to make it legal in Maine. In good ole Michigan, these things wouldn't be an issue. But as they say here, "it is what it is." So we will be biting the bullet.

Land. Land. Land. A major focus for Cheryl and I now is finding our spot. Previously I included a picture of land we thought would be good. Turned out to be mostly wetland. But now we think this land may be it. Cheryl, appropriately and fashionably protected from black flies and mosquitoes is posing during one of trips onto this land. The land is 9 acres, completely forested with a mixture of white pine, hemlock, maple and black walnut. Some of the maple is sugar maple, suitable for maple syrup production. Everytime we go on this land, we love it more. We've already met some of the neighbors including a people on a large former farm. We instantly connected with the folks on the farm. They will soon have 3 generations living there since the owner's son is moving back onto the farm.

We've met with the land owner of of our hoped-for land a couple of times. He loves this land and has cared for it lovingly for years. I thought when we went on the land with him he would be able to name every tree! He suffered a tragic accident about 15 years ago when he fell down the stairs and broke his neck. Although he has great difficulty walking, lost fine motor control of his hands and is in constant pain, he has such a wonderful disposition. He is active as much as possible, including cutting and stacking his own firewood. Makes a person feel ashamed to complain about the little problems most of the rest us of have.

This picture shows the entrance to the land. Although you can't tell from here, this used to be a two-track access road. It's been awhile since any wheeled vehicle was in here!


The next photo is of a glade farther in the property. A part-time stream originating at a small spring flows, across the property and through this glade. It's not wetland but the water spreads out from the stream in this area making for a part-time wet area. If you forget the mosquitoes for a moment, it's magical!
















The land has multiple large white pines like this one. Some will need to be cut to make way for our house and food growing area. The good news is these trees will provide significant lumber for construction.

The particular area we are planning for the house is a sand/gravel rise. It has quite a bit of maple on it. The maple portions of the property are pretty free of underbrush as the photo below shows. Other areas will need quite a bit work to clear the understory for easier walking.

We are quite excited about this place! It is located not more than a 1/2 mile from the Saco River. There is much work to do before we can purchase and more still to get on the land. It is a bit overwhelming when you've never done something like this before. But the land keeps drawing us . . . drawing us . . . drawing us . . .