Chris Chamberlain has returned to his home in Virginia after spending two weeks with his father, Alan, at the family cottage on lower Mattawamkeag Lake. While here he had a great time fishing and also kayaking around the lower lake, going to First Brook to see if there were any trout to be caught.
On the day before his return home he climbed Mt. Katahdin and the day wasn’t too hot, the wind was calm, and so he chose to use the Abol Trail and was down by 3:30 in the afternoon and ready for the long ride home to Virginia the next day.
After quite a cool month of June we are now going in the other direction, with the temperatures hovering between 80 and 90. Picking the strawberries at Cox’s Golden Ridge Farm was usually done early morning or late afternoon.
I went to visit Charlene Webb one day when the berry picking was about over, and she had 12 quarts of berries to hull and to freeze and to make pies with. So I sat myself down and together, we did the whole 12 quarts. They are now in her freezer, ready to use, probably when it gets cooler.
The new bird feeders given to me by my grandsons are in full use and, as they had also brought me some bird seed that has a spicy flavor, the squirrels and chipmunk are really frustrated because they don’t like it. I have been mixing regular sunflower seeds with the new flavored seeds, and now the little birds are not bothered by the antics of the squirrels, who used to have their way and eat all the bird food before the finches, chickadees and swallows could get close.
I am still swimming at the pool at Vacationland Estates, but this year many of the regulars from last year have not yet arrived. One regular is here now and that is Rosemary Roach, wife of Arnold Roach, a former resident of Smyrna who now spends the winter in Clearwater, Fla., and they are spending the summer at their cottage on Pleasant Pond, going to Houlton occasionally to go to Sadie’s Bakery to buy Arnold’s favorite thing: Sadie’s doughnuts.
I spied a groundhog on my front lawn the other day. So far, I have noticed no holes being dug anywhere near the house.
I am still looking out for the deer; maybe if we got some rain, they would show up to graze.
