Since we’ve been back from the Berkshires, Steven’s been working on the grounds as much as possible…you know you live in Maine when over the course of the week you work outside in snow, sleet and 60 degree sunshine within the time it takes to finish your chores.  I only went outside to take pictures when the sun was out…gray skies and cold rain mean I’m inside cooking soups and playing with wool.

November Men's Work

Sometimes reality is better than imagination and anticipation.  Laying Steven’s Mom, Lucille, to rest was difficult of course.

We haven’t yet realized how much we’ll miss her but our sadness is tempered by the joy of being surrounded by family, friends, wise souls and a life well lived.  In her parting letter to her children, Lucille had only one demand on her children…”whatever happens, stay close.”

The funeral plans went smoothly (Lucille had made the myriad of difficult decisions years ago) and the attending minister was wonderful.  He reminded us that Lucille didn’t fear death and how special she was to recognize the natural rhythm of life.

With the encouragement of management, we added a blue bird house to her grave site and the cemetery staff promised to feed the birds and continue their policy of planting bird friendly bushes and shrubs; a policy they implemented a few years ago as a means of comforting the mourning and improving the environment of the area.

And the neighbor who opened her beautiful Colonial home so that the 50 of us could gather for a meal after the service when the weather suddenly turned cold and wet…is this a New England thing or is everyone in America blessed like we are by generous friends?

Later in the week, the Assisted Living home invited us in for a special memorial service.  It was warming to be reminded that Lucille really had two families…her natural children and the wonderful people who played bocci, watched movies and did crafts with her everyday.  Their meals are served restaurant style and her table mates had stories to share that added a new dimension to her life in our eyes.  The staff told us tales that shattered all images of cold, uncaring facilities for our aged population.  We are ever grateful for their generosity.

Is this the Alice in Wonderland door?

To balance life with death, on Saturday we went to Boston in order to spend a balmy (72 degree) halloween with the nephews.  I’d forgotten how much fun we could have singing “Five Little Pumpkins Sitting on a Gate” while we hunted for a parking space.  Then we wandered the streets of Cambridge watching street performers on power pogo sticks and mimes pretending to be statues… and answered “when will it be dark” a bazillion times…but we laughed and played and ate too much candy while we trick or treated our way through the toy stores and curiousity shops…anything to help the kids wait until the bewitching hour

Steven’s mother, Lucille Tanguay passed quietly early this morning.  She lived her life with elegance and strength, sharing herself until the last days through thoughtful acts and inspiring letters.  With the greatest of love, we send her onto her next adventure, knowing that faith was always her comfort and beacon.

Lucille Grace Tanguay, 1927-2009

Generally speaking, campgrounds are still mom and pop operations.  Yes, if you go to the big tourist areas like Mount Desert Island and Myrtle Beach that’s all changed but when you spend $100 dollars at our park and countless others you’re supporting small, local businesses who need you to survive.  In tourism Lingo…you are our export market.

Now that things are quieter again I’m catching up on some magazine reading (in the sauna every evening that we’re free)…and found the 3/50 project.  As background information, Waldo county is the only county in Maine that doesn’t have a “Big Box” Store…and most of us seem to like it that way.  We rely on small, independent stores to anchor our community.

The premise of the 3/50 Project is simple: Pick three local enterprises that you couldn’t stand to see disappear and spend $50 every month at those stores (that’s $50 altogether, not at each individual outlet.)  According to the numbers crunched by 3/50 Project founder Cindy Baxter, a retail specialist concerned about the economy’s impact on indie stores nationwide, “If even half of the employed population spend a mere $50 per month in locally owned retail stores, those purchases would generate more that $42.6 billion in revenue.”  Want more math?  For every $100 spent in locally owned independent stores (and campgrounds…my assumption), $68 remains in a community’s economy, versus $43 spent at national chains and $0 spent on online purchases.

So we pledge that we will spend at least $50 each month at the Belfast Coop, Mr. Paperback/Bell the Cat, and Chase’s Daily…and that’s money we earned from you.  Thank you.  Astrig and Steven

Officially the campground is closed now…but when someone nice arrives who obviously wants to enjoy the solitude of the ocean and promises to be “low maintenance,” we’re happy to accommodate them.  As long as the weather doesn’t threaten to freeze our water lines, we leave the bathhouse fully functional and have water and electricity available on the front two rows of the park.

This year Steven is here to keep things organized and knock down the list of Fall chores while I run off for a weekend of play…I’m headed to the big Sheep and Wool Festival in Rhinebeck NY tomorrow morning.   Think feeding frenzy devoted to all things wooly…a visual panicopia of knitting, felting, weaving…you name it…it’s like a fashion show spread over fairgrounds…I can’t wait.  I’ll be staying with Fiber College’s 2010 Artist in Residence Alice Seeger and meeting her friends who hail from New York, Vermont and Conneticut…be back soon!

Columbus Day Weekend is our traditional fall clean-up weekend and the annual festival in town…Typical for our coastal weather we enjoyed warm sunshine, cold winds, rain and glorious sunrises…I think the weather changed every 20 minutes from Thursday to Monday.  But we had a great time and here’s a collage of the activities that filled Searsport.

Fall is such a marvelous time to be here…need convincing?

Brambles gets loose and you can watch Steve chasing after him muttering words that might make you smile...

The gardens beckon softly and the golden raspberries are just ripening

The goats welcome a visitor in the early morning

Fall flowers are still lovely

The apples are ready!

Foggy mornings give way to brilliant afternoons...and you're the only one on the beach

Oxen from New Brunswick...see their headpieces?

It’s written in stone, I get the Friday of Common Ground Fair off…someone else must man the campground because I’ll be in Unity at 9:00 AM waiting for the gates to open.  This wonderful celebration is only 45 minutes from the campground, always around the Fall Solstice.  For me, the weeks of anticipation between Fiber College and the fair feels like waiting for Christmas when you’re 10 years old…only now I’m old enough to know better than to wish the days pass faster than they already fly…so it’s a guilty conflict I suffer for a solid 15 days.

Freshly washed fleece

same fleece, dyed the next day...all the shades you can find on a plum tree

There’s no other place in the world where you can indulge in so much ADD behavior without anyone blinking an eye.   This year I got advice from three wise shepherdesses and chose two beautiful gray island fleeces for my winter time playing, learned about dyeing with the indigo Steven is growing in the garden, attended a talk on advances in solar panels, and shared hot cider with friends I hadn’t seen since last winter…and that was just between 9 and 11 in the morning.

Michelle from Fiber College...or more commonly from recognized at her farm, Sunshine Daydream Gardens

An enchanting story teller makes acorn flour exciting

By the time the gates were closing and the volunteers were ushering me out,  I had learned about the best lavender to grow in our damp, zone 5 climate (Hidcote hands down), tasted acorn flour bread and wrote all of the steps for producing our own…if you’ve been here you know we have acres of majestic century old acorn trees in the park, ate a bowl of beanhole beans, curried chicken and apple pie…ran into more friends from across the state and learned how to harness and drive a goat.

…what did you learn on Friday?