Moose on the Loose

Apparently summer is coming early to Bremen Long Island this year because the migration of visitors has already started. 

I was in Bremen this morning meeting with a client when it occurred to me that it might be a good idea to know the distance between their house and the town landing (is .7 miles still walking distance?). When I looked out onto Hockomock Channel I saw something swimming in the distance that was way too big to be anything but a moose.

From the picture it looks like after checking his moorings he is heading across the channel to have a look at the cottage to make sure that it made it through the winter.

View Larger Map

If you are looking for your own Maine summer cottage why don't you drop me a line.

Thomas Field

Halloween in the Twin Villages

    As a long time resident of Church Street, just off the village center (Damariscotta and Newcastle essentially share one downtown and are known as The Twin Villages), I always found Halloween to be one of the most fun nights of the entire year!

   We're a fairly rural area and the opportunities for kids to trick or treat aren't that great when houses are spread out. Many parents will bring their children in to the village and the Town of Damariscotta, in conjunction with the YMCA, arranges to get everyone together for a small parade.

   My first Halloween living on Church Street I expected to get lots of trick-or-treaters but I had no idea that we would see 170 ghosts, goblins and power rangers that night!  After the first hour, I had to send a friend out on a mad search for more candy at any store that might have a bag or two left.  Kids arrived in bunches of 5 or 10 at a time, leaves crunching as they walked along the sidewalk and up the walkway, parents waiting while the kids scrambled up the front porch.

   After that first year it became a real event for our family! I kept a note pad and pencil by the door and scratched hash marks on paper to quickly tally how many 'treaters' we had.  The second year it was 189.  The years' following it seemed to grow each year until we regularly got over 350 trick-or-treaters!!! Always afraid that I would run out, I started buying candy in mid summer if I saw a sale and would stash it away.

   Some of our elderly neighbors would give out a modest amount of candy, whatever they could afford, and when it was gone turn their lights out until the crowds were gone.  I decided that it was just one of the delights of living in town and tried to buy enough candy to last from the arrival of the really young ones at dusk until the last stragglers (who were probably really too old to be 'treating) around 8:30-9:00.

   Some years I would really get into the spirit by dressing up a little myself and answering the door in costume. One year I had a 10" tall 'beehive' hairdo that was bright pink, along with some of those real looking fake teeth that are all rotten!  I would answer the door and as I put treats in their bag would say, "see what happens if you eat too much candy?  Now be sure and brush your teeth tonight!"   The younger kids would look a little scared, take their candy and move away quickly. Their parents got a kick out of it however and I could just envision them later that night at the bathroom sink telling their kids to be sure and brush good so they don't wind up like that lady with the pink hair!

   I live outside of town now, my children are grown and I've opted for a smaller home but I do miss those Halloween nights!  If you'd like to talk more about the joys of living "in the village" please give me call.  There are some wonderful properties on the market and this is a great time to buy!

Kathy Wyman

Damariscotta Pumpkin Boats

    Growing giant pumpkins has become quite a sport lately around these parts.  We've got some pretty accomplished pumpkin growers and they regularly produce giant gourds in excess of 1,000 pounds!

   The only problem was what to do with one of those after you've weighed it and had your picture taken with it? Nobody likes pumpkin pie that much and besides this type of pumpkin isn't the best kind for pie.

   Well a couple of pretty clever local fellows figured out that they make darn fine watercraft.  No one has ever said Mainers aren't enterprising. I'm thinking we may have a budding new industry here!

Jim Cosgrove

Working On The River

   I just got back from a "Thank You" party for people who volunteer with the Damariscotta River Association and it occurred to me that it was I who should be thanking them. They provided me with an inexpensive way to spend a lot of time on the water and Jim can't get mad at me for not being in the office because I was volunteering for a good cause!

  The Damariscotta River Association River Stewards program is similar to programs on other rivers such as the Hudson River Stewards program. The basic mission of the stewards is to monitor what happens on the river as well as write an article for the local paper to keep the public informed.

   I volunteered for the DRA's River Steward program not because I am a very altruistic person but because my boat is sitting with a "For Sale" sign on it in a boatyard in Boothbay and 8' Avon inflatables aren't a lot of fun with 4 people in them. So I signed up to take the DRA's 20' Aquasport and other volunteers up and down the Damariscotta River.

   It turned out to be a terrific experience.  There is something almost spiritual about getting up early, heading down to the dock, bailing out the dinghy, rowing out to the boat and bringing it across a quiet harbor. As one of the other volunteers said, "if this doesn't lower your blood pressure by 20 points I don't know what will.

   So "Thank You" Damariscotta River Association. You do good work.

Tom "Don't call me Captain" Field.

Moonlight on Muscongus

   Up until this year I had never been much of a fan of kayaks or any paddling activity. The limit of my experience was short canoe trips or rowing out to my boat from the dock (although given the distance from the dock to my boat I got an outboard for the inflatable a while back). So I have been somewhat surprised at the fun I have been having sea kayaking this summer.

   Recently my wife and I accepted an offer from the owners of Midcoast Kayak to go on one of their Moonlight Kayak Tours. Our group of 12 including 3 guides met at the dock in Bremen and left from there. After a 15 minute safety and education briefing and getting our color coded fluorescent light sticks attached to our life jackets we took off for a 3 hour tour around Musconous Bay, across the Hog Island Bar and out to Coombs Ledge. As the sun was setting in the west the moon was rising across the bay in a brilliant orange that was breathtaking.

   After stopping and watching for a few minutes we continued on up to Louds Island where we could hear the seals in the darkness snorting at our approach. A quick paddle across the bay towards Round Pond and Bristol and then a short trip back to the landing in Bremen. By this time it was mostly dark and we were guided by the glow of our lead guides red glow stick and the few lights on the shore. It is so quiet on the water at night that you can hear everything for miles. If you get the chance this is a "must do" trip in our Midcoast area.

Tom Field