Dotty and I arrived in Sprucewold on Thursday, June 25 after our usual 2,500-mile drive from New Mexico. I often say that the mottos of Maine and New Mexico are perfect: Life like It Should Be; Land of Enchantment. 

Now we can buy the Thursday Boothbay Register at Hannaford after the Farmers Market and the weekly trip to the dump. We subscribe to the Register and can read the Daily Catch in Los Alamos to stay aware of events in the harbor. The Boothbay region is fortunate to have the gem of a local newspaper for so many years. The Register has been published since 1876; that means for 150 years. This is during a time when hundreds of local papers are failing annually. 

We found an unusually large number of mouse reminders as we opened and cleaned the cabin. Our bird feeders are up, tomato plants purchased at Moose Crossing, and the larder well stocked. As at home the prices have risen on almost everything. However, the stores are still here like Hannaford, Grover’s, Sherman’s and Pinkham’s. It won’t surprise one that seafood is fresher and a less expensive than in New Mexico. We’re roughly a thousand miles from the nearest salt water. Our big river, the Rio Grande, might not have a name here in Maine. 

Our social life here is more active than home. We have good neighbors and former colleagues in Los Alamos; here we have many friends with a desire to host dinners and parties. Dotty and I have come to Sprucewold almost every year since 1964 when my parents purchased our cabin. Since 2007 we’ve come here for three to four months every summer except 2020 due to COVID. We’ve often come with a Samoyed dog who loved the cabin and the walking possibilities. 

Most of Sprucewold is aware that the cabin next to us that has been vacant for 25 years. It was owned by Margaret Azarian who left it when her husband, Martin, died in 2001. The cabin’s water and electricity were cut off and it was slowly falling down. It was sold last year to a couple from the Boston area; they purchased it and are restoring it to its original state. Recently Andrew and Susan Steneri were here cleaning out the inside. They’re a nice couple intent on restoring the cabin and using it as their summer home. They visited us and toured our cabin which is a duplicate of theirs. Several folks have noted the work and asked us about it. We all find this good news. 

This summer is colder and drier than we’ve ever experienced; I’ve often worn a jacket inside during the day. This is after a winter with a good bit of snow. New Mexico and all up the Rockies set a record for the lowest snowpack ever. Ski areas opened late and closed early.

While we’ve seen over 10 species of birds, we’ve seen far fewer birds and squirrels than usual. The wild turkeys have visited us several times; there was a hen with 10 chicks in the backyard one day. I’ve seen deer and heard a coyote who lost his way from New Mexico. Coyotes are very common in New Mexico; I’ve even opened our front door to find a pair resting on the door step. They just looked at me and slowly walked away. 

I awaken at 3 a.m. and hear the first lobster boats start to work; you can hear when they leave the No Wake region and rev up their engines. There’s often a murder of crows cawing in the woods. The harbor has the lobster boat fleet and a large number of sailboats. It is a well sheltered cove known as a good hurricane hole. Now there’s often a small, or not so small, cruise ship moored with passengers taken to tour the shops and restaurants in town. Occasionally we see a superyacht which has cost many millions of dollars to construct. Some even have a companion ship to carry the toys like helicopter, submersible, jet-ski, and more. 

Fridays and Saturdays I can go for Buck a Shuck at the Co-Op, and listen to the music of the Mavericks. I love raw oysters and have enjoyed them there for the roughly 30 years it’s been there. Now the shucker is Jamaican; my maternal grandfather was Jamaican so we are good friends. I’ll end this by saying one of my favorite activities is to sit on our porch with a glass of red wine and watch the birds at our feeders.