Monday, July 14, 2008

THIRD TIME'S THE CHARM

Melitta and I were sitting on the deck, drinks in hand…

“Barbara…”

“I know.” I said

“Oh, Barbara”

“I know”

“Barbara!”

“I know!”

“Wait until Chris sees this!” she said

“I KNOW!”

“This is just…oh…Barbara!”

“I knowwwwww!!!!!!”

This conversation went on like this for most of our first cocktail and a good part of the next. The reason for it is quite simple…

Chris and I are the proud owners of a cottage in Maine!!

ON THE WATER!

In Owls Head!

True story: last September in Dijon, France, we all rubbed the belly of a small statue of an owl for good luck. The owl is the symbol of Dijon and this little figure on the side of the church has been rubbed for luck for over 500 years.






I guess it works! I am a doubter no more of old French legends.

WWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

A cottage! In Maine! On the water!!!

I have been dying to blog about this but I am just superstitious enough I wanted to wait until it was a done deal. The closing was last Friday. We have been looking for a small place for five years. We have missed out on two other properties - one by a day and one by a couple of hours. So, once burned, twice shy, as they say. We put in a bid almost within minutes of the house being listed. As several people said over the weekend, we missed on the earlier purchases because THIS is where we are supposed to be!

Melitta came with me for the weekend as Chris could not get away. Over the weekend, we hit a mess of garage sales and scored some major furniture deals. It took three trips on Saturday to haul all the loot. Next we checked out paint colors and decided on a palette for the interior. That led to some power shopping for kitchen towels and other appropriately colored accessories followed by a stop at the (one) local furniture store to finish out living room seating needs. At the end of each day, we would relax on the balcony of our hotel room before dining at one or another favored restaurant. Melitta's company made the whole weekend so much more fun. Besides, I needed someone to keep pinching me just so I could be sure I was not dreaming.

I can show you these pictures, but until you are sitting there watching the sun and clouds play across the water…

Looking at hundreds of gently bobbing lobster trap buoys, their gaudy colors reflecting in the sunlight one moment and blending seamlessly into the soft silvery gray water’s surface the next…

Hearing only gull’s cries and the soft lapping of the waves on the beach…

Smiling companionably when far off someone laughs as they prepare to relax for the evening…

Taking in a deep breath of pine trees and salty, sea damp air…almost tasting it…

Contentedly tracking the progress of a wind jammer or a day sailer weaving in and out of the islands or a lobster boat chugging for home port, wondering if the trip brought a successful haul that day…

Until that moment, you just cannot imagine how truly perfect is this little cottage on Mussel Ridge Channel on the Maine coast. These pictures and my words just cannot bring it to life, do it justice, make you understand.

Here are a few pictures. Just a cute little one story, 1955 ranch with the original knotty pine kitchen. But the view, the place, the feeling…there are no words! But now when I say “We have a cottage in Maine,” I have a greater appreciation of the emotional words of Karen Blixen: “I had a farm in Africa…”






Is this kitchen not adorable? These pictures are from the realtor's listing.



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