Tonight we find ourselves in one of our favorite places – on Mount Desert Island in Maine. Anyone who knows us knows just how special this place is to us. In fact, the only two words we use when talking about our time here is “cabin” and “cove”. No further explanation is needed. For anyone who has been lucky enough to travel here with us, these two words alone evoke so many emotions.
A bit of back story.
My time here in Maine began in 2008 when I was contacted by two women in Maine who had seen an advertisement in the UCC newspaper for my web development services. Joan and Kathryn were just starting a spiritual retreat center on Mount Desert Island (MDI), on their own property, and wanted to establish a web presence. They had big ambitions and a strong belief in their mission, but they had little funding in those days. What they did have was a family built cabin on their property, which just so happened to be located right on Seal Cove, a tidal cove on the western shores of MDI. Wanting to visit Acadia National Park (located primarily on MDI), we made a barter arrangement. My services in exchange for a week in their cabin.
The rest is, as they say, history.
Michael and Julia were 11 and 8, respectively, when we first vacationed here. My parents visited here with us in 2013. I have been here in good times and in not-so-good times. I am flooded with memories every time I am here. There is a small basketball hoop in the exposed rafters of the living room that entertained Michael and Julia to no end when they were younger. The dining room table, still the same after all these years, was the place my kids sat every morning and played cards with my dad. It is also where Julia accidentally broke a small flower vase on our first visit (glad Joan and Kathryn allowed us back!). I have cooked so many meals in the kitchen that I can find things blindfolded. I have seen many changes to the living room furniture and layout, but it has always remained a cozy spot.
The cove is where we first tried kayaking, and it is always one of the highlights of a trip here. The short walk down the hill to the cove wind through more trees and the strong smell of pine is overwhelming yet magical. Watching the 11′ tide roll in and out of the cove, exposing the seabed of the entire cove at low tide, is amazing. Walking through that exposed cove and finding crabs and mussels is incredible fun. Morning coffee at the cove as the sun climbs into the sky. Evening drinks as the sun descends. Heron and bald eagle and osprey and kingfisher fly ceaselessly in from the ocean and back out again to hunt. Happy, quiet, peaceful, and calm. The outside world disappears in these surroundings. The peace is absolute.
This year makes the fourth time Karen and I have stayed at the cabin. It is my ninth time. We both know the area well by this point, having stayed here for 2 weeks last year just after retiring. We will be here for 2 weeks this year as well. Repeated trips here have not lessened the joy we experience. If anything, it makes the experience even better. We are looking forward to so many things over the coming weeks and cannot wait to share the journey with everyone.
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