Summer's Brief Visit

It seemed the entire month of June brought rain. If the day didn’t begin with rain it ended that way, or it just plain rained all day soaking us with a total of 11” in 30 days. Never letting a dreary day dampen our spirits we continued with outdoor activities just the same. Wayne & I snuck away for an afternoon of fishing at Silver Lake on the 4th. We were rewarded with a beautiful catch of brook trout, the shortest of the six 12 1/2 ”! Too big to eat in one sitting, we smoked two and froze the others for another time. Mark Bartlett, his son and a friend were up to fish through June 15th. With all the rain the fishing was slow but I think they enjoyed the relaxed pace of being “away from it all”. Bill Dunning and his wife stayed through the end of the month. During their stay they enjoyed some sight-seeing, fishing, boating, and entertaining their son Ray and his wife Daria. The four had dinner with us in the lodge and became fast friends. Susan Smith and her husband celebrated their October wedding with a week-long stay at Fish River Lodge beginning June 11. They brought their sail boat – so pretty on Eagle Lake where we rarely see sails! Jan Hagan (Colorado) treated her son Griffin to a relaxing long weekend. Griffin is working in Madawaska this summer after completing his junior year at the University of Maine. Jan’s family is originally from Mapleton so her visit was a “homecoming” of sorts.

June 12th was one of the few days that treated us to crystal blue sky all day. Wayne finished repairing the siding on cabin #7 and then painted it. That afternoon we hosted the 1st Annual Fish River Lodge Youth Derby. “Team Mahvelous” (Ali Daigle & Tianna Thibodeau) outfished “Team La-Z-Boys” (Chris Daigle & Joey Oaks) by landing a brook trout and salmon with lengths totaling 25 ½”. After the derby they fished off the dock and caught lots of perch and chubs which we grilled – chubs aren’t bad – “they taste like Montreal steak seasoning,” commented Steve Daigle - hmmm. As the sun set we built a campfire, toasted marshmallows for s’mores, listened to the loons and kids laughing until bedtime. Sunday was equally as beautiful. We watched a deer swim across the lake from Oak Point.

In the evening we took excursions looking for wildlife. Bear and deer have been plentiful during June as they feed on the roadside grasses. We started seeing cow moose with newborn calves as the month progressed.

On June 25th we helped the Blair family of Eagle Lake celebrate the retirement of Ray and wife Mary as the reins of Chopper One were handed to son Jeff. Family and friends gathered for a social and dinner party at the lodge. We have no doubt Jeff will continue the successful operation of the family logging business.

The annual gathering of our 4th of July guests arrived and with it, a stretch of beautiful weather, finally. The Cavert, Devoe, and Chasse families got to meet owners John and Mary Lu Medina during the week. The Medina’s got to experience “trash can turkey”: a Fish River Lodge tradition they had read about in the lodge journal. After we feasted on John’s famous turkey and everyone’s delicious salads and desserts, we headed back to the beach for a fireworks display that rivaled those of some small towns! The Weatherbys are new to our 4th of July family and fit right in. We look forward to their return next year. “Bailey”, The Medina’s Brittany spaniel has become a perfect little lodge dog, joining Grace and Alli at water’s edge and befriending our guests. Gloria Labrecque and her father Lou Levesque returned again this summer. It was a difficult trip to make; Germaine - Gloria’s mother and Lou’s loving wife - had passed away since their last visit. Gloria and her dad reminisced, visited, and relaxed during their stay but we all missed Germaine.

Mike & Karen Bolduc were back for a week’s stay after missing a couple of years – it was sure good to have them back and catch up on all that’s being going on. Dave and Melissa Smey, and their Westie “Sophie” made their annual trek north. They enjoyed canoeing, hiking, and an evening at the fair in Presque Isle. Sophie enjoyed a moose leg bone, an unusual treat for a dog from Brooklyn, New York!

Wayne’s mom and aunt joined us for a brief, but special visit when they brought Lloyd all the way from Florida to see a moose. Lloyd is 91 years young and fascinated us with stories of his family building the railroad from South Carolina to Florida. He was a typical southern gentleman and it was an honor to make his wish of seeing moose come true.

My grand daughter Acadia spent two weeks at Fish River Lodge at the end of July. We hiked, fished, canoed, swam, visited “the big tree” (the State’s largest cedar tree), and on our wildlife-watching outings saw bear, moose, deer, and even a lynx! Acadia didn’t want to leave, nor did I want her to go. She’s my little “sidekick” and our times together are too few and brief. She’s already planning a return trip in October to go bird hunting. While she was here my boss (Steve Daigle) and I planned an “Adventure Camp” weekend. Acadia and her new-found friends spent the weekend of the 23rd swimming, catching frogs, fishing, and just plain having summer fun as only kids can! Mom and dad were up and we celebrated mom’s birthday with entertainment provided by the kids. They each recited “Your momma’s so old…” jokes then we all joined in to sing “happy birthday” much to mom’s delight!

Wayne & I each got to sneak away from the lodge on alternate weekends to head down-state to visit family and friends. Alice Gove and family arrived the weekend I departed and were entertained the morning I left when I locked myself out of the pickup while packing. I hate automatic door locks! After a brief delay I got on the road for a quick visit with my sister and niece Sam who were out visiting from Colorado. We celebrated dad’s birthday with a trip to the Maine Wildlife park in Gray. Visiting the park is a tradition that goes back to when Heidi and I were kids. It was pure joy to visit the park as a family again with mom and dad, but especially with our own daughters and my two grand daughters as we carry on the tradition with another generation.

Cristine Tardiff of New York brought her husband and daughter to Eagle Lake during the first week of August. Christine’s dad grew up in Eagle Lake. She and her husband had vacationed here many years ago and wanted to share the experience with their daughter – another “homecoming” and passing along of tradition.

John Medina and Company built a big new garage on the property. They put it up in a week then Mary Lu stained all the siding “camp brown” to match the other buildings on the property. It is big! John says he always builds bigger than needed but manages to fill his structures any way!

“The Wolf Pack” (my daughter Miranda and friends…Mattie, Jennifer, Jes, Casey, and Audrey) made Fish River Lodge their base of operations August 5th through the 8th. Eagle Lake will never be the same! Designated “pack leader” I took them on an excursion to see “the big tree” and hike at Duboulie. We went moose watching and star gazing. That was all “tame” entertainment by day. At night the wolves let loose with libations and laughter and fun. Saturday night Grant and Paula took the pack on a lake cruise. A violent thunder storm interrupted the trip but got the party on the deck going early. That party lasted well in to the evening (early next morning?) They’re already planning next year’s trip!

Our last “summer vacationers” were the Polland family who were up scouting moose. Jeff will return to hunt moose in November. Spring fisherman Larry Converse returned with his family – wife, daughters and grand daughters for a long weekend. He treated us to lobsters, corn-on-the-cob and tomatoes from his garden. And Alvey and Herve Pelletier returned too. Herve, 94 years young, is originally from Eagle Lake. He, Al and Kasie Converse provided delightful entertainment one evening with their guitars and harmonica.

Looking back, summer seemed to pass much too quickly. It came late after a rainy June and always leaves too early. While August for most is still “summer”, for us in the bear hunting business it is technically the start of “hunting season”. We are running bear baits full tilt now with 26 sites to manage for our hunters. Today we started our fall cleaning… we tidied the shore by putting away our boating gear then we washed windows, dusted, swept, and mopped a little more than usual. We’ll have little time in the coming weeks to keep up with the house work as our first week bear hunters will arrive on the 28th.

NOTE: If you enjoy reading the lodge journal, find us on facebook at Fish River Lodge! The postings are brief but regular…