Magnum: A new addition to the Fish River Lodge family

This is Magnum. He is my new, 3 year old, appaloosa gelding. He is currently boarded at Gray's Equestrian Training in Bowdoinham, ME. In the spring he will move "home" to Eagle Lake and board at Fred Simard's on Devoe Brook Road. I'm so excited to start working with him. He is sweet, smart, and willing. I'd like to have him ready for short trail rides this fall. I'd always said, "I don't have a therapist because I have a horse." Horses have been my "therapy", my quiet time when time doesn't matter, where there is no schedule, just an opportunity to learn and grow with a horse. I had horses for 20 years before moving to Fish River Lodge. I had to sell out when we moved. It's been seven years since I got out of horses and it is definitely time for me to get back in, or hire a therapist! I'll take a horse over a therapist any day! (no offense to therapists ;-)

Thru the Holidays

With a more regular schedule we were able to catch up our preparations for winter and my graphic design projects. We got the pick ups serviced and plans were well under way for our Eagle Lake sled dog races in January.

On the 20th I packed to head south to attend another Non-Res Hunter Task force meeting in Augusta then to spend a few day deer hunting with Mike Duni in Freedom. He manages his 100+ acres for whitetail and it is a Maine deer hunters dream there! Good food, good conversation and friendship, and excellent hunting!

I got to Ashland and my truck started acting up, it wouldn’t shift. At Masardis I turned back and slowly limped home. I swapped trucks (again – I did this same thing last spring on a trip south! I’m beginning to think my green truck doesn’t like leaving The County!), called in to tell the group I would miss the meeting, and drove straight to Mike’s. Wayne is stuck working his “real job” but will join us on the 23rd.

A crispy crunchy walk in the woods – I sat on a ridge while Mike hunted around me. No deer so back to “camp” (actually a beautiful home) for lunch and for me to make maple cranberry sauce – my contribution to Thanksgiving dinner later in the week. We sat overlooking Mike’s food plot in the afternoon – no deer, just lots of gray squirrels. We woke to a cold, 14 degree day on the 22nd. I moved down to the next ridge for my morning sit. A combination of doe bleats and buck grunts produced no activity, so I switched to an “urgent” doe bleat. Soon, a doe and lamb approached from above, the doe looking for the deer producing the call. It was amusing to work the call and watch the deer. I threw in a buck grunt and spooked the lamb. It bounded toward the doe with tail up until I followed up with a doe bleat to settle them. They quietly walk on and disappeared. Mike met me in the cedar swamp and we returned to the warm confines of his home for lunch. Legendary upland guide Jo Ann Moody met us for moose stew and a wonderful afternoon of swapping hunting stories and another favorite subject: horses. As Jo Ann was leaving a flock of about 30 turkeys moved through Mike’s yard. I enjoyed watching them – Mike complained that they have become a nuisance. Back out for an evening sit in the shooting shack, but no deer.

A storm moved in on the 23rd dumping 10” of snow. We hunkered down to wait it out, filled the woodbox, and shoveled and plowed before dark. We met Wayne in Fairfield – he’d hitched a ride south with my boss, Steve Daigle. It was a pleasant surprise to gas up at $3.39 a gallon after filling the tank in Eagle Lake at $3.71! Mike set up a hunt for Thanksgiving morning: Wayne will hunt across the road and Mike and I will hunt our favorite spots. We could only hunt until 9:00 a.m. then had to head further south to meet mom and dad, Miranda, Tyler, Acadia, and Nellie for Thanksgiving dinner at Miranda’s in Bowdoin. While I saw another doe during my sit, Wayne ran in to a whole herd of deer, including a buck! He watched them move through a gully amongst the trees but couldn’t get a shot. We were very pleased with the opportunity Mike gave us to hunt deer at Whitetails Unlimited – we saw deer and had a great time!

Miranda prepared a wonderful meal for us, her best effort the pumpkin cheesecake! Late in the afternoon we visited with my Nana Pat, Aunt Teri, Uncle David, cousin Jeff, his wife Abby and their children Alex and Beth, Uncle Ricky and Patrice.

Wayne hunted Friday and Saturday in Richmond – no deer. I went Christmas shopping with Miranda, Acadia and Nellie on Friday. That evening we met mom and dad to attend a tree lighting celebration in Brunswick – Santa arrived on a fire truck, we took a horse-drawn wagon ride and enjoyed hot cocoa and cookies until the tree was lit – a very festive event! Saturday Acadia and I went horse shopping! We looked at a handsome quarter horse gelding at Eric Vogel’s in Topsham, and a sweet 2 year old Appaloosa gelding at Wendy Gray’s Equestrian Training in Bowdoinham. That evening we all went to Cabela’s to finish our Christmas shopping. After, mom and dad treated us to barbecue at “Famous Dave’s”.

We packed and headed north toward home on the 27th, but not without stopping to visit with my horse prospects first! Back at the lodge it was so cold we could see our breath. We got a good, hot fire going in the woodstove and busied ourselves unpacking to keep warm until the chill was replaced by the warmth of fire.

I decided to choose “Magnum”, the 2 year old appaloosa to be my horse. He will board at Wendy’s until spring then we will bring him “home” to board at Freddy Simard’s on Devoe Brook Road.

I started a new, temporary job at Radio Shack in Fort Kent. Friend Craig Thibodeau was shorthanded being the Christmas season. Me, working in a store that sells electronics – that I know nothing about! Customer service and running a point-of-sale system, yes, I can do that.

Early December flew by, snow came then got washed away. On the 5th we decorated the lodge for Christmas with ornamented garlands around the windows, a beautiful tree Wayne cut at Stadig Tree Farm in Soldier Pond, and other festive touches we put on the dining and living room. We hosted Chopper One logging company’s Christmas party on the 9th. Although we have a bit of snow on the ground the lake is still open, unusual for this time of year. We’re wondering if there will be enough ice for the opening of ice fishing on the 1st of the year?

I renewed my driver’s license on the 12th and did some more Christmas shopping. I found a special handmade “Joy” ornament at Works of the Heart in Caribou. I will send it to Mim Webber for her “Dee Tree” in memory of her daughter who passed away last spring. We wrapped gifts to ship out of state and then, on the eve of my 50th birthday, Wayne colored my graying hair.

Ed & Julie Dallas called on the 13th to commence birthday celebrating with their rendition of Happy Birthday with a nose flute! I watched the loon and her young one – now nearly the same size as its mom – on the lake. They will soon head south so now each time I see them I expect it to be the last. Wayne treated me to dinner at Lakeview in St. Agatha – it was such a pretty drive over with all the Christmas lights on. He gave me the money I needed to buy a saddle for my horse. Calls from Miranda, Mom and Dad and Mim made my birthday complete. We finished the evening watching Secretariate.

The Roy family joined us for their Christmas dinner party on the 17th. These Christmas parties have become as much a tradition for us as it is for the families that enjoy them. I continue with graphic design projects – Winterfest, Eagle Lake Sled Dog Races, Valley Communication, Heritage Trail Resort, AT Racing, and our own Off The Hinge Media to name a few. And finally, on the 18th, we woke to ice on the lake all the way to Oak Point. It was -12.

On the 20th I got to experience the “shipping” side of Christmas, making deliveries for FedEx out to Allagash, and picking up packages off the plane in Presque Isle and shuttling them to Fort Kent to put on the delivery truck. It’s amazing how the logistics of scheduling and deliveries gets all those packages to their destination on time! On the 21st we got caught in a bad ice storm while making a run to Presque Isle to get outbound FedEx packages on the plane. While in “the city” Wayne took me to Tractor Supply to pick out horse supplies for Christmas. When we came out of the store I almost fell on my butt! Ice had coated everything in the few minutes we were in the store. We had a very slow and stressful ride back to Eagle Lake – at one point we followed the sand truck, who spun up the hill, with chains! Cars off the road everywhere, we pushed slowly on…

On the 23rd we had a “How Many Beers Does It Take To Wrap Presents Party”. The answer…26, but we got all our gifts and my bosses gifts wrapped, had good food, fun, and cheer! Wayne prepared a scrumptious meal of grilled rib eyes with a red wine and portabello mushroom sauce with a colorful roasted pepper salad tossed with olive oil and basil. We woke Christmas morning to -10. Grace and Allie opened their gifts first (a squirrel toy for Allie and tennis balls for Grace). They entertained us while we enjoyed a leisurely cup of coffee. We opened gifts from Ed and Julie Dallas, mom and dad, Miranda’s family. All the thoughtful gifts reminded us how fortunate we are to have so much love from friends and family.

John and Mary Lou Medina were up on the 27th and on the 28th I packed for another trip south to spend a few days with mom and dad, Miranda, Acadia and Nellie, and also to visit with my new horse Magnum. It was nice to enjoy my visit without any agenda, just to spend time with those I love. Acadia and I enjoyed a morning of horses – we did some ground work with Magnum and then groomed and played with some of Wendy’s rescue horses. I visited with Ron and Mim Webber in Cundy’s Harbor and got to see her “Dee Tree”. It was a touching tribute to Dee. On the 30th we went to the Bowdoin College ice arena to watch alumni hockey games between Brunswick and my alma mater, Mt. Ararat. Cousin Jeff scored the first goal of the night for Brunswick! Acadia and I enjoyed the first game then moved on to the Scientology mission for a Christmas gathering and open-mic night. I headed back north for home on the 31st in a freezing rain storm. I stopped to say “so long” to Magnum then it was a slow ride home. “Home” being cabin 7, Wayne moved us while I was gone. New Years eve and I read the book “Chosen By a Horse” loaned to me by Mary Lou Medina. Wayne had to work at 4:30 a.m. on New Years day so it was a pretty low-key end of the year for us.

2011 was definitely a better year for us and Fish River Lodge. Thank you to John and Mary Lou for giving us a second chance at running a sporting camp. Thank you to our loyal guests and new friends, and thank you for allowing Fish River Lodge to become part of you memories…with many more to come in 2012!

November Moose

Another opening day: this time the third week of moose. Paula St. Onge arrived at 3:30 a.m. to start breakfast for 11 hunters and three guides; we were all out of camp by 4:45 a.m., gassed up in Eagle Lake and headed for the Fish River gate house in the North Maine Woods. $130 to fill two trucks, $36 per truck to get through the gate, we were in it for $200 in gas and fees before we got started! Rocky Brook to Hewes Brook…and as the sky got brighter we were hunting. We saw three bulls, four cows, and two calves. Tom had two chances on cows but took his time in making the shot, which will pay huge dividends later. It’s early in the week so I’d rather my hunters take their time and make a clean kill shot than hurry and wound. Mid morning and we were ready for a snack. I reached in the bed of the truck for our cooler and it was not there…I looked behind the seat…nothing. Then I remembered it being in my hand when I walked out of the dining room and Mike asked for a thermos of coffee…a thermos of coffee…I must have set the cooler down, made up the coffee, handed it off to Mike, and then left, without our cooler of food. So, without hesitation I announced we would be eating lunch in Portage. Why not – my mistake – I’ll spring for lunch and snacks… While we were out of the woods for lunch Randy bought a 12-pack of beer for the end of the day, or to celebrate with should we find success in the afternoon. We stashed it in an icy stream to keep it cold, considering unseasonable temps that day hit 54 degrees! We radioed Wayne and his crew to meet us at “Beer Brook” for Happy Hour at quitting time. That beer tasted so good after a long, hot day on the dusty moose trail. We shared our observations and moose sightings of the day and made a plan for Tuesday. Back at the lodge for dinner we learned Mike’s hunters had seen only one small cow. Larry Jr. passed on it, remarking he’d rather wait for a “trophy cow.”

We were all up early and headed for the gate house well before sunrise. I guess everyone was on the exact same schedule as there was a huge bottle-neck of hunters checking in. Despite the delay we were still on schedule to be where we wanted to be at daybreak. At the first intersection I radioed Wayne to tell him we’d split up – I’d check the mountain with my hunters so he could get ahead of us on the road along the stream, then we’d fall back in line if we found nothing up there. Coming down off the mountain I heard Wayne on the radio. He announced they had a bull down. “A bull down, or a bull DEAD?” I asked. “A bull DEAD!” he exclaimed! We found them moments later where they’d spotted the 47” bull on the edge of the road feeding on saplings. Matt got out, loaded his gun and got a shot off before his father Don could even get his gun loaded! The moose then ran down a steep embankment, across a stream, and went down on an “island” in the stream. It wasn’t a long drag, maybe 200 feet, but it was steep! I dropped off my hunters to watch a clear cut not far from where we were working on the Ware bull. I’d hear my hunters if they shot and if not, I’d continue to help Wayne get that bull out. Using my truck for an anchor, we rigged the bull and pulled with Wayne’s truck. I stayed with the moose and kept in radio contact with Wayne up on the road, telling him when to pull, stop, or when we had to move rigging. We took pictures, set up rigging, dragged, gutted, and loaded the moose all before 9 a.m. Wayne and the Ware party headed to the Ashland tagging station and meat cutter in Mapleton, then they came back to bird hunt and look for cows for us. Our plan was to meet at Beer Brook at dark if we didn’t run in to each other sooner. Mid morning snack time came and we’d found no cows. I decided to try a different spot we’d scouted a few weeks prior. The ride over would be a good change of scenery and a new area might change our luck. But as soon as we got to our “new spot” we started running in to discouraged hunters who’d seen nothing in a day and a half of hunting, most had cow tags. Oh well, I’d have to make the most of it since we’d taken the time to drive over and I knew there were cows in there – we’d seem ‘em! Driving in on the fourth branch road off the main branch, there behind a rocky outcropping, silhouetted against a clouded sky, was a grazing cow. I stopped, the guys got out of the truck and loaded their guns as tried to point out the moose. Before they could see her she wandered off behind the hill. I sent Randy up a twitch trail to the right for a closer look. I reminded Randy we had all afternoon to do this so please, don’t hurry and get busted. Tom stayed with me incase she should spook and break out across the road. Moments later we heard a shot, then another, then “I got her!” Randy made a very nice 140 yd. shot as the cow wandered down off the hill on to the trail. She ran about 40 yards and dropped. It was 1:00 p.m. We had our cow but also had our work cut out for us. I gutted the cow and began the painstaking drag with a winch. It was a very slow process inching the cow along, pulling cable, pulling the cow, pulling cable…By 3:00 p.m. we had her loaded and were on our way out when we ran in to the first group of hunters we’d seen on that branch road. They were surprised we had the cow since they’d seen nothing all day. I left them with a few words of encouragement and hints on where to look.

It helps to know what you’re looking for. We’re used to finding moose 12 months a year, we’ve learned to see them in the woods, we’ve learned high percentage areas to look, and we’ve learned to get off the beaten path. The unsuccessful hunters we ran into were reluctant to venture off the main branch roads where traffic beats the moose back in to the woods and when you’re not used to looking at moose it is sometimes difficult to see them. I suspect they’d driven by cows that were there but that they didn’t “see.”

We rushed back to meet Wayne and his hunters, radioed them to tell them we’d quit early – that there was always tomorrow, and that we were headed to Beer Brook. We parked the truck facing the direction they’d arrive from. We didn’t tell them we had a cow in the bed. When they arrived we let them relive their moose hunt and tell us of their bird hunting adventures when Don exclaimed it had been a “super day!” I agreed, indeed it had since not only did they get their bull, we had a cow too! Cheers and laughter erupted, then congratulations all around as we enjoyed our beers and the camaraderie of our new friends, under a rising full moon, along the bank of a stream in the woods. Back at the lodge we found a cow moose hanging on our game pole – Larry got his “trophy cow” and it weighed a whopping 743 lbs.! It was the 2nd largest cow tagged in Fort Kent for the season! Tom Cloutier, John Tangway, and David Tome stopped by to celebrate with us. They too had filled their cow tag. Yes, it had been a super day!

A reward for filled tags is sleeping in a bit the morning after, then skinning and cutting or delivering moose to a local meat cutter. The Wares took Gracie bird hunting for the day. Wayne took Randy deer hunting, and I stayed at the lodge to help the other hunters who were still out if they need it. The Bombaras were seeing deer, a good sign in this deer-sparse area of the state.

By week’s end, all had filled their moose tags except do-it-yourself hunter Pete Lebel. His party departed a day early, satisfied with their hunt and the good times they’d shared. Pete left us with a mess of quahogs – growing up on the coast, we love shell fish. Now it is a special treat for which we were grateful! An unexpected commitment kept Gloria Curtis and Diane Chouinard us from our annual reunion with the Bombara family. We enjoyed a very relaxing meal on the last night of their stay but missed our friends Gloria and Diane.

Well, that’s all folks… Another much-anticipated season at Fish River Lodge came to an end in mid November. It was our 6th season. We returned to our regular jobs, with regular hours, and days off. In the coming weeks we will enjoy the relaxed pace for a while then we will begin to miss our guests, miss the joy that comes from making memories with others. We’ll find ourselves stoking the woodstove more frequently as the days grow longer and colder, then moving to a cozy cabin for the winter, taking reservations for our 7th season, anticipating ice-out, mud season, and moving back up to the lodge. For now, it’s just Wayne and I, finishing deer season, looking forward to Thanksgiving, Christmas, and a new year.

Between Moose

Wow! The last time I posted a journal entry was back in October…Let’s see where we left off…the October moose hunt had just ended…

After a night off watching football and eating grouse pizza (pizza crust topped with barbecue sauce, cheese, cubed grouse breasts, mushrooms, green peppers, black olives, and onions) we were back out on the 21st scouting moose for our November moose hunters. We packed a lunch and loaded the dogs and shotguns in to the truck for a day of scouting and bird hunting. We found moose and a shot limit of grouse then on our drive out of the woods we watched three little bears stumble across Wallagrass Tote Road in the dark. Momma bear stayed hidden on one side of the road while the confused little cubs peeked at us from the undergrowth on the other side of the road. We enjoyed them for a moment and bid them good night.

I made a trip south on the 22nd to attend a Non-Resident Hunter Task Force meeting in Augusta on the 23rd. Spent the night with mom and dad and took a walk down to Grandpa Armand’s house. After Grandpa’s passing a few years ago, my parents rented out his house then decided to sell it. This was my last visit to the little cottage turned home on Great Island. Dad gave me a crate of grandpa’s old whistler decoys and his generator, some axes, and a pair of snowshoes. I left Grandpa’s house with a heavy heart and headed to the meeting in Augusta, then back up the long road home.

Wayne and were back out scouting and bird hunting on the 24th…found more moose – one very large trophy bull, and came home with another limit of birds. That night a red “curtain” of color lit the northern sky. We enjoyed the spectacle with a beer then got to work cleaning our dinner so Wayne could prepare garlic grouse in a white sauce over pasta. Bob Fee and his griffon “Pokey” also came in with a limit of grouse. It has been a tremendous season for bird hunters in northern Maine!

On the 27th we woke to a hard frost – a welcome sight after such a mild fall. I drove over to the Nordic Heritage Center for an Aroostook County Tourism meeting and marveled at the dry grasses and stoic firs frosted in white and illuminated by the rising sun. We sighted in our deer rifles on the 28th and they were spot on! Opening day on the 29th and out to our favorite “secret deer hunting grounds”. Wayne saw two does and a buck in the thick firs but had no opportunity to shoot. I sat in my tree stand enjoying an abundance of grouse all around me but no deer.

We woke to 2” of tracking snow on the 30th but since it was Sunday and we couldn’t hunt, we scouted…moose. Watched a cow moose amble along, then a nice, 50” or better bull came along soon after she’d disappeared in to the woods.

Wayne pulled our boat and the docks on November 1st then we headed out for an afternoon deer hunt. While reaching for my camo jacket I almost missed seeing a red shrew clinging to the front of it! It blended in perfectly with the camo. I snapped some pictures then tried to scoop it off the jacket when it leaped from my grasp – I understood why it prefers living indoors as temperatures fall outdoors. Darkness comes early and as happens each fall, we find it hard to adjust. It seems I lose my motivation as the sun sets, yet just a few months ago we didn’t even think about ending the day or eating dinner until 8:00 p.m. or later. We enjoyed another mild day on the 3rd – a perfect day for raking leaves. Before tackling that project I started a bear stew in the crock pot so it could simmer all day and be ready for dinner when we were. While I raked, I thought about how all those crisp russet leaves had not long ago delighted us with a hint of color after a long winter then grew to shade us in a deep green embrace all summer – they’d watched us and our guests for months and now lay sleepily on the ground. Waves of geese flew by every morning and evening, the flock gowing with each pass, from five birds, to 18, 20, 45, and 60…they’re flocking up to fly south when our waters start to freeze over. We got a few more days of scouting in before our moose hunters began arriving on the 6th. Our favorite deer hunting family – the Bomabaras: Vinny, John, Sal, and Matt arrived on the 5th. We enjoyed a relaxing lasagna dinner and evening of catching up on the past year.