Today was definitely a phone call kind of day. The big one I was expecting was from the contractor — he was supposed to call around noon so we could meet around 1:00 at the camp. I wanted him to take a look at the place and see what the roofing job would require. Unfortunately, while he did call, the news wasn’t what I was hoping for. He said he’s fully booked for at least two months and wouldn’t be able to take on the job within my timeframe. That was disappointing, especially since I was hoping to get the roof sorted in the next three weeks.
On a more positive note, I got a follow-up call from one of the town officials after yesterday’s meeting. It was nice to get a timely response, and we covered a few lingering questions I had. They still don’t know who owns the property I asked about — they gave me a name, but it’s not confirmed, and they said they’ll keep looking into it. He also gave me some background on Democrat Ridge Road and a possible extension down to Indian Township. Sounds like a real local saga — one of the camps on Patten Pond is causing quite the fuss, and it’s turned into a lengthy, contentious process. Definitely some classic small-town drama there.
Later in the day, we had our weekly call with Aunt Millie. I looped Trudy in, so it was a three-way call: Trudy in North Carolina, me in Maine, and Aunt Millie in Florida. It’s always a joy to talk to her — she’s so upbeat and optimistic, and it’s a real highlight of the week.
On the practical side, I put together more of the cabin supplies — some Polywood Adirondack chairs — and continued ferrying the rest of the gear from my neighbor’s property over to the camp. I also gave him a call to let him know I’m here, just so it’s not a surprise if he shows up this weekend (which he usually does in summer). He said he’ll be up tomorrow, so hopefully we’ll get to catch up in person. As always, he was very kind and generous about letting me use his place as a base to access my camp — I’m grateful for that.
It’s now 7:20 and I haven’t eaten dinner yet. I’m pretty wiped out, but I’ve still got a few inside tasks I’d like to get to tonight. The camp is feeling pretty crowded with all the supplies I’ve brought in, so the goal is to organize a bit and clear some space. We’ll see how much I can get done before crashing.