We let ourselves sleep in a bit this morning—7:45 counts as late—despite the loggers firing up early and a morning rain shower passing through. The sound of the rain on the new metal roof was wonderful, and the cabin was a comfortable 62 degrees when we got up. After several mornings in the 40s and 50s, it felt just right. A steady breeze made the lake choppy, so no hauling roofing across the water today.
The dogs had a slow start, so we gave them a treat: a ride in the truck to Neighbor Joe’s. While they ran around, we loaded more old roofing and trash for another dump run. Back at the cabin, we dropped them off before heading out.
From the dump, we drove to Calais and crossed the border into St. Stephen, Canada. This time the crossing was easy—no search, no delay. Maybe having Trudy with me made the difference. We had lunch at the Five Kings restaurant, where the food was fresh and beautifully presented. We both started with garden salads; I had seafood chowder, and Trudy chose a feta and mushroom flatbread. While still in Canada, we made our weekly call to Aunt Millie. She was delighted to hear we were in her home country, where she spent her first 11 years. After the call, we walked to the chocolate shop in town—the oldest chocolate company in Canada—and picked up an assortment to bring home. Crossing back into the U.S. was just as smooth.
We returned about four hours after leaving, and the dogs did fine on their own. Later in the afternoon we brought them along while we worked on the gates. Installing the hinges went well overall, though one gate has the wrong part and will need a fix. The second gate went up without any problem. I also spent some more time improving the marsh trail in preparation for Saturday’s departure.
That evening we had a nice dinner and raised a toast to Grammy and Poppy, my mom and dad, on what would have been their 77th wedding anniversary. I still miss them dearly and wish they were still around to celebrate their anniversary.
