It was a comfortable night in the cabin. The dogs stayed in their own bed, and the morning temperature was a mild 57 degrees. After coffee and breakfast for us, Bailey entertained herself along the shoreline, hunting frogs.
We spent the morning moving the old refrigerator and stove across the pond and onto the truck—two heavy trips. Once that was done, we loaded the dogs into their new life vests and took them on a boat ride around the lake. They weren’t thrilled at first, clearly nervous, but eventually settled in and rode it out.
Back at camp, we sat in the Adirondack chairs and talked, looking out over the water and solving the problems of the universe. Later, we walked the property on the far side of the marsh—what we’re now calling the Highlands. It was a tough hike with so many downed trees, but the dogs handled it well, running everywhere yet still coming back when called.
Afterward, I used the solar shower bag Nick and Laura gave me for Christmas. It works surprisingly well. Trudy chose the pond instead, braving the chilly 67-degree water. Too cold for me, but she managed it.
Dinner was simple—canned Spaghettios and soup—followed by one of my all-time favorite movies, On Golden Pond. Watching Henry Fonda, Katharine Hepburn, Jane Fonda, and Dabney Coleman at their lakeside camp brought back memories of my best friend Brad’s grandmother’s place in New Hampshire, where we spent time on the lake. That place was far nicer than Camp Hidey Ho, but the feel of the movie still struck close to home.
Later in the evening we went out hoping to see the northern lights. No luck this time, but the sky was stunning—thousands of stars scattered across a perfectly dark canvas with no light pollution to dim the view.
