Today was a very productive and much less stressful day. I got a lot done—though none of it was actually at the camp.
The day started off on a good note. Just as I was getting into the rowboat to head out and return the trailer, I got a call back from the timber supplier I had contacted on Friday. We spoke briefly, and he said he’d get back to me with pricing, which he later did—so that was a good follow-up.
When I arrived at the town hall, the trailer was still there (thankfully), and I was able to hook it up without any trouble and get on my way. As I passed through Lincoln, I wasn’t planning on stopping for breakfast after the Dunkin’ Donuts chaos yesterday, but I noticed the drive-thru was nearly empty. Even with the trailer behind me, I pulled in and got my order in under five minutes. Much better than yesterday’s half-hour ordeal.
I made it down to Old Town and returned the trailer without issue. Just around the corner was a laundromat, and I had brought my laundry with me in case I saw one—so I went ahead and knocked that out, too. While I waited, I realized I was only about 23 minutes away from a metal roofing supplier I’d inquired with online. I decided to drive down there since I was already nearby.
The folks at the roofing place were great—very helpful and answered all my questions. I got a quote, and it was much less than I expected. Always a pleasant surprise when that happens. I didn’t place the order yet, but I’m strongly leaning toward it. They said it would only take them a day to fabricate the panels, and I could likely pick them up in my own truck instead of needing another U-Haul rental.
On the way back, I stopped by the timber place in person. To my surprise, they do deliver to my area—even all the way to the end of our road—using a pickup and trailer. That’ll be a huge help if they can get the load to the marsh area where I need the timbers. Hopefully they’re better at backing up trailers than I am!
I placed an order for 18 hemlock timbers, 6x6x10s. Each weighs about 125 pounds, which is heavy but still something I think I can manage. It’s only moving over 1 ton of weight. Originally, I had asked about larger timbers—8x8x16 or 10x10x16—but those would weigh around 350 pounds apiece, which just isn’t workable. They have some 6x6s in stock and will need to mill the rest. Delivery is expected sometime next week.
Overall, I feel like I made real progress today. No major snags, good information gathered, errands handled, and productive conversations. Mainers continue to impress me—friendly, helpful, reliable, and professional. They follow up, they do what they say, and they even drive the speed limit. That last part stands out to me, as I’ll admit I don’t always do the same. It’s been a good reminder to slow down—on the road and maybe in life too.
I had another experience I haven’t had in a while on my way back to camp. My low fuel light came on and I had just passed a small gas station. There isn’t another station between there and camp so I turned around and pulled up to the pump. It is a 2 pump station. One pump for gas, one for diesel. I go to use my credit card and there is no keypad or card reader. It is the old pumps we had back in the day. (Does that make me sound old, or what?). So I go in to give the attendant my credit card so she could authorize the pump. She looked at me like I was crazy. She told me to pump the gas and come in to pay when I was done. I haven’t gotten gas that way in years. They actually trust people here. What a concept.
I expect to be back to camp around 4:30 and back at the cabin around 5:00. Not sure what I’ll do with the rest of the evening, but it definitely feels like a day well spent.