Well, you can almost see the other side of the lake through the fog and drizzle - cold fog and drizzle - If we're lucky it will get up to sixty today.

I feel sorry for those who get up for a weeks vacation, next week will probably be sunny.

We fly to Maine Monday - our first flying since 9/11 and all the new checks, etc. My wife is in a wheelchair which may or may not mean a hassle - I'll let you know.

We bought our place on the lake in 1970. It was a long way down a jeep trail and then a clamber down over rocks. No power, of course. The place was half built and we had to drag everything in over the boulders. Cooking was on a wood stove or bottled gas (which had to be carried in) and light was Alladin Lamps (very bright kerosene - not your usual barn lanterns). It was twelve years before power lines were laid down our side of the lake even though the power dam was within a mile of our camp. The lake was good for bathing, but pretty chilly sometimes. Ice-out is generally in late April.

We spent the first summer shingling the camp, installing windows, building an outhouse, laying a floor, etc. It was a lot of work but fun. Nowadays we have a drive down to the camp, dock and ramp for the wheelchair, a/c and even indoor plumbing!  The road to the camp is much better but a four-wheel drive still is a good idea - though not absolutely necessary. We even have road signs and a street address (required by fire safety laws in ME). Our mailbox is still a couple of miles away at the  closest paved road.

Our place is in Downeast Maine - about midway between Bangor and Bar Harbor on a deep lake which has the southernmost population of Arctic Char in the world. The lake is not built-up, and because of Maine's very restrictive lakefront building laws, probably never will be. It one of four lakes in the US with a native population of land-locked salmon.  Fishing is good.  Years ago one of our resident otters tried to follow me into the cabin (he was just a pup and didn't know any better) My garbage can is bear-proofed, but they keep trying.

As you can see, our summer life is somewhat different from our life here in Florida - cooler, for one thing.  We'll be back down in mid-october. 

Fortunately, internet access isn't a problem - I can see the access tower on the hill across the lake - direct line of sight for a 4G wireless modem. We even have Dish TV.

I like xanga - I'm used to its peculiarities - but I'm not sure I want to pay (most of my interests will probably shut down anyway if that happens.

For some time I've had two other sites which sort of mirror this one :

http://tychecat.wordpress.com

http://www.livejournal.com/users/tychecat

I will start updating them - if you find me interesting, check either or both out.

This summer we are flying to Maine rather than driving, which has become more and more difficult for a couple of octogenarians.

We will fly up on Monday 6/24. I'll keep you posted.