Camp
05 September 2007 | 43 59.77N:69 14.86 W
Although we are not technically family, the Maxcy family has always made us feel that way. We are always welcomed with open arms and this trip was no exception.
O and I picked Paula and Doog up in Camden on Friday. It happened to be 'Windjammer Weekend' so as we pulled Indy out of Camden the old girls were under full sail ready to make their approach into the harbor. It was an overcast day with the occasional southern wind blowing a warm breeze. We made our way to Otis Cove where the Maxcys' have a camp on the water which has been in their family for generations. We had such a fun, relaxed trip. Doog took the helm and lead Indy through the maze of lobster pots, past towering lighthouses and the wildly rocky coast. Doog and 'Sammy the Bull' hit it off famously, while Paula and I sat on the aft deck chatting away. They are such wonderful people that just being around them makes you feel good.
After about three hours, Doog pulled us into Otis Cove. As we rounded the corner I recognized some of the homes along the shore and knew we were there before even seeing the camp. We felt so proud to bring Indy there, almost like she was being brought home. Paula, Doog, Steve, Debbie, Darren and Kim have shared their camp with Otis and I for the past twenty years(longer for O) and it holds a very special place in our heart. It represents family, laughter, love, refuge and tranquility. It was a good familiar feeling..
Saturday Steve and Deb came out to the boat for coffee and a very excited hello. Then O and Steve took the kids for the day trying to control some of the chaos that having four kids ranging in age from six weeks to 4.5 years carries with it. Naturally, they claimed all the kids were great and listened to them the entire time, which I find a little difficult to believe, but that's their story and they are sticking to it! Deb and I went 'provisioning' at the Goodwill, TJMaxx, lunch and the grocery store. We came back to two relieved husbands and four exhausted kids. That night we fed the kids and they all magically fell fast asleep as if on cue. The adults then cracked a bottle of wine, breathed a sigh of relief and sat out under the stars laughing it up like we had seen each other yesterday. It is wonderful to hang out with friends that for all intents and purposes are family, there is a comfort that is found very rarely and we are lucky to have it, the best part is we all know and appreciate it.
Sunday Paula and Doog put on a family lobster bake. Every year that we are at 'camp' they do it and we always look forward to it. Sunday morning the boys took Jessie Belle, the Maxcy family Hinckley picnic boat look alike, to pick up lobsters. When they returned, Kim and Darren took all of the kids blackberry picking. Meanwhile, Doog set the giant lobster cooker up on the rocks and Paula, who spoils us with her homemade potato salad, clam dip, blueberry buckle etc, sets up. So we had five boys and Lydia running around playing 'chase', screaming, laughing, tattling and just exhausting themselves. Two nosebleeds, a skinned knee, Sammy continually trying to launch the dinghy and a BIG wad of gum in the hair later (FYI: Being the seasoned mother of FIVE children, Kim saved Ben from the Alfalfa haircut that Steve and I were seconds away from administering, with peanut butter. It was quite a wad right in the root of his hair, but Kim got it all out with the peanut butter. Kim, I thank you on Ben's behalf). As we sat at the picnic table on the waters edge with the lobster bodies and their juice flying, our conversation and laughter echoed throughout the cove. It felt like we should be on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post. So to the Maxcy family, thank you guys for just being you. We love you!