Getting in the Tree

Good morning everyone. Four inches of snow on Saturday ushered in the holiday season Currier and Ives fashion. We spent the day scrambling to get everything covered or off the ground before the snowfall. Lately we’ve taken several trees down around the yard trying to get some more sunshine to the house so we have been chipping branches and stacking wood like crazy. I have also generated a number of logs for the sawmill in the process.

But this being a day of “rest” we decided to take a walk in the woods and get our Christmas tree and enjoy a big family dinner. The late day sun cast golden light on the treetops and the winds which had blown so hard at the height of the storm eased to just a whisper. Woodpeckers were calling deep in the woods. The kids dragged the tree most of the way to the house. Dad did jump in on the last uphill. After pruning and adding a few branches to what was the top of a thirty foot fir the tree now stands trimmed and lit filling the house with the scent of balsam. Ours is not a fancy tree by any stretch but that is just fine with this family. Already it has given us a day together, the greatest gift of the season.

Have a great day. Be well. Do good.

Hail Mary

My heart is heavy with sadness as I write this particular blog. Since the beginning of August our dear friend and cook for the last 12 years, Mary Barney, had been struggling with cancer. I have intentionally respected Mary’s privacy and I apologize to you for not sharing any news about Mary’s health sooner. On Monday afternoon Mary passed away very peacefully at home, surrounded by friends and “family”. Her departure was as graceful as the rest of her life. Many people, including Jen, have been doing heroic work to support Mary these last few weeks. Oddly enough Mary was never very excited about transitions though this was about the fastest transition she ever made. And as I struggle to let go of Mary I realize I am terrible with transitions as well. We used to joke about how we liked things just the way they are, thank you very much, so why change what is working already even if it might be less labor intensive. Hard works is its own reward. I used to joke about getting Mary a Cui...

This blog has moved.

This blog is now at: MaineWindjammerBlog.com Please update your links. Thanks.

A Golden Windjammer Anniversary

Happy Birthday Mary Day! 50 years ago today Mary Day slid out of the shed at the Harvey F. Gamage Shipyard in South Bristol, Maine marking the beginning of a whole new chapter in the history of the windjammer fleet. The Gamage yard had not launched a schooner since 1933 and Mary Day was the first commercial coasting schooner launched since 1938. That also makes her the first commercial coasting schooner launched in the second half of the 20th century and the first schooner ever launched for the windjammer passenger trade. There may be a few more firsts in there but that doesn't really matter. What is most important about this celebration is the fact that Mary Day was launched today and began her career touching the lives of thousands of people. This schooner was built by people, for people and has never done anything else but bring joy to peoples lives. She has become a legendary windjammer here along the Maine coast as part of the largest fleet of commercial coasting schooners...

Sailing Vacations
A Maine Windjammer

Search This Blog