BUCKET LIST

St. George, Maine is a little hamlet that sports a few farms along the road, just a few miles down coast from Rockland, a destination sea port for yachts and sailing ships. We’ve come here to spend the week onboard the schooner, American Eagle, a Bucket List item that has come of age. The schooner is berthed at its mooring in Rockland while we are safely berthed at Robert Skoglund’s “The Humble Farmer” Bed & Breakfast, on the road to St. George. Built in 1847, the old two story has a fresh coat of yellow paint and solar panels. The place shows its age with wear and tear but likewise, it has been taken care of with a frugal sense of yankee purpose. 

Robert met us in the drive, scrutinized our parking in the grass at the corner of the house. I sort of expected a crusty old salt water character and he exceeded our expectations. Well into his 80’s I would guess, he spoke with a stereotypic, rattly Maine drawl that ascended slightly as he spoke and finished with an implied question mark. The sense of humor was quaint with an edge but he knew he was a funny man and milked it with subtle charm. We spent an hour or so engaged in clever conversation. It felt like a call & response song, never knowing where the call part would take us. Robert had his own local television show once upon a time. He reminded me of a wizened, old but not so fractious Soupy Sales. He made me think of the Canadian, CBC program from the 80’s, ‘Red Green’. We were entertained relentlessly. 

We are set to board our tall ship this evening and cast off for a 5 day cruise among the islands in the gulf of Maine. Hurricane Dorian passed through yesterday, off shore far enough all we got was a windy day with low cloud cover. By now it’s blowing itself  out, up the Nova Scotia coast. With the day to kill, I’m sure the sea port town will have plenty of trendy little shops and memorable characters to keep us occupied. My companion is still asleep in our upstairs room. It’s the only issue that we haven’t fully resolved yet. I am an early waker-upper and she prefers to sleep the morning away. So I’m journaling this a.m. as the dark outside gives way to gray and the traffic on the road is all headed into Rockland. We’ve been promised a ‘Large’, Maine breakfast, not that I’m all that hungry but I’m sure I’ll enjoy the food.

In this house, all of the furnishings are fashionably dated which means old, utilitarian and well preserved. I especially like the painted, 10” wide floor boards and area style rugs. Robert’s wife Marcia is pleasant, obviously not born & bred a yankee. The ladies went off into the kitchen for a chat while he went from verse to chorus like a stone skipping on flat water. I remember as a 6 year-old, visits to Sheldon, MO; to the old clapboard house at the end of a two-track. This place doesn’t have the classic scent of a wood fired, kitchen range or the smell of down filled comforters but I expect to be satisfied with a half-full, half-empty experience here. 

There will be no WiFi on the boat so I’ll not bother with my computer. Sleeping berths are adequate but storage space is non existent. We stopped to get wool socks in Connecticut yesterday but otherwise it’s a the clothes we have on, one change, several layers of warm, dry tops and rain gear. I’ll have more to say about the ride when we get our land legs back next week.