Fog

This kind of looks like the bridge to nowhere! Actually, it is the Bailey Island bridge, taken from the Bailey Island side. Once upon a time, when my Mom was young (prior to the 1930's), there was not a bridge at all! The only way across was by boat! And, back then, there was a bit of a feud between Orr's and Bailey Island. Those days are gone. Of course, I am a bit partial to Bailey Island.....

We have had a mild winter overall.....not much snow, not much severe cold. Today it is in the 40's, and the snow we have is rapidly melting. Personally, that is fine with me. The snow can stay in the ski areas! Speaking of skiing, Matt and Aimee have been taking Josh and Danny (and other Harpswell Island School kids) skiing at Lost Valley in Auburn on Friday nights. The boys are enjoying it! It is nice that there is a small ski area near by.

Spring is officially here in 56 more days....which, of course means that we open in 73 days! We are doing some repairs and painting....a couple new carpets, a few new curtains. This has been a relatively easy year for renovations.....well, not if you ask Matt! Poor Matt has been doing his least favorite job--plumbing!! He is re-plumbing everything that he can see....not a very fun or rewarding job, but a necessary one!

We are entering our 32nd year at the Log Cabin....15 as a restaurant, 17 as an Inn. Fortunately, all of us that are privileged to work at the Log Cabin, still love it.
We look forward to another season of welcoming back our repeat guests, and meeting some new ones! If you have not reserved, give us a call!

All for now, Sue

Snowstorm

Here in Maine, the local station, Channel 6, begins reporting at 4:30am daily. When there is a snowstorm, they send reporters all over the State to show how much snow there is. There is one guy, that reports from his kitchen table (complete with cats....but that is another story)....and he always claims to send his wife out with a ruler to measure the snow on the gas grill! So, I thought I would follow his scientific method of measuring. Looks like 7 inches and still snowing right now. Now, they predicted 1-3 and turning to rain. Our ground was completely bare before this storm. Hopefully, the northern part of the State is getting snow as well. They have had to cancel cross country skiing meets, snowmobilers are crying, and ski slopes sure could use it. And, my gardens love snow!

Maine shrimp and scallop season has begun. The season will be much shorter, and yes, the cost is much higher. But, oh, there is nothing like Maine scallops and shrimp. We are buying and freezing for our season (the season is over when we open).

There was no school today, so my grandsons, Dan and Josh came over to visit while Aimee did some work at the Inn. Now they are helping their Dad plow. I took my 2 labs out for a walk, and they were thrilled with the snow. It is pretty....if it would just shovel itself! I guess I will go make a path (or wait 'til Matt comes.....no, I will do it--he does have a bad back).

Hope you all are weathering the winter well.....we open in 84 days! Sue

Happy 2012!

Today is the first day of Maine shrimp season. The State of Maine has imposed some very strict rules on the shrimp season and scallop season. I did a bit of research to see why and found out the following: in 2010, .18 million pounds of Maine scallops were harvested....this is down from a high of 3.8 million pounds in 1981. As for the Maine shrimp catch, in 2010, 12.2 million were caught, down from 24.2 million pounds in 1969. So, it is obvious that the number shrimp and scallops are declining. So, I guess I had better get on the phone and place my order for this year! I would imagine that the price will increase considerably.....the old supply and demand theory. On a positive note, 94.7 million pounds of Maine lobster were harvested in 2010...an all time high, and up from 16.4 million pounds in 1994!! So, there should be no problem with the lobster supply!

We do try to buy as much of our food and supplies locally....a trend that is becoming very common, I am happy to say! In contrast, 4 national chain stores are closing in the Brunswick area: Borders, Talbots, Payless shoes and Fashion Bug.

The picture above is of some paper whites that a friend of mine gave me at Christmas. They had just begun to sprout. In celebration of New Years, they were completely blossomed. They are very pretty. Our weather is still mild, 45 degrees today, no snow, no ice....still have green grass. Very odd!

I hope everyone had a pleasant holiday season. I am very optomistic about 2012! All for now, Sue