Thursday, August 09, 2007

Schooling Pappy, Down East Style

Here I am, anticipating Pappy's first trip to Maine. I've missed a year here and there, but I have gone to the same island for most of my 47 summers. In fact, I could lay claim to an extra summer visit-- there are pictures of my mother, hugely pregnant with me, sitting on a lawn chair next to the cottage. Smoking a cigarette and drinking a tumblerful of vodka. (Not really.)

Over the years I have garnered much knowledge of the island and its environs, and now I must pass this legacy on to Pappy. He will learn where to look for crabs, how long to steam a lobster on the beach, what are the master techniques in skipping stones, and how to walk the rocks from Brook Cove to Sylvester's Cove staying below the tide line. And he will meet all the generations of relatives, and learn the definition of second-cousin-once-removed.

Truth is I'll probably spend most of my time trying to keep him from gobbling down sea urchin shells and rotting seaweed, but that's fun too.

Maine

6 comments:

Jude said...

That area of Maine is stunning. When I first visited MDI, I was poleaxed by how beautiful it was.

Our paths are vaguely crossing this weekend -- I am in York ME Saturday, but back home in Boston Sunday.

Enjoy the week. And take tons of Pappy pics. :)

Nat said...

We can see Mount Desert and Cadillac Mountain from the east side of the island-- we may head out that way to explore the west side of Acadia Park. Only thing we've ever done is the Thunder Hole > Jordan Pond > Bubble Rock > Cadillac Mtn circuit.

I wish I knew more about York. My only memories are of sitting in traffic on Rt 1.

Gus said...

Enjoy your vacation, and make sure Pappy gets to taste some real lobster, maybe he will leave the rest of the stuff alone!

Buster the Wired Fox Terror said...

Oh so yer goin down to Maine. I used to spend some time every summer at my friends's grandparents summer camps. Cold water!

Buster's Mom

Nat said...

Gus,
Oh, I get it. If I feed him really good stuff, he won't be hungry anymore for the bad stuff. In doggydom, the only rule is "the more you eat, the more you eat".

Buster,
Yeah, the water's a bit brisk. I'll generally take a symbolic dip each visit, but it's not a daily event.

Joseph Hunkins said...

Go Pappy Go! Just go easy drinking that Moxie, OK?