EXPLORE the MAINE BOATS, HOMES & HARBORS DIGITAL edition @ www.maineboats.com 63

A smallmouth bass caught inSpednic Lake by wildlife bloggerRobin Follette. These days onlycatch-and-release-fishing isallowed on the lake.

the weather, the outside logs shining deeplywith yearly applications of dark varnish, theinside spacious with comfortable, overstuffedfurniture, a great room encompassing kitchen,dining room, and parlor, with a bedroomattached, a massive fieldstone fireplace that waslit on chilly nights, and a wide verandah,screened so they could sit out at sundown andwatch lake activity without the nuisance ofblackflies or mosquitoes.

Not that there was a great deal of lakeactivity. Three or four boats at most passedeach day, primarily fishermen trolling forsmallmouth bass or other fish in which thedeep, cold waters of East Grand are notablyprolific. Even from far out in the middle of the

lake, the helmsman would lift an arm in salute,and Doris and Howard would dutifully waveback. “That’s Everett,” sharp-eyed Howardmight say, “haven’t seen much of him so farthis year.” Canoes would come in closer, glid-ing in among the reeds along the shore’s edge,sometimes stopping and hauling up for a chat,maybe a cup of tea or a glass of Kool-Aid,before going on. But the lake was mostly quietwith few boats and even fewer camps. On thetimes I visited, its glossy, glassy surface was likea bolt of faded blue-green silk, unruffledexcept for an occasional ripple of breeze.Storms there were from time to time, I’m cer-tain, but I never witnessed them. For me, EastGrand was a place of utter tranquility.

That flawless tranquility, I often thought,was the real appeal of camp for Doris andHoward. After the gregarious hubbub of win-ter in Camden (baked bean suppers on Satur-day nights, church on Sunday mornings), itmust have been a welcome plunge into stillness.

Often there was still ice on the lake andsnow in the woods when they got there. Fre-quently snow had started to fall again by thetime they left. They were used to a little snow,they said.

Flawless tranquility, I oftenthought, was the real appeal

of camp for Doris andHoward. After the gregarioushubbub of winter in Camden,it must have been a welcome

plunge into stillness.

(Opp

osite

) Cou

rtesy

Pen

obsc

ot M

arin

e M

useu

m. (

This

pag

e) P

hoto

by

Robi

n Fo

llette

.

SUMMER PEOPLE coming toMaine in the late 19th centurycalled themselves rusticators. They

came usually for the whole summer, andalthough they traveled in grand style,once they reached Maine they settled into what they hoped was a local way oflife. They swam, sailed, picnicked on theshore, went for hikes, and gathered blue-berries. They slept in grand, unheatedcottages and took cold showers for self-improvement. In short, they rusticated,living, insofar as they could imagine it,just like us locals.

But we rusticated too. If summerpeople built cottages on the shore, wenatives more often retired to a camp atthe lake. Any lake would do as long asthe housing was not permanent. Wecalled it “going up to camp,” as in, “We’re

spending August up to camp.” When aboyfriend came to visit, I showed himmy family’s camp on an island in LakeMegunticook. Said he, a camp? This isno camp! Where he came from out inthe Rockies, a camp was a lean-to with acouple of bunks and a space for an openfire in front. Our camp, to him, was ahouse, albeit a primitive house withkerosene lamps, water from the well, andan old Glenwood cook stove that wasfed by kindling from an occasionalchopped-down birch tree.

In camps like that, people of my par-ents’ generation spent the summer, or asmuch of it as they could afford to beaway from home.

For me, the all-time champions ofgoing up to camp were my Aunt Dorisand Uncle Howard, both of them born

in the first years of the last century and,you would think, happy to leave behindthem the hardships of life in the countryin old-fashioned Maine. Yet, well intotheir 70s and early 80s, they took offfrom Camden every spring around thefirst of May and headed downeast toForest City, right on the border withCanada, and a camp my uncle had builtback in the 1930s on the shores of EastGrand Lake. There they stayed, usuallyuntil the first of November.

Unlike most camps, this one had noname. It was deep in the woods, down along gravel road that cut through landowned by a paper company—GreatNorthern most likely since at one pointGreat Northern owned most of theMaine woods. It was a comfortableplace—a log cabin well chinked against

62 MAINE BOATS, HOMES & HARBORS | JUNE / JULY 2015 | Issue 135

East Grand Lake as it looked in the 1950s when the author used to visit her aunt and uncle as they “rusticated” there during the summer months.

R U S T I C A T I N G

Where we natives went to relax BY NANCY HARMON JENKINS

up to Camp

EXPLORE the MAINE BOATS, HOMES & HARBORS DIGITAL edition @ www.maineboats.com 65

do it, whether that meant digging a gar-den, mending fences, mucking out theout-house, repairing the wood-duckboxes that perched on poles over aswampy inlet, tinkering with an out-board motor, raking brush, and gather-ing fallen limbs. In an unhurried butwell-structured way, they did the kind ofthings their parents and grandparentshad done before them.

They kept a prodigious vegetable gar-den that once dug in the spring, had to befenced off from deer and other varmints.As they harvested the vegetables, they putthem up in jars, storing food that theycarried back to Camden for the winter.While no grand gourmet, Aunt Doris wasa fine Yankee cook who could turn outcrisp-crusted fruit pies or feather-lightbiscuits or dense, savory pots of bakedbeans. Even carrots, even beet greens,even summer squash—all were simplebut tasty when she prepared them. Every-thing she cooked came fresh from herown garden or from the jars she put up.

Pickles were one of her great special-ties. The table was never consideredready for a meal until it had two or three

dishes of pickles—vinegary beets, sweetbread-and-butter cucumbers, or big fatwhole cukes they called sour pickles—these were considered de rigueur onchowder nights. Or Pottsfield pickles, arelish that was the apotheosis of greentomatoes.

Uncle Howard was a pretty goodcook, too. Moose meat, or venison, isoften tough and stringy, Howard said,

but it could fill you up nicely if youcooked it for a very long time. BareBones Pot Roast is what we came to callhis recipe—a piece of chuck steamed inthe oven for at least three hours in aninch or so of water with nothing but salt,pepper, and an onion, then vegetablesthrown in to cook at the end. (“Vegeta-bles? Oh, what you have to hand,”Howard said, remembering back, “car-

East Grand Lake is one of thoseMaine treasures that is relativelyunknown to the outside world. At 16,000acres, it’s one of the largest lakes in thestate, long and irregular with deep narrowrocky bays and sandy reefs that are hometo an impressive variety of fish, fromthose smallmouth bass to landlockedsalmon, trout, and togue, as well as lessdesirable sticklebacks, bullhead, and suck-

ers. Passamaquoddy Indians may havebeen the first fishermen to penetrate EastGrand. The adjoining watershed, whichfeeds into the St. Croix River system andeventually down into PassamaquoddyBay, is still considered Passamaquoddyterrain. But it is also a boundary watersystem, a small but significant part of the5,000-plus-mile border between the Unit-ed States and Canada.

Forest City straddles the border. Onthe American side, it’s an unincorporat-ed township with a total residential pop-ulation of five (15 if you include the NewBrunswick side) that in summer swells to30. “More trees than people,” they like tosay around there. You can still buy 40acres of undeveloped land for less than$1,000 an acre. (I know—I just checkedthe real estate listings.) Until recently,people went back and forth across theborder several times a day, hailing the cus-toms officers as they passed through asif the frontier didn’t really exist—and itdidn’t in the minds of those who livedand worked there. But since the UnitedStates got paranoid about terrorists enter-ing from Canada, you have to have a pass-port, and that presents problems of some-times-ridiculous proportions for aCanadian who wants to go shopping inHoulton, Maine, or a Mainer who wantsto cross over to fish in Spednic Lake.

You might think going up to campentailed idle times for Doris andHoward, but you would be wrong. Ifthere was always a lot to do, however,there was also plenty of time in which to

64 MAINE BOATS, HOMES & HARBORS | JUNE / JULY 2015 | Issue 135

Robinhood Marine Center, near the mouth of the Sheepscot River is the perfect summer cruising home port or stopover, your safe haven and gateway to the coast of Maine. Share the quiet, unspoiled, secluded natural setting with ospreys, eagles and harbor seals. Our fantastic Midcoast location lets you spend less

time driving and more time boating.

Maine Cruising Begins Here Slips and Moorings Available Summer 2015

“Home of Robinhood Marina, Spartan Marine, Riggs Cove Rentals, Robinhood Yacht Brokerage (David Perr y), and the

Osprey Rest aurant.”

Hundreds of Benches, Tables and Chairs in Stock

Stop by and see our new Interior Furniture Annex! Don’t miss our spectacular wood carvings and Teak bowls.

See our large selection of 2" thick countertop slabs in Teak,Acacia, Lychee and Tamarind 2' to 4' wide, 6' to 9' long!

681 Bath Rd. (U.S. Route 1) Wiscasset • 207-882-7225and 38 Sea St. Boothbay Harbor • 207-633-9899Open April 15-October 15 Daily, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

www.islandteakcompany.blogspot.com

Celebrating16 Years In Business!

In Business!

Yee1 ga

eleb16 YCelebrating

sarse

e6 Y ga

6 YIn BYeeYe

d f B h TTHundr ables and Chairs in Stock

.islandteakcomwwww.5ober 15-OctOpen April 1

y Harbor • 20thbaand 38 Sea St. Booe 1) Wiscasset • 20out.S. R(U1 Bath Rd. 68

amarindAcacia, Lychee and TTage selection of 2" thick counterSee our lar

Don’t miss our spectacular wood carStop by and see our new Interior Furnitur

aeds of Benches, TTaHundr

.blogspot.commpanyy. 5 p.m.o, 9 a.m. t Daily5

7-633-9899y Harbor • 207-882-7225e 1) Wiscasset • 20

amarind 2' to 4' wide, 6' to 9' long!eak,top slabs in TTege selection of 2" thick counter

eak bowls.vings and TTeDon’t miss our spectacular wood care Annex! Stop by and see our new Interior Furnitur

ables and Chairs in Stock

Walpole, Maine • 207-563-5510 • www.farrinsboatshop.com

FARRIN’S BOATSHOP

Common Sense Yachts & Workboats

Beginning with a 43 Lowell Brothers bare cored hull, we will custom build this flybridge cruiser complete with soft top Bimini. We construct the decks, superstructure, install the engine, drive train, electrical, plumbing and all the interior

joiner work. The boat will be turnkey at delivery. The projected delivery date to our customers is summer 2016.

Construction times available

Your Personal Insurance Specialists ■ High Value Properties■ Vacation Homes■ Waterfront and Island

Call now for a free flood insurance analysis

Focused on

(800)439-4311 | AllenIF.comOffices in Rockland, Camden, Belfast and Southwest Harbor

Cale Pickfordcpickford@allenif.com(207) 230-5818

2014

Spednic Lake is clear and calm, perfect for a fishing expedition. Spednic Lake divides Maine from Canada. The small stake in this rock marks the boundary line.

Phot

os b

y Ro

bin

Folle

tte (2

)

A mile away,

glass or idle away an afternoon

doing absolutely

rots, parsnips, potatoes.” “Garlic?” Iasked. “Lord, no!” he said, “no garlic,”as if he’d never heard of such a thing.Frenchmen might use garlic, but notgood Yankees.)

One summer when I visited with mythen ten-year-old son, we crossed overinto Canada. Howard wanted to intro-duce Nicholas to the fine art of lake fish-ing. I’m not sure why we had to go toCanada but it had something to do withlicensing and the fact that a ten-year-olddidn’t need a license in Canada. In anycase, we waved to the border guard andsped over Pendleton Ridge, thendropped down to Spednic Lake, part ofthe same spectacular chain that feeds theboundary waters.

“It says Pendleton Ridge on themap,” Uncle Howard said, “but it’s real-ly called Skedaddle Hill.”

Why?Like many very large men, Uncle

Howard had a high-pitched voice thatbelied his big frame. “You think yourgeneration invented running off toCanada to get out of the draft,” he saidwith a soft chuckle. “But back during theCivil War they did it too. They skee-dad-

dled right over this hill and away theywent. Skee-daddlers is what they called’em.”

Among other things, Uncle Howardwas an antiques dealer. Although he had-n’t much of an education, he knew hishistory, especially his Maine history. Hehad lived a lot of it. Too young for theFirst World War and too old for the Sec-ond, he had experienced the Depressionfirst-hand. Once he described to me howthey went hunting off-season, timing thehunt to coincide with Fourth of July sothat shots in the woods would minglewith fire crackers and bottle rockets—anastute sharpshooter could bring homevenison or moose meat for a hungryfamily, even at midsummer.

We fished this time from the greygranite ledges of Spednic. Nicholas, blesshim, brought up a fish, a small yellowperch that Howard cooked for the boy’sbreakfast the next morning, first clean-ing the little fish, then tossing diced saltpork in an old black iron skillet. Herolled the fish in cornmeal, fried it in thepork fat, and served it with the crisppork nuggets on top. Nicholas was weakwith pleasure—it turned him into a life-

long fish lover, especially of any he man-aged to catch on his own.

Doris and Howard are long gonenow and so is the camp. It was left to afavorite granddaughter and I’m notsure she ever went there or had much todo with it. I haven’t been back, thoughevery now and then when I hear thehaunted evening call of loons across aquiet lake, I think about East Grand andthe simple camp that was so elegant inits splendid isolation. Could I ever livethat way again? I’m not sure, but I’dlove to try. Meanwhile I’ll put a potroast in the oven, try out a bit of saltpork in a skillet, and fry me up a nicepiece of fish.

Nancy Harmon Jenkins is the author of many

books, and contributor to a number of publi-

cations, including The Wall Street Journal and

Saveur. She lives in Camden and Tuscany. Her

most recent book is Virgin Territory: Explor-

ing the World of Olive Oil (Houghton Mifflin

Harcourt, 2015).

Editor’s note: The spelling of the lake variesdepending upon the source, so if your map refersto Spednik with a K, it is one and the same.

66 MAINE BOATS, HOMES & HARBORS | JUNE / JULY 2015 | Issue 135

✮

CamdenGardenClub.com • camdengardenclub100@gmail.com

1915

– 2015

Maine Boats, Homes & HarborsCongratulates

the Camden Garden Club on 100 Years of Flowers!

Maine Boats, Homes & HarborsCongratulates

the Camden Garden Club on 100 Years of Flowers!

Maine Boats, Homes & HarborsCongratulates

the Camden Garden Club on 100 Years of Flowers!

A Very Special House & Garden TourCelebrating the Camden Garden Club’s 100th Anniversary July 16, 2015 • 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. • Rain or Shine

Thank you for 10 decades of flowers and trees, wreaths and baskets, classes and scholarships, and for helping

make Camden one of New England’s prettiest villages.

0 a.m. to 4 p.m. 9:3•15 001July 16, 2dting the Camden GarrdaCelebrra

ery Special HouA VVe

in or ShineaRRa•0 a.m. to 4 p.m. sary errsAnnivth00t01ssden Club’souruse & Garden TTo

camdengardenclub1•.com CamdenGardenClub

5102–

51159119

Tickets $40 da

Rockport, Rockland, and Wand at shops in Belfast, Camden,

CamdenGardenClubnce tickets ($35) on sale atavdA

00@gmail.comcamdengardenclub1

y of tourTickets $40 daay

ldoboroaort, Rockland, and WWaand at shops in Belfast, Camden,

.comCamdenGardenClubnce tickets ($35) on sale at

Wareham, MA 508-295-3500www.capecodshipbuilding.com

®

Herreshoff H-121⁄2 Marlin Heritage 23'

Master Builders of Classic Sailboats Since1899

416 Main Street Rockport, Maine 04856