"The Lovers, the Dreamers, and Me", in Acadia

"That beautiful season...Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light; and the landscape lay as if new created in all the freshness of childhood."-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The True Story of Evangeline, in 1907.

Photo: Somesville Mill Pond by the village Library
FYI: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was born in Portland, Maine, in 1807. He was a commanding figure in the cultural life of early Americans and became a national literary figure by the 1850s, and a world- famous personality by the time of his death in 1882.

Realtor GramEpat

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The lake is still frozen, the woods covered with snow

Only a few more days before the Maine lakes will no longer be frozen,
and the woods no longer covered with snow....

"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening"
Whose woods these are I think I know.


His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer

To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake

The darkest evening of the year.


He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Robert Frost
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'The Living Past'

When I trek around the Somes Harbor, it's hard to imagine that the first permanent settlement on Mt. Desert Island (founded by Abraham Somes in 1761) turned into a thriving industrial center with seven mills and five shipyards! ...The mills are gone...and so are the shipyards...but the Harbor and the fjord remain as incredible as they must have been when he first arrived on the Island from Gloucester, Mass.

I did a little research and found out that Abraham obtained the land for development on grants from Francis Bernard, who was the governor of Massachusetts .Securing the property for Great Britain, he chose to establish a village (along with James Richardson) at the North end of the fjord which cuts through the center of the island. (located across the street from my office)... The harbor would later be named after him as Somes Sound . His settlement , named Somesville, would develop into an important trading location that largely allowed for the rest of the island to be permanently colonized in the years following the American Revolutionary War.

Abraham served in the military, then returned to Somesville where he raised his family of 13 children.

I am so delighted that my friend Dr.Virginia Somes Sanderson honored his memory with the memorial stone at the harbor and captured his memory in her book, "The Living Past". Thank you ,Virginia. I think of you often when I rest near Abraham's stone, and gaze out over Somes Sound......and ponder the amazing beauty of Abraham's settlement .

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"One Step at a time"

"I hope that battery is still working on that electronic lock box"!

I know I can do this...just "One step at a time"

(Thanks to my LLBean Tubbs!) ....Gotta love Maine Winters!

Especially On Long Pond, in Acadia National Park! Life is good :)

Realtor:gramEpat

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I Love to Show Kitchens

I get such a kick out of it when new agents say "I want to be a real estate agent because I LOVE to show kitchens" :)
I was thinking about that yesterday when I went in almost blizzard conditions (15+ inches of snow predicted)...to meet a buyer's agent and building inspector at one of my favorite listings (Higgin's Store in Somesville, Maine).


The first thing I had to do at my office was shovel my way to the car. (Couldn't snow shoe because the LLBean Tubbs were in the trunk of my car)...Then I had to 'de-ice' the car before I could take it down the highway. Good thing I have front wheel drive because the snow plow driver had not yet made his afternoon swipe through my door yard.


When I got to the listing, I parked out front because....again....LOTS of snow in the normal parking areas behind the building. (Probably the guy who plows my driveway also plows Julie's...He's also a fireman...so I wouldn't be surprised if he was in still in Northeast Harbor, helping clean up after the most recent fire!.

Good thing the seller left a shovel, broom, and sand and salt for the ice...(Thank you , Julie).

Once the walkway was shoveled, the back steps and apartment steps shoveled and swept...and sand and salt put down over the ice,...I was ready to try to retrieve the hidden key and unlock the door.......While all of this is happening...my car is again covered with snow and ice. (Which means that ,after we finish with the inspection,....I start all over again...shoveling the door yard, 'de-icing' the car, etc...)

The other hearty souls arrived....high spirited...with chats about ice fishing, skiing, and the other fun winter sports that were on the agenda for the 'snow day'....We all decided that when the inspection was completed, we would just call it a day and either settle in by our wood stoves and/or fireplaces, or opt to don the winter gear and play in the snow.

Gotta love selling real estate in Acadia National Park in January.


I LOVE Maine Winters and buyers, sellers, agents and affiliates who embrace change and challenges!
I find myself reminiscing about why so many Realtors got into this business in the first place. "They love to show kitchens" :)
Realtor GramEpat
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Misery Loves Company in Paradise

Hard to be too miserable with a nasty head cold when you live in Acadia National Park and are surrounded by so much beauty.










...Hope the typical time frame is applicable for this nasty virus..."3 days coming, 3 days here, 3 days going"..."During the three to five days it takes your body to vanquish a cold, the irritating little invaders can make your life utterly miserable. Unfortunately, experts say, once you’re sick, there’s no better prescription than the one your mom gave you when you were growing up: Eat right, rest and drink plenty of fluids". ("Feed a cold, starve a fever")
Realtor GramEpat
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Where there's a will, there's a way

Maine Winters in Acadia National Park!....Gotta love it!

Acadia Council of Realtors are a hearty group!...Especially if you are a seller's agent...have an appointment to show your listing... and have to get INTO your office to get the listing information, keys and/or card reader before you meet at the property...before you attempt to get INTO your listing to show it. Better allow an extra few hours between appointments!

Seasoned Maine brokers on Mt.Desert Island know that 'where there's a will there's a way'. Not only do they have to shovel their way into their office, they travel with shovels in their cars...and quite often have to shovel their way into the property they plan to show. LL Bean Snow shoes and ice grippers are standard equipment...salt for the ice.....shovels, ice scrapers...and flash lights...(it gets dark mid afternoon!). Other standard equipment includes extra scarves, mittens, hats....granola bars, water...and jumper cables..(never know if that diesel will start after it's been sitting still in sub zero weather!)...Thank goodness for AAA...and polar fleece!..and friends with plow trucks and sanders...but...'where there's a will, there's a way'!....Serious buyers rarely cancel an appointment just because there's a little blizzard or 'Nor'easter'...Hiking boots and fluorescent gear help when you're trekking down the highway in a blizzard (because the diesel should not be 'out and about' in sub zero weather).....hoping to arrive in time to shovel, sweep, and de-ice ...to get the door open and the lights on before the buyers and their agent arrive.

...It's no wonder that on Mount Desert Island it is common for the listing broker to meet the buyers and their agent at the property. Buyers' agents in Acadia National Park are 'wicked smart'....They don't mind giving the listing agent advance notice to show a property...that allows plenty of time for shoveling decks, sidewalks, and entryways.

(Thanks, Betty, for serving us hot cocoa this AM at your Bar Harbor Hostel listing.....very much appreciated after coming back from seeing Gail's unheated shorefront home near the Maine Seacoast Mission at the Colket Center. (7 degrees this AM....... Burrrrr) ...(Gail...loved your full length racoon fur coat and red hat!)

Gotta love this winter wonderland!...."Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow"

Realtor GramEpat

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