Friends Like Family!

In this world you have casual friends, you have close friends and then you have friends that are like extended family!  We were fortunate enough to spend some time with some of the latter. Heidi & Jonathan, Ariana, Abby, the Burrows family and Nancy (My God mother and Heidi's mom) & Bob! We drove from Bar Harbor to Skowhegan Maine to meet with these friends that I have known since I was a baby.  Although separated for more than 30 years due to life's changes we seemed to pickup right where we left off. 

We met at a great little sandwich joint named Mr. G's deli!  After ordering and eating some sandwiches bigger than a pie plate, we headed to Heidi and Jonathan's house! On the way we stopped to pickup food for dinner!  We picked up Steaks, fresh corn on the cob and crazy little purple potatoes.  Heidi would not let me pay for any of the food.  I tried several times to give her money.  On to the house we went. 

After arriving at the house the kids hit it off immediately and began playing.  Heidi and Jonathan gave us a tour of the house and explained how they built the house themselves.  When I say built it themselves I mean with their own two hands - not subbing it out, like most people do when they say they built it themselves.  I was completely blown away that they took on such a project.  They even built their own well!

They had an outhouse that they used until the plumbing was installed and they just recently had the electricity run from the street!  Jonathan made the newel posts and handrails leading upstairs out of birch trees cut from their back yard.  The house had so much character and personality.  Karen and I were so impressed with their achievements we discussed the house in awe for the 2 hour ride home.  I now understand how people build a house and then stay there for the rest of their lives.  Jonathan went on to tell me that they are going to go solar in the future and get off the grid in hopes of someday being total self sufficient.

Prior to dinner Bob and I snuck off to a local stream to try our luck at fishing.  I caught a small mouth Bass and he caught a small trout.  Then the rain came, so we headed back to the house.  Dinner was delicious and after it was time for Nancy's famous campfire pie irons!  We loaded them with cherry, apple, or peach filling and grilled them over the campfire! We had such a good time visiting that we didn't want the day to end, but we had a 2 hour drive back to Bar Harbor.  We had to say goodbye. Nancy, Bob, Heidi & Jonathan - Thank you for for a great day and being such good friends!