Wow, oh wow, since we’ve been here I’ve never, ever witnessed a morning like this.  A beautiful sunrise, temperatures in the 50’s already at 6 am, and the bay is like a sheet of glass.  There is absolutely no wind, though I expect that will change as the day goes on.  But for now, picture perfect in every way.

Just a bit about our day today which we’ll bring to you in detail tomorrow.  We started out searching for more sculptures but ending up getting caught up in a parade before we got too far.  Eventually we did find the sculptures we were looking for.  We also discovered and visited Wreathes Across America, a place not to be missed under any circumstances.  All of that is coming tomorrow.

But time now to get caught up on yesterday.  First, meet two of God’s beautiful people, Brian and Sue.  They are here in the park with us, they have a 2006 38-foot Damon Challenger.

Brian is a retired nuclear plant engineer.  Sue is an active mother.  With them on this trip is their 15-year-old daughter (on the left above) who is still in high school.  Until she graduates, they stated they need to keep their home base in Ohio.  As of now, they primarily travel during June and July when their daughter is out of school.

We’ve had many delightful conversations with them over the course of the last couple of days.  Brian and I have been swapping notes about our RV’s, upgrades done, maintenance performed, likes and dislikes.  In talking with Sue, I discovered that she grew up in Iowa and had a paper route between the age of 11 and 18.  We got on to this subject when we were talking about the winter weather in Maine.  Seems Iowa is right up there in terms of harsh winters as well.  I also discovered that they are like me, meaning they are into history and historical sites.  Unlike me, though, they do not prefer the interstates choosing instead to travel as many back roads as they can.  They will be leaving today and we wish them safe travels as they head back toward home.

We’re going back now to Campobello Island.  To bring you up to date the island got its name in an interesting kind of way.

The question, though, for me was how in the world did Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt end up making their summer home here?

To answer that question, I did a little sleuthing and I asked a whole lot of questions when we visited the visitor’s center at Roosevelt Campobello International Park.

 

As a quick aside, the Roosevelt Campobello International Park was established in 1964 following a gift of the Roosevelt Cottage and its grounds to the Canadian and United States governments.  The park was established as an expression of the relationship between Canada and the United States and as a memorial to the president who so greatly strengthened that relationship.  Back now to how the Roosevelt’s came to be here.

In so many words, the Roosevelts ended up here in sort of the same way that the Carnegies ended up on Cumberland.  Let me explain.

During the 1860’s with the island’s economy suffering, a new industry took hold which was rum running.  Gin from Holland, French wine and Scotch and Irish whiskies were shipped to the island where they were transferred to fleets of fishing schooners from Gloucester, Massachusetts.  It proved for a time to be a lucrative way of making money but with the repeal of prohibition the industry dried up and another way had to be found to stimulate the island economy.

So, what revived the economy?  Remember what Cumberland Island had going for it?  The playground of the rich and famous.  So too with Campobello Island.  During the 1880’s, a new industry boomed when wealthy people had extensive leisure time as well as the means to enjoy it.  It was the age of summer long vacations and great summer resorts.  The one end of the island near Friar Head and Mulholland Light had already

been clear cut for farming.  Many also saw it as a great place to build hotels

and cottages.  To that end a wealthy group of Boston and New York businessmen bought almost the entire island in 1881.  They called themselves the Campobello Company.  They then proceeded to construct luxurious hotels that they leased to private management

and sold land to wealthy visitors and island residents.  This is a picture of the first hotel.

Both the Canadian and American press promoted Campobello as a summer resort.  They portrayed the island as a place to escape the sweltering summer city heat.  Well-to-do families escaped to Campobello by private yacht, steamship and train.  Among those families was that of James Roosevelt, who, with wife Sara and one-year old son Franklin Delano Roosevelt.  They first visited the island in 1883.  James purchased several acres of land and had a summer home constructed; other wealthy visitors did the same.  That, dear friends, is how the Roosevelts first came to Campobello Island. 

Fast forward to 1910 and all of the hotels had closed their doors and land sales completely fell off.   However, today, several of the original cottages still remain.  There is The Roosevelt Cottage which we’ll cover in a bit.  There is The Prince Cottage which today

 

is used as a restaurant and conference hall.  Here is Barbara on the porch entering for a quick bite to eat and a cup of coffee.

Then, there is the Wells-Shober Cottage which is the location of the Tea with Eleanor.

Back now to the Roosevelt’s.  OK, you say so far we’ve accounted for James and Sara, but what about Franklin and Eleanor?   The condensed version goes like this.  In 1897 a cottage was built on the island for Mrs. Harman Kuhn of Massachusetts that was adjacent 

to James and Sara’s.  At her death, she left a provision in her will that the cottage be sold to Sara (James was deceased) for $5000.  Sara then gave the cottage to Franklin and Eleanor when they got married as a wedding present.

Eleanor and Franklin and the children first moved into what is now known as The Roosevelt Cottage beginning in the summer of 1909.  This is what the cottage looks like today.  The wing on the left was added after they

 

were given the cottage.  Eleanor who had previously lived in two houses with her mother in law said of this cottage, this was the first house that she really felt was actually her own.  She was now free to make it her own, to decorate it the way she liked.  One story told is of a time Eleanor called Franklin and told him I am moving the furniture in the house.  He asked her but why?  She replied just because I feel like it and I can.

Now that you know how Franklin and Eleanor came to call Campobello Island home for the summer let’s take a look at their summer cottage.  This is the outside entrance way.

This is the entrance way from the inside

This is the main parlor

The view out of the parlor window.  What a view each and every day!

The telescope in the parlor that Franklin used to watch boats out on the bay.

This is the main dining room.

 

Of course, the children ate at a table of their own when there were guests.

This is the kitchen

A closer look at the main stove that was used for cooking and to heat water for the house.

The laundry room.

The butler’s pantry

The master bedroom

The room that Louis Howe would stay in.  Louis who you ask?

Louis was fragile and small in stature, sickly and disheveled in appearance, described in the press as “ghoulish” and a “medieval gnome,” Howe inspired legends concerning his power over the president. Making light of the name-calling, Howe responded by printing personal cards with the title, “Colonel Louis Rasputin Voltaire Talleyrand Simon Legree Howe”; playing on the many famous characters to whom he had been boldly likened. He favored The New York Times‘ description of him as “The President’s Other I.” The New York Herald Tribune stated of him, “His loyalty is not to himself, or to an abstract ideal of government, but solely to Franklin D. Roosevelt.” ” He was in truth one of the most influential characters in the making of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt’s political careers and perhaps most widely known under the title, “king-maker.”

Next we have a typical guest room

This is John and Franklin Jr’s room

 

This was Anna’s room

And we’ll end with a portrait of the Roosevelt family.

Time now to call it a wrap.  We still want to share with you the tea we had with Eleanor.  And of course all of the high jinks of today.  All of this will come tomorrow.

We continue to be amazed at all we’ve seen and learned since we’ve hit the road of retirement.  And we know we are still missing so much more.  What a fascinating country we live in.  Day by day our eyes are opened to new wonders, new discoveries, new vistas.  We truly believe we are blessed by our good Lord beyond measure and we thank Him daily for it.

In closing two more pictures.  Unfortunately I’m not that good yet with a camera but take a look at this beautiful sunset.  What a display God puts on for us each evening right outside our solarium window.  Absolutely breathtaking.

 

Let me close tonight out with yet another quote from Eleanor Roosevelt:

As always,  if you are coming to the end of your day with concerns and worries, let me suggest that you turn them over to God.  After all, He is going to be up all night so why not let him handle them for you.

Time now for our evening prayers and eventually some shut-eye.  Till tomorrow.

These are the voyages of  Graybeard and it’s occupants, four paws and two humans.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before

Today promised to be a full day of discovery.  For a fact, it was all that we thought it would be and more.

When we awoke this morning the storms of yesterday were long gone.  The temperature was still in the high 40’s but no wind and no rain.  The sun was shining brightly and the sky was clear blue.

We had so much we wanted to do, many historical places to learn about, an international bridge to cross and an international park to visit, lighthouses to discover and learn about, we were looking forward to a Tea with Eleanor, and along the way we discovered two more of God’s beautiful people.  The bottom line is that, today simply cannot be put into one blog.  So, we’ll begin tonight and hopefully finish up tomorrow.

Since Campobello Island was on Atlantic time and thus an hour ahead of us time wise, we needed to get an early start.  By 8:15 am we were on the road.  Oh yes, much earlier than our normal day!

First things first, we need to get there and to do that we needed to cross the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Bridge. 

Prior to the construction and completion of the bridge there was no easy way to get to  Campobello, a 15 square mile Canadian island in the Bay of Fundy and site of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s long time summer home.  Ferry steamers navigated the narrow but treacherous Lubec Channel beginning in 1882, later supplemented by auto scows that could only carry 6 cars at a time, both suddenly obsolete the day the new bridge opened on August 13, 1962.

Construction of the bridge started in late 1960.  International agreement provided that half of labor and half the materials would originate from each of the two nations – the United States and Canada.  But for the roadway, most bridgework was finished by the March 29, 1962. Pouring of the concrete deck was scheduled later in the spring. July 10, 1962, a small trailer hauled into place would serve as a temporary U.S. Customs office.  On August 13th, the bridge opened to traffic with its official dedication occurring on August 15, 1962.  But work remained. A bright new brick building was erected to permanently house  U.S. Customs and the U.S. Postal Service under a single roof.  Canada, too, would build its customs office, just beyond the northern terminus of the Roosevelt Memorial Bridge.

Across the bridge and time now to use the passport cards we worked so hard and so long to get.  We pulled up to Canadian customs, presented our cards, and we were in Canada!

Specifically, we were on Campobello Island.  A funny name you say, well, here is how that came about.   Tomorrow we’ll get into the actual history of the island.  We’ll also share

with you our visit to Roosevelt Campobello International Park, our tour of the Roosevelt Cottage, and our Tea with Eleanor.  Tonight, though, we want to share with you another two lighthouses that we discovered while on the island.

The first was the Head Harbor Light Station sits on an island in the Bay of Fundy.  The lighthouse was built in 1829 as a means of helping ships in the area navigate the famous Bay of Fundy fog, high tides, and the treacherous rocks surrounding Campobello Island.

The original octagonal, wooden tower is still in use, and although the light still shines into the bay, it is no longer staffed.

Known as the “Head Harbour Light” to local residents, the tower is designated as a Classified Heritage Site. The tower has a white-shingled exterior, painted with a red cross. It is believed this distinctive day mark has been on the tower since at least 1850. It is the older sister light of West Quoddy Light in Lubec, Maine.

The interesting thing about this lighthouse is that you can only visit it at low tide.  And to get to it you need to climb down one set of stairs, a steel ladder actually, walk across

a sand bar and then proceed to climb yet another set of stairs, again a steel ladder on the

The second lighthouse we discovered was one we first saw from the town of Lubec.  It was the Mulholland Point Lighthouse.  Built in 1885 it guided many ships through the shorter but more treacherous passageway between Lubec and Campobello Island.

Once the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Bridge was completed the lighthouse was no longer needed since aids to navigation were installed on the underside of the bridge itself.

An interesting aside to this lighthouse, the last light keeper for the lighthouse lived on Campobello Island, he tended the light morning and night, but also rowed each day across the Lubec straight with its swirling currents to a full time job in Lubec.  This he did for many, many years in all kinds of weather.  How did he do it?  His son stated that his dad had a special knack for knowing how to work the currents.  Now that’s got to be the understatement of the year!

Coming back home we, of course, had to clear US Customs.  Time for the Passport Cards.

Once through Customs, it was a short ride to home to a very grateful Marti who had spent a long day in his cage.

We have much more to share with you, which we’ll do beginning tomorrow.  It was a fascinating day of discovery at Roosevelt Campobello International Park, a wonderful time of Tea with Eleanor, and so much was learned about Campobello Island itself.  Even better, we did it together, hand in hand, traveling along singing our song.  Let me end tonight with just one of many quotes from Eleanor Roosevelt:

As always,  if you are coming to the end of your day with concerns and worries, let me suggest that you turn them over to God.  After all, He is going to be up all night so why not let him handle them for you.

Time now for our evening prayers and eventually some shut-eye.  Till tomorrow.

These are the voyages of  Graybeard and it’s occupants, four paws and two humans.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before

When we went to bed last night the weather forecast was not good.  As predicted a storm came in just about 10 pm and the rain began in earnest.  So did the wind.  I remember when I owned a sailboat that days with wind like this were extra special.  Now it’s a whole other story.

We awoke this morning with much the same weather as we went to bed with last night.  The temperature was at 47 degrees.  The wind was out of the west at 20 mph gusting to 35 mph.  The rain was constant.  The fog was so thick at times it was hard to see the mile or so across the bay.  It was neat sitting in the solarium watching the waves just roll down the bay, long sweeping swells with white caps on top.  Even when nature is putting on a show of force, I still found beauty in it.

Yesterday, we met our next door neighbors, Steve and Donna, who are now on their

7th RV, a 2012 Winnebago Tour.  They are workcamp volunteers at Campobello  Island in Canada.  Since there are no RV parks on the island with hookups, they are given a site here for the duration of their contract.  They have been at this for a long time.  Two more of God’s beautiful people that we have had the privilege of getting to know.

Remember the old saying possession is 9/10 of the law.  Seems this past winter a historic

building in Lubec was washed away in a fierce storm and ended up across the channel on Campobello Island.  The town wants the building back, what’s left of it that is, but Canada claims it is their’s since it is now on their soil.  To date a resolution has not been reached.  I wonder how this one is going to play out!

Throughout the day it was just too nasty to go out.  The wind at times was so strong you,

sort of, had to lean into it to stay on your feet.  That being the case we decided to just stay put, hunker down, and ride it out.  As of now, late afternoon, the wind and rain have let up but the temperature is still down there.  It seems where ever we go, we somehow bring the cold weather with us.  I do hope this doesn’t continue for the rest of the year.

Our day is now winding down.  Barbara has been busy getting our itinerary ready for tomorrow.  We plan on going over the international bridge to Campobello Island where

our first stop will, of course, be customs and the visitors center.  At the visitor’s center, we

sign up to have tea with Eleanor and then we will spend the day visiting the attractions and lighthouses that are there.  We did receive one surprise already regarding our visit, all along we mistakenly believed that they were also on Eastern Time.   Surprise, surprise they are on Atlantic Time meaning they are an hour ahead of us.  Sure glad we found out now.

That’s it.  It was a quiet day inside keeping warm and dry.  As the rain and wind pounded against Graybeard, I am forever thankful that it was built in a day and time when they just weren’t shoving vehicles down the assembly line and out the door.  It is obvious that when Graybeard was built, the workers at Winnebago still took the time to do things right, that they took pride in their work.  No leaks, nothing falling off, everything tight as a drum.  Thank you good Lord for leading us to this rig.  Time now to say goodnight but as always a thought for each of us to ponder:

As always,  if you are coming to the end of your day with concerns and worries, let me suggest that you turn them over to God.  After all, He is going to be up all night so why not let him handle them for you.

Time now for our evening prayers and eventually some shut-eye.  Till tomorrow.

These are the voyages of  Graybeard and it’s occupants, four paws and two humans.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before

Last night it was shake, rattle and roll until the wind began to die down.  Then along would come another good gust and it would start all over again.  No harm, no foul, no damage done but it sure got your attention.  This morning it was calm for a time but by mid-morning the wind began to pick up again.  As of now, it is real calm but the forecast is for a jim dandy of a storm heading in.  Might be an interesting night.

Today it was time to go exploring and sight-seeing.  But first, once again we needed to get some documents notarized.  Off to the town hall in Lubec were they were more than willing to help us out.

Guess what was next door?  A fire museum.  Was it open?  Nope.  But they were willing

to open it up for me.  Sweet.  A really small museum but here is what I found inside.  First up is a Torrent.  The Torrent was built in 1865 for Marlboro, MA.  Lubec purchased the Torrent in 1892 for $125.  All parts are original and in working order.

Next, we have an old horse drawn ladder truck.  Anyone have any idea where the driver sat?  The top ladders were pushed back and there is a seat for the driver in the front.

There was also a horse drawn reel cart

Finally, the original fire alarm for the town of Lubec. 

That was all that was there.  Like I said, small, but I found it interesting and I remembered to thank the town clerk for opening it up for me.

Once we were through here we were off to the post office which just happened to be next door to the recommended pizza store in town called Morano’s Authentic offering Real Italian Flavor.

Oh yes, the pizza here was delicious. Nice thin crust, great toppings.  Here we one of

God’s beautiful people – the first of many we would meet today.  Her name is Ginny.  She is – ready for this – a network engineer by trade but a pizza maker at heart.  She comes from NJ, opened this store last year, did a booming business so has decided to stay and make a go of it.  We wish her the best of luck, but with pizza like we had today we have no doubt she will have a thriving business this year and for as long as she decides to do it.

Still in Lubec, we knew that there was another sculpture somewhere.  It’s amazing where we have found them hidden in the past.  This one was no different.  In what appeared to be the most run down section of town there it was.  This one is called Beyond the Horizon  and the artist behind it is Valerian Jikia from the Republic of Georgia.  He

describes his work in this way:  my task was to compound the water, sun and rainbow, and create a sculpture with positive energy in the special dramaturgy.  Okay, I guess.

Time to leave Lubec for the day, but wait, what is that?  This was just too interesting

to pass up.  A short walk later I discovered that it was the Lost Fishermen’s Memorial.

Don’t know how many towns or years it covers but tragically there are many, many names engraved on the stones.  Obviously, fishing and/or lobstering is a dangerous occupation.

Now it was really time to leave the town of Lubec.  We had no real objective in mind this time but just like that we saw a sign for a lighthouse and an arrow pointing to the left so left turn it was. Several miles later we arrived at the West Quoddy  HeadLighthouse.  It was commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson and first built in 1808.  The present tower dates back to 1858 and was staffed by resident light keepers until 1988 when the U.S Coast Guard automated the light.  Currently, the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands manages the lighthouse.

 

This lighthouse is at the eastern most point in the United States.

Just to prove that I was really there, I had Barbara take my picture as proof.

Inside the visitor center I found the history of this lighthouse.

.

 

This placard asking the question how many stripes.

Then there was this placard depicting the life of an average light keepers family.

Here we also met two more of God’s beautiful people.  Meet Brian and Fran

Both at one time fished for lobster in a recreational role.  They had a license for 9 traps on Buzzards Bay and, of course, kept all that they caught.  How neat is this, your own fresh supply of lobster.  Fran shared how at first, they had to hand pull all their traps up from a depth of about 50 or 60 feet.  Only later was their boat equipped with a winch.  She also talked about having to replace the bait in each lobster cage with stinky mackle heads.  She wrinkled her nose and gave a disgusted look just talking about it.  Brian talked about how, at times, it was a rough go especially when the weather turned foul.  Now I can honestly say, I’ve met a real authentic lobster person (can’t say lobsterman can I now!).  What a treat meeting them and having the time to share with them.  It’s amazing the people God brings into our lives.

Time now to get back on the road.  That’s when we met another of God’s beautiful

people, a young man named Sam.  Sam is on the motorcycle adventure of a lifetime.  He left Texas some time ago, made his way up the eastern seaboard to Maine and is now on his way to Canada.  I told him that I gave him a thumbs up for following his heart and his dream.  He thanked me for the encouragement since he stated that many in the past tried to talk him out of doing this trip.  Sam, the time is now to follow your heart.

Leaving Quoddy Head Lighthouse, we discovered yet another lighthouse which is called the sparkplug.  Sparkplug lighthouses are cast iron structures built at offshore locations. The keeper’s quarters is a round building, usually three stories in height. The round lantern room sits atop the keeper’s quarters, and the whole structure rests on a solid foundation, usually a concrete or stone caisson.  Because of their shape, these lighthouses have come to be called “sparkplugs.” Before the day of gasoline engines, they were sometimes called “coffee pots.” In many places they were called “bug lights,” because at a distance they appeared short and broad, rather like a beetle on the surface of the water.

Sparkplugs were prefabricated, brought to the site by barge, and put in place by floating cranes. They were a low-cost solution to the problem of providing offshore lighthouses in the sounds and bays of the northeastern and mid-Atlantic states, where all but three of the surviving examples are located.  This one is in the Southern approach to Lubec Channel, about 300 feet from the border with New Brunswick, Canada.  It is an active aid to navigation but privately owned.

Time now to head for home – sort of.  We kind of got side-tracked again by a chocolate shop that the locals just rave about.  It is called Monica’s Chocolates.

It is just across from the entrance to the RV park.  The owner is from Peru and her chocolate is beyond delicious.  She took us and several others on a tour of where the chocolate is made on the lower level of the shop.  Yes, it is all hand made on location.  She also stated that she always tries to employ local people, one has been with her for 9 years, another started last year, and this year there was also a young girl just home from college.

OK, with the entrance to home just across the street from the chocolate shop just like that we were finally home.  Time now to catch up on some chores, namely the wishy-washy.  We had put it off for a bit too long and were sort of running out of clothes to wear.

Day is now done and once again another beautiful sunset right out the solarium window.  Oh my, this view never, ever grows old.  Thank you, God, for creating such a beautiful world for us to enjoy day by day, minute by minute.  We are, we both agree, so very, very blessed in so many ways.  Wonderful discoveries, travels of a lifetime, and so many beautiful people continue to cross our path.  Never, ever forget to take time to follow your heart, to follow your dreams.  Let’s be honest someday tomorrow may never come.  So live each day to the fullest.  And now a closing though for us to ponder:

As always,  if you are coming to the end of your day with concerns and worries, let me suggest that you turn them over to God.  After all, He is going to be up all night so why not let him handle them for you.

Time now for our evening prayers and eventually some shut-eye.  Till tomorrow.

These are the voyages of  Graybeard and it’s occupants, four paws and two humans.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before