Annie and her Brutal Beast

It strange to miss someone you've never met. But that's how I feel about Chris' mom. 

Chris and his siblings tell so many stories about her - how when they were little, she piled them all in the car, told them they were going to the dentist, and took them to see 'Star Wars' instead, or how she would make this Christmas cake that lived under the sink for a year fermenting, (or doing whatever those cakes do.) The stories are endless and adoring and totally beautiful. She had the touch.

The cabin we stay at here in Maine is on her friend Annie's property, and this week Annie's been here with us, staying in the Big House. Annie seems incapable of forgetting a fact or telling a boring story; throughout the week, Chris has plumbed the depths of her recall, discovering all sorts of things about his mom's family.

Stella's hung around for most of these story sessions and has fallen for Annie and her sidekick, Charlie the dog.  Stella says if she could pick a second grandmother, Annie would be it.

Stella and Annie in the Big House kitchen

In addition to telling tales of Chris' family, Annie's given us the history of this property, beginning with her grandfather, who came up from Boston in a horse-drawn buggy in 1911 in search of a place to bring his family to avoid the polio outbreaks in town. Bar Harbor was too fancy for him, so he made his was down the coast and settled here, in what was then a farmhouse from the 1700's. She told me about a neighbor down the road, Madam Perkins, who was the first woman secretary in a president's cabinet. Secretary of Labor for FDR, Ms. Perkins formalized child labor laws, the 40-hour work week, welfare and social security.

A few days ago, Annie packed Stella, Dave (my brother-in-law,) Sam (my nephew,) and I up the car, and drove us to a little marina in Newcastle, where she introduced us to the Brutal Beast, an 100-year old wooden sailboat that's been in her family for decades. William Starling Burgess designed the Brutal Beast, along with many ships for the navy, one of the first seaplanes, and potentially, the Times Roman typeface. He was also into aeronautics and seemed to have a relationship with the Wright Brothers. Boats, planes, fonts - oh yeah!

Dave, Sam and I volunteered to sail the Brutal Beast the eight or nine miles required to get it to the property. Under perfect conditions, it would have taken four hours. The wind however, died completely, and we spent about six hours lolling along, eventually catching the outgoing tide and a small breeze. We beat darkness by about 15 minutes, landing to a glorious welcome party, including a shish-kabob feast.

 

Total delight.