Many of our crew are in Boston today getting ready to open the Boston Globe Travel Show (yes, open to the public!) and some of us are here at Home Base enjoying the beautiful day. Have a look!
To catch one, one must become one with the environment in which one’s heart’s desire resides…….at least, I THINK that’s what he said. Phil’s getting ready for ice fishing, so he decided to check out their digs before he went out! Yikes!!!!!
This past weekend, Phil, Amy, I and a large group of friends got together for the 2009 Sebago Ice Fishing Derby! Phil towed the "Jerk Center IV" out into the deeper waters beyond the Dingley Islands. The shack is named after a jerk chicken "restaurant" he found on his honeymoon in Jamaica (and if you like jerk chicken, watch this video).
Saturday was a spectacular day out on the lake: bright sunny skies, 45 degrees, burgers and sausage on the grill, a football in the air. Unfortunately we didn't bring home any lake trout, but we all took home a warm February sunburn and had a great time out on the ice. Check out the pictures of the winning fish, what a monster!
On Sunday night another snow storm passed through northern New England leaving about 16 inches of snow at Migis and as much as 27 inches in some surrounding communities. After the shoveling and plowing was done, the sun came back out and allowed us to get some of these great photos. You can see more of these photos (and many others) on our Flickr photostream.
You can upload your own, too!
We're currently working on the our annual Spring Tonic newsletter, look for that coming soon.
Work in the wintertime at Migis usually involves varying degrees of renovations and repairs. If you've been following this blog this winter you may have noticed a recurring theme: wood. Re-varnishing the wooden rowing dories, framing the new walls of the Daybreak cottage, or the major repairs to the hull of the Tykona, our classic wooden Chris-Craft. Our theme continues with the repairs being done to our two Buzzard's Bay, 14-foot, Herreshoff sailboats.
You may remember using these beautiful wooden boats though the 2007 season, great for plying the waters of Sebago on a breezy summer day. But wooden boat ownership is no easy task, they need constant attention, and last year their condition had deteriorated such that we couldn't even launch them.
These two boats have been trailered up the Maine coast to Pendleton Yacht Yard on Islesboro, an island in Penobscot Bay, just off the shores of one of our other properties, the Inn at Ocean's Edge. The work is being done by a small company called North Atlantic Shipbuilding & Repair.
The boats are in "demolition" phase at this point. The seats and coamings have been removed to access the frames and floors. The canvas has been stripped from the deck to allow access to the deck beams, and most of the beams in front of the bulkhead will get replaced. All decks, seats, ceilings, and hardware have been removed as this demolition phase wraps up.
As with all our other winter endeavors, we'll have updated photos as the project moves ahead. Everyone at Migis, myself especially, is very excited to get these boats back in Sebago's waters. Of course, we look forward to having them back for your enjoyment as well.
See you soon,
Jed
P.S. Headed out onto Sebago for the 2009 Ice Fishing Derby! I'll have photos (hopefully of some fish!) for the blog next week.
Many of our guests ask what the Migis property is like in the winter time, and while the short February days don't offer much warmth, we do get wonderful settings for sunsets like this one.
Phil (and Winnie, his black Labradoodle) snapped these photos from the Sauna Beach next to Cookout Point while preparing for an evening of ice-fishing just last week. You may prefer the magical summertime sunsets over a shimmering Sebago, perhaps while enjoying a glass of wine on the front porch during cocktail hour, but the frozen lake and blanket of snow offer a different, yet equally majestic stage.
In the summertime, this scene is where a guest might be swinging their toes through the sand from their chaise chair, going for a dip in warm Sebago Lake, wandering up to the wood-fired sauna, or heading just to the left to cookout point for one of Migis' famed luncheon cookouts. At this time of year there's a much different predominant activity: ice fishing.
The ice is about 6-8 inches thick at this point, and will probably thicken to 15-20 inches before the spring thaw. Phil has used his Jeep to tow his ice shack down to the shore. The shack (called the Jerk Center IV, named after a jerk chicken shack he found in Jamaica on his honeymoon) is not much more than 4 thin walls and a roof, but provides much-needed shelter from the brisk winds of Sebago. Phil has set his "traps" with shiners and suckers, hoping for lake trout, also known as togue. The fish are lazy and sluggish this time of year (like the rest of us can be sometimes!), so one's patience can be tested. But the cold waters do bring the bigger fish to the shallower areas closer to shore, so the chance to reel in a monster is that much greater. It's all casual now, but our competitive spirit will build as we get closer to the Sebago Ice Fishing Derby in mid-February. Stay tuned to see what happens!
As we set the traps, we think about the boating, swimming, waterskiing, and all the other ways we all love to enjoy Sebago in the summertime. We look forward to having you back this summer for more fun in the sun.
Until then, stay warm,
Jed & Phil
P.S. If the thought of jerk chicken made you hungry, like it did to us, watch this video!
