Tuesday, August 17

At the front desk, once again. A full house with all reservations checked in leaves me the evening free to take reservations over the phone, respond to requests for available rooms, act as concierge for those guests looking for dining and entertainment options and, of course, to run at their beck-and-call for extra towels or pillows, etc.

Out on the lawn, a while ago, straightening chairs, with the incoming tide bringing the ocean to the base of our retaining wall and with tendrils of a light fog swirling about, I was struck by a wave of nostalgia. Nearly at this time a year ago friend Larry and I were aboard ship cruising the coast of Alaska. Instead of gazing out over the unbroken expanse of the Atlantic, as I do here, it was the Pacific that stretched to the curvature of the earth.

Today friend Larry is introducing a mutual friend to the same parts of Oregon that I was introduced to then. Most impressive is the Willamette National Forest through which courses the waters of the MacKenzie river bent on joining those of the mighty Columbia. Massive Douglas fir and cedar trees line its banks, so tall and straight. I wonder if they'll cover 12 miles of it as we did a year ago.

Here now, looking toward the west, the fog has dissipated and a cloud laced sky is glowing with the pinks and reds painted by final remnants of the setting sun. The sky beyond is the color of robins' eggs. Now, the wispy clouds turn deep gray retaing the brilliant color on their westerly edges as the sky becomes golden.

Sunday, August 15, 2010

At work again, attempting to jostle a few thoughts from my weary brain. After a very busy full house throughout the weekend things have settled to normal busy status. The place is 80-90% booked this week and phone calls are incessant as people plan to take advantage of the waning summertime and look forward to foliage season.



We've lost a desk clerk to her real job, teaching. A young teenaged guy is in training to help fill the gap. He's a real cute kid with a nice personality who seems to ascribe to the work ethic that demands the best he is capable of even though this job most likely does not define an eventual career.

August 1st

As another calendar page is turned we find ourselves at the peak of the coastal Maine tourist season. The weather has favored those who chose these weeks for vacation. Plenty of sunshine with only a few days dripping with humidity. Evenings are cool, the breeze is light and the reflection of the moonlight creates a miriad of dancing diamonds upon the surface of the great Atlantic.

Hospitality venues are operating at capacity, daytime traffic is at a standstill as motorists vie for that recently vacated parking spot and shoppers exercise their protected status at crosswalks. The wave of beach enthusiasts ebb as the advancing tide soaks blankets and belongings. Gorgeous sun bronzed bodies intermingle with those that resemble boiled lobsters. All-in-all, everyone seems to be enjoying their days in the sun.