Sheila's Cabin

This afternoon we waited around for Carla's next couch surfer to appear. She was scheduled to arrive on the Cat from the States and was to stay in Yarmouth for just one night on her way to work as a volunteer on an organic farm in the Province. Couch Surfing is a very old and endearing practice whereby travelers make there way to and around their destinations by way of the hospitality of willing "couch owners". The Internet has made the process much more accessible to anyone wishing to lend a helping hand to travelers, and in return, gain wonderful experiences meeting people from around the world. That's exactly how I entered Carla's world, her remarkable collection of friends, her work as a gifted reporter and photographer, and this magical place around her. Carla's been hosting "surfers" for some time now and has had been thoroughly pleased with the outcome. After realizing that the next surfer was not going to appear as scheduled, we headed out to Sheila's cabin on the lake. Carla's Son Chas was here at the house to entertain and host as needed.

The cabin sits on a quiet lake a few minutes on the outskirts of Yarmouth, past the lake where the Dragon Boat Races were held, up a quiet dirt road into the woods, across a right of way on a neighbor's front lawn, and up a little hill. It had been foggy and threatening rain most of the day so it was nice to see a charming little cabin with smoke streaming up from the chimney indicating a fire was lit to welcome our arrival. It was delightful. Carla's friend and cousin Sheila had purchase the property with a rundown ramshackle cabin about six years ago and has created something truly special. At every corner here I see examples of a way life that feeds the living and that overflows with signs of hope and tranquility and community. I think it's partially due to my being in Carla's world, but this place is indeed special. I was pleased to see a couple of guitars being strummed as we entered, it's been months since I've played. I'm not very good, and it only takes me a short while to run through my repetoir, but I love to play. Along with taking piano lessons, learning to speak a little more french than "un peu", and having my own sailboat, getting really good at playing the guitar is on my personal Bobby-Do list. I've been encouraging Carla and Sheila to keep me busy with their own Bobby-Do list and so far they seem amazed at all the things I can do. Wait 'til they find out I can cook! Anyway, it was a wonderful day. We had to cut our visit short in order to bring a care package of food to Carla's missing couch surfer. There was a little hitch with immigration and she was in a hotel room downtown with a guard outside her door awaiting her return trip to Portland. She was very pleasant, but there was something fishy in Denmark. Turns out the security guard played some minor league ball with the Pawtucket Red Sox. He even knew Jim Rice and Fred Lynn! What a place. ~B

P.S. I better get some sleep, we're going for a bike ride in the morning!