River House

My wife and I have a house on the Saint Croix River in the sleepy little town of Robbinston, Maine. It’s so small the town office is portable building situated in elementary school parking lot; it’s only open half a day several times and it doesn’t even have a telephone.
We love the peace and tranquility a small town has to offer; besides the price was right, we bought our house for a song; it’s gambrel (barn) style with cedar siding and large (floor to ceiling) windows on the river side. The views from the deck are breath taking; we often sit and watch fishing boats and trawlers cruising up and back, dredging the bottom of the river for shell fish. One of the most exciting times we saw a porpoise or seal feeding on the fisherman’s cast offs, we recorded it with a video camera but the distance was too great to focus in on it; nevertheless it was still quite exciting.
American Bald Eagles have a habitat ten miles downriver, but they frequent the waters in front of our house performing an aerial ballet for all onlookers and we are pleased to sit and enjoy the show. Once Pauline watched as the great predator swooped down to the river and snatched fish and soared past her as if say, “the fishing is great – see,” it was spectacular show that she’ll carry forever. We always enjoy the wild life while we’re at our “River House,” during our last vacation we had a close-up with a large whitetail deer crossing our driveway.
It’s not just the wildlife we enjoy while taking a break from the daily grind. We have thirty-three acres of natural Maine wilderness, sometimes we just go for a walk in the woods, like a treasure hunt to see what nature has to offer, be it the scent of pines or rat-a-tat of a woodpecker dining on his favorite delicacy. Other times we walk along the shore and try to indentify the shells washed on rocky shore.
We spend many vacations there without a television or radio, I laughed when people asked about how can you go without television, I pointed out the window and said, “I’m watch a nature show right now.” When it’s too dark to see the river we just sit quietly and listen to the Loons or the soothing sounds of the tide rolling in. We spend our peaceful nights in front of crackling fire or reading book.
We wake up with the rising sun – about 5 o’clock sit on the deck and enjoy breakfast as chickadees and others serenade sweetly in dew laden Pines. Sometimes we pick wild blueberries, raspberries and black raspberries, my favorite, they grow close to the house.
It’s so peaceful we never want to leave but we have family to visit so we pack-up and head up north were its not uncommon to see deer moose or even black bears. Pauline grew up in northern Maine so she goes right out with her camera and takes pictures.