The Oak Lodge Newsletter 2006
June 6, 2006

Greetings from Maine!!

I usually write this newsletter in the Spring, but this past spring brought weddings and graduations and I'm just now catching my breath!  We arrived on Kineo on Saturday to cold and rain.  Having come from very hot Florida, this is not all bad!  After two days of rain, the sun broke through and it is now gorgeous, 70 degrees and sunny.  If the black flies would go away, life would be perfect!!  Ice out this year (for you southerners, this is the official date when the ice is gone on Moosehead lake and it's safe to take your boat out on the water and not worry about a Titanic-type disaster) was extremely early this year, so the locals are hoping that the black flies will be gone earlier too.  They usually hang on until the end of June.  Took a walk this morning and spotted my first island moose in a pond just munching away!

Last year brought many wonderful guests and fun memories.  It seemed like last year's guests each brought unusual yard games.  The Doyle family brought a PVC pipe contraction called Swoonje, sort of like horseshoes with huge washers.  Imagine my surprise to go to a University of Florida football game this past fall and walk past a fraternity house of boys playing swoonje in the front yard!  The Ross family came to golf, and golf they did, dawn to dusk.  As if they couldn't get enough golf, they brought a homemade PVC pipe game with golf balls on strings to play in the yard when they weren't golfing.  They had the island talking when the three men of the group donned Payne Stewart-type knickers, hats and argyle socks to golf one day.  Check out our web site for a photo of the group!

Changes are coming to the Oak Lodge!!  Bill and I decided to bite the bullet and we're putting in a dock this year off the back of the house!  We are hoping it's ready by the end of June.  It will be a perfect launch site for our kayaks and canoe, and since it's 8 feet wide, it will be a nice place to bring down a folding chair in the late afternoon and enjoy a glass of wine and the sunset.  Guests who bring boats will be able to dock right in the backyard, and the shuttle service will now be docking at the end of cottage row, which will be much more convenient too.

Roxanne Quimby, creator of the Burt's Bee's line of cosmetics and lotions, in conjunction with the group, Maine Woods Forever, is commissioning a sculptor to create a monument to be placed on Kineo.  150 years ago next summer, Henry David Thoreau climbed Mt. Kineo and wrote about his experiences.  This is part of a trail that is being established that follows Thoreau's journey with his Abenaki Indian guide through the Maine woods.  This monument will be placed at the top of the hill at the end of cottage row (which we call Strawberry hill- it's loaded with wild Maine strawberries, blueberries and raspberries in season). 

Cooking School

Never thought you'd want to go to summer school??  I have not finalized the Cooking School dates, but I will be doing that in the next week.  I know we will be offering the following classes. If you are interested in a particular class and you will be at the lodge, let me know and I'll set the dates accordingly.

 Unusual Grains-  We will learn to work with unusual grains like barley, quinoa and my favorite, bulgar wheat.   We will make delicious salads, soups and side dishes.  Did you know that in the early 1900's, the average American ate about 80 grams of fiber a day, and now in our over processed world, the average American eats 15 grams a day!  Lest you worry, I only like things that taste great and I'm not a bunny!

What's for Dinner?-

 Back again by popular demand, this is our third year offering this class.  Some new fun ideas to inject into the dinner hour.  We will be featuring chicken and pork tenderloin with some delicious recipes to add to your repertoire. 

Breakfast at the Oak Lodge-

We have so many requests for our breakfast offerings, this will enable you make your favorites at home.  Our special granola, delicious cinnabons, Orange essence baked French toast, Strawberry soup (delicious and and cold) and our good morning cookies to name a few of the recipes we'll be making.  I'm thinking of offering this class in the morning from 9-12 and we can enjoy coffee while we cook!

Cookies!!

Did you know that there are five basic types of cookie making techniques?  We will explore them all and make some fabulous cookies.  I do a cookie exchange each winter and we'll do the same in our class so that we each go home with an assortment of new favorites.  I'll give tips to running your own cookie exchange with your friends.

We still have a few prime weeks available this summer, so if you haven't made your family plans, come on up.  We like to have full week rentals, but if we have an opening, we can do a three night minimum at the lodge.

We hope to see you this year in the Northwoods.

Karen and Bill Musser

Revised:  January 18, 2008