22 Aug - Goodbye Aroostook County, Overnight in Ernie Souther's Front Yard

22 Aug

Today at about 0830 hrs we departed Arndst Campground and Aroostook County and headed south to Ernie Souther's house near Livermore Falls Maine.  We disconnected the water, sewer, satellite and electric connections in a downpour and loaded up to depart, so we got soaked.  We arrived at Ernies about 2 pm, having driven 265 miles.

He offered to let us park the RV in his front yard and camp there overnight while we are enroute to Vermont, and we took him up on it.  Ernie and Rhonda Souther have a beautiful place in the country, surrounded on both sides (from a distance) by relatives.  There is such a Souther history that the road he lives on is named Souther Road!

Geese in the field across the road.  The sun is setting quickly.

A view from his deck of his boiler shack (left).

Nice view off the back deck (fire pit behind the four-wheeler)

Nice!  His land goes all the way back and part way up the hills.

His boiler stack and a hill in the background

A view down Souther Road towards Livermore Falls.

A view the other way down Souther Road

The RV is parked in the old driveway they used before he built his garage to the left

Got a lot of looks from his relatives as they drove by!!

Ernie and his relatives are tree farmers.  He owns the land to the back of his property including the trees on the hills.

Unique hand rail on the stairs to his rear deck, made from a sapling

Sun setting on the forest he owns behind his property.  Gorgeous!

The wood-fired boiler he uses to heat his house and heat his water.  Endless supply of fire wood here!  

A small part of Rhonda's fabric she uses to sew and quilt!!

Wow, there is no end to it!!  Much more in boxes and closets.

 Rhonda fixed us a nice supper and then we migrated to the fire pit and relaxed around a camp fire.

Ernie and Rhonda have treated us like royalty and we can never begin to repay them for their thoughtfulness and hospitality.  Ernie has stopped when passing through Des Moines on two different occasions in the past few years.   Ernie and Rhonda both traveled all the way from Maine to Camp Dodge to attend my retirement ceremony last year.  Ernie and his son's friend traveled down to Boston, toured Fenway Park and attended a Boston Red Sox game with us. They came down to the campgrounds and took part in the festivities when Brad & Beth Herren and Armand & Lorie Lambert camped there with us a couple weeks ago.  They brought fire wood down for our camp fire and then escorted us over to the coast to visit some lighthouses.  They also fed us when we all visited their house before leaving for Bar Harbor.  We have had such a great time with them and reminiscing about our years at Loring from 1974-1977.  I am so glad we have been able to maintain contact with them over the years and that we had the opportunity to travel to New England and see them this summer.  Thanks, Ernie and Rhonda!  You guys are the best! Hopefully we will see the Red Sox and Cubs in the World Series and next year we can arrange a get-together at Wrigley Field!

 

Tomorrow morning we will pack it up and head for Vermont!