Anonymous
Post 04/29/2020 18:30     Subject: Having a rustic family “camp” in Maine
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:We have family with a place in Maine that they offered to us for a month this summer but after reading about the hospital capacity on Mt Desert island we are leaning against going.


I have a friend who retired to MDI, but had to leave when his spouse became ill, because of the hospital situation (or lack thereof). They moved to a small town on the Gulf Coast, if that tells you how bad the situation in Maine was. I love MDI, but I once injured my knee there, and there was one orthopedist on the island, and they told me he was completely booked and couldn't see me. I went to the "Emergency Room" (such as it was) and they took me to his office and he was kind enough to see me after hours. Turns out he lived in Alexandria and was there part-time for the summer. Nice guy, and patched me well enough to survive until I got home, but I definitely wouldn't want to be there for a serious medical emergency.


This is my parents' complaint in Maine. Also, looking at a second Gulf Coast location for lots of reasons.
Anonymous
Post 04/29/2020 11:08     Subject: Having a rustic family “camp” in Maine
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:We rented one two summers ago. It was a quaint lake house that did have AC, hot water and electricity. But the internet wasn't that great. I wouldn't call it high speed and I was told they couldn't get better internet in their town.

While I enjoyed it, the water was cold even in August and at night we wore sweaters. The town we were in had a lot going for it at night- bonfires, dances and an outdoor family sort of environment.


This sounds great - which lake/town was this?


Bump. Anyone have recs for fun Maine lake towns? If not for this summer, then for next?
Anonymous
Post 04/28/2020 16:51     Subject: Having a rustic family “camp” in Maine
Anonymous wrote:We have family with a place in Maine that they offered to us for a month this summer but after reading about the hospital capacity on Mt Desert island we are leaning against going.


I have a friend who retired to MDI, but had to leave when his spouse became ill, because of the hospital situation (or lack thereof). They moved to a small town on the Gulf Coast, if that tells you how bad the situation in Maine was. I love MDI, but I once injured my knee there, and there was one orthopedist on the island, and they told me he was completely booked and couldn't see me. I went to the "Emergency Room" (such as it was) and they took me to his office and he was kind enough to see me after hours. Turns out he lived in Alexandria and was there part-time for the summer. Nice guy, and patched me well enough to survive until I got home, but I definitely wouldn't want to be there for a serious medical emergency.
Anonymous
Post 04/28/2020 13:46     Subject: Re:Having a rustic family “camp” in Maine
Reading this thread I realize that while I think of myself as loving the outdoors, and I do, I also definitely don't have any desire to do 'vacation' without creature comforts. I want a long hot shower after a day of hiking and wine one the deck and/or hot tub and outdoor speakers. Guess I'm not as rustic as I thought I was. Might change when my kids get a little older though, right now it feels like "vacation" is the 1-2 hours between them going to sleep and myself passing out before getting up at the butt crack of dawn for beach/hiking/whatever
Anonymous
Post 04/28/2020 12:30     Subject: Having a rustic family “camp” in Maine
Anonymous wrote:We rented one two summers ago. It was a quaint lake house that did have AC, hot water and electricity. But the internet wasn't that great. I wouldn't call it high speed and I was told they couldn't get better internet in their town.

While I enjoyed it, the water was cold even in August and at night we wore sweaters. The town we were in had a lot going for it at night- bonfires, dances and an outdoor family sort of environment.


This sounds great - which lake/town was this?
Anonymous
Post 04/28/2020 11:08     Subject: Having a rustic family “camp” in Maine
There are a million affordable places to rent in Maine (even directly on the water). I'd rent for a couple of seasons before buying.
Anonymous
Post 04/28/2020 11:07     Subject: Having a rustic family “camp” in Maine
We rented one two summers ago. It was a quaint lake house that did have AC, hot water and electricity. But the internet wasn't that great. I wouldn't call it high speed and I was told they couldn't get better internet in their town.

While I enjoyed it, the water was cold even in August and at night we wore sweaters. The town we were in had a lot going for it at night- bonfires, dances and an outdoor family sort of environment.
Anonymous
Post 04/28/2020 11:05     Subject: Having a rustic family “camp” in Maine
A good friend married a guy whose family has one. It's on a lake and super rustic. No electricity and I am not sure there's even running water. Her DH goes up there in the middle of winter with friends to cut ice from the lake to put in the icebox where it lasts until they get there in July.
She loves it b/c she has three outdoorsy boys and it's great family time and no screens at all but I think she sees it a little bit as a burden too. It's sort of mandated that they spend at least a week there every year, this included when all three kids were infants (!) and she may prefer to go somewhere else once in a while.
Anonymous
Post 04/28/2020 11:04     Subject: Re:Having a rustic family “camp” in Maine
I know people who do this. It sounds horrible. They don't even have hot water! And the toilet doesn't sound like it flushes all the way.

Anyway, they got Lyme disease.
Anonymous
Post 04/28/2020 11:02     Subject: Having a rustic family “camp” in Maine
We have family with a place in Maine that they offered to us for a month this summer but after reading about the hospital capacity on Mt Desert island we are leaning against going.
Anonymous
Post 04/28/2020 10:19     Subject: Having a rustic family “camp” in Maine
Anonymous wrote:I love Maine but I think you're better off renting than buying. Why be on the hook for maintenance, taxes, etc. for a place you can't really use most of the year? Maine is NO FUN in the cold and snow. And as we've seen, the state will bar you from coming in to use your own property in a covid situation. Use the money to rent a fabulous place on a lake or in Bar Harbor.

- My parents live in Maine


+1

-My dad married into a family with a Maine camp, and so did I. Wonderful places. So much maintenance.
Anonymous
Post 04/28/2020 10:07     Subject: Having a rustic family “camp” in Maine
I love Maine but I think you're better off renting than buying. Why be on the hook for maintenance, taxes, etc. for a place you can't really use most of the year? Maine is NO FUN in the cold and snow. And as we've seen, the state will bar you from coming in to use your own property in a covid situation. Use the money to rent a fabulous place on a lake or in Bar Harbor.

- My parents live in Maine
Anonymous
Post 04/28/2020 10:06     Subject: Having a rustic family “camp” in Maine
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I love this idea of Maine. But the ticks. Yuck. Say what you will, but Florida is not full of ticks.


I'll take the Maine weather and do tick checks.


There are like 1500 miles of options in between too, just saying!


You have tick issues from Maine to southern Virginia. And anywhere on the East Coast is inundated by mosquitoes during the summer. It's pretty much impossible to get away from these pests without traveling west or to Europe.
Anonymous
Post 04/28/2020 10:06     Subject: Having a rustic family “camp” in Maine
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I love this idea of Maine. But the ticks. Yuck. Say what you will, but Florida is not full of ticks.


I'll take the Maine weather and do tick checks.


There are like 1500 miles of options in between too, just saying!


And there are ticks as far south as NC, right? And the weather sucks anywhere south of NYC.
Anonymous
Post 04/28/2020 10:04     Subject: Having a rustic family “camp” in Maine
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Good for picking up ticks and mosquitoes get bad as well. Just rent a cabin. Probably lots of cheap options this summer courtesy of stabler genius.


I mean, this is basically summer anywhere on the East coast.


I don't think you two know how the word camp is used in this context in New England.

I;m not from NE- but I hear this a lot. They basically mean some version of a cabin right? Usually on or near a lake or body of water. A camp is a house in this sense? Or is it like a commune of tiny homes? I hear that people are going to their "family's camp" with cousins, etc. I just thought it meant lake house.


It can mean any of the above and also any property ranging from a patch of land with a tent to fancy home with all amenities.