We found an old photo of a Maypole on the lawn of the Windward House in a box in the basement, and ever since then we've put one up for the month of May. People comment on it every year, and tell us they've come to look forward to it. This year the kids got all caught up in it. (you should see the video!)
- We bribed the kids when we first moved – we said if they didn’t complain about leaving NY we’d get a dog. They love Moxy- We got her in Farmington – she’s the only real Mainer in the family.
Chrysanthemums for Autumn in Camden Maine
– As we approach the end of the 25th year of operation of the Windward House B&B, the spring, summer….late fall foliage season we always get a little introspective.
The season started out with a really great Maypole this year.
Camden Maine Sugar Maple
I would like to share some amazing statistics for the Camden Windward House Bed and Breakfast. The Camden Windward House B&B, which has been on High Street for about 150 years, opened its doors in Camden Maine as a B&B in 1985, and celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2010. This year, so far, the Bed and Breakfast had approximately 2,000 guests, the ground floor, Chart Room Suite having had the best occupancy rate of all 8 rooms this year. Approximately 2000 cups of fresh fruit
Every morning Kristi cuts up fruit for the guests. It looks and smells so beautiful
were served and 2,000 brownies and cookies were baked for afternoon snacks. About 4,000 free range eggs have been cooked in omelets, French toast, pancakes, waffles, sunny – up, over easy, poached, egg white only, juevos rancheros, eggs benedicts, and my favorite – scrambled. More than 80 pounds of fair trade shade grown Windward House Blend coffee have been brewed and enjoyed in the breakfast room. 1,600 beds were made and approximately 3,000 pillow cases and sheets have been lovingly pressed.
Considering all the hard work you have to wonder, especially at this time of year, was it worth it!
In spring our youngest turned 8, and three children and a labradoodle (when we first came we bribed the kids out of missing the folks back in NY by telling them we’d get a dog -Moxy) danced around our fourth Maypole (this year it had live flowers and vines), now in autumn, it’s our oldest’s turn to celebrate a birthday, and our middle one will have her turn at year’s end, – they were only five, four and three years old when we started this experiment. We used to pull them around town in a flexible flyer wagon
The Windward House kids' wagon was used to pull them around town until it broke. We actually wore out two before the kids got too big to pull around....
because they were so little and walked so slow, (for a little while I was known as the lady with kids in the wagon).
When we first came here, our two youngest made the whole world look bigger.
Across from the Camden library, our two youngest when we first came here
Now we can’t keep up with them; on the hiking trails,
Top 'o theWorld - the view from Mt. Battie a block from the house where the kids like to hike
swimming in the lake, skating at hockey, running at soccer. My oldest has had to bring it my attention on three occasions that I was wrong – and he right, about the correct answers on his math homework. On this the 25th anniversary year of Windward House, three children danced around the promised-for-three-years tree house finally built. Along with our guests we celebrated, we sailed, kayaked and
Hiking - Our oldest is getting too big to carry
hiked, we shopped downtown, and ate at Camden’s great restaurants, and we loved it here more than ever! Wow! Thanks to all our guests, our friends, neighbors and family for another blessed season! Oh, and happy 25th anniversary Windward House, the house that Elijah Glover built in Camden Maine!