Most of our blogs have been about the sights, activities, and people that make up the Mid-coast. Without our friends, the trees, the people who write about the aforementioned would not be here. Here’s to the trees!

Every year the Maine Department of Conservation puts out a register of Big Trees. The trees  that make the list which is produced by the Maine Department of Conservation, the Maine Forest Service in cooperation with the Pine Tree State Arboretum are either state or national champions. One of these, a Bigtooth Aspen (populous grandidentata), has been nominated for National Championship status. In our area there are seven state champions and are so designated by a point system that works by adding the circumference of the tree in inches, the height in feet and one quarter of the crown spread crown spread in feet. Trees can be nominated by individuals but must be passed on by someone from the Department of Conservation.

I began thinking how nice it would be if we could photograph the area champs and follow them through our four seasons. Sort of like a “year in the life” pictorial. The first two, one a magnificent European Copper Beech (Fagus sylvatica, TOP PHOTO), the other, a Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia BOTTOM PHOTO) are beautiful examples of their species. The Beech tree is 102 feet tall, with a crown spread of 84 feet and measures 228” in circumference. The locust is 80 feet tall, a crown spread of 66 feet and 205” in circumference. Big old trees.

When you are out and about in Belfast take a look at these beauties, then say a little thanks for their work on our behalf.

This year marked the 20th anniversary for the US National Toboggan Championships, held here at the Camden Snowbowl. Camden Real Estate Company was on hand with our own booth where our dedicated brokers provided a sale of home made baked goods, proceeds from which were donated to Habitat For Humanity. Eliza Massey was there with her camera to document the weekend.

At Camden Real Estate Company we feel very fortunate to have thrived through the real estate market of 2009. Not only did we broker both sides of the largest residential sale in the state, we also increased our share of the local market (total dollar volume) from 19% (in 2008) to 32% (in 2009). Beyond statistics, we’ve changed the face of our real estate market by offering the highest level of service combined with marketing and advertising exposure that brings over 3.5 million page views to our award winning website every year.

I’ve spent nearly 30 years in the local real estate market, from my early days of restoration and renovation, through my career as an independent real estate appraiser, to my 20 years in real estate sales. I see 2010 as possibly one of the best years in the recent past to buy real estate locally. Prices are close to a stabilizing level (median sales price is flattening), there is plenty of inventory at affordable prices and mortgage rates are still at historically low levels. The increase in activity for both sales (shown below) and in the number of people actively looking to buy is very positive.

The last 3 months of sales statistics comparing 2008 to 2009 show a 24% dollar volume increase. This is compared to a year over year statistic (2008-2009) of a 10% dollar volume decrease.

We have some planned changes to our website that will make functionality better and information more available on all properties for sale in Maine. Information on our local area will be more comprehensive. Our goal is to make www.camdenre.com your connection to every aspect of this great community and beyond. Our blog has been updated with stories that reflect our day to day life here and we think you’ll find them interesting and informative.

Whether you are still looking for property in the area, are already working with a broker here or if you

bought something and live here, let us know your story.

Scott Horty
President

85% of Camden’s year-round residents possess a Camden Public Library card according to Jamie Ritter, Deputy Library Director. The staggering percentage raises many questions, but to me what it says is that we, the citizens of Camden, hold our public library in a special place in our hearts. We may use our card infrequently but have it just in case. Maybe that place we reserve for our library is analogous to driving over the Piscataqua River from New Hampshire into Maine…………. we’re home, even if home is 2 and ½ hours from our real homes. Here in Camden home might be represented by the library, the Snow Bowl, the harbor, Mt. Battie and other favorites that attest to why home is, well, home.

In one form or another our library has been here since 1796. Through devastating fires, changing locations and small user fees, this icon has remained the one comfortable constant for all of us who call Camden home. That constant however, as Jamie says, is a continuously evolving product. It has to be to stay current with consumers who move to an ever changing scene themselves. An example of this evolution can be found at Cushing Academy in Ashburnham,  Massachusetts, where the school recently eliminated their library of 20,000 volumes in favor of electronic information.

To further this concept, some libraries have added coffee bars which has given a dimension to the library that may seem foreign, but the library, after all, is a place to commune. Other libraries have moved the reference section to the back and have put more current topics and best sellers up front to mirror what the big book sellers like Borders and Barnes and Noble do to attract customers. The Camden Public Library is also evolving. Have a look at their website to see the types of offerings that are available, www.librarycamden.org.

Now, where is that other 15%?

The other day at the town office I saw Tom Hopps, whom I have known casually for years, and heard him remark to Beth McDonald as he looked out her back window, “what a beautiful sight”, or something to that effect. Now I”ve been in that office many times and looked out that window and may even have thought, “what a nice scene”, but his eye caught it  and he expressed it.  That small incident made me want to sit down with Tom and find out more about him. We all have stories and I like to hear them.

Tom, a native of coastal Connectict, had worked in public relations management for Union Carbide, New York Life, Allied Chemical in New York City and later in Hartford for Hartford Insurance Group and Phoenix Mutual Life. Influenced by the back-to-nature movement in the early 70’s, Tom moved his family to a old farmhouse in Vermont and headed public relations for Quechee Lakes , the first large-scale land development community in the Northeast. Five years later, divorced and then married to Ann (now his wife for 32 years) he moved with Ann back to coastal Connecticut, Mystic.  It was there  he chose a career change and engaged in the study of landscape design, a life-long hobby.  A correspondence  course in the subject and classes at Connecticut College launched him into the career of his passion that has carried him these past  26 years. Since moving to Camden in 1986, he conducted week-long seminars, The Nature of Land Design, for two years, at his home, Meadowdown, taught the ABC’s of Landscape Design at adult ed and has designed residential properties in Maine and other states. Active at Merryspring Nature Park for years, he is still going strong.  I’m glad Tom settled here…in Camden.

…The day unfolds slowly at camp.  And quietly.

There are no sounds of traffic, no planes overhead, and only an occasional boat on this quiet lake.  Small sounds you might never notice elsewhere are, in this place, booming cues to pay attention.  Your ear becomes trained to the subtle differences… the rustle of leaves that you have learned is not the romping of the squirrel but the steps of a deer grazing at the edge of the wood; the mystery noise that turns out to be an eagle feasting on a fish while perched on a branch not 10 feet away; the kerplunk that is the notification the otter has just flipped onto his resting place under the dock – even as you are lying on it; the distant whisper that grows into a deafening roar as the curtain of rain of an otherwise soundless storm marches down the lake; the note of increased urgency in the loon’s alarm call to her young, this particular one meaning ‘Eagle over head!  Dive!’

Camp days are filled with sitting on the dock, paddling up the brook or hiking on lakeside trails.  I frequently sense myself under the watchful gaze of heron, owls, beaver, deer, moose – wildlife big and small.  If you practice the Art of Seeing*, they may even allow you to observe them.  Camp is all about the connection to nature and remembering how to be still.

I never miss my end-of-day ritual, to sit with the dogs on the dock and toast the setting sun with a glass of wine, camera at the ready.  I have seen some amazing sunsets here and try always to capture them for their future use as screen-savers to get me through the winter.  The dogs and I linger on the dock until the first stars appear.

The night sky at camp is crisp, the edges of the Milky Way so sharp.  It’s difficult to find a spot where there are no stars.  In fact, it’s tricky to identify the constellations, hidden in plain sight in the diamond-filled sky.  I lay on the dock, bundled in blankets, and soak up the display:  the Andromeda Galaxy clearly visible, the orbs of the Double Cluster distinct, all three moons of Jupiter lined up in a row.  I stay there until startled by the ‘thwap!’ of a beaver slapping its tail in much too close proximity.

As the day closes I fall asleep to the serenade of loons keeping track of each other with their long, lilting calls and the chorus of throaty bullfrogs near and far.  The dogs, exhausted from The Good Life, sleep that deep, restorative sleep – as I do, knowing that in a few hours, we will wake up and do it all again.  The weekends I get to spend here are precious.

There is a cycle to the seasonal bliss that is camp.  I keep my camp open until the threat of freezing pipes overrides my late-autumn denial.  Then begins the routine of taking in docks, storing canoes, draining the plumbing…every chore a step toward withdrawal.  It’s bittersweet to say goodbye to the camp each November, but not so sad, really: I have my screensavers…and I get to go home to Camden after all.

*”The Art of Seeing” is a skill I learned from one of the country’s leading animal tracking experts and wildlife photographers, Paul Rezendes.  Check him out at www.paulrezendes.com.

In my previous life I lived near and commuted into Boston. City-life has its charms and I can appreciate them, especially the sheer availability of, well, everything.  But I was always meant to live in a small town.

Life in Camden is just right for me.  It’s the perfect mix of friendly people, beautiful place and real community.  I recognized this the moment I set foot here for the first time and I can’t imagine living anywhere else.  Still, we all need a change of pace sometime and when I do, I go to an even smaller town.

In addition to Maine’s glorious coastal environment, there’s another side to Maine’s quintessential character: the camp.

Years ago when I’d hear Mainers refer to “the camp” I assumed they were talking about summer camps, those places where kids go to enjoy archery and gimp-weaving by day, ghost stories and sleeping bags by night.  Not until I vacationed at a summer lakeside rental did I learn the true meaning of camp – a seasonal, often rustic, cottage where one goes to u-n-w-i-n-d.

There are many great cottages on mid-coast lakes and ponds where you can enjoy the camp experience to varying degrees.  It’s an interesting fact that 63-70% of second homes in Maine – many of the camps – are owned by Maine residents. Once you fall in love with Maine, you don’t want to leave.  My own camp is on a rather remote lake in the very middle of Maine.  There is no village, no shops, no restaurants, no entertainment, no TV and very few human neighbors.

A typical day starts with my two Golden Retrievers, Laiken and Denby, stirring, anxious to go for their morning swim.  Tennis balls are involved, with the expectation that I will stand on the end of the dock and throw the ball at least 25 – no, 50! – no, 100!  times.   There’s no doubt camp is their favorite place on earth.  I sit on the edge of the dock with my morning coffee as a dozen baby ducks paddle by, their downy bodies bouncing against my ankles as they investigate my toes.  Ahhh.  And it is my favorite place, too.  The day unfolds slowly at camp.  And quietly….  (to be continued…)

For several years now a few of us from the office have attended the National Association of Realtors® (NAR) Conventions. It’s usually held in a warm weather destination in November which makes it more attractive for some people; this year it was in San Diego. I went with Vicki Doudera and Bill Pickford; we were the only brokers from this area at the convention of about 20,000 attendees from around the world. This was my first trip to San Diego, it’s a beautiful city and we were fortunate enough to have traveled there with Bill Pickford who spent some of his growing up years there.

The scope of the convention is immense since the Association is the largest trade association in the country. A variety of forums, classes, workshops and a state-of-the-business expo provided attendees with an opportunity to hone their skills to prepare themselves for the challenges of the current real estate market. The overriding opinion is positive for the market, with the extension of the home buyer tax credit program it is estimated that 2 million people will take advantage of that program in the next year. According to the NAR first-time home buyers made up 47 percent of all transactions this past year; the most on record since 1981.

Bill and I were fortunate enough to ride up in the elevator with Condoleezza Rice who shared her perspectives on world events as the keynote speaker for the convention. Reba McEntire gave an incredible concert performance for Realtors on the final night of the Convention.

Vicki Doudera gave a seminar called “Write it Right” on all the aspects of writing that go into the real estate business. We were very proud of Vicki for taking on this challenge. I’ve always said that you can learn anything from anyone as long as you are open to that possibility; Vicki proved that in her seminar. There were some other amazing presenters and I always enjoy seeing how other people in the business do business; it offers me an opportunity to keep my business fresh and moving forward in the right direction.

All it takes is a quick visit to the Camden Snow Bowl on any given winter weekend to witness the “magic” of the Ragged Mountain Recreation Area in action. You will see “kids” of all ages on the slope skiing and enjoying the great outdoors. Packs of kids riding the rails and hitting jumps in the park, seniors making smooth long turns, and families of all abilities skiing together and enjoying family time on the hill. The slopes are dotted with skiers all over the mountain and lift lines sweep across the bottom of the hill waiting to take skiers and riders to the summit (which happens to have a wonderful ocean view of Penobscot Bay and the islands) for another exhilarating run. On the left side of the mountain is the toboggan run, the only one of its kind in New England, offering thrills of it’s own, hurtling toboggans loaded with riders down the wooden chute through the woods and out onto the frozen pond. Also on the left side of the mountain you will find young children and families sliding down the tubing hill on inner tubes, running back up the path to take another tube ride down. On the pond you see ice boaters racing across the lake with sails swollen in the breeze, hockey players enjoying a game of pick up ice-hockey, figure skaters, ice fisherman, snow-shoers and cross country skiers. It truly is a magical winter wonderland with hundreds of people enjoying the wonderful outdoors, making new friends, and beating the winter doldrums

This “winter gem” of the mid-coast is in need of some updates though and the concerns of doing nothing, could likely result in the loss of the heavily used outdoor recreation center. The Board Foundation, Redevelopment Committee, Capital Campaign Committee and the Parks and Recreation Committee have worked diligently over the past 2 years to evaluate, explore, and create a plan to assure the healthy future of this area. From this effort has come the realization of the “Mountain of Possibilities” vision, a 6.5 million dollar campaign ($4.5 million in private funds and $2 million of municipal funding) to finance a comprehensive project that will dramatically improve the facility, increase usage and build long-term financial strength.

The overriding goal of the vision is to make the ragged mountain recreation area more of a year round 4-season area with a major redevelopment of the area in order to strengthen the business model and achieve long term financial sustainability.

“A Mountain of Possibilities” – The Future Plan:

To build a larger, upgraded lodge that will serve as an attractive venue for weddings, receptions, family reunions, outdoor concerts, summer sports events, and other private rentals. The expanded facility will serve families, community groups, community meetings, conferences and retreats. The new lodge will be traditionally inviting and highly functional with increased capacity, energy efficiency, and multi-purpose flexibility. It will also have additional space for equipment rentals, expanded merchandising and retreats and events with food service for up to 250 attendees.

To expand current snowmaking capacity from 45% to 80% coverage, helping increase skier days by as much as 50%. Install a new triple or quad chair lift from the new base lodge site to the top and replace all t-bars with chair lifts. Expand downhill skiing with additional novice terrain, relocate and expand the beginner area, expand night skiing, and improve the tubing site.

Host special events such as outdoor concerts, ski races, and mountain bike races, to attract people from all over New England.

This exciting campaign will help take this wonderful outdoor recreational facility into the future. The Ragged Mountain Recreation Area is an economic and community asset in our own backyard – one that needs to be upgraded and better utilized for the benefit of everyone who lives in, works in, or visits the mid-coast region. Please stay tuned to the Camden Real Estate blog for future updates.

Shaped water
Out beyond and beyond —–
downeast Maine

Madeleine Findlay
Shaped Water
A Haiku Year

An old friend and mentor gave me a couple of gems about Maine that have stuck with me, “you can get your arms around Maine” and “everything has not been done in Maine”. Surely this means different things for each of us, but one thing that I take from this is that in Maine we have the opportunity to have a conversation with an elected official. In most states it would probably not happen unless you had played a role in their campaign, (monetary contribution).  My interest and frustration with politics sometimes bubbles to the surface and usually it passes, the frustration, not the interest. But this time, in the interest of, at least, learning more, I called an old friend who was elected to the Maine legislature last fall. (What fun we had driving around with a magnetized sign on my car proclaiming “Vote Chuck Kruger for The Legislature” as he worked on reaching his constituents). We had lunch together, the topics spanned our friendship of 30+ years; you can imagine.

Chuck Kruger represents the district that includes part of Owls Head, South Thomaston, St. George, Thomaston and Matinicus Isle Plantation, plus the unorganized territory of Criehaven. It is a challenging district to represent what with the lousy economy and its scary tentacles and a fishing industry in turmoil. If you are acquainted with Maine and her people you know that fisherman are not just tough folks but resourceful, they have had to be. Today bait prices are as high as they have ever been, fuel costs, while down from last years highs, are still a reach, in many fishing grounds the catch is down and trap limits have been reduced to 800.

As a member of the Marine Resources Committee, Chuck was instrumental in bringing a major change to the industry. I think we’re all familiar with a CSA, Community Supported Agriculture, we now, thanks to Chuck’s help, have a first in Maine maybe the nation, a Community Supported Fishery. Down in Port Clyde at the tip of the St. George peninsula a fish processing plant has been built providing fresh fish for individuals and the restaurant trade. Fresh fish daily.

Chuck also serves on the Judiciary Committee. Through his work on the Judiciary he was able to bring  the Maine Supreme Judicial Court to Thomaston. Each year the Court, in an effort to bring the work of the Court to communities throughout the state (as funds allow), selects schools where they bring actual oral arguments to the public. Last year one of the three schools chosen was George’s Valley High School in Thomaston. It was an event that happens infrequently and I am told the students were very engaged.

What else did we discuss? Our lives of 5+ decades. Chuck offered up that two major events bracketed our lives, the pill and AIDS. Those of us who are called baby boomers think we had the best of it. And what a time it was.