Upta Camp at Webb Lake

The Edwards' Old Town canoe

Beach from Edward's Camp to Byron Notch in distance

Little Camp on left with boys stacking wood

Upta Camp at Webb Lake (brother Rich's translation from the Maine vernacular says this means: Up to Camp at Webb Lake) on the morning of 20 July after shopping for groceries at Hannaford's in Rumford. Over the 22 miles to Camp; I wave to Cousin Heather wading in the lake with several grandchildren. You can walk out to the jet-ski on a sandy bottom and still be in shallow water just above your knees. The raft and Fred's boat are in water 5' deep. 





The beach stretches from the Little Camp (left) past the Burt (right) and Ogilvie Camps to the Edward's Camp where I will stay. Next to us and further down the beach is Keller Camp.

This venerable Pine tree next to the Ogilvie Camp will have to come down as it was weakened by a lightning strike.

Intense heat from the flash boiled the sap causing the bark to burst off in a spiral ring  from the base to its 80 foot top .

Don't "misunderestimate"* the force of a Webb Lake thunderstorm.

After dinner chat at Kent Camp

Fred, Anna, Rich & Cousin Ian at Kent Camp

Camp is a mile down Fire Lane 8

Weld sunsets offer great photo opportunities.

Bowley Brook meets the lake

Bowley Brook winds into the lake on the east and south sides of the property purchased in 1927 by F. Allen and Leila Shaw Burt of Brookline MA, my grandparents. Each of their 3 daughters, my mother Barbara b. 1913 being the eldest, summered here. The Kent Camp which backs up to the brook on the east side was built in 1942, the year I was born.


Anna was scheduled to fly to BOS on July 31. Expecting to meet her after her 2 hour bus-ride from Logan Airport to Lewiston, which is situated about 45 miles south of Camp, I drove to Lewiston early to have dinner at one of the old Bates (Bates College was endowed by Benjamin Bates) fabric factories now repurposed into office spaces and restaurants.

 Fine dinner at Fish Bones in Lewiston.  As I ate my Atlantic Cod, a text from Anna said "My flight to BOS landed instead in Manchester NH to refuel and wait out the Boston storm." She would miss the last bus.

I don't know but what (more Maine vernacular) I'll drive the 150 miles further to Boston to recover her from another terrible flying experience. Picked Anna up in time to return to Camp around 1 AM. Things looked a lot better in the morning.

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The weekend of August 3 and 4 we drove to Trenton on the Maine coast close to Bar Harbor, the highlight of our annual trip.  Ken & Bev were to recite their vows as witnessed by our family and hers, and officiated by, you guessed it, brother Rich. The event was to be hosted by Ken's son and wife Denny and Jen Trevett in their oceanside home in Trenton, Maine.

Rich is a Red Sox fan; I like the A's. We parked side-by-side in front of the garage. Early in the morning I hung my Oakland A's blanket on Richard's new campervan. Baseball fandom can easily become a harmless proxy for teasing or settling old grudges. Richard took the insult well enough I thought.




Rob & Anne overlooking Mt. Desert Island in the distance, watching the tide come in.

Denny & Jenifer Trevett built their summer home on the water in Trenton. She grew up in Bar Harbor, knew the people and the property.

The exchanging of vows and the dinner following were both magical, and for me a very emotional experience. Ritual is accomplished in liminal space and experienced by everyone in their own way. It's protected space and for me it was a joy to see Ken and Bev together with many of her family and his.

Click here to start the jazz guitar serenade, then return here

The Kent boys with Ken.

Rich, Rob, Fred, Allen & Ken

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Back at the Lake in Weld, ME

I first met 15 year-old Felipe "Jose" Ytuarte, son of a Tapachula, Mexico physician, in September 1985 when as an exchange student he studied at Rumford High School and played soccer for brother Rich who taught English and coached both skiing and soccer. Thanks to Richard and Felipe our families have exchanged visits many times. Daughter Jeanine and I went to the Cervantino Festival in Guanajuato in late October 2002. We visited Felipe, Noemi and 18 month-old Sophia in Leon during that memorable trip.

In 2015 Felipe invited us to hold our annual Kent Open family golf tournament at his golf and tennis club. We were treated royally, including golf for brothers Rob, Fred, bro-in-law Ken Trevett and I, a tequila party and dinner at his restaurant, Sato, and travel to San Miguel de Allende all due to Richard and his student exchange program, and to Felipe & Noemi's welcoming generosity. Anna was lucky enough got to play tennis with Sophia after her workout.


One year Felipe's brother Miguel brought his children to Weld, and the Ytuarte's have watched sunsets at Weld several times. They are wise enough to come in the summer!

We knew on our return to Weld that Felipe, Noemi and their children Sophia and Felipe would arrive for a visit in two days. They came and we celebrated with a lobster feast.

Sophia at 15 years old was a ranked tennis player in Mexico. Last year at 16 she attended Rafa Nadal's tennis camp in Majorca. Felipe and I played during their last visit to Weld in 2014 (?) he won (6-0, 6-0). This time I was determined to get all of us out on the clay courts in the village of Weld which we did. Young Felipe now 9 joined his dad & sister together with Anna and me to play a round robin for nearly 2 hours. Most impressive were the two Ytuarte children. We hope to visit them in Leon next year.

Anna rolls the tape clean

There are other friendships developed because of Richard. He has hosted exchange students for 35 years. In 1984-1985 school year my son Allen Jr spent the year with Richard. During the 1985-86 visit of Felipe Ytuarte, young Allen remained with Rich for the school year as well. Later in 1998-1999 Yvon Bourbotte of Antony, France, a suburb of Paris, was an exchange student with Rich. Toward the end of the school year in April 1999, my daughter Julia and I travelled to France, and we stayed with the Bourbotte's briefly on our trip to Nice. I am forever grateful to Richard for helping us in a difficult time for Young Allen.

Felipe & Sophia groom the court

Webb Lake is a place for sunsets and everyone gathers on the beach each evening wondering whether this will be a good one. No matter what, they all are good ones.


Swimming, boating, hiking and mountain biking occupy a lot of  time each day. For me: reading and making pizza and a solo canoe ride is just about perfect.

Brother Fred and I paddle out to his boat to get ready for water skiing, tubing and a tour of the lake. Both of us like to steer the canoe. Unable to decide we appear unclear on the concept.














Made the beachfront fire pit around 2008 and since improved by many, consists of river rocks I repurposed from the Houghton stream which one crosses to go upta the village of Weld.

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For many years I cooked pizza using a dry yeast starter.  In 2005 I switched to a sourdough starter* and voila' people like it better.  With the sourdough crust one can bypass a tomato-based marinara sauce, and instead feature the more subtle flavors of a variety of cheeses, veggies, and mushrooms.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups Caputo 00 Pizza Flour (I now use Caputo 00 Whole Foods bulk from a bin) 
• 3 cups King Arthur unbleached all purpose Flour
• 2.75 cups warm water
• Sourdough starter* - 1- cup
• Salt - 3-4 tablespoons
• Mozzarella - Ciliegine - small brined balls of fresh cheese. I also like Bufala, Taleggio, Feta and others.
• Garlic infused Organic Olive Oil - to baste the crust during baking and after
• 1- medium yellow onion chopped, not too finely, a small amount as a base on most pizzas
• Basil pesto with fresh basil, pine nuts, Parmesan, olive oil, garlic, and a bit of lemon juice
• Parmesan Cheese 

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*Jane's Sourdough Starter 

Provenance: Origin unknown.  This sourdough starter is a mix of a California frontline pizzeria & cheese collective starter paired with an Oregon Trail Sourdough Starter said to have traveled Oregon Trail 1840's, California 1900's, Sonoma, Bay Area today. Kept active for the most recent 54 years by Joanne T.* who once a week cooked sourdough waffles for her husband. She fed it weekly with equal amounts of evaporated milk and warm water, mixed with unbleached all-purpose flour.

Care & Feeding: I use a 24 oz. jar. Dissolve 1/2 cup of starter into 1/4 cup of warm water. Add 3-4 heaping tbsp all-purpose flour and stir. You seek a thickened mixture but one easy enough to stir. If it is too dry, add a tiny bit of warm water; too sloppy, add a little flour. If you are baking in the next day or so, leave it out; otherwise cover and refrigerate after feeding.

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Prep

Pour both flours (6 cups or a multiple of everything as this recipe is scalable) into a bowl and mix together while adding  the salt.  Then by hand combine the flour with 2 cups warm water mixed with 1 cup of the sourdough starter. If it's too shaggy add a little flour; too dry add a little warm water. Just combine it, then cover in plastic wrap and set aside until it just begins to rise. Then put it in fridge for overnight, or two, or even three nights (proofing).

Remove from fridge two days before baking day. Still covered put the dough in a warm place for 5-6 hours and let it continue to rise.  When it has increased in size by a half, lay the dough out on top of parchment paper, lightly flour-dusted  and push the dough to a thick, flat rectangular shape. Then stretching out one end, fold in half, rotate and fold south over north. Do the same  for east and west, then cover
with plastic wrap,  return to a bowl.
Again allow the rising to begin. I put it in a warm oven overnight. On a flour dusted countertop divide into 6 equal dough balls and cover midday before you bake your pizza.

Risen dough

BAKE YOUR PIZZA

Onion, mozzarella, pesto;
after cooking: Olive Oil/Parmesan

On a lightly floured marble/granite counter top, press out a dough ball from center carefully avoiding the edges which should form a rounded, elevated ring around the thin, flat bottom.  Stretch and, if you like, fist open (or rolling pin if dough is too elastic) the dough to about 12 to 15 inches in diameter, adding very small amounts of flour, more to the bottom than to the top to avoid stickiness.  Place pie on a peel.

Roast and remove seeds from a Poblano pepper;
add feta late in cooking cycle.

Travis & I got the cook to try this dough
in the wood fired oven
at Parlour on 19th
in Oakland

Slather on a couple tablespoons of pesto covering around the base of the raise crust.  (I now prefer to cook the pesto.) Sprinkle on a handful of chopped onion, and space apart 6-8 slices of ripened tomatoes, then cover their center each with a small fresh mozzarella ball.  Slide pie onto stone. Crumble up some Feta and distribute it during the cooking,  and cook altogether for about 7 minutes presuming a 550 degree common kitchen oven.  Remove from oven and paint the crust with the garlic-infused olive oil, toss on some Parmesan, and garnish as desired.  Cut into 16 slices and open a good Pinot Noir. 

​This recipe make less mess than others I've tried.  I make one 12" pizza per person for a party and serve them as one would hors d'oeuvres but with a Groundhog Day touch, that is over and over again, one pizza after the next.



*Joanne T. and I played bridge together several times. One Friday morning the subject of baking came into the conversation. I said I bake pizza using a sourdough starter I borrowed from a California pizzeria and cheese collective in 2005. She got hers, 54 year ago with a fascinating story. This was a sourdough starter she received from an Oregon woman who herself had kept it active for 50 years after receiving it from another baker who claimed it had crossed the Oregon Trail in the 1840's  We agreed to swap a sample which we did. I combined the two and shared it with several relatives and friends, so if I neglect mine too long and it perishes, I can always get by with a little help from my friends. If you keep in fridge, take it out and feed every 30 days, or so. Just stir in the alcohol that forms at the top. To use it for baking remove from fridge and feed for 2-3 days on the counter. You need a mature and active starter for the dough to rise properly.

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We built a ramp to the steps into the Edward's Camp to replace the section of an old dock that had seen too many winters. The old ramp lies beneath the new 2 X 4's which we cut to length.

Bill and Lonna Keller and Bill's cousin Katherine now own the Camp next to Edward's Camp where we stay. It belonged to friends of my grand-parents, F. Allen & Leila Burt, Laurence & Florence Goodspeed of Wilton, ME who built it from a kit sometime between 1930 and 1940, Later Dave and Libby Van Buskirk purchased it.

Bill rigged the Sunfish and took his visiting friend and political science Professor Louis "Lou" Pauly for a sail under the watchful eye of the babyface we know as Tumbledown Mountain which lies on the north side of Byron Notch.

Sunset 2019 Webb Lake, Weld, Maine