The Cushing Cottage

We just returned home from the inspection on the Cushing Cottage. Looks like all's well with the septic, the roof, the basement, the furnace, the foundation and any other matters that might be deal breakers. It's even more lovely than I remembered and while the septic guy was probing the leach field and the house inspector was looking for carpenter ants and leaky faucets, we picked enough blackberries along the driveway to stuff our bellies.

The cottage was designed by an architect and mixes the traditional Maine cottage with light and air and views. It's not the rustic camp I originally thought we'd buy, but many cosmic forces aligned to make this work out and I have to believe it's the right thing. Would you believe me if I told you that Retired Guy vacationed here 26 years ago when the land was owned by his close friends? Or that the mortgage broker randomly suggested to us has a wife who works for my company?
There's a separate sleeping cottage a bit closer to the water that might make a perfect studio.

Retired Guy thinks he might want to sculpt granite.

It's waterfront but it's going to need some work to make it user-friendly waterfront. The drop to the dock can get a bit steep ......












but once you 're there, it's quite nice....
It's been unoccupied for the last two years, so it's overgrown and needs some TLC and maintenance, but it's really nothing that a little elbow grease and a scythe can't handle.

Keeper's House For Sale

The Keeper's House (aka Robinson Point Lighthouse) is being offered for sale for $2.5 million.

It that asking price leaves you a bit short of discretionary income, don't worry-- utilities are very low. No electric bill, no sewer or water bills to worry about as the Keeper's House is entirely self sufficient and off the grid. Energy is solar powered, water is reclaimed from sea water, and the septic helps keep the flower garden blooming.
Neighbors include Linda Greenlaw and her family, but island life is quiet and peaceful and generally lacks the celebrity/tourist trade of some of the other Maine Islands.

Celebrity Spotting of the Week (or Probably the Year--Who are We Kidding?)

So if you ran into this guy in Frisbee's Market in Kittery Point, Maine, would you recognize him?
What if we gave you a hint and told you that he was the mystery buyer who paid almost $2.0 million for the Historic Bray House?
Anyway, he and his dad stopped into Frisbee's (they purchased a couple of post cards featuring the house that he just bought).
We just happened to be in Frisbee's to pick up some pickles and hamburger buns to go along with our delicious burgers and we got a little extra excitement added to our day.
Of course, after he left, I had to tell Retired Guy who it was. Then I had to play Maneater for him on the way home.......

Oh, and non sequitur of the day: I had a meeting down in Boston. When I went through the Hampton tolls on the way down, not so EZ pass did not register the car passing through. No red, yellow or green lights. No trouble on the Tobin, though. ....On the way home, not so EZ pass Hampton station, asked me to please call them.....

Brie and Burgundy Burgers

2 pounds ground sirloin
4 tablespoons red wine
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 cup Brie cheese

Handling the meat as little as possible, mix the sirloin with the red wine, salt and pepper. Gently form it into eight 1 inch thick patties.

Using your thumb, or the end of a wooden spoon, make a small pocket in the center of the burger.

Add a tablespoon of the Brie to each hamburger and then pinch the meat around the top to seal the burger. No cheese should be showing.

Grill over medium high heat for 4-6 minutes per side, or to the desired doneness. Serve hot.

Maine's Oldest Home Sold To Someone From Away

And (gasp) he might well be a Yankees fan!
The 345-year old Bray House in Kittery was sold at auction to an unidentified buyer from New York City. The house sold for $1.9 million, including auction commission.

Which is why someone from away bought it. Very few Mainers are so impractical as to pay that much for a house, especially a really old house.


More on the Bray House (via Working Waterfront):

Bray House, Pepperell Road, Kittery (1662): A two-story home built by Jonathan Bray, a shipwright, it is often said to be the oldest house in Maine — which it might well be, given the uncertainty of the exact date of the Maxwell Garrison’s construction. It’s older than New Hampshire’s oldest house, which is across the river in Portsmouth, and said to be the birthplace of Sir William Pepperell.