Update Time: Building on an Island in Maine – Chapter 2

You may have read my blog post from last summer Building on an Island in Maine where I described the experience of camping on our land  during the summer of 2024. As wonderful as tent life was, my husband has an imagination that cannot be stopped. When one is able to build just about anything (as my husband can) the sky is truly the limit. During the past fall/winter his brain would not stop turning, and he designed a very large tent that is reminiscent of Lincoln Logs. The structure was able to be fully constructed, and then deconstructed so that we could haul it up from New Jersey to Maine. The trip did not end there – it then needed to be loaded onto our boat and carried across the water, then dragged up a mountain side, and re-built on our platform from the summer of 2024. He used a portable car storage tent as his base for the poles. All of the wood for the frame was custom designed, cut, sanded, and stained by us. We used a great stain by Earth & Flax that is all natural and made from pine tar, which is actually a natural bug repellent. I am not nearly as handy as he is when it comes to the design and construction, but was able to help out in the sanding and staining department. And of course, a tent is not complete without windows to capture the view of the lake, a hook to hang the guitar, and a table that flips out for easy dining.

We found a fabulous all natural stain online that also happens to double as bug repellent. My big part in the construction of the tent was sewing the fabric that would protect us from sun, wind, rain, and most importantly mosquitoes. We did a bit of research and found this great tent fabric by Ripstop by the Roll. Sewing the material was interesting to say the least. Working tirelessly at my dining room table I sounded a lot like the father from ‘A Christmas Story’ when he was taking on the boiler down in the basement. All of our hard work paid off when we finally got to the island to construct the tent complete with our tent fabric on top. You can see a sped up version of the construction here.  Our pups favorite part of the tent is  the magnetic screen doors, making it easy for them to come and go as they please, while keeping the bugs out.

In addition to our new living space, my husband also designed a pump that would run off of Dewalt batteries so that we could have pressurized water from the well to our sink and shower. The design is fascinating to say the least. There is even a light on it so we can see it from our tent indicating it has enough power.

The two of us had a great time on our trip visiting the Fairfield Antique Mall where we picked up a couple of old wooden crates for clothing storage and two mission style chairs. I found this adorable pillow at an antique store in Vermont a few years ago and just knew it would be perfect for our space in Maine!

 

While we are still ‘roughing it on an island’ the creature comforts we have added have become a bit more comfortable and little less ‘creature’.  Though there are plenty of spiders, I am just happy they are usually on the outside of the tent.  Sleeping at night with the rain softly falling on the tent we stayed warm and dry. It felt like sleeping in a sound machine – rain, owls hooting, water lapping on the shore. We are surrounded by magic when we are there!  It’s not an easy life on the island – it is an amazing adventure!