While not yet complete, our former kids bunkroom has been re-designed as a 2nd Master Suite.
The wrought iron king-size bed (shown above) and the antique brass full-size bed both fit nicely into the large, spacious Loft. We're excited to finish the room within the next two weeks! The large bi-planes will get a new coat of paint and we'll be adding some new touches. :) Our 'Sea & Air' theme, has been tweaked a bit. Just a bit. It's now a 'Sea & Air Travel' theme. So now the Loft will feature travel in and around Maine ~ both by sea and by air, obviously. If you've read any of my previous blogs, you'll know that we've had a terrible time with guests' children, all over the house, but especially up in the Loft. We're now limiting the number of (and ages of) children who stay in our home. Doing so allows us to transform the Loft into more of an adult space. With the guest house, Little 'g' Cottage, soon to be constructed, we'll be switching ALL rentals to the cottage, which will comfortably accommodate one or two people. More photos of the re-designed Loft, as well as the new guest house, will be uploaded as things progress!
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Goodness! I've not blogged in quite a while, so it's certainly time. This Winter seemed to drag on for me. Luckily, it was not as severe (in Virginia nor in Maine) as others in the past, so that's a good thing (unless you're a snow lover). But, with the tiniest hint of warmth, and the feel of more intense sunshine on my face, I am completely ready to give myself over to Spring! More so, I am anxious to get back up to our 'spot' ('spots') and fully, happily bring on 2021! Our hopes of completing our Little 'g' Cottage last year were not to be. Too many issues with hugely-spiking lumber costs, unavailability of carpenters, due to COVID, and lack of proper equipment (locally) to get things done. As ever, Mr. G & I are hopeful that this year will be better and that we will be able to offer our little cottage to renters/couples in latter 2021. :) Because of the delay in construction of our cottage, we have opened-up our booking calendar for the big house, The 'G' Spot Maine, for just a few weeks this year. So, if you've been thinking about staying with us, please do pop-over to our Airbnb listing and take a look. Otherwise, we're hoping that 2021 will allow some normalcy to return to everyone's lives. Parties, parades, get-togethers, or even a simple family holiday dinner. This past year was a bit rough ~ fingers crossed that this one will be better, healthier, & more productive. In the meantime, here are a couple of photos to show where our Little 'g' Cottage will be placed. Do check back to see our progress. Fingers crossed that this year will bring our diminutive mermaid-themed cottage to fruition!   As a sidebar, we also have a large, steel cargo container that we're trying to decide what to, creatively, turn it into and where to place it. Garage? Storage shed? Meh, those seem too boring. Perhaps a 'retro bathing shack' on our adjoining two acres? A large patio door, overlooking the water, and added decking in order to lay-out in the sun? Inside the 'shack' guests can change their clothes, grab a quick, cool beverage? Hmmm, I'll have to think on that a bit longer. Suggestions welcomed, btw!
Happy SPRING!!! Summer rental season is now complete. It has been a rough year. Sadly, most of our renters did not respect our home (or house rules) and some caused considerable damage. While that may seem like part-and-parcel of renting a home, we would have to disagree. Because of this, we will only be renting The 'G' Spot Maine by request, meaning that our booking calendar will be (mostly) closed in 2021 and potential renters will have to contact us directly in order to book. On the positive side! We hope to begin construction on our Little 'g' Cottage this Fall as we'd like to avail it in 2021 as a couples' getaway retreat. While the cottage itself will be small ~ basically one 12'x24' room ~ it will have the same BIG views of the Atlantic, via our shoreline/cove and expansive bay. Cottage guests will also have our four private acres of woods to roam, as well as the whole coastline of Maine at their disposal via a drive up or down coastal Route 1. We hope that you'll stay tuned to updates regarding our little 'g' cottage and we wish you the very best in the remainder of 2020! Terri G   Interestingly (to me anyway), I've always been a Summer girl. I frequently spent weekends at the beach (OBX of North Carolina) or hiking (mountains of the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia) or down at the (Shenandoah) river. I have a 1995 Jeep Wrangler and, during the Summer months, I can almost always be found cruzin', topless (the Jeep, not me). Warm coffee-coloured suntan. Sun-bleached blonde hair. Flip flops (of course). Summer is, and always has been, such a special season to me. However....yes, a caveat....Autumn.....? The only reason that I'd never really, truly, even remotely liked Autumn is because I considered it to be the gateway to Winter, which I loathe. But, after purchasing coastal property in Maine, and spending time there during the Fall (and Winter), I think that I'd like to change my mind on this whole business of 'liking' Fall. I still hate Winter - no changing my mind on that one. Ever. I'd always heard people speak of spending 'Autumn in New England'. I'd seen it in the movies; of course - those vibrantly-coloured leaves with their crisp smell of dying photosynthesis in the air! Now add to that the smell of ocean water. Not just any ocean water. MAINE Atlantic Ocean water! Don't laugh. There is definitely a difference between the smell of green (or brown) ocean water and bright, clear-blue, COLD ocean water. If you've not experienced it, the difference, then please take my word for it. It's unique. Super fresh, super clean with just a hint of seaweed/kelp and salt. Nothing mucky or stale-smelling, not even at the shoreline or docks. So....with Autumn on our doorstep, I thought that I'd share some delicious photographs of Maine in the Fall. Note: these are not my photos. Enjoy! Granted that this has been an odd year - 2020. We'd had so many wonderful plans for our great 'spot', but, as with everything else this year, they were delayed, thanks to COVID. HOWEVER!!! We are hoping to quickly get back on-track with construction of our petite guest home, the Little 'g' Cottage. It will be small, 12 feet x 24 feet, but the whole back of the cottage will be nothing but glass! A huge triple (9-foot wide) French door, flanked by two large windows. Talk about an expansive view of our private little cove! :) We're super stoked! Because we so enjoy having kitschy, themed fun with our Maine 'spot', this little cottage will be no exception. It will be decorated in an upscale mermaid theme, in vibrant colours of turquoise & aqua blues, with punches of bright lime green. Check-out our new logo below and some of the awesome mermaid prints that will be hanging on the cottages' whitewashed, shiplapped walls.  
 While the 'little g' will not be available as a rental, it certainly won't be difficult to sneak a quick peek inside via one of the MANY large windows and glass doors.
With Summer coming to an end (bummer), it's time for us to get back to work. There's always something to do at The 'G' Spot Maine and, frankly, we wouldn't have it any other way. :D I'll be the very first to admit that I am a relic. I am so 'old school' that you could probably spot it a mile away. No, I don't wear waist-high blue jeans or have silver-blue hair (although that's become quite popular lately). No orthotic shoes for me. Don't use a cane....well, not yet. ;) I'm 'old school' because I believe in integrity, in respecting others and their belongings, and in being courteous & kind, as well, I'm one of those 'pay it forward' types. You know what I mean. Considerate. Courteous. Without getting too deeply into this, if we don't have those innate basics, then what/where are we as people, much less as a society? To those of you who rent vacation homes, would you please answer the questions below? You will not be spammed and this data is only for my contemplative purposes. Thank you. If you decide to take and submit this survey, thank you. I'll tell you why it's important to me.
 With all of the uncertainty regarding the re-opening of schools this Fall, please consider taking your child(ren) on an educational trip!! The USA has so much to offer, in each & every state, but here on the coast of Maine (particularly at Acadia National Park or the various maritime & fishing museums along the coast) there's so much that your child(ren) can learn, outside of the traditional classroom. For example, did you know? *Maine is the only state to share its border with only one other US state? It is the only state bordered on three sides by Canada. *Acadia National Park is the 2nd most visited national park in the US? *Cadillac Mountain (in Acadia) is the first place (in the US) to view the sunrise October thru March? *Maine has the most forest cover of any other state (hence the name the 'pine tree state')? *The University of Maine is the oldest, largest and only research university in the state? *The first naval battle of the Revolutionary War was fought of Machias, Maine in 1775? *Maine has more than 60 lighthouses. The Portland Head Light is the oldest lighthouse in the state and was the first lighthouse completed after independence from the British? *Outside of Alaska, Maine has the largest population of Moose in the United States? *Maine is the only state in the United States whose name has one syllable? *Approximately 40 million pounds (nearly 90%) of the nation's lobster supply is caught off the coast of Maine? *Maine produces 99% of all of the blueberries in the country, making it the single largest producer of blueberries in the US? Please feel free to contact us about nearby 'educational vacation options' for your family, or check-out our Airbnb Guidebook for a full photo list of what's nearby. 🥰 🦞🍁 https://airbnb.com/h/thegspotmaine  Happy June!! We were finally able to head up to Maine to check on our 'spot'. We SO BADLY missed being up there! Maine is gorgeous in any season, but warmer weather is infinitely more enjoyable (in my opinion). We were only there for a few days, but we accomplished quite a bit. So what's new, you ask? Let me tell you!!! A wonderful 10-foot long 'al fresco' dining table for openers! We've been wanting something, other than our fold-out banquet tables, where guests could easily gather & feast outdoors, while gazing out over the water, watching the tide & sea birds come and go. Now we have it. Even better, the table is just steps away from our outdoor grilling station. We love it!
What else? Our other fun, but less physically demanding, project was to add a cozy corner laptop/computer station, complete with outstanding views (duh!!), a big comfy leather chair, an attached multi-plug power strip, a 'G Spot' mouse pad (of course), and the WiFi modem (and password) right next to you for super-convenience & ease of use. Unfortunately, we still have a 5 gig per week data use limit (not our choosing ~ that's all that's available to us in our area). So, while we're happy to add this work area, The 'G' Spot Maine is still not best-suited to a 'working vacation', or kids' gaming/downloading (even on their phones) due to the very limited connectivity.   As of this blog writing, the Governor of Maine's mandatory 14-day quarantine order is still in-place. Anyone who visits the state (non-FT-residents) is required to abide by a very strict 14-day quarantine. Due to this, we've blocked-off our Airbnb booking calendar.
We want both our guests and local residents/business owners to be safe; therefore following the rules until this mandatory quarantine is amended or lifted is an absolute, with no leeway. So......we don't feel that visitors to The 'G' Spot Maine will have the enjoyable time that we, or they, want. As amazing as our home is, no one wants to be on 24-hour lockdown, unable to even go get groceries or basic necessities, much less unable to see the incredible tourist attractions that make Maine such a hot-spot. So, with that said, please keep checking-back here, or on our Airbnb page for updates and availability (in our booking calendar). We ABSOLUTELY do hope to welcome guests to our 'spot' VERY SOON! https://www.airbnb.com/h/thegspotmaine Thanks so much! It has been a while since I've blogged, but that's only because there hasn't been much to say. The whole world has been turned upside down and everyone is in a holding pattern. I certainly have NO desire to get into any political discussions, nor to editorialize the pros and cons of the COVID crisis, vaccines, medicines, treatment options, or the like. What I DO want to say is that we will get past this. We've always overcome dire challenges and COVID will be no different. When this is all said and done, or something close to 'done', The 'G' Spot Maine will be there to welcome you and to offer a place of quiet respite. I think that everyone desperately needs that right now. A change of scenery. Time to de-stress. To gather with family again. To celebrate missed birthdays, anniversaries, and graduations. To embrace normalcy once again. Whether that happens this Fall, or next year, we'll be ready for you. By the way, The 'G' Spot Maine is our future retirement home. It's important to note that we never purchased the property, nor constructed the home, simply as a source of rental income. As a matter-of-fact, quite the opposite. But after seeing what we'd created, we wanted to share it, a few weeks out of the year, with other like-minded souls who were looking for a truly private & peaceful getaway, especially with their families. It's decorated as a home, but with a luxury hotel twist. It's not one of those sparse, bare-minimum rental places. The 'G' Spot Maine is filled (but not overly so) with comfortable furniture and some of our favorite belongings because, in a few years, we'll be spending most of our time there. So if you decide to spend your vacation time in our home, please know that we've done everything that we could think of to make it as comfortable, efficient, and relaxing as possible. Do note, however, that it still is our home and we ask that you respect it as such. So in the meantime, until things get back on-track, please feel free to keep our 'spot' in-mind for your upcoming vacation needs. We are always here to chat or answer questions. AND, for 2021 bookings (via our Airbnb listing), we'll be offering a discount to all frontline healthcare personnel, as well as police, fire, and military (ID required). Sincere best wishes to everyone and we hope to see you at our 'spot' in the very near future!  Allow me to provide a preamble stating that I am from a different generation than the tweens, teens, and/or 20- & 30-somethings out there, but this blog is not solely in reference to them. Buckle-up, this is going to be a l-o-n-g one. I could begin this blog by saying, "Well, back in MY day"....but I won't. Today's technologically-driven society is what it is, and I fully participate in it, yet I do feel somewhat disheartened that today's 'kids' are not always aware of, nor allowed to experience, the wonderful things available to them without the internet. I won't list them here, but surely you know what I mean. Playing outside all day long and not coming home until the street lights begin to glow. Sitting, as a family, around the dinner table and playing a game ~ a board game, or cards. Sound boring? Could be, But it provided socialization and bonding as a family, as well as learning the skills of listening to & respecting others. What does this have to do with The 'G' Spot Maine? EVERYTHING! Our amazing 'spot' is intentionally away from cities, crowds, airports, traffic, noise, and people. In order to find that kind of seclusion and privacy, we had to give-up a few other things. Like sanity, for one. But, for purposes of this blog, connectivity! Yes, we have satellite WiFi. Yes, we have Direct TV (with all of the movie channels). Yes, we have an Xbox, but not a 'live' connect, due to limited internet capabilities. Yes, we have DVD players with hundreds of (recent) movies. We have a library of books. We have cards/poker, chess/checkers, games, puzzles galore, a dartboard, two corn holes sets! Best yet, the incredible great outdoors!!! Ocean water. Kayaking. Canoeing. Wildlife & considerable seabird life. But what does everyone want? CONNECTIVITY! But, why if you're on vacation? Honestly. If you are trying to get away from your normal hectic, manic life and get TO a place that's soothing, quiet, and relaxing, why is it impossible to disconnect? A bit of background information, please. The 'G' Spot Maine is on a very rural, coastal, private road. It took nearly THREE years just to get a telephone (land) line there! Maine is known as the 'least connected' state in the U.S.ofA. Its internet availability is horrible, to put it frankly. Larger cities & towns have it, of course, because municipalities must have it in order to function. It is not so with residents, full- or part-time. Example: We traveled from Virginia to Maine to meet with no less than four different internet companies who promised 'high speed' internet. After making the 13-hour drive up to Maine (on numerous occasions) we were informed that (oops, sorry) they cannot supply internet to our area. Too remote. One company in particular, said that they could not 'guarantee' that we'd even be able to get a signal, but if so, we could experience 'speeds of up to 3 mbps' for a minimum of $50/month (I kid you not). Wow, really? Lucky us! No thanks. So the company that we ended-up using is ok. It's not amazing, but it's ok. The only reason that we even have it is for our guests. But we are only allowed a limited & finite amount of data/GB each month. Of that same finite amount, we then share that 'per week' for our guests' use. There is no such thing as 'unlimited data' where we are. We are not able to purchase more data, as there is simply no more to purchase. We get what we get (and we pay dearly for it), but once it's gone, it's gone. We have a very strict 5GB per week limit. For those who are unfamiliar with what even ONE gig will allow, here are some examples. 1GB of data allows you to send or receive about 1,000 emails. Browsing the Internet for about 20 hours uses approximately 1GB. One hour of High Def video streaming uses approximately 2.5GB. One hour of Standard Def video streaming uses approx. 0.70GB. Streaming one hour of 4K video uses approx. 5.85GB. Four hours of online gaming uses approx. 0.5GB. Uploading 143 social media posts, with photos, would equal 1GB. Listening to 249 hours of streaming music would equal 1GB. Point is, 5GB of data per week is not a lot, certainly not over the course of a week, with multiple people/devices in the house, and there really isn't a place for 'vacation internet addiction', neither by kids, nor by their parents. Yet, most of our rental groups have been using at least half of their allotted data within the first day or two (!!?) and then continue to use-up the limited remaining data even after being told/reminded that they are approaching, or are over, their agreed-upon limit. WHY??? Is it not possible to get outside and do something else? Why come to Maine if you're going to keep your face in your phone/computer? Besides the fact that it's extremely disrespectful to our clearly posted (and agreed-upon) house rules, why do people try to usurp more data than is allowed? Do they, do we as a society, feel that they/we have a 'right' to use something that is not theirs/ours to consume? If 5GB is the agreed-upon amount, why would anyone try to manipulate that to get more? Is it a dishonesty issue? An entitlement problem? Intentional ignorance? Why can't children be told to put their phones, iPads, & laptops away? Why must parents use the house for tele-work purposes, when we've clearly stated (on our Airbnb listing, as well as our website) that our house is not to be rented if guests are looking for a working vacation, or gaming or streaming for the kids? So why? I'll tell you why. Connectivity addiction. It simply doesn't seem to register that there are places that are, and should be, 'disconnected' or 'limited'. Keep trying to log on......you'll get on there..... No, you won't. It's rural Maine. :/ Ahhhh….. Wonderful, pristine Maine. Our delightful little town of Milbridge has extremely hard-working folks, btw. As a matter-of-fact, virtually all of the wait-staff at the (2) local restaurants have, or are in the process of getting, their college degrees. When sitting in one of the restaurants, however, I have found that it is rare indeed to see a child, teen, or a parent staring at their phone. The folks in Maine TALK at the table. They talk to one another. They connect! They laugh. They enjoy the food, the atmosphere, the staff, the other guests. They have fishing tales to tell. They keep-up with the local sports. They talk of family ~ recently married, engaged, born, deceased. When I do see a phone in use, it's usually to show others the latest photos of their new boat, home renovations, children/grands, etc., or to answer an actual phone call. It's an amazing thing! The connectivity is with PEOPLE! What a novel idea! How unique and refreshing! Mr. G and I are 'digitally connected' people, obviously. We enjoy staying connected to our children & family. We have work. I have multiple websites. When we are in Maine, however, our phones are rarely in our hands and we never bring computers along. Yes, we check our phones from time to time, just in case there has been a problem or emergency, but living a disconnected life in such a wonderous place as coastal DownEast Maine is something to relish. Not everyone gets the opportunity to visit a remote, private home on the ocean in Maine, but everyone needs to have the opportunity to put their device(s) away and take a long, deep breath...….  |
Terri 'G'A native Virginian who has fallen completely and utterly head-over-heels in love with Maine! Archives
October 2024
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