The Simple Pleasures – and Features – of the Classic Maine Lakefront Camp

The Simple Pleasures – and Features – of the Classic Maine Lakefront Camp
January 28, 2008
Bucking National Trend, Maine Home Prices Continue to Rise in 2007
January 31, 2008

The Simple Pleasures – and Features – of the Classic Maine Lakefront Camp

 Installment #3
 A Sin of Giant Proportions
Occasionally I will enter a Maine camp expecting to find the classic pine interior, only to find that the homeowner has painted the pine interior white. I just know that Sister Mary Norbertine would agree with me that this heinous act is among the greatest of sins. The decision to paint the natural pine interior is irreversible. There is no putting the toothpaste back in the tube.
The homeowner told me she painted the interior because she read an article in Coastal Living that said white walls are just the thing for a vacation home. Well, maybe on the Carolina or Florida coast, but not in the sylvan paradise we call the Western Mountains and Lake Region of Maine.
By now, you probably guessed that when it comes to Maine Lake living, I’m a traditionalist as well as a preservationist. Perfectly good Maine camps are being razed and in their places McMansions are being built with all the suburban amenities and sensibilities we have grown to know and love – wall to wall carpeting, granite countertops, vinyl siding, concrete foundations and Pergo floors. A new age of “improvements” once again spells danger for the Classic Maine camp.

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