Nov.1 Working in the Rain

Thursday dawned warm and sunny for a pleasant change from the clammy drizzle. I took my time cooking breakfast while my clothes from the day before dried on nearby bushes. Plan A had been to spend the day walking on Campobello Island, but after being turned away at the border, I decided I’d spend today at the Lubec library reading. Once everything was all folded back into the cart I rolled across town to the library only to find that of all days, Thursday is the day they are closed! So much for plan B! The only thing left to do was walk back to Bob & Rachel Camberland’s. As I trudged back across town a man sitting in a parked car called out to me. “Watcha up to?”

                “Walkin’ across America.” Blank stare.

                “You wanna job? I need a hand with some work back at my place.” By now he had crossed the road to me and introduced himself as Pat Tolson while eying my cart with fascination. He looked old enough to be a grandfather, but lanky and tall. He spoke in slow deliberate sentences, but still interrupted himself as if he couldn’t quite decide what to say. “So you’re walking across…if you can help me I just need a hand shoveling some…how long have you been…this shouldn’t take more than a few hours. How much do you charge per hour?” I’d have taken him to be a bit eccentric if he wasn’t so mellow and deliberate. I agreed to work the day for him, so we lifted the cart into his trunk climbed in. He was laying a bed of coarse river stone around the skeleton of a shed, and as we shoveled the rocks into place he decided to add an overhead crawlspace, but eventually evolved his plans into a full cantilevered second floor. The sunny morning soon turned into drizzle and finally pouring rain. We put on raincoats and hats, but they only slowed the inevitable until we were both soaked through. The worked progressed, undaunted by the rain. The conversation was pleasant. He’s from Alaska, but recently moved to Lubec. Raised Catholic, but says he’s been out of it too long and doesn’t have enough faith anymore. I explain the gospel and what Jesus said about faith like a mustard seed. He’s a hard man to read. No expression. No emotion. In my regular fashion, I cracked puns and jokes throughout the day, but not a single one ever registered. He offered me coffee, cranberry juice, cookies, crackers, pork, chicken, carrots, Kale, and cheese, all of which I gratefully accepted. By the end of the day we were both exhausted from shoveling and raking the stones. He offered me another day, but I need to start making tracks for Machias. I agreed to meet him the next morning for a short job, but that’s all I could promise. He dropped me off back at the Chamberland’s. A warm shower and a piping hot meal were never so good! Tomorrow (Friday) I’ll help Pat again in the morning and get back on the road again by noon. I’m hoping to be in Machias by Sunday morning for church and a day of rest before my dental appointment on Monday. Many thanks to Bob & Rachel Chamberland for putting me up and taking such good care of me these last couple days!