Photographs and Memories

John Jr. & Crickett's Hunter - 1991

Moosehead Lake, Greenville ME

In 1986 our family discovered the most wonderful place in the world to spend a family summer vacation and that was at Casey's Wilderness Camps in Greenville, Maine.  It had been recommended to us by friends of ours because their parents had always taken them there when they were children.  Now as adults they were enjoying it with their children.  So the Short family decided to check it out and off we went in our very first motor home which was a Winnebego Brave.  We were not to be disappointed.

Casey's is about 6 miles off the main road heading from Greenville into Kokadjo, Maine and is located on Spencer's Bay. The drive in to the campground itself was always adventurous and moose sightings were a common thing.  Driving in for the first time leaves one scratching their head wondering just what they have gotten themselves into. Loggin roads and private camp drives veer to the left and the right until suddenly you can catch a glimpse of the lake.  The speed limit sign insists on traveling at 5 MPH and is quickly enforced as you drive into the clearing and are met with a beautiful, peaceful, scene of log cabins, boats, and campgrounds right on the water.  I truly could write a book about the many adventures our family shared there over the years including snowmobiling in on New Years eve to an awaiting cabin with the woodstove blazing, ice fishing from the porch of a cabin, snowshoeing across the lake, and of course great bird hunting! 

Every summer we would book 2 weeks at Caseys, at the end of July. A quick glance at the calendar reminds me this would be our prime week.  Although at that time we were raising children and not Brittanys, Brittanys were a very important part of our family even  then. 

"Hunter" was from our first litter of Brittany puppies, born in July 1990 and he went everywhere with us. Although we owned both of his parents, they usually stayed home with nana and grampa.  Our son John was 15 1/2 in the photograph above.  Not quite yet on his own but to the point where camping with mom and dad had lost some of it's appeal.  He spent a lot of time out in canoe with Hunter; either that or fishing from the shore.  In the picture, Hunter is standing with all 4 legs spread out, standing on the gunnels of the canoe, acting like a scout.  Spencer Mountain is in the background.  (It's funny but as I look over the old pictures of our early Brittanys (owning 2 liver/white and 1 orange/white) it was always the liver and white that I have been drawn to.  And in this picture especially I can see why I was so drawn to Treasure early on - she is marked very much like Hunter.) 

Eventually, our children grew up, got their driver's license, jobs, and had other interests which were more fun that camping with mom and dad.  We began to take the trips to Moosehead as a couple and continued to do so for years.  Sometimes father and son would go together, or our daughter and I would join them during a hunting trip.  But life continued to happen for us which eventually led to primary care giving for an elderly  parent. What was interesting however is how when our children got married, one of the first places they went with their spouse was Casey's Campground.  And when they had children, it was Casey's where they would travel to for their first camping experiences.  I am not sure when the last time was though any of us where there.  We have talked about renting the big family lodge at the campground for a week, and as time marches on, we probably really ought to do this!

On our J & A's Brittanys website itself, the homepage features a collage of sepia photographs of Hunter and our family through the years.  Three of the photos were actually taken in the fall of 1990 when Hunter was just a puppy.  He did a lot of bird hunting there over the years in the Greenville area during the fall months. He was a great Brittany and even now is sorely missed.  He remained an intact male up until his death at the age of 13 and there were never any issues of any kind with him.  We had a couple of opportunities to breed him but we just never did. It would have been a little self serving but for emotional reasons I sure wish we had but that is never a good reason to breed an animal. Anyway, Hunter was very well loved and an important member of our family from the time he was born right up until the day we had to make the best decision on his behalf.  Even now I think of him with a smile as he was a funny boy, who loved to do tricks to make us laugh, and his nickname was Houdini - for he was an escape artist.

On another note, we are one week away from the annual Summer Field N Fun Day that we host here for the Central Maine Brittany Club.  John and I are really looking forward to spending the day with members and friends and all those beautiful Brittanys!  Take care and God bless and as always thanks for your interest in our Brittanys!!!  John, Ann & ATB