The Oakwood/Kettering/ Washington Township “fivesome” visiting Connie Breen at her magical camp on Long Pond, Bar Harbor, Maine, have been taking full advantage of the 50 years of friends and experiences Connie and Eddy enjoyed. One of the first friends the “outlanders” met years ago was Don Cote. The native Maine-iac  is a local ‘icon’. In the early ‘50’s, the Camel Cigarette Company hired Don to make a TV commercial for the “I’d walk a mile for a Camel…” ad. He’s the man shown leaping across a terrifyingly wide chasm in the wilds.for a…”Yes, it was a popular commercial and ran for a while…: admitted a very unassuming man. Don was Connie and Eddy’s handyman, winter caretaker, serves on the local bank board and a museum board among other things. He supplies his friends with produce from his beautiful gardens.

Of course everyone from ‘away ‘ asks the natives: “What do you think of Martha Stewart?”  Was she accepted when she bought that grand estate years ago? Have you ever seen her:..” Don Cote tells of Martha’s being in the Northwest Harbor Deli/Caterers shop when she first moved to Maine. As she was leaving, she asked the young clerk if she could use the phone. “There’s a pay phone on the wall behind you,” answered the girl. “Nobody’s allowed to use our phone because the owner says we might miss an incoming phone order..” Martha  asked a second time…and got the same answer. Martha’s third request for the phone was prefaced by “Do you know who I am?” A man’s voice behind Martha said “I’ve used the pay phone for years!.” It was David Rockefeller. The story spread like wildfire and helped to establish Martha’s local reputation!

Lucy Bell and Peter Sellers are Connie’s next door neighbors on Long Pont (next door is half a mile away). At 7:30 the other morning. Lucy appeared for coffee.  “Did you walk over?”  “No, I rowed. My boat’s moored to Connie’s dock.”

Emmy Lesser has a terrific ‘camp’ on down the lane from the Sellers. Her winter home is on 57^th St. NYC between First and Second Ave. Three of the Daytonians were invited to play bridge at Emmy’s. The table was on the deck overlooking the Pond and the resident chipmunk sat on the railing and begged for food the entire time….in a very sassy voice.

We’ve got to go over to Rockland to the Farnsworth Museum to see the Wyeth Collection,” said Connie. The two hour drive was delightful. And the three Wyeth’s are worth a journey of any length. A picture-book New England church houses the N.C. Wyeth collection and that of his grandson Jamie Wyeth. Grandfather’s book illustrations and ‘Maine Scenes’ are a delight. But the ‘ravens and the Bulls’ by grandson Jamie are absolutely fabulous. It’s difficult not to touch the feathers of his birds. Every canvas in the collection is more exciting than the last. He’s more than a latter-day Audubon. Across the main street of Rockland is another museum housing the works of the most famous of the three generations of artists – Andrew Wyeth..