Approximately 1040am on Sunday, I, Tracyn Thayer, headed out to Albany Mountain from the Stoneham side, with my GSP/English Setter mix siblings – Willy (2 -male) and Winnie (3 – female). We’ve likely done this run 20 times, and the dogs are accustomed to running ahead, back to me, chase a squirrel, follow a smell, back to me, and on and on. They usually log two times the mileage that I do and I feel like a good ‘dog-parent’ measured by the amount of sleep that ensues afterward.

This day however, a few minutes into the run, I could hear gunshots, and knew there was a range in the area. Winnie doesn’t’ like shots, fireworks, thunder etc, and I was hoping a few minutes of running past the shots would have us on and up the trail past the USFS gate. But, unfortunately, after a few shots (that ended up lasting for an hour), Winnie was no where to be found/seen. This didn’t bring great concern at first as she will often run out into the woods and then be 200 yards down the trail with tail wagging. Willy, unphased, and generally the one who strays off less, didn’t seem concerned either. After running about ½ mile, I did become concerned because there was still gunfire and no Winnie. I ran up the trail afew more mins but then decided back to the car, as she has just ‘met’ me there in the past when I thought she may have gotten lost on the last bit down.

No luck. Then I grabbed a leash from my car, had some water, and looked at Willy and said “go find Winnie”. Instinctively he ran off the trail, ahead on the trail, peed everywhere and we explored about ½ mile beyond where we went the first time, and I tried to remember where exactly I saw Winnie last. Because the dogs weave in and out of the trail, I hadn’t paid too close attention to where she had gone because never before had she not come back after a few minutes.

Back to the car, 30 mins or so later, and now it was getting to be close to noon. I got in the car and drove up the forest road to the gate on the trail and hollered and whistled and tooted my horn some. I got out and ran up the trail again, hoping she’d caught last weeks scent and went up the mtn. Nothing.

There is no cell coverage in the valley there so I couldn’t track her tracker so I drove out to the end of the dirt at the entrance to contact Steve – the dogs’ co-parent – and let him know what had happened, as well as a friend I was supposed to meet for lunch! I also tried to track Winnie but the batter was low and when the app asked me to “track anyway?” of course I clicked yes, and at that point it wouldn’t show any location.

Also at this time the guys who were shooting came out and I thought that maybe Winnie could calm down wherever she was and that I’d find her sooner than later.

A couple more hours of driving, hiking, running, calling, (stressing!!) and Steve came to help around 240 (and brought a Gatorade and some chips! Lifesaver! Willy and I had split the snacks I could rummage out of my little pack – a 2-pack of blonde oreos and a package of energy chews! LOL). With steve there we could leave a car at the ‘start’ (not really a trailhead, but the same place I always parked) and he could drive his van and honk and whistle and holler for Winnie as I would go out to check my Facebook post and come back to run the trail and try to figure out what we could do next. Around 5 we decided to go grab the mail jeep and leave that for the night with the doors open and a blanket in case Winnie found her way back there for the night. We dropped the Jeep around 7 or so, and decided we needed something to eat and think abut what to do for the night. When Steve left I said I would check the Jeep (it’s only 10-15 mins from the farm) before calling it a night and just see if she found her way back.

About 945 I left and just as I was to turn up the road toward the USFS road/trailhead, I got a text from Steve (who hadn’t said he was going out there so a GREAT surprise) that he had her. Just as he said that, our vehicles passed each other and we met up and he gave her to me to reunite with Willy at home.

He said that he’d decided to drive the USFS road one more time, past the jeep to where the gate blocks the trail from anything but foot travel. On the way back out he heard her whimper then appear in his headlights. OMGosh!! So happy.

Countless people, including Barry Lane, Bob Carolyn (I hope I’m rememberting that correctly) had already mobilized to look before Steve was out there.

My step-daughter, Lucy, had gotten permission from her Vet internship job to come look today. My son, Izaac, who is working in Alaska this summer, had movilibized some friends to come help. Lots of prayers and thoughts and good vibes from my Facebook post/s (that was shared 273 times in 12 hours!!) reminded me of the kindness in our area/world. Rod, the man with the shooting range, and a dog that could be my dogs’ sibling offered to go out this morning too.

Thank you everyone, Winnies tracker is fully charged and my heart is definitely FULL as well.

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When I got to town on Friday I snapped a quick photo of the water tower through the windshield of my rental car. At that very moment a shaft of light shot down from the heavens— a good sign. Love and light heal. Working for 3 days with 75 chlldren in the summer school. Reading Kate Dicamillo’s wonderful book about grief, Tiger Rising. Redemption and joy come to those who are brave enough to face the hurt. How I pray for the children and parents of this wounded town to feel the light.

This 26 year old from Del Rio, Texas will, no doubt, be very famous one day. He made his first appearence at the Grand Olde Opry in March. He has the deep resonant cello voice of a Sinatra and sings both Country and Marriachi music with rich style. He is a Marty Robbins who can also sing in the voice of the Mexican girl’s dad. What a treat to see him at the Uvalde Honey Festival. As I listened to the music I walked around the central square in Uvalde and looked at the memorials to to the 19 students and 2 teachers. I felt their presence at this event and a sense of overwelming peace overcame me. They will forever be part of this town.

Here is one of the many historical markers you find throughout Texas that record the birth of the oil drilling industry in the 1920’s. One hopes we will have the same historical records for the first solar farms. FYI , Crockett county is named after Davy Crockett, the eastern Tennessee congressman, humorist, frontiersman who slept there on his way to the Alamo.

Thanks to all who supported the Stoneham Rescue Yard sale. We are grateful

90 year old Marilyn Jones is a living treasure. Here she remembers life on the farm from the 1930’s. This video is 20 minutes long but by the end you will see country life of the 1930’s in Stoneham through the eyes of a little girl. Sadly, Marilyn will be leaving the area in July and moving to Dayton , OH with her goddaughter. We will miss her wonderful stories and all she tells us about the history of our area.

If you spend time online you have probably seen many ads against Pine Tree Power paid for by Central Maine Power and its Spanish parent company Avangrid. The ads say that if the politicians take control of our power the bills will go up. To truly understand this issue we need to understand the difference between a public utility and privately owned power company. Click on the link below to find out more about what Pine Tree Power could do for Maine. In a year when our electric bills have gone up 40% it is important to understand where that extra money is going and who controls the future of power in our state. It is impossible to have an informed debate when you only hear one side of the argument. To this end , the Keewaydin Chronicle hopes to supply you with more information. Below, Waterford’s own, Ted Coburn, describes the reason for a publicly owned power company and how it could change our lives.

The Chronicle’s European correspondents Andrea and Adam are now back home. We welcome them. and look forward to hearing of their adventures and posting some more Euro-pics in the Chronicle.If you are going somewhere exciting ,local or abroad please consider sending a pic to the Chronicle for future editions.

1. Euthanizing Canada Geese
Rangeley

No one really wants to, not the State guys
or the Selectmen, but no other way
to keep the tourists from stepping
in the goose shit or local business
losing money because of it.

No one to scoop it or hose it or use it
or say Watch Your Step. Geese here
since the end of the last ice age
have adapted admirably
to human habitat.

The geese follow the careful trail
of cracked corn family by family,
goslings in the order hatched
walk precisely in line between
their parents to an unnamed site

where in some unnamed way
not wounded, diseased or rabid
they will die to remove
the slippery inconvenience
of their shit.

2. Black Bear Hunting Referendum
Statewide

We keep bumping into bears
invading our habitat.
Tentacled twining suburbs,
rich and fragrant garbage cans
and the sweet greasy smell of burgers
dripping fat onto charcoal
lure bears.
For our own safety we vote to extend
black bear hunting by a month.

3. Eradicating the Winter Tick
Franklin, Somerset, Piscataquis Counties

Is it good management practice
to remove the host of a parasitic
species? Winter ticks have killed
more than half the moose calves
born each spring, sucking their blood
until they slowly die.
Adult moose host the winter tick.

4. Euthanizing Canada Geese
at the former Mercy Hospital, Portland

When the shit got to be
too much and people complained
the game warden or whoever
herded the geese into something
and took them somewhere
and maybe used gas.
At night.
No one saw.

More geese, not understanding
inconvenience or mercy,
appeared the next day.

You can purchase these beauties at the Town Clerk’s Office for $18. Make great Christmas presents.

With the recent gypsy moth invasion we are reminded how fast an ecosystem can be altered for the worse. We need to be vigilant and proactive. Are you interested in preserving our beautiful lake and its creatures for generations to come? You may want to join FOLK :Friends of Lake Keewaydin. Contact Adam at adamfhelm@gmail.com for more information.

Like the news itself, this Chronicle has no deadlines, only lifelines. It will be continually updated till the end of the current month. Keep refreshing to find new stories. Past editions can be found at link below. You are the reporters. Send news, pics and video links to barrylane55@icloud.com. We will publish everything that applies to our mission of building community on the lake and being stewards of our wild world or just sharing local stories and history of the lake and surrounding area. You are all reporters and the story surrounds us.

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Email: barrylane55@icloud.com
Phone: 802-345-9193

Meet here for food and drink.

If you are 65 or older, subscribe to Stoneham Rescue and save lots of money if you end up using the ambulance service this year.

If you are single, send check for $35 to the address below. If you are a couple, send $55. You are also welcome to send more money as a charitable donation.

Ciaran, of the Shea’s cabin. Unlike the British Harry, he is a real potter and makes traditional Celtic goods. See links below. He even speaks Celtic so if you see him say. Dia dhuit!