Helpful Hints and Practical Information for South Lubec Beach Maine Oceanfront Cottage

South Lubec Beach Maine Oceanfront Cottage

Helpful Hints and Practical Information

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RESIDENCY:

RESIDENCY REQUIREMENT: For a residential rental Maine requires that the cottage be your primary residence, with very limited exceptions involving work-related residency or moving to Maine in search of a permanent home. (The cottage has not been available to the public as a vacation rental since June 2005.)
NEW RESIDENTS: If you are a new resident of Maine be sure to visit the state's website on Moving to Maine for information on voting, drivers licenses and car registration, taxes and taxes and registration of new businesses.
TOWN FUNCTIONS: Official local government functions are in the Lubec town office. The Washington County government facilities are in Machias.
MAIL: There is no mailbox because of a history of vandalism destroying mailboxes along the road. If you decide to put up your own mailbox you should take security into account. You can open a PO box at the post office in Lubec.
“PROPERTY TAX REBATE”: You may be entitled to a partial subsidy for rent under the state's “Circuit Breaker” program under which the state makes selective direct payments to tenants based on income.

INDOORS:

AREA LITERATURE: A white looseleaf binder in the cottage contains brochures, maps, a tide table and information on the local area. Another binder contains menus from local restaurants. More literature is in the magazine racks.
LUBEC JOURNAL: One of our first vacationers started a notebook to record their practical suggestions, impressions, and experiences on the beach and the local area to share with those who came after them. We thought it was such a good idea, that we have kept it going. We would love to have you contribute to the journal. You can include anything that you want to – recommendations for places to visit or avoid, to how early you saw the sun rise and rare birds spotted. The Journal is in a large looseleaf binder.
BOOKS: Books on the shelves are available for your reading enjoyment (but please don't take them home). Some are classics, there are many Reader's Digest Condensed Some are classics, there are many Reader's Digest Condensed Books, and some paperbacks came from book recycling centers, so it is pot luck. (There are also public libraries in the villages of Lubec and Cutler.)

References: In the book collection at the cottage you will find Bird Finding in New England, by Richard Walton, which opens with a description of Campobello Island, South Lubec Beach, and Quoddy Head. We also have the Reader's Digest Wildflowers reference, the Peterson-McKenny Wildflowers Field Guide for North Eastern/North Central North America, and the Peterson Birds of Eastern and Central North America.
NO SMOKING: If you please only smoke outside. Please dispose of the butts safely and not in the toilet. Thank you!

UTILITIES AND APPLIANCES:

TRASH: Put all trash in closed plastic trash bags and place the bags in the barrel outside the front door. Wrap any lobster shells in paper so that their sharp edges will not tear the plastic trash bags and cause leaks. Keep the barrel lid on the trash barrel and heavy rocks on the lid to keep out animals. The trash is picked up weekly at the cottage. As a residential tenant you can continue this arrangement.

Please do not leave recyclables in the cottage; either throw them away or take them to the recycling center in Lubec (the hours of operation change frequently and they don't accept items for which there is no re-sale market.)
WATER: The water is town water and is high quality. There is normally no need to bring in bottled water or a purifier.
SHOWER AND TUB: The water temperature at the furnace is set high to allow for long showers. Aim the shower head back towards the wall, turn the temperature setting knob counterclockwise to point up and to the right ("north east"). The flow lever is set to the center for off, left for the tub faucet, and right for the shower. Adjust the knob for temperature from there (don't turn fully counterclockwise to maximum hot).

There are suction cups to attach the edges of the shower curtain to help keep the floor dry.

Please spray the shower after each use to make it easier to keep the tiles clean. There is a spray bottle of Clean Shower under the sink. It only takes a second each time.
COOK TOP & OVEN: Please run the self cleaning oven whenever you spill food in it. The cleaning is automatic but must be started manually to ensure that the oven is kept clean.

If you are not familiar with the care of smooth glass-top stoves, please read on. It is so much easier than regular stoves, but requires care to avoid damage. We would like to keep the range in new condition. See the instructions in the drawer. In particular, do not scrape pans across the top or use it as a counter top. There is a special polish kept on the kitchen counter that helps keep the surface clean simply by wiping the flat surface with it. Always be sure that the surface is clean before you turn the heat on. The food does not burn off the surface.
DISHWASHER: Turn the dial to Normal and push the door closed to start. Steam will vent in the front during the drying cycle. If the door is then partially opened the dishwasher will not use its electric heater to dry.
SINK: Please do not pour grease, other chemicals or food down the sink drain as it will ruin the septic system. (There is no garbage disposal in the sink.)
CLOTHES WASHER & DRIER: The clothes washer and electric drier are in the back of the kitchen and work in a standard way.
TOILET: Please do not flush any foreign objects down the toilet -- no cigarette butts, no condoms, no paper other than the toilet paper, etc. It will ruin the septic system and its pump used to pump waste water up to the leach field.
HEAT: The oil-fired heating system is controlled in two zones. There is a thermostat on each floor. Do not set the upstairs thermostat in the loft beyond the mid 60's or the bedrooms will likely be too hot for you. When you leave please turn the upstairs thermostat off and the downstairs thermostat to 55°. (The antique wood-burning stove in the kitchen is decorative only. It is wired closed and not connected to a functional chimney.)
SMOKE DETECTORS: There are two battery-operated detectors: one in the front entrance and one at the top of the stairs to the second floor. Please test them with the buttons to be sure the batteries are still working.
TELEPHONE: Local calls (Lubec, Cutler, Machias, Perry, etc.), international calls to Campobello and '800' calls may be made, but normally there is a long-distance block on the phone for security so outgoing long distance calls require a calling card with toll-free number access. If you are residential tenant the telephone will be in your name with whatever service you contract for. Calls made to anywhere in Maine other then to the local exchange require the area code 207. International calls to Campobello Island are now considered local calls. The telephone in the cottage is on the national do-not-call list for telemarketers so you should not be disturbed by them.
CELL PHONE: Cell phones work only marginally in the Lubec area and often do not work at all near the cottage. (Satellite phones are not subject to the local cell phone problems.) One of the best locations for local reliable cell phone use is at the fire department parking lot at the top of the hill in the village, but there are many places where it may work, depending on atmospheric conditions.

Canadian signals from NB Tel are usually the strongest and are often locked onto by cell phones in Lubec. If you find later that you have been billed for an international call made when you were in Lubec, call your cell phone company for a credit. This happens frequently for cell phone customers in the Lubec area; don't be bashful about insisting on a credit if the operator is not aware of the problem. (U.S. Cellular, the primary local carrier, is however changing its refund policy because of the large losses they have incurred -- they must pay the international rates to Canada.) Cell phone calls made while on Campobello Isl. or elsewhere in Canada, however, are international calls. The newer digital signals are designed to avoid interference and may avoid the Canadian signals, but will still be weak in Lubec. Test by dialing the standard 611 cell phone customer service number; if the announcement says Alliant you have the Canadian connection.
INTERNET: There is no broadband internet access at the cottage, but you can use a modem if you have access through a local or '800' number for direct access or a calling card. The only nationwide ISP we know of with a local telephone number in Lubec for an internet connection (733-4700) is http://localnet.com for $10/month and a $12 setup fee with no long term contract.

Cable Internet service can be obtained through the Cable TV provider, Pine Tree Cablevision. Satellite internet can be obtained but is more expensive.

The Lubec library (open Mon.–Wed.,Fri.&Sat. AM) has several PC's and now has a high-speed T1 connection through the state library system. WiFi is available for labtops and works outside the building when the library is closed if you have a strong enough signal (easily obtained with an external antenna.) There is also an external cable connection in the library's front function room that can be used for a laptop or notebook computer. To use this you have to register your PC with the library, which requires knowing your ethernet card internal serial number (mac address, which you can obtain with the shell command ipconfig /all. Once the data is entered into the library database, ordinarily you have to set the IP addresses manually the first time you connect; from then on you can connect with DHCP/automatic IP).

The Cutler library (open Mon.–Thu.), in the town office on Rt. 191 at the Harbor, is smaller with only one PC, but has a broadband cable connection. If you ask permission you may be able to use the ethernet connection for a laptop or notebook computer plugged into the router. Bring an ethernet cable with the standard oversized telephone-type connector and configure your portable PC for DHCP/automatic IP. (Most people are very nice, but an elderly woman associated with the library but who hates computers has been known to occasionally come in and become incoherently and hysterically abusive – if this happens to you it is not your fault.)
TV: Cable service is provided for the TV in the living room. Channels are tuned with the cable box with the TV left tuned to channel 3. There is a card showing the cable channel numbers and stations. A portable TV without a cable connection is unlikely to work for more than a few channels, if at all.
VCR: The VCR is connected for recording off the cable between the incoming cable and the TV so you can watch and record simultaneously. If you bring a DVD player and connect it, please leave the connections as you found them when you leave. (The connections must be composite RCA to the VCR or RF coax cable; there are no S-video or component jacks.) A video rental store is located at the intersection of Rts. 189 and 191 outside the village. A smaller selection is available at McFadden's Variety Store, left on Rt. 189 away from the village.
STEREO: The stereo receiver and speakers will play AM or FM radio as is. If you bring a cassette or CD player and cables you can connect to the RCA phono jacks in the back of the receiver. If you have a portable player you will need an adaptor from the mini-stereo plug.
WEATHER RADIO: The small weather radio in the kitchen is tuned by the knob in the back. Look for the local station with recorded broadcasts covering coastal Washington County. (There may only be one station available at all.)
CIRCUIT BREAKERS: The circuit breaker panel is in the basement at the front of the cottage.
PEST REPELLERS: An electronic pest repeller discourages small field animals from finding their way into the basement. The higher settings are ultrasonic and most people can't hear it at all when not in the basement. If you are sensitive to the sound you can adjust or unplug it, but please leave it on when you leave. There are also mousetraps in the basement, usually left near the north end of cottage.
FAN: There is window fan, usually kept upstairs, which can be positioned anywhere you think you need it.

OUTDOORS:

DRIVEWAY: Drive slowly on the driveway; there are drainage ditches on both sides. Please stay on the gravel area when parking in front of the cottage. The septic pump is just off the gravel under a wood cap and hay.
LOCK DOORS: Always lock the doors and windows when you are away. The sliding door locks from the inside only and also has a wooden dowel that sits in the bottom track to prevent the door from being forced open.

The back door deadbolt lock operates on both sides with the key. For your safety, leave the key nearby or in the lock on the inside when you are in the cottage for the night.
DECK AND LAWN FURNITURE: Please keep the deck/lawn chairs tied to the deck railing, with the rope attached to each chair, when not in use so that they will not blow away or break the glass if the wind becomes gusty. The redwood picnic table can stay on the deck.
GRILL: There is an electric grill for cookouts, which does not use charcoal. Please keep it clean and covered when not in use. You can also use the outside brick fire pit for campfire cooking. There is a fire extinguisher in the kitchen you should keep handy.
OUTSIDE WATER: There is an outside faucet and hose on the left side of the cottage as you face the front. You may use this to rinse off your feet after a barefoot walk on the beach or anything else that is best cleaned outside.
HUNTING: Please, no hunting on the cottage grounds or on the beach. If you walk anywhere in the woods during any hunting season be sure to wear bright-colored clothing, preferably including orange. For hunting season schedules or if you are otherwise interested in hunting check the Maine state hunting and trapping website and the Lubec town office.
FISHING: A license and fee is required to clam on the beach, even for a single occasion. Check with the town office on the top of the hill in the village if you pursue this. You are unlikely to catch fish surfcasting from the beach. If you fish elsewhere, check the Maine state fishing regulations and licenses website. Fresh water fishing licenses can be obtained from the Lubec town office.

SAFETY & CHILDREN:

In winter weather, be careful of “black ice” on the roads, which can appear to be dry when they are not.
There is an old well hole near the driveway, which you can see from the window over the kitchen sink. It is covered by a cap and a boulder.
Please do not let your children play under the deck.
There is a large rhubarb plant opposite the deck at the top of the bluff over the beach. The leaves are not healthy to eat.
Stepping on a live Sea Urchin can cause a bad infection.
Watch your children if they use the swing on the tree. There are rocks under the swing and a drop to a seasonal streambed.
The water in the ocean and the bay is very cold, and some areas have very strong currents from the tides. The shallow water near the beach at high tide will be relatively warmer, but still cold.

Enjoy!!

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last updated 8/12/07