This weekend I am taking out my canoe, and likely will be paddling solo.

It is an Old Town, 16 feet, 9 inches.

That might be a little large for one guy, but I plan to stay in the calm portions of the Sandy River.

Talking about the mighty Sandy, the Sandy River Paddlefest will take place Saturday, June 3, beginning at 8 a.m.

It starts at the Legion Field in Strong (Route 4), and boats will float about nine miles to the Fairbanks Bridge outside of Farmington (also on Route 4).

Buses and trucks will pick up participants, and transport everyone back to Strong.

At the field, there will be free kayaking exhibitions, fly-fishing clinics and refreshments.

Organizer Gary O'Brien said that in last year's inaugural Paddlefest, about 60 boats made the trip.

(About 160 were at the social festivities back at the field, indicating some people are more interested in socializing than stroking).

"This year we are expecting more," he said. "We've had a lot of publicity, and organizations in the Franklin County area have done a lot to promote it."

Most craft are kayaks, and thus my bulky 16-9 war canoe will not be a part.

But I hope to motor up to Strong, and meet the hardy river people.

O'Brien said that the event will take place rain or shine.

Those interested can register upon arriving, and post-Paddlefest activities should last until mid-afternoon.

Cutting at the cabin starts this week.

Yes, Your Scribe and Bob the Woodsman met this weekend to discuss specifics of felling of trees on my property as soon as he can get his saws and skidder into the woods.

He will fell oak, maple and poplar, and truck out the logs himself.

He will sell the timber to local yards, and we will divide the proceeds.

I don't expect to get wealthy.

But I would like to buy a few things for the cabin, including a generator so I can carry on a useful life after dark.

I like firelight but you can't be cranking up the wood stove in July and August.

I was impressed that Bob will be getting the blessing of the Department of Environmental Protection.

So we won't be despoiling the forest - just thinning it out so younger trees can thrive.

I never expected to be taking down trees.

But so many are dying, especially sprice and pine, that the forestry experts say that if you don't thin out the thick woods, then more will die (and potentially fall on the cabin.)

There are about 20 acres of land to consider.

But no trees will be cut near the river, which in this case is the Sandy River in Franklin County.

I am looking forward to a cleaner forest - and learning about the cutting and perserving of both hard and soft wood.

Buying a place at Moosehead is getting pricey.

This isn't about units to be offered by the Plum Creek outfit, the "from away" developers that are attempting to score big upcountry.

This is regular property.

Your Scribe doesn't know why it is so expensive (though everything near water is pricey).

Moosehead Lake is so far away.

Obviously, far away depends on where you are.

It might be far from Portland, but it isn't a great distance from Bangor.

And we know that Mainers will drive.

That having been said, here is a cabin (here they say it is a home) that was recently advertised in a national magazine:

"This 3 bedroom - 2 bath year round home has a newly remodeled eat in kitchen with beautiful oak cabinets, new gas range, refrigerator & dish washer. Living room. Full foundation. Garden spot. Deck. This is the one you have been looking for. Approx 1.80 Acres (+ or-) Deeded access to Moose River. Being offered at $224,900."

Deeded access!

$224,900!

Will anyone buy this?

Would they ever make use of it?

The new issue of a magazine called "Cabin Life, Cabin Living" has arrived, and it is full of stories and ads for the upcoming season.

Why is it that I am interested in few of its features?

Granted, most of its stories are pitched to those whose cabins are on lakes.

I am on a river.

Activities can differ.

And the publication originates in Minnesota, which perhaps has different interests from those in Maine.

But I wonder why people who live in cabins would want such grandiose toys as featured in this glossy publication.

Pontoons are big this year.

You know, well-cushioned living rooms with smokey engines at the stern.

Also popular this year are fortified boat lifts, that will hoist powerboats of 20 feet or more.

And there are electronic incinerating toilets that cost more than $1,000.

Well, maybe that's the clue.

I have an outhouse, and am happy with it.

I am not part of the "Incinolet" set, which evidently appeals to the high end of eliminators.

What I did find interesting was the price of cabins in the Midwest.

Expensive!

Two bedroom log cabins (on water) list for at least $300,000 in Wisconsin and Minnesota.

Many cabin properties in the Midwest or South list for more than $500,000.

So evidently it is not only Maine that is seeing huge runups on recreational properties next to nature.

Of the four dozen properties listed in an advertising section with photos, none were in Maine.

A two-bedroom seasonal cabin on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire was listed at $329,000.

This issue included features about the excitement of building your own cabin.

Log-home companies offered packages ranging from $52,000 to $97,000, though you could certainly find more elaborate plans.

These proposals call on the buyer to actually put together the cabin.

Because I am devoid of building ability (or even skill at processing instructions), I thumbed through these offerings without a trace of interest.

There was one tiny classified ad from Moosehead Lake, Maine, which was marketing cabins and lakefront land.

I plan to look it up at www.lizmunster.com, and see how Maine properties stack up with those in the Midwest.

You've got to love the euphemisms that go along with marketing real estate.

My favorite of the week is "great room."

I was looking at a cottage advertised on the website of Day's Real Estate, which services the Belgrade Lakes area.

There was a photo of a cabin that couldn't have been more than 20 x 20.

But the copy writers lauded the property for its handsome "great room."

In a cabin that small, it's likely to have only one room - and to call it a great room is amusing.

Perhaps Your Scribe is sensitive because my 24 x 20 cabin has only one room.

And I haven't been inventive enough to call it my great room.

That having been said, there is a handsome cabin at www.daysrealestate.net that looks pretty good for reasonable money.

(An odd aside: The same property is listed twice on the same web page, once at $137,000 and once at $147,000).

It has a nice screened in porch, and is located on the Belgrade Stream in Mount Vernon.

And don't forget that "great room," which I understand comes with a "lovely loft."

Beds at most traditional cabins seem like they have been in place for years - almost part of the woods.

You know, set in place by a distant relative but still usable despite the eons.

My cabin is not a time piece.

It was built in 2004.

I do have venerable bedding but it's time to upgrade.

I have bunk beds in the cabin.

My father brought them back after World War II.

I shouldn't indicate he struggled to get them through Customs after the Anzio campaign.

All I know is they have been in our possession since his return in 1945.

My sister and I slept on them as youngsters.

After my parents' house was dissembled, I took possession with great satisfaction.

My son slept on one of the beds.

Now they are the key sources of somnolent rest in the cabin, though they are barely serviceable.

They are coming apart after 60 years (assuming they were new when Dad got them).

And they don't have mattresses.

A couple summers ago, I bought Martha Stewart lounge covers and put them over the questionable "springs."

I can sleep on this odd fashion combo, but few others can.

Last summer I bought a chair/single bed at L.L. Bean.

It listed for $399 but when I got to Freeport, it had miraculously fallen to $290 on sale.

I bought it, and was thrilled.

But I didn't realize the "bed" rolls out on the floor.

Most guests do not like to sleep on the floor of a cabin in the woods.

So now I am looking at an "elevated" futon at L.L. Bean.

It's not my first choice.

I have been to Marden's, Wal-Mart and B.J.'s, among others.

But nothing offered at those stores clicked in my rudimentary decorating frame of reference.

So I am thinking of buying the futon at L.L. Bean but am a little cranky about the price of $799.

That's a lot for one piece of furniture.

But . . . if that futon lasts 60 years like the bunk beds my father provided, it would be seen as a great buy - someday.

Cabin life offers numerous activities in good weather . . . the hard thing is enjoying your retreat in the rain.

As a giddy optimist, Your Scribe is not going to complain about the steady sheets of precipitation we've had in recent days.

But rain has a big effect on cabin life, and you've got to make the best of it.

I have my own range of activities in bad weather, and my list is limited because I don't have electricity.

Thus no TV, videos, Internet use etc.

One thing I do in bad weather is tend the wood stove.

Unless it's mid-July, any spell of foul weather means chilly days and cold raw nights.

Since the wood is under the house, I have a steady supply.

But I do have to tromp out frequently to keep the "pipeline" full.

Another indoor activity is studying maps.

I have lived in Kennbunk, Biddeford, Portland and Rockland, so I know coastal geography pretty well.

But I don't know the lakes and streams of upcountry Maine, so I am always gazing at the DeLorme Atlas to plan future trips, be they to The Forks or Fryeburg.

And I read.

I have picked up several local histories of New Sharon, the town in Franklin County where the cabin is located.

Stories about "the old days" are found in a book I bought at a used bookstore in Farmington.

The local history was published in conjunction with the town's 200th birthday in 1993.

I like reading about doctors who used to make horse-drawn house calls in their winter sleds, and families that once hosted reunions that lasted a full week.

Local histories also inform us about the hard times.

One of the most destructive forces of life in the 18th and 19th centures was fire.

Schools burned, town halls burned, and many houses and barns were taken by flames.

Fires are still fearful in modern times.

One of the greatest calamities in the state's history was the great forest fire of 1947, which started in the Western Mountains and spread to the York County coast.

I also read "ancient" Maine history.

Some of the best books are by Neil Rolde, a fine historian and onetime politician from York.

Rolde writes about the early days of Maine, and much of his unique research focuses on the Indian nations that inhabited this state, especially in the 17th and 18th centuries.

It is remarkable how many different eras the state has been party to - and how little we know about those who went before us.

Another activity I pursue in the rain is hoping it will stop.

I love to walk down to the river after a storm, and see how much it has risen.

But the storms have to stop to before one can leisurely stroll to the tree-lined bank.

Yes, rain forces us to new modes of activity - and reminds us of how much fun it is to be outdoors on a day when it's sunny, and warm, and full of promise.

Once I get some land cleared, I am going to plant corn.

Corn is a natural choice for land in Franklin County, which has a lengthy history of growing and harvesting the durable foodstuff.

A century ago in the Farmington area, for instance, a score of companies were built around corn, according to town historians.

Even today, the fields are full of corn in September.

Several farms have even been contracted by federal agricultural officials to grow experimental versions.

If the country ever gets behind ethanol, the corn derivative that can supplement gasoline, perhaps the market will rise again.

In past eras, of course, there were more farms than today.

It's said that there were more than a million people in Maine way back in 1840, and most lived by tilling the earth.

If you walked through the woods in southern or western Maine today, you often encounter an old farmhouse or crumbling basement.

At the least, hikers often can come across aging stone walls in the woods that once served as property markers but now stand motionless like inert footnotes to days gone by.

One of my ethical dilemmas these days is whether to "borrow" pieces from an ancient but attractive stone fence down the road.

I rationalize that the stones are not being appreciated just sitting in the middle of a wooded parcel well off the road.

But presumably they belong to the someone who owns the land, so I have not relocated them.

Yet.

Yes, much old farmland has given way to new forest.

This despite the fact that we are always hearing that the Maine forest is under heavy pressure from developers.

I will be felling trees this summer, in part to create open space for planting.

A student of history, my first planting will be of that venerable vegetable that once brought prosperity to Franklin County - corn.

Are you familiar with "Maine's best kept secret" when it comes to renting cabins?

I wasn't until I saw a display ad for a rental cabin in the magazine "Cabin Life, Cabin Living."

The ad and the owners are a bit presumptuous.

Owners say that the cabin that exists as "Maine's Best Kept Secret" is much more than a cabin.

It is such a valued property, evidently, that owners don't say where it is.

Nor does the website, other than "central Maine."

The pitch: "Come to our brand new, fully furnished log cabin in the northwoods of Maine, and see how we have redefined "rustic."

This is not your "ordinary cabin," or "camp" as the Mainers call them.

This one has ALL the comforts of home, and probably a few more.

From the dishes and copper pots and pans, to the 6 quart White Mountain electric ice cream freezer; one will not have to "rough it" in this place!

We have made every effort to make this a place that everyone will call their "home away from home", and come back over the years; and share it with friends and family.

It's a peaceful sanctuary, with the call of the loon and the bullfrogs putting one to sleep at night!

The lake is beautiful and clear, and there are a couple places nearby to rent canoes and kayaks."

I am not impressed.

Who wants a grandiose experience with a cabin?

If you want to see how the elite cabin renters go about it, you can check out www.cabininmaine.net.

The white-knuckle negotiations are still under way, but I have launched my campaign to fell some trees to help pay expenses.

I have met with my woodsman and he said that money can be made by judiciously taking down selected portions of my forest.

In past years, I would have rejected any suggestion of taking down trees.

But veterans of the woods, both state and private experts, have informed me that large trees end up stealing sunlight and other resources from newer growth.

One result is that many of the fir, pine and spruce trees are just dying in an upright position (and in position to fall on the cabin).

Upside No. 1: I own about 20 acres, and it hasn't been cut for at least 60 years, according to the old-timers at the farm store.

Upside No. 2: There is much oak, maple and poplar on the land. These trees are in demand.

Upside No. 3: Bob, Woodsman Numero Uno, doesn't want to cut and split these towering, 90-footers for firewood. He wants to strip them and sell them in lengthy pieces for veneer. Happily, there are a couple yards right in town so we don't have to truck the timber to Jay or Rumford.

I don't know how much money I will realize from the harvest.

But it would be fun to derive something.

And the knowledge that I am cleaning up the forest would make me feel like a natural-born naturalist - which I am not but am happy to assume that posture.

Bob says he can find at least four-to-five weeks worth of work on my back 20.

If I do realize cash in the low three figures, I might go shopping for a generator.

I don't have electricity.

Maybe Abe Lincoln could real by candlelight but I find it to be a strain on the eyes.

At my cabin, there are few birds.

Oh, there are ravens, and chickadees, and gold finches.

But for a parcel in the midst of water, I expect more color!

After all, the land is in the middle of the Belgrade Lakes region. And the 20-acre parcel is on the Sandy River.

More than a decade ago, the Maine Sunday Telegram published an informative piece on the disappearance of songbirds.

Writers concluded that the declining habitat was causing the loss of migratory birds.

After viewing my acreage, I must agree.

Of course, there is a heron and an osprey that frequent the riverfront but not much in the form of colorful songbirds.

The most prominent bird on my land is the woodpecker.

They tend to like dying trees, and I've got those in abundance.

The woodpeckers, of course, make their fair share of noise.

And they can be handsome.

But I had always hoped for a greater variety of birds.

This weekend, I am spending big on thistle.

I will pour it into my four birdfeeders.

And I will make water available.

My great hope is to draw some colorful birds, like a cardinal or a scarlet tanager!

Interested in buying land, then building a cabin?

Here are some possibilities:

5 acres with 375 feet frontage on the east branch of the Mattawamkeag River (Map 55, DeLorme's Atlas, northeast of Baxter State Park) is going for $19,900.

44 acres in central Maine, "20 minutes drive from Waterville." It offers views of mountains but evidently no water. $44,100.

46 acres near the Belgrade Lakes region. No water. $32,500.

108 acres overlooking Wyman Lake. It is billed as an "old farmstead" but doesn't seem to have any buildings. But it does boast stone walls, apple trees, a rasberry patch and several fields that evidently can be built upon.

114 acres "on the way to Sugarloaf" that offers a trout brook and among pines.
$89,900.

More information can be found at www.wildernessrealty.com.