99 SUNSET LAKE RD (Lakeside - Formerly Bluestone)

Essay by John and Mary Ann Ferrell, July, 2009
     
The Ferrells purchased the cottage in May, 2003 from Margaret Sheldon Chase.  Her mom and dad, Westly and Mary Sheldon, had built the cottage in 1979, after taking down the original camp building on the site, dating back to the early 1920's.

John and Mary Ann, along with their children Kristin and Tiger, had visited Charles and Hilda Parrott, their friends from Concord, Massachusetts, at their Sunset Lake cottage for 10 years, often checking to see what lake cottages might be for sale.  When Margaret Chase decided to sell her lake property in the spring of 2003, John and Mary Ann immediately bought it, before it was officially on the market.  Word of mouth, from Sylvia Robbins to Charles Parrott to the Ferrells, worked better than a bevy of brokers!

They soon began to update the cottage with help from Chris Robbins, with a new kitchen, vaulted ceiling with skylights, pine floor, and new lighting and finishes.  The boathouse was completely rebuilt, and a laundry room was added inside.  A new septic and well were completed in 2006.

The Ferrells try hard to spend as many weekends as possible at the lake, beginning as early as March, just as the ice is melting, and continuing through late October, before the first freeze.  Mary Ann enjoys working on her flower and vegetable gardens.  Tiger is the fisherman in the family, often to be found in the canoe or kayak, pulling in the big ones.  Kristin and her husband Mike love to spend time at the lake, often playing a wicked game of chinese checkers on the dock.  John goes with the flow, working the list of projects assigned to him by Mary Ann.  He also enjoys cutting trees and splitting firewood with Charles Parrott, both for the wood stove at the lake and the Concord fireplaces at home.  All enjoy swimming and boating on the lake--canoeing, kayaking, sailing the Sunfish, and pumping the paddleboat.  The power boat is trailered to Lake Nubanusit several times every summer for water skiing and cruising, enjoying the natural beauty of the lake, including the bald eagle family nest high in a hundred foot pine near the shore.

John and Mary Ann live in Concord, Massachusetts.  Mary Ann is the Assistant Manager of Irresistibles, a women's clothing store in Concord.  John is the President & CEO of the YMCA of Greater Boston.  Kristin and her husband Mike live in Philadelphia.  Mike is an assistant basketball coach at the University of Pennsylvania and Kristin is a customer service representative for Fidelity Investments.  Tiger is a senior this fall at Springfield College.  John's other children Ann and Ben, who live in Vermont and Mississippi respectively, visit the lake occasionally with their families.