Mainelining my guilty pleasure

I have a confession to make. There aren't many shows on television that I consider must see viewing.

There's any rerun of the Godfather movies, except Part Three.

The current re-running of Syracuse basketball games on ESPN (Big East games, from when they were actually good.)

And there's the hidden joys of Maine Cabin Masters on the DIY Network.

It helps that I like the crew.
These are salt of the earth folks who I could imagine drinking a beer with.

Actually I can imagine drinking several beers with them. With the hope that they would show me some handy dandy tricks with a miter saw. How to lay down tile. And where I can get one of those fancy nail guns that make happy hands at home carpentry look like a cinch.

But of course the main draw to the show are the cabins.

All are situated on lakefronts or river fronts.

And for me, there is nothing more peaceful or tranquil than sitting in an Adirondack chair, sipping a bourbon and gazing out onto a large body of water.

At the beginning of each show, all the cabins are in disrepair. There's rotted wood, sinking sills and roofs covered with leaves that fell in 1978. In other words, they look like the Siegels have been living there for a while.

But when the crew gets done jacking, plastering, sanding, painting, rebuilding and refinishing the joint, these run down cabins look like they belong as set piece in a movie, with Steve Martin and Diane Keaton as well to do WASPY Nor'easters living out their Golden Years on fat reliable annuities.

Mmmmmm, annuities.

I don't have a bucket list, as I'm only 44 years old. But if I ever did start compiling one, owning a lakefront Maine cabin would be at the top of the list.

Particularly now.