Susy and Dave Sanders Submitted photo

Faery Annie’s Stump House in memory of Mikayla Morgan – it stands on the front lawn of the Sanders’ home on Main Street. Submitted photo

PHILLIPS – Dave Sanders, born and raised in Oquossoc, and Susy Thompson, originally from Pueblo, CO, met in Washington state in 1993. They were married two years later.

“At an older age”, Susy noted, “He was 47 and I was 42…”

When the couple, along with Susy’s son, Andrew, who was 26 at the time, decided to come back to Maine from the west coast, they had a very specific set of parameters for their new location. As they searched online for an old house with a barn, a little land, and water frontage, the former Toothaker Farm kept showing up. It was perfect! They bought it sight unseen and moved to Phillips, Maine in 2002.

“We were surprised to discover that our ‘farm’ was right in the middle of downtown!” Susy exclaimed.

That first day, still a bit in shock at being right on Main Street, they were exploring their new property just as the sun was coming up, its light reflecting on the Sandy River.

“It wasn’t exactly what I had imagined,” Susy shared, “But, it was exactly what God had in mind. He’s the One that fixed it. He brought us here…”.

And the pair have been involved in their new community ever since.

That sunrise was the inspiration for the name “Morning Bridge Center”, from which Susy provides general psychological services for individuals, couples, and families. She specializes in trauma and mood disorders.

Dave, a Veteran, is retired after 30 years as a planning engineer for Boeing in WA. In addition to “keeping Susy grounded” when she is being especially enthusiastic about one of their current projects, his interests include rockhounding. He also has four vintage Harleys that he can “take down to nuts and bolts and put them back together again”.

Their multiple community service projects include a “Blessing Box” at the Phillips Public Library, where folks contribute food or other items to share, including fresh veggies in the summer; also at the Library, The Little Free Art Gallery, features supplies for making art and the slogan: Make a Piece, Take a Piece; a baby-sitting certification program for youngsters 12 and older, including CPR for infants; a Christmas Memorial Tree on the Sanders’ lawn, where “memory ornaments” may be shared; Faery Annie’s Stump House in memory of Mikayla Morgan, whose favorite place to hunt was in “Annie’s Field”.

And, their pièce de résistance, one of Phillips Old Home Days favorite attractions for the young and young at heart: Wonderland! A main attraction since 2006, Wonderland features a wide variety of activities spreading out from the front yard all the way down back to the river and including everything from face-painting and cotton candy to a Fairy Walk, a tent for dancing with drums and “boom-whackers”, and bubbles!

For the first time this year, Wonderland will be a two-day event, open from 1 – 5 pm on Friday and from 10 – 3 on Saturday. Additionally, Friday features special music by Sagittarius Rising. The musicians are twin sisters, Phoebe and Isabelle Rodgers, who first visited Wonderland when they were very young and have been coming back ever since.

Susy’s and Dave’s dreams and plans for the future are “focused right here on this property”. Susy’s include making their property “more and more defined”. Dave is dreaming that “someday he will have some free time…”

“I could do none of these things if Dave doesn’t say yes,” Susy declared, adding, “Dave is ‘earth to Susy…’ My wild, creative ideas are made possible through Dave’s realism.”

Since both are artists – Susy creating on canvas, and Dave, in keeping with his degree in geology, sanding and shaping his rockhounding finds into pendants – there will always be time for that, as well.