The view of Moosehead Lake at sunset, with Mount Kineo to the left, from a dock at a vacation rental in Rockwood. Leslie Bridgers/Portland Press Herald

In June 2020, I rented an A-frame on Moosehead Lake. It was bare bones (my preference over places covered in those kitschy “Lake Life” signs) but equipped with everything I could need for the weekend: a fire pit, a grill, a deck and a dock with a gorgeous view of Mount Kineo across the water.

After a blissful few days that made me forget we were in a pandemic, I wondered, why don’t I do this every year? Until I looked at the booking price after COVID restrictions lifted.

That strange summer offered a glimpse of what Maine as we know it would be like without tourists, and as some of them threaten to stay away again this year, I can’t help but selfishly wonder if I’ll similarly be able to take advantage of the situation.

Now, I’m not one to go around all summer complaining about the prevalence of vacationers. I understand that, without them, we wouldn’t have a lot of the amenities we do, and also, how can you fault people for loving this place? Frankly, seeing them heading home on Sundays, sad-face emojis on their sleeves, only makes me feel better about my life decisions. Sure, they could be a little more chill, but that’s what gives us the right to our own Bean Boot-wearing brand of snobbery.

I also recognize that boycotts by Trump-hating Canadians and transphobic out-of-staters could take a toll on our economy as a whole and the individual incomes of many of my fellow residents, and I’m certainly not rooting for that. Which is why, if we do see a dip in tourism, I propose that we take the opportunity to Make Summer Great Again — for us.

I’m talking about staycationing to the fullest — doing all those things we say “we can do anytime we want” but don’t. The things we can’t bring ourselves to spend the money on because they’re in our backyard.

Fishermen cast for striped bass, on both sides of the Pine Point estuary in August 2017. Carl D. Walsh/Portland Press Herald

For me, the dream has always been a weekly rental in Pine Point. I’ve spent plenty of days at the beach there and had many meals at The Bait Shed, and though I might tell myself how lucky I am to be able to go back to my own bed at night, I’m bluffing. I want to be able to wake up and bring my coffee out onto the sand before the beach is full. I want to come back from a swim and take a shower before heading right to dinner. I want to spend a rainy day holed up in a cozy cottage with nothing but books and board games.

While I can justify an overnight stay in a Maine town several hours away, it’s harder to do when it’s 20 minutes from home. Still, as I make my way out of the Scarborough village’s maze of side streets and see the carefree vacationers in their flip-flops and cover-ups, I start to wonder if there’s a side of southern Maine I’m missing out on — that, if I overheard them describing, I wouldn’t even recognize.

So, maybe this is our opportunity to change that. It’s hard to say right now how tourists will feel come summer, considering the pace at which decisions are being made and reversed, but we don’t need a lot of notice. When it becomes clear how much of a dent politically motivated travel decisions will actually make, we’ll be here. And if the hospitality folks meet us halfway — maybe extend those Maine resident discounts beyond the least desirable months — I’ll happily step up.