Tree-top flyers at Zipperloaf | Lewiston Sun Journal
Saturday, July 31, 2010
A Sin and a Shame
[The behavior of which Mr. Herbert writes is a disgrace and very nearly the most un-American activity I can imagine, short of treason. -- KM]
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/31/opinion/31herbert.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/31/opinion/31herbert.html
Friday, July 30, 2010
Coffeehouse observation No. 177
It’s a pleasant feeling to come into a coffeehouse you haven’t visited in a while and the barista recognizes you, says “Hey, you haven’t been around lately” and still remembers your drink of choice. Thanks Exotic Java.
Go to Coffeehouse Observer for more coffeehouse observations.
Go to Coffeehouse Observer for more coffeehouse observations.
Hamm, Garciaparra are among this year’s guest stars at Seeds of Peace Camp | Portland Press Herald
OTISFIELD — Cool sunglasses masking his eyes, microphone in hand, Wil Smith worked his audience, priming them with introductions of the visitors. By the time Smith reached Mia Hamm, his campers at Seeds of Peace were beyond delight.
Teenage boys and girls, mostly from the Middle East, were heading to a new level of excitement. Waiting for his wife after his own noisy welcome, Nomar Garciaparra didn't try to hide his smile.
So this is why his agent kept inviting him to this former boys camp on the pine-lined shore of Pleasant Lake. Actually, Arn Tellem’s reason was only beginning to reveal itself.
“You know the lives they’ll go back to, but you look in their faces and see the joy,” Garciaparra said Thursday morning. “They’re giving me much more than I can give them.”
This is Seeds of Peace, the oasis away from the world’s centuries-old battle for hearts and minds and land in the Middle East. Children from other places where fear and danger are constant companions also arrive here each summer.
It’s a universal mission: Dialogue can affect peace better than terror. Plant that seed.
Click for the rest of Steve Solloway’s story in the Portland Press Herald.
Other people’s texts about Maine
I spotted the following on Texts From Last Night and it made me grin.
“Just a heads up. Everytime I get arrested in Maine I claim I lost my ID and use your name.”
Coffeehouse observation No. 176
I’m sitting outside Exotic Java with a Red Eye – coffee with a double shot of espresso, not the medical condition – checking email, LinkedIn and Facebook, and enjoying the clear blue sky and gentle breeze. Except for the exhaust from the passing traffic, it’s not a bad place to be.
Go to Coffeehouse Observer for more coffeehouse observations.
Go to Coffeehouse Observer for more coffeehouse observations.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Coffeehouse observation No. 175
Spotted my new very favorite service – coffee delivery van. They deliver coffee to offices and other gatherings. I don’t think you can go wrong with a service like that.
Go to Coffeehouse Observer for more coffeehouse observations.
Go to Coffeehouse Observer for more coffeehouse observations.
Children’s garden part of reading program | Lewiston Sun Journal
HANOVER — The summer reading program at the Gardner Roberts Memorial Library has a whole different twist.
Along with reading and doing crafts, the 20 or so youngsters who are taking part have planted and are caring for a community garden.
Each Wednesday an average of six or seven children visit the garden on land owned by Scott and Carol Gould at Howard Pond and Mill Hill roads. It's just a short walk from the historic library.
“It's the perfect activity for kids,” said Michele Richardson of Milton Township. “They garden, have a snack, do a craft, then take out a book.”
Click for the rest of the story by Eileen M. Adams in the Lewiston Sun Journal.
Rehabilitation programs at Down East prison save Maine money | Bangor Daily News
MACHIASPORT, Maine — The rows of sewing machines are busy, humming through the fabric in the small workshop. The men working the machines are quiet, with heads bent and hands at the task of turning denim fabric into jeans.
Nearby, another pair of men work on reupholstering chairs. One is cutting out new padding while the other reinforces a frame.
This could be any workshop, anywhere. But the salty breeze coming through the open door gives it away: this is the garment room at Downeast Correctional Facility, a former U.S. Air Force base tucked on a ridge on the Machiasport peninsula.
The garment workshop is one of a half-dozen self-sustaining rehabilitation programs at DCF, and Director Scott Jones estimates the programs have saved the state, Washington County towns, and area non-profit organizations millions of dollars in expenses.
Click on the link for the rest of this story by Sharon Kiley Mack in the Bangor Daily News.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Truck driver can’t believe the true direction to Oakdale
I must have a face that at once tells a stranger “hey, he can be trusted” and in the next moment tells the stranger “this guy is off his rocker.”
In the past week or so I have been asked for directions by three strangers. Each time I was in the middle of my walk around Victory Park, which surrounds Haggin Museum, in Stockton. Apparently, my face also tells a stranger “this guy can be interrupted in his futile attempt reduce his waistline, lower his weight, and reclaim healthy ways.”
The first was easy – a family wanted to know where Banner Island Stadium, home of the Stockton Ports, was located. It was merely a matter of telling them to turn around, go back the way they had come, and make a left turn onto Fremont Street that runs along the Stockton Deep Water Channel and to the stadium before running into downtown Stockton.
The third was merely to confirm what a motorist knew.
“Is Harding (Way) that way?” yelled a motorist at a red light pointing northward.
“Yeah,” I yelled back, bobbing my head up and down in affirmation.
Of course, as soon as I walked away, I immediately doubted myself. It forced me to plot out in my mind the street grids in that part of Stockton. I was correct. I think.
But it was the second person to ask for direction that makes me scratch my head, even now.
A tractor trailer rig with a load of lumber pulled up in front of Stockton Fire Station No. 6, which is located in Victory Park. The driver – a fella in his late 50s or early 60s with graying hair and glasses – jumped down from the cab and ran around the front to stop me on my fitness quest.
(I told you that my face must say to strangers that I can be interrupted on my fitness walk.)
“Do know how to get to Oakdale?” he said. “It’s around here isn’t it?”
I told him that I believed that Oakdale was in the next county to the south, about 30 minutes drive. (In fact, it was in the next county and closer to Modesto than to Stockton. Yahoo! Maps has the travel time at nearly 40 minutes.)
He didn’t believe me. He said the map he had showed that it was much closer. I asked to see is map so that I could show him his destination was in fact in the next county.
His response made me believe that the map he had must have been scribbled down on scrap paper by someone else who wasn’t certain of the area or simply didn’t know it.
I assured him that Oakdale was in the next county and that it was about 30 minutes drive away.
“Is that a fire station?” he asked me, pointing to the structure with “Stockton Fire Station No. 6” on the front and a fire engine parked in the driveway. I’m not sure the guy had a solid grasp on the blatantly obvious.
He made his way to the fire station to garner more reliable directions, which I am sure would have confirmed my own directions for the guy.
Here’s the sticking point – why is a truck driver in an unfamiliar area not carrying a map of the area? A truck driver without a map? Doesn’t make much sense to me.
Hope he made it to Oakdale.
In the past week or so I have been asked for directions by three strangers. Each time I was in the middle of my walk around Victory Park, which surrounds Haggin Museum, in Stockton. Apparently, my face also tells a stranger “this guy can be interrupted in his futile attempt reduce his waistline, lower his weight, and reclaim healthy ways.”
The first was easy – a family wanted to know where Banner Island Stadium, home of the Stockton Ports, was located. It was merely a matter of telling them to turn around, go back the way they had come, and make a left turn onto Fremont Street that runs along the Stockton Deep Water Channel and to the stadium before running into downtown Stockton.
The third was merely to confirm what a motorist knew.
“Is Harding (Way) that way?” yelled a motorist at a red light pointing northward.
“Yeah,” I yelled back, bobbing my head up and down in affirmation.
Of course, as soon as I walked away, I immediately doubted myself. It forced me to plot out in my mind the street grids in that part of Stockton. I was correct. I think.
But it was the second person to ask for direction that makes me scratch my head, even now.
A tractor trailer rig with a load of lumber pulled up in front of Stockton Fire Station No. 6, which is located in Victory Park. The driver – a fella in his late 50s or early 60s with graying hair and glasses – jumped down from the cab and ran around the front to stop me on my fitness quest.
(I told you that my face must say to strangers that I can be interrupted on my fitness walk.)
“Do know how to get to Oakdale?” he said. “It’s around here isn’t it?”
I told him that I believed that Oakdale was in the next county to the south, about 30 minutes drive. (In fact, it was in the next county and closer to Modesto than to Stockton. Yahoo! Maps has the travel time at nearly 40 minutes.)
He didn’t believe me. He said the map he had showed that it was much closer. I asked to see is map so that I could show him his destination was in fact in the next county.
His response made me believe that the map he had must have been scribbled down on scrap paper by someone else who wasn’t certain of the area or simply didn’t know it.
I assured him that Oakdale was in the next county and that it was about 30 minutes drive away.
“Is that a fire station?” he asked me, pointing to the structure with “Stockton Fire Station No. 6” on the front and a fire engine parked in the driveway. I’m not sure the guy had a solid grasp on the blatantly obvious.
He made his way to the fire station to garner more reliable directions, which I am sure would have confirmed my own directions for the guy.
Here’s the sticking point – why is a truck driver in an unfamiliar area not carrying a map of the area? A truck driver without a map? Doesn’t make much sense to me.
Hope he made it to Oakdale.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Coffeehouse observation No. 174
I skipped the coffeehouse today and now am regretting it. I’m struggling to keep my eyelids open. … And I’m listening to Dana Owens and she’s singing “Close Your Eyes.” I just can’t win.
Go to Coffeehouse Observer for more coffeehouse observations.
Go to Coffeehouse Observer for more coffeehouse observations.
Bangor police officer an Angel Flight pilot: Mother calls free service a ‘lifesaver’ | Bangor Daily News
Bangor police officer an Angel Flight pilot: Mother calls free service a ‘lifesaver’ | Bangor Daily News
For more information about Angel Flight or to support its mission, visit http://www.angelflightne.org/ or call 800-549-9980.
For more information about Angel Flight or to support its mission, visit http://www.angelflightne.org/ or call 800-549-9980.
The secret of Secret Rock is no secret at all – local lore
It must be the triple-digit temperatures that regularly hang over the San Joaquin Valley like a hammer against white hot steel just pulled from the forge.
Or perhaps it is because I was born on the first day of summer, the longest day of the year, the summer solstice.
Or perhaps it is because I grew up in the frigid expanse of the Deep Dark North Woods of Maine and it will take a lifetime – or longer – for all of me to thaw.
It really doesn’t matter. I’ve been thinking about summer quite a bit lately. More specifically, I’ve been thinking about the summers of my youth. And local lore.
Even before teachers started talking about summer reading lists and vacations of which they so longingly and protectively spoke – they always seemed to have a look in their eyes that spoke of the anguish that came with the long, long academic year – it was time to crank up Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out.”
In case you forgot, here are the lyrics to that lovely tune.
And so on.
But there was much more to the summer than sitting around listening to a man named Alice.
Sure, there were summer jobs and chores and that sort of thing. Summer school for some; summer camp for others.
And, occasionally, the dreaded family vacation. Being cooped up in a car for hours upon hours was no way to spend a summer vacation.
But there was so much more about summer than those things.
There were pickup games of baseball and basketball. There was golf. There was swimming and canoeing and sailing. There were barbecues. There were barbecues. There were Red Sox games on the black and white TV. And more.
There is something special – mystical, even – about those summer days of youth. Days of personal and community lore, if nothing else.
Portage Lake is nestled among hills and mountains of central Aroostook County. State Route 11 winds its way from the south over a hill and down into the flatland where rests the town – Dean’s Motor Lodge, Coffin’s General Store, the post office, a few more businesses, and homes for several hundred residents.
Except for the public beach, the seaplane base, and the Forest Service facility, year-round homes and vacation cabins are sprinkled on the wooded hills and flats that make up the shore of Portage Lake.
The ancient hills for the most part are gentle and worn down over millions of years of shifting plates, pounding rains, persistent winds, and – a late-comer to the wear and tear – man and machine.
A contrast is an outcropping of earth and rock – very probably New England granite – that overlooks the water and town from just east of the lake.
Every community has lore. Some of it is good. Some of it is not so good. Some of it is simply neutral. Local lore many times sprouts from older children trying to impress younger children, the local lore that includes stories to scare younger children. It’s the lore passed down from generation to generation to generation of the people who are born, live and die in such places as this.
Part of the lore of Portage is a slab of stone known among generations of Portage school-age children as Secret Rock.
There was never any treasure or tragedy associated with Secret Rock, at least none that I recall these many years since. No pirates or other scallywags buried booty near Secret Rock. And no love-struck, lovesick couple ever took a plunge from Secret Rock.
There were no frightful creatures hiding in the cracks and crevices of the quartz-injected granite, no monsters hiding in the nearby forest. It was simply a rock, a rock not much larger than a tennis court, as I recall.
Frankly, there wasn’t much “secret” about Secret Rock. I could see Secret Rock from my childhood home, especially in fall and winter when the trees were free of leaves. And there were times when ant-size figures could be spied crawling up the face of the steep trail that led to Secret Rock.
Perhaps the secret was the one most children kept from their parents when it came to potential peril. After all, the trail up to Secret Rock was steep and children of a certain age did not tag along because they could not make the climb.
The climb also could not be made in winter. Snow and ice covered the rock and the trail leading up to it.
Climbing to Secret Rock was a summertime activity.
But it was the lore of the land and climbing the slope to Secret Rock was a rite of passage for generations of Portage Lake children.
Not far beyond the rock – at least, not far as I can recall – was another steep climb and the road that led to the local golf course with its holes set out along the hills just beyond the town.
It was an adventure for children to climb to Secret Rock and not much of an added strain to continue on to Portage Hills Country Club.
We all need local lore.
It is part of regional lore and national lore and global lore. It helps bind us a community. It solidifies shared memories of our youth. It gives us a common ground and reminds us that our differences, no matter how massive, how divisive, can never defeat us if we hold to local lore and all that it represents.
We all need local lore. We all need our Secret Rocks.
Or perhaps it is because I was born on the first day of summer, the longest day of the year, the summer solstice.
Or perhaps it is because I grew up in the frigid expanse of the Deep Dark North Woods of Maine and it will take a lifetime – or longer – for all of me to thaw.
It really doesn’t matter. I’ve been thinking about summer quite a bit lately. More specifically, I’ve been thinking about the summers of my youth. And local lore.
Even before teachers started talking about summer reading lists and vacations of which they so longingly and protectively spoke – they always seemed to have a look in their eyes that spoke of the anguish that came with the long, long academic year – it was time to crank up Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out.”
In case you forgot, here are the lyrics to that lovely tune.
Well we got no choice
All the girls and boys
Makin’ all that noise
’Cause they found new toys
Well we can’t salute ya
Can’t find a flag
If that don’t suit ya
That’s a drag
School’s out for summer
School’s out forever
School’s been blown to pieces
And so on.
But there was much more to the summer than sitting around listening to a man named Alice.
Sure, there were summer jobs and chores and that sort of thing. Summer school for some; summer camp for others.
And, occasionally, the dreaded family vacation. Being cooped up in a car for hours upon hours was no way to spend a summer vacation.
But there was so much more about summer than those things.
There were pickup games of baseball and basketball. There was golf. There was swimming and canoeing and sailing. There were barbecues. There were barbecues. There were Red Sox games on the black and white TV. And more.
There is something special – mystical, even – about those summer days of youth. Days of personal and community lore, if nothing else.
Portage Lake is nestled among hills and mountains of central Aroostook County. State Route 11 winds its way from the south over a hill and down into the flatland where rests the town – Dean’s Motor Lodge, Coffin’s General Store, the post office, a few more businesses, and homes for several hundred residents.
Except for the public beach, the seaplane base, and the Forest Service facility, year-round homes and vacation cabins are sprinkled on the wooded hills and flats that make up the shore of Portage Lake.
The ancient hills for the most part are gentle and worn down over millions of years of shifting plates, pounding rains, persistent winds, and – a late-comer to the wear and tear – man and machine.
A contrast is an outcropping of earth and rock – very probably New England granite – that overlooks the water and town from just east of the lake.
Every community has lore. Some of it is good. Some of it is not so good. Some of it is simply neutral. Local lore many times sprouts from older children trying to impress younger children, the local lore that includes stories to scare younger children. It’s the lore passed down from generation to generation to generation of the people who are born, live and die in such places as this.
Part of the lore of Portage is a slab of stone known among generations of Portage school-age children as Secret Rock.
There was never any treasure or tragedy associated with Secret Rock, at least none that I recall these many years since. No pirates or other scallywags buried booty near Secret Rock. And no love-struck, lovesick couple ever took a plunge from Secret Rock.
There were no frightful creatures hiding in the cracks and crevices of the quartz-injected granite, no monsters hiding in the nearby forest. It was simply a rock, a rock not much larger than a tennis court, as I recall.
Frankly, there wasn’t much “secret” about Secret Rock. I could see Secret Rock from my childhood home, especially in fall and winter when the trees were free of leaves. And there were times when ant-size figures could be spied crawling up the face of the steep trail that led to Secret Rock.
Perhaps the secret was the one most children kept from their parents when it came to potential peril. After all, the trail up to Secret Rock was steep and children of a certain age did not tag along because they could not make the climb.
The climb also could not be made in winter. Snow and ice covered the rock and the trail leading up to it.
Climbing to Secret Rock was a summertime activity.
But it was the lore of the land and climbing the slope to Secret Rock was a rite of passage for generations of Portage Lake children.
Not far beyond the rock – at least, not far as I can recall – was another steep climb and the road that led to the local golf course with its holes set out along the hills just beyond the town.
It was an adventure for children to climb to Secret Rock and not much of an added strain to continue on to Portage Hills Country Club.
We all need local lore.
It is part of regional lore and national lore and global lore. It helps bind us a community. It solidifies shared memories of our youth. It gives us a common ground and reminds us that our differences, no matter how massive, how divisive, can never defeat us if we hold to local lore and all that it represents.
We all need local lore. We all need our Secret Rocks.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Passport promo: More getting out to state parks | Lewiston Sun Journal
Cameron Beach, 11, of Lewiston, liked finding horseshoe crab shells at Wolfe's Neck Woods State Park in Freeport.
“We saw the ocean, but not 50 yards from shore were woods. We walked around and hiked and ate lunch in an opening field. It was really nice.”
Emily Kozak, 11, of Auburn, liked probing tidal pools at Popham Beach State Park. “We found crabs. We observed them and put them back in the water,” she said. Emily enjoyed swimming at Rangeley Lake State Park and looking for moose. They didn't see any moose, but did discover a painted turtle. “It was really fun,” she said.
Members of the Boys & Girls Club of Southern Maine Auburn-Lewiston Clubhouse, Emily and Cameron have visited some state parks they've never been to using the “Maine State Park Passport.” It's a new passport-designed booklet created to encourage more visits at more state parks.
It’s working.
Click here for the rest of the story by Bonnie Washuk in the Lewiston Sun Journal.
Mosquitoes, lobster and smudge fires aplenty in the Pine Tree State
There are several ways to have Maine-style lobster. The postcard version, of course, is to boil up some water over an open fire on a beach and serve with steamed clams, fresh corn, and lots and lots of butter.
Another Maine style is to set up a newly purchased Coleman camp stove on the driveway of your sister’s Fryeburg home, boil some water, and light up a cigar.
That’s right, light up a cigar.
The last time I visited family in Maine, that’s what happened.
My mother and I had traveled from her home in Aroostook County where I was visiting and we stopped along the way at the Bangor Walmart to pick up the stove. I cannot recall exactly the occasion for the purchase. It might have been a wedding anniversary gift for The Sis and Brother-in-Law Mark.
No matter.
Lobsters were purchased and the water was set to boil on the camp stove set up in my sister’s driveway. (My sister did not want the smell of lobster to linger for days and days in her fairly new home.)
My sister’s home is set back in the woods outside of Fryeburg with plenty of nooks and crannies and ponds and leaves and blades of grass for mosquitoes to flourish. I describe Maine mosquitoes and blackflies this way to my friends “from away” – the mosquitoes and blackflies are so large in Maine that the Federal Aviation Administration issues tail numbers. And requires flight plans.
I do not use “swarm” often, but we were attacked by a swarm of mosquitoes shortly after starting the lobster bath.
At one point I flashed to a memory of my father and mother lighting “smudge fires” in metal barrels and buckets to ward off mosquitoes and blackflies in order to continue outdoor activities. Despite thinking that my sister or mother might object, I offered to retrieve an Arturo Fuente cigar from a stash I had with me on the trip and light it up to be a “human smudge fire.”
So, there I was, standing in my sister’s driveway overseeing the cooking of the crustaceans with a stogy sticking out of the corner of my mouth providing a smudge fire protection for my Mom, The Sis, and her family.
What started all this? The DownEast.com trivia question for the day.
How many species of mosquitoes are native to Maine?
Answer
I am of the belief that scientists have not classified all the species for 20 seems like a very, very low number. Trust me on this.
Another Maine style is to set up a newly purchased Coleman camp stove on the driveway of your sister’s Fryeburg home, boil some water, and light up a cigar.
That’s right, light up a cigar.
The last time I visited family in Maine, that’s what happened.
My mother and I had traveled from her home in Aroostook County where I was visiting and we stopped along the way at the Bangor Walmart to pick up the stove. I cannot recall exactly the occasion for the purchase. It might have been a wedding anniversary gift for The Sis and Brother-in-Law Mark.
No matter.
Lobsters were purchased and the water was set to boil on the camp stove set up in my sister’s driveway. (My sister did not want the smell of lobster to linger for days and days in her fairly new home.)
My sister’s home is set back in the woods outside of Fryeburg with plenty of nooks and crannies and ponds and leaves and blades of grass for mosquitoes to flourish. I describe Maine mosquitoes and blackflies this way to my friends “from away” – the mosquitoes and blackflies are so large in Maine that the Federal Aviation Administration issues tail numbers. And requires flight plans.
I do not use “swarm” often, but we were attacked by a swarm of mosquitoes shortly after starting the lobster bath.
At one point I flashed to a memory of my father and mother lighting “smudge fires” in metal barrels and buckets to ward off mosquitoes and blackflies in order to continue outdoor activities. Despite thinking that my sister or mother might object, I offered to retrieve an Arturo Fuente cigar from a stash I had with me on the trip and light it up to be a “human smudge fire.”
“Yes, go! Go get a cigar!” I seem to recall my sister saying.
“Yes, Keith, go!” my mother added. (At least, that’s what I recall now them saying then. I could be wrong.”
So, there I was, standing in my sister’s driveway overseeing the cooking of the crustaceans with a stogy sticking out of the corner of my mouth providing a smudge fire protection for my Mom, The Sis, and her family.
What started all this? The DownEast.com trivia question for the day.
How many species of mosquitoes are native to Maine?
Answer
Although sometimes it seems like millions, Maine is home to about twenty species of human-biting mosquitoes.
I am of the belief that scientists have not classified all the species for 20 seems like a very, very low number. Trust me on this.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Downeast Scenic Railroad makes inaugural run | Bangor Daily News
ELLSWORTH, Maine — As conductor Gary Briggs yelled “all aboard” and passengers began to fill the cars, the train’s engine chugged to life, followed by a plume of gray smoke billowing from the locomotive stack.
The Downeast Scenic Railroad, a four-year labor of love for dozens of rail enthusiasts, made its inaugural run Saturday for volunteers and other guests who helped see the project through.
Tom Testa, president of the board of directors and the driving force behind bringing an excursion train to Hancock County, could not contain his enthusiasm. He talked passionately about the history of rails in eastern Maine and how trains brought that part of the state to the world. And he praised the collaboration of many public and private entities that made the Downeast Scenic Railroad go from dream to reality. More than 75 volunteers logged 37,000 hours clearing the abandoned tracks, repairing the rail bed and restoring old cars.
“No one person should take credit. We’ve all made this happen,” Testa said.
Click for the rest of this story by Eric Russell in the Bangor Daily News.
Tickets can be purchased at Cadillac Mountain Sports on High Street in Ellsworth or by calling 1-866-449-7345. For information about the Downeast Scenic Railroad, visit http://www.downeastscenicrail.org./
Summer tradition at East Orland lodge offers magical experience for campers | Bangor Daily News
Back in the summers of 1962 and 1963, Bob Mercer signed on as a counselor at a boys camp in East Orland called Flying Moose Lodge.
For two summers, he led excursions into the wilds of Maine, from Baxter State Park to the Allagash to the Appalachian Trail.
After two years, he left Flying Moose Lodge.But Flying Moose Lodge never left him.
“There’s an ambiance about the place,” Mercer, a Bucksport resident, said earlier this week, revisiting his old stomping grounds as another season’s Flying Moosers (“strong and husky, here we gather, tanned and dusky,” according to a popular camp song) went about their daily business. “There’s a feeling that when you walk down the path, the world ended at the public beach, and this is a whole different world here. After 40 years, it still feels the same.”
Click the link for the rest of this story by John Holyoke in the Bangor Daily News.
Flying Moose Lodge
Where: On Craig Pond, East Orland
What: A trip-focused summer camp for boys
When: Seven weeks each summer since 1921 (with a hiatus during World War II)
Who: Owned and directed by Chris and Shelly Price
How to get in touch: Go to http://www.flyingmooselodge.com/ for more information.
Maine’s ‘superfruit’ — blueberries — making strides in frozen food market | Bangor Daily News
JONESPORT — This year’s wild blueberry harvest has begun and as sweet and wonderful as the little round berries taste fresh from the fields, producers are banking on capturing the frozen fruit market.
Of last year’s 88 million pounds of wild blueberries, only 600,000 pounds were sold fresh.
The remaining 87.4 million pounds were processed: sold as ingredients in muffins, ice cream and other foods.
But a new marketing campaign launched a year ago is reaping rewards, Sue Till of the Swardlick Marketing Group told more than 100 wild blueberry producers gathered this week at Blueberry Hill in Jonesboro, the University of Maine’s blueberry experimental farm.
Rather than attempt to capture the fresh market — which is already in the hands of cultivated blueberry producers in Michigan, California, New Jersey, Oregon, and a handful of other states — Maine’s wild blueberry producers are promoting frozen berries.
Till explained that because the berries do not get mushy or lose their flavor or healthful benefits, they have an edge over cultivated berries when frozen.
Click on the link for the rest of this story by Sharon Kiley Mack in the Bangor Daily News.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Farmers find friends indeed: Volunteers step up for a Gorham family after high winds blow down their barn | The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram
[Tornadoes are not particularly common in Maine, but they are not unheard of either. A couple of them went through southern Maine the other day. One touched down in Gorham, home of the University of Southern Maine. A woman who lives nearby with whom I went to USM says the campus was not hit, but there was quite a bit of damage elsewhere. This link goes to the story and has a link to reader submitted photos. It must have been a very frightening experience for the people who live there. -- KM]
Farmers find friends indeed The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram
Farmers find friends indeed The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram
Truck rolls over, spilling herring and fuel | Bangor Daily News
[This must have been a mess. – KM]
Truck rolls over, spilling herring and fuel | Bangor Daily News
Truck rolls over, spilling herring and fuel | Bangor Daily News
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Outdoor Recreation, Sports and Adventure
Maine offers breathtaking walking and hiking opportunities in all seasons and for all levels of ability. Whether walking a sandy beach, discovering beautiful garden paths, hiking wooded or mountain trails Maine presents truly exhilarating ways to experience the great outdoors.
Here’s a link to the Maine Office of Tourism website.
Outdoor Recreation, Sports and Adventure
Coffeehouse observation No. 173
Knitting is not a lost art. Some traditions continue. There is a young woman – early 20s, I’m guessing – who is sitting on the couch at the coffeehouse knitting. Another young woman – also in her early 20s – has been in empresso before knitting. Juxtapose the laptop computers and techno music is a little odd, perhaps, but not too much.
Go to Coffeehouse Observer for more coffeehouse observations.
Go to Coffeehouse Observer for more coffeehouse observations.
Maine camp plants seeds of tolerance | Lewiston Sun Journal
Maine camp plants seeds of tolerance | Lewiston Sun Journal
Learn more about Seeds of Peace at http://www.seedsofpeace.org//.
Learn more about Seeds of Peace at http://www.seedsofpeace.org//.
A batch of blues ready for picking | The Kennebec Journal, Augusta, ME
A batch of blues ready for picking The Kennebec Journal, Augusta, ME
Here's a website offering locations for picking your own produce in Maine: www.pickyourown.org/ME.htm
Information about Steep Hill Farm is available at www.maineblueberryfarm.com/
Here's a website offering locations for picking your own produce in Maine: www.pickyourown.org/ME.htm
Information about Steep Hill Farm is available at www.maineblueberryfarm.com/
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Canoe trail turns 10 | Lewiston Sun Journal
UPTON — Aldro French peels off his shirt and saunters toward the edge of the aptly named Rapid River.
Kicking off his giant-sized, baby blue Crocs, he stands shin-deep in the water.
"I haven't done this all summer," says French with a slight grin, just before shallow-diving into the current.
French takes a few long, Australian-crawl swim strokes, pulling his head up once to look at the churning rapid below. He gives one strong scissors-kick, sliding head-first into the full force of the river's current, arms forward, belly down like an otter.
French is barely visible as he shoots through the boiling turbulence and into a pool of slower-moving water below. He comes up slicking his silver hair back with his hand and smiling as he breast-strokes slowly to the side of the pool and the rock ledge leading to it.
A pair of helmeted and life-jacketed kayakers, who were playing in the whitewater, sit in their boats, nose clips on, watching. They shrug at each other as if to say, "What was that?"
French, 68, has lived on the Rapid River for 52 years. The waterway is literally in his backyard, and each bend and rapid are as familiar to him as an old friend's face. He is the curator and caretaker of Forest Lodge. The lodge was the home of author Louise Dickinson Rich and the inspiration for her novel “We Took to the Woods.”
On the National Register of Historic Places, it is one of dozens of sites along the Northern Forest Canoe Trail, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year.
Click on the link for the rest of this story by Scott Thistle in the Lewiston Sun Journal.
Mainers' efforts are paying off for earthquake victims in Haiti | The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram
Mainers' efforts are paying off for earthquake victims in Haiti The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram
For more information on the St. Alban's Haiti project, visit http://www.stalbansmaine.org/ and click on "Mission and Outreach."
Visit http://tinyurl.com/35t496a for more information on the Hanger Ivan R. Sabel Foundation's Haiti efforts.
Visit http://www.konbitsante.org/ for more on the Portland-based nonprofit.
For more information on the St. Alban's Haiti project, visit http://www.stalbansmaine.org/ and click on "Mission and Outreach."
Visit http://tinyurl.com/35t496a for more information on the Hanger Ivan R. Sabel Foundation's Haiti efforts.
Visit http://www.konbitsante.org/ for more on the Portland-based nonprofit.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Coffeehouse observation No. 172
Want to know about the origins of the phrase “cup of joe”? Yahoo! Answers asked the question and someone pointed them in the direction of a U.S. Navy website on naval traditions. We use “cup of joe” because:
http://www.navy.mil/navydata/traditions/html/navyterm.html#joe
Now we all know where it comes from.
Go to Coffeehouse Observer for more coffeehouse observations.
“Josephus Daniels (May 18, 1862-January 15, 1948) was appointed Secretary of the Navy by President Woodrow Wilson in 1913. Among his reforms of the Navy were inaugurating the practice of making 100 Sailors from the Fleet eligible for entrance into the Naval Academy, the introduction of women into the service, and the abolishment of the officers’ wine mess. From that time on, the strongest drink aboard Navy ships could only be coffee and over the years, a cup of coffee became known as ‘a cup of Joe.’”
http://www.navy.mil/navydata/traditions/html/navyterm.html#joe
Now we all know where it comes from.
Go to Coffeehouse Observer for more coffeehouse observations.
Free park admission offered to loon plate holders | The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram
Portions of the proceeds from the sale of the Maine loon license plate go to fund conservation efforts.
Free park admission offered to loon plate holders The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram
Obama family continues vacation in Vacationland
Visitors, locals upbeat during Obama family visit | Bangor Daily News
Obama family spends active day on MDI | Bangor Daily News
Obamas continue busy vacation with lighthouse visit | Bangor Daily News
Some spectators find, others miss Obamas’ trail | Bangor Daily News
First family samples the way life should be | Portland Press Herald
Maine beer never made it through White House gate | Portland Press Herald
Obamas' Maine weekend: biking and ocean views in Acadia National Park | Lewiston Sun Journal
Obama family spends active day on MDI | Bangor Daily News
Obamas continue busy vacation with lighthouse visit | Bangor Daily News
Some spectators find, others miss Obamas’ trail | Bangor Daily News
First family samples the way life should be | Portland Press Herald
Maine beer never made it through White House gate | Portland Press Herald
Obamas' Maine weekend: biking and ocean views in Acadia National Park | Lewiston Sun Journal
Friday, July 16, 2010
Coffeehouse observation No. 171
Lovey-dovey couples in the coffeehouse are annoying to a guy who hasn’t had a date in a while. I’m just saying.
Go to Coffeehouse Observer for more coffeehouse observations.
Go to Coffeehouse Observer for more coffeehouse observations.
Coffeehouse observation No. 170
People are escaping the triple-digit heat of the San Joaquin Valley by coming into empresso for a cold drink. I’ve been here all day doing the very same thing.
Go to Coffeehouse Observer for more coffeehouse observations.
Go to Coffeehouse Observer for more coffeehouse observations.
Obama family in Maine for vacation
Obamas start vacation on MDI with bike ride | Bangor Daily News
Presidential vacations rarely go as smoothly as planned | Bangor Daily News
Maine's 'first' tourists: State’s woods and waters have drawn presidents from Arthur to Bush | Bangor Daily News
Bar Harbor looks forward to Obama arrival | Bangor Daily News
Full coverage of Obama's visit can be followed at obama.bangordailynews.com
You can follow live updates of the Obama's visit on Twitter. Contribute your photos to the pool and have them ReTweeted by the Bangor Daily News by tagging your Tweets with #ObamaMDI
Presidential vacations rarely go as smoothly as planned | Bangor Daily News
Maine's 'first' tourists: State’s woods and waters have drawn presidents from Arthur to Bush | Bangor Daily News
Bar Harbor looks forward to Obama arrival | Bangor Daily News
Full coverage of Obama's visit can be followed at obama.bangordailynews.com
You can follow live updates of the Obama's visit on Twitter. Contribute your photos to the pool and have them ReTweeted by the Bangor Daily News by tagging your Tweets with #ObamaMDI
Coffeehouse observation No. 169
Small worlds come together in the coffeehouse. There is a woman at a nearby table talking to a guy and the conversation is about Mendocino on California’s North Coast and the area around Bridgeport, Calif., including the ghosttown Bodie and nearby Yosemite National Park.
My first job as a newspaper editor was in the town of Mendocino. I could stand up at my desk and look out onto the Pacific Ocean. I was paid horribly, but there were benefits to living in such a beautiful area.
And for years friends and I camped at a placed called Annette’s Mono Village on Twin Lakes just outside of Bridgeport. Annette’s is on the backside of Yosemite. Again, a beautiful, beautiful places.
Go to Coffeehouse Observer for more coffeehouse observations.
My first job as a newspaper editor was in the town of Mendocino. I could stand up at my desk and look out onto the Pacific Ocean. I was paid horribly, but there were benefits to living in such a beautiful area.
And for years friends and I camped at a placed called Annette’s Mono Village on Twin Lakes just outside of Bridgeport. Annette’s is on the backside of Yosemite. Again, a beautiful, beautiful places.
Go to Coffeehouse Observer for more coffeehouse observations.
Coffeehouse observation No. 168
The playlist at the coffeehouse included Isaac Hayes’ “Shaft.” I nearly hared the lyrics with my Facebook friends, but realized that some of the words might be words and phrases have a different meaning today. Ah, well, it is all about context.
Go to Coffeehouse Observer for more coffeehouse observations.
Go to Coffeehouse Observer for more coffeehouse observations.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Coffeehouse observation No. 167
A guy who looks exactly like David Crosby just came into empresso. … Or maybe it IS David Crosby.
Go to Coffeehouse Observer for more coffeehouse observations.
Go to Coffeehouse Observer for more coffeehouse observations.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Coffeehouse observation No. 166
The educational system in this country is letting down a lot of people. A guy in empresso just now commented on my hat – Boston Red Sox cap – and I said that I had grown up in New England.
“Oh, really! I’ve heard there’s a lot of great music in the UK.”
“No, I grew up in NEW England. Not the UK.”
“What’s the difference?”
“New England. It’s made up of the states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.”
“Oh …”
For crying out loud, people! New England and the Atlantic states are the R&D labs for this experiment called the United States of America. It is a hugely important part of this country.
Go to Coffeehouse Observer for more coffeehouse observations.
“Oh, really! I’ve heard there’s a lot of great music in the UK.”
“No, I grew up in NEW England. Not the UK.”
“What’s the difference?”
“New England. It’s made up of the states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.”
“Oh …”
For crying out loud, people! New England and the Atlantic states are the R&D labs for this experiment called the United States of America. It is a hugely important part of this country.
Go to Coffeehouse Observer for more coffeehouse observations.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Coffeehouse observation No. 165
The hot temperatures mean I’ve switched to iced green tea. Doesn’t have the same punch as coffee. Ah, well. …
Go to Coffeehouse Observer for more coffeehouse observations.
Go to Coffeehouse Observer for more coffeehouse observations.
Hmm, let’s declare war on Great Britain | DownEast.com
You gotta love today’s DownEast.com trivia question.
Who was the only United States governor to declare war on a foreign power?
Answer
Given the independent nature of Mainers, this shouldn’t surprise anyone.
I’m not sure if it was after this “war” that surveyors went down the Saint John River to establish a boundary when locals invited them to a party, got them drunk, and sent the surveyors down a wrong tributary to the north of where they were supposed to go.
Eventually, the surveyors realized what had happened and the made two surveyor’s lines in order to meet up again with their intended route. The result was that Maine ended up with a bunch more land than it was supposed to have and Canada a bit less.
Who was the only United States governor to declare war on a foreign power?
Answer
Maine Gov. John Fairfield declared war on Great Britain on March 18, 1840, opening the bloodless Aroostook War over Maine’s northern boundary with Canada.
Given the independent nature of Mainers, this shouldn’t surprise anyone.
I’m not sure if it was after this “war” that surveyors went down the Saint John River to establish a boundary when locals invited them to a party, got them drunk, and sent the surveyors down a wrong tributary to the north of where they were supposed to go.
Eventually, the surveyors realized what had happened and the made two surveyor’s lines in order to meet up again with their intended route. The result was that Maine ended up with a bunch more land than it was supposed to have and Canada a bit less.
Unemployment takes a toll | The Reporter
[The newspaper where I worked for more than 13 years and where I served as the opinion page editor for several years was gracious enough to publish a commentary I wrote in the paper's Sunday Op-Ed section. There is a typo at the beginning of the second sentence of the online version of the piece, which I'm guessing happened when they converted it for the website. Please ignore the X. Thanks. -- KM]
Unemployment takes a toll - The Reporter, July 11, 2010
Unemployment takes a toll (jump page), July 11, 2010
Unemployment takes a toll - The Reporter, July 11, 2010
Unemployment takes a toll (jump page), July 11, 2010
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Lab goes to sea: USM science team sails south to study oil spill’s effects on whales | Portland Press Herald
PORTLAND, Maine — A University of Southern Maine professor and a crew of students are embarking on an expedition to learn how the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is affecting the health of whales.
The research vessel, Odyssey, a 93-foot, two-masted sailboat packed with laboratory equipment, is now berthed at DiMillo’s Marina. The vessel is scheduled to depart Portland next Friday.
John Wise, a professor of toxicology and molecular epidemiology at the University of Southern Maine, is the lead scientist. At least 10 USM students will be on board for some portion of the three-month expedition.
The vessel is carrying Wise’s cellular molecular laboratory – the only laboratory of its kind at sea, according to Iain Kerr, chief executive officer of Ocean Alliance, the Massachusetts nonprofit that owns the $1.5 million ketch.
Wise and the crew will be hunting for cell samples of sperm, humpback and Bryde’s whales. Wise will study DNA extracted from the cells to examine the effects of pollution.
He will use his lab to grow additional cells, which in effect become a permanent living sample for further study.
The creation of new cell lines from wild marine animals is difficult if not impossible to do because the cells degrade within hours, Wise said. That’s why it’s important to have a floating laboratory.
Click on the link for the rest of this story by Tom Bell in the Portland Press Herald.
Festival celebrates Moxie, Maine's state beverage | The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram
Festival celebrates Moxie, Maine's state beverage The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram
Festival celebrates Moxie, Maine's state beverage The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram
One of the drink's ad campaigns include a war hero who happened to be a sports hero.
The Moxie Boy insists that you drink Moxie.
Frankly, I wasn't a Moxie fan. It's an acquired taste, I think.
Festival celebrates Moxie, Maine's state beverage The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram
Program helps Mainers become First Time Campers
First time campers relish home comforts | Lewiston Sun Journal
Raffle winner pitches first camp in Camden Hills | Bangor Daily News
To learn more about the state parks, visit the Maine Department of Conservation website at: www.maine.gov/doc.
Raffle winner pitches first camp in Camden Hills | Bangor Daily News
To learn more about the state parks, visit the Maine Department of Conservation website at: www.maine.gov/doc.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Let’s have a drink to the Maine Law
I had to grin about the DownEast.com trivia question for today, especially since I posted the other day about the Maine crafted beers I am able to find here in California. Here’s the question.
What was the “Maine Law”?
Answer
What was the “Maine Law”?
Answer
Maine pioneered the prohibition of alcohol, adopting a ban on the sale of liquor on June 2, 1851. The law became the model for prohibition laws in other states.
Two Auburn families seek to adopt three brothers from Haiti | Lewiston Sun Journal
AUBURN — Spring and Rich Gouette have three kids, an 11-year-old boy and two young girls. Louise and Brian Johnson have three boys; the oldest is 6. Each family considered adoption last fall, yearning to add to their young broods, but the time didn’t feel right for either. The Gouettes had their house up for sale. Moving invited uncertainty. The Johnsons prayed about adoption, leaving the decision with God. They weren’t yet feeling called.
And then, an earthquake struck Haiti in January.
The sale of their house had fallen through and the Gouettes couldn’t see waiting any longer. They connected with a Haitian orphanage through friends and immediately fell in love with a 9-year-old boy named Augenson. He was the one.
Then came news that he wasn’t alone.
Augenson had brothers, 6-year-old Wisler and 2-year-old Wisly.
“We were just in agony: ‘How do we separate the brothers?’” Spring Gouette said. “I put the word out on Facebook, ‘Here’s the deal ...’”
Click on the link for the rest of this story by Kathryn Skelton in the Lewiston Sun Journal.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Potato blossoms are out early in Maine
A tractor and a hay roll sit in a field in Aroostook County, Maine. Photo by Kelly McInnis
And when I say big, I mean BIG. After all, they even have a Potato Blossom Festival and there’s a festival queen and everything, so it has to be pretty big.
A fellow member of the Ashland Community High School Class of 1980 Kelly McInnis takes photos that I’ve shared here before. Here are two of potato blossoms and a nice rural image of a tractor and hay. The photos were taken Wednesday in record temperatures for Aroostook County -- 93 degrees.
“The potato fields are in Mapleton just as you hit that turn headed to Ashland, Willard Doyen’s Farm,” Kelly wrote of the photos. “I just wanted to get a shot because the blossoms are beautiful. They are a few weeks early this year due to the mild winter and (farmers’) ability to plant early.”
“The tractor was out … somewhere,” Kelly added. “My boyfriend is a photographer and likes to just ride and see what he may come across, so I tag along and bring my camera, too.
“I’ve always had an interest in photography, but it really takes a commitment to get anything good. I’m getting back into it.”
The photos are shared here with Kelly’s permission. Enjoy!
The blossoms are out early in Maine potato fields. This was taken near Mapleton, Maine, in Aroostook County. Photos by Kelly McInnis
Here's another shot of the potato blossoms.
Whales' return could boost coastal tourism industry | Bangor Daily News
Whales' return could boost coastal tourism industry - Bangor Daily News
To locate a whale watching business near you, visit http://www.visitmaine.com/attractions/nature/whale_watching/.
To locate a whale watching business near you, visit http://www.visitmaine.com/attractions/nature/whale_watching/.
Maine Stuff in My California Apartment No. 7: Maine crafted beers
Shipyard Brewing Company is based in Portland. This evening I went with the IPA, which I do not find as tasty as the brewer’s regular Export Ale. But it was not bad, either. The Shipyard glasses were purchased a year or two ago at BevMo in Stockton. Yes, that is a lobster bottle opener in the foreground. It is also Maine stuff.
And from time to time that comes in the form of chilled adult beverages. Fortunately, BevMo, the beverage warehouse store, carries several Maine brews, including Allagash, Shipyard, and Sea Dog products.
Today’s photo of “Maine Stuff in My California Apartment” includes glasses and brew from Maine. Be assured that no beer was wasted in the making of this blog entry.
Oh, and, yes, that is a lobster bottle opener. That also falls under the category of Maine stuff.
I also included a photo of a couple of Fenway American Pale Ale pint glasses. I don’t recall ever enjoying a Fenway American Pale Ale, but I figured I’d include it because it is a New England beer and I am a Boston Red Sox fan.
Recently had a bit of the Allagash Dubbel Reserve poured in an Allagash glass. Nice beverage. Allagash is based in Portland, Maine, nowhere near the Allagash Wilderness Waterway. The glasses were purchased a couple of years ago.
Nice head on the Allagash Dubbel Reserve. I have tried several of the Allagash offerings and have liked each of them.
Gotta love a beer that is corked.
OK, so this is a photo of beer pint glasses for a beer made in Boston. But I am a Red Sox fan so I thought I would add this photo of Fenway American Pale Ale glasses along with Maine stuff related to beer.
This is an occasional multipart series of photos of things related to Maine that can be found in Keith Michaud’s California apartment. All photos in this series are shot by and are the property of Keith Michaud.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Flags to be lowered for Shaw | The Kennebec Journal, Augusta, ME
Flags to be lowered for Shaw The Kennebec Journal, Augusta, ME
Memorial contributions to assist the Shaw family may be made to Maine Education Credit Union, P.O. Box 1096, Augusta 04330.
Memorial contributions to assist the Shaw family may be made to Maine Education Credit Union, P.O. Box 1096, Augusta 04330.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Monday, July 5, 2010
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Traffic's flowing smoothly, the atmosphere's mellow, and the bands play on | The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Friday, July 2, 2010
Coffeehouse observation No. 164
Stockton, you never fail to dazzle and amaze. ... A man in his 60s or 70s just walked into the coffeehouse wearing a very short skirt. And, no, it in no way resembled a kilt. ... He looks a little bit like Walter Matthau.
Go to Coffeehouse Observer for more coffeehouse observations.
Go to Coffeehouse Observer for more coffeehouse observations.
Coffeehouse observation No. 163
A teen girl at the coffeehouse has on shiny silver sneakers with silver wings. Seriously. I would not lie about silvery winged sneakers.
Go to Coffeehouse Observer for more coffeehouse observations.
Go to Coffeehouse Observer for more coffeehouse observations.
Coffeehouse observation No. 162
Free WiFi at the coffeehouse does you little good if you have a short in your power cord. Thanks HP.
Go to Coffeehouse Observer for more coffeehouse observations.
Go to Coffeehouse Observer for more coffeehouse observations.
State government offices closed today and Monday | The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram
Seal of the State of Maine
State parks will be open over the holiday weekend. To find one, go to:
http://www.maine.gov/cgi-bin/online/doc/parksearch/index.pl
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Republicans block bill to continue benefits for millions with no job | The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram
[Congress gets to go out and enjoy the long Fourth of July recess, while $1.7 million Americans will be losing their unemployment insurance by the end of the week. It is unconscionable that our “leaders” leave $1.7 million people in a lurch. I certainly hope they enjoy their burgers and hot dogs and the fireworks. -- KM]
Republicans block bill to continue benefits for millions with no job | The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram
Republicans block bill to continue benefits for millions with no job | The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram
Coffeehouse observation No. 161
The infant daughter of the empresso owners is quite vocal today. One of the baristas thinks the red-haired child is trying to talk Mom into getting moving because she’s bouncing in her chair.
Go to Coffeehouse Observer for more coffeehouse observations.
Go to Coffeehouse Observer for more coffeehouse observations.
Coffeehouse observation No. 160
I’m at the coffeehouse and outside on the patio is a young woman – she has to be in her very late teens or early 20s. She must be a student-athlete at one of the local colleges because she appears very fit and she is wearing a T-shirt with writing on the back about teammates and how they have your back. The T-shirt sleeves are tied back like woman athletes do occasionally. Her hair is tied back, her fingernails are polished with a wild bluish color, and her lips move as she’s reading a book, almost as if it is in a foreign language and she wants to hear it as much as read it. Her right leg is pumping up and down as if she’s nervous or anxious. I know this isn’t PC, but she is a cutie.
Go to Coffeehouse Observer for more coffeehouse observations.
Go to Coffeehouse Observer for more coffeehouse observations.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
