Andventures in Maine - North Berwick

I was back in Maine this weekend hanging out with my friend Gage. The trip was a bit impromptu but it worked out for the best. He called me around 2:30 p.m. on Friday asking me if I wanted to come to his place in Maine for the weekend. This was something we had discussed before but were never able to coordinate. It seemed like this would be another one of those times since he was leaving within the hour. I had errands to run and wouldn't be free until after 4:30. As it turned out, my sister was heading up to Bar Harbor, ME that day so I was able to catch a ride with her to Wells and get picked up by Gage.

The weekend was fairly relaxing. We hung out at his house, a legitimate farmhouse, including a barn and wood chopping space on 150 acres of pure, Maine forest. I loved the front door, a double door, one inner and one outer, that would swing closed to maintain the temperature in the house. Inside, everything was wood. It felt very rustic and authentic.

We spent Saturday at Ogunquit Beach. Until that day, the last time I went to the beach was in Hawaii. The water at Waikiki beach was probably around 70 degrees. I remember it feeling like warm, pleasant bath water. The water at Ogunquit was much colder, I'd guess around 58 degrees. I had to laugh when Gage remarked that the water was warm. Ogunquit Beach is one of the more interesting beaches I've been to. During low tide the water recedes far enough back to expose an 80 yard swath of sand that extends from a raised parking lot and beach front restaurants. During high tide the water comes all the way in to the rocks and boulders used to raise up said parking lot and restaurants such that the beach itself disappears. When we first arrived, we set up our towels and beach umbrella about 50 yards from the water. By the end of the day we had retreated onto the rocks in front of the parking lot. However while the tide rose, we tossed a Frisbee around and Gage and his friend Melanie went skim-boarding.

The best part about watching Melanie's video is the boy jumping out of the way at the last minute. Even though Gage brought two skim-boards to the beach, Melanie was forced to use Gage's larger board because the other one was damaged. It should be noted that Melanie may in fact be a foot shorter than Gage. I mean, look at her compared to the skim-board, it's almost her height! Melanie came with a friend to join me and the Norris family at the beach. It quickly became evident to me that Gage's younger brother and Melanie's friend were more than just acquaintances. I suddenly felt like the odd man out and had to fight a severe bout of longing for my girlfriend! Later that evening everyone reconvened for sushi in Portsmouth, NH which was only a 25-minute car ride away. On Sunday Gage, his brother and I played basketball in the sun at a nearby rec center. Probably not the best idea when the temperature is topping out at 90 degrees, but still fun. The Gatorade afterward was even better.

This last jaunt to Maine, combined with my other trips, has illuminated something for me. I've come to realize that I like Maine. It has the isolation feel of deep country forest but it's only a train ride away. This is a unique combination because it makes the state close enough to get to and at the same time feel very far away from everything. I'm not one who is particularly interested in communing with nature but the stillness of a Maine morning in July is something to behold. I just wish I got better cell phone reception...!

Adventures in Maine - Cities of the Androscoggin!

If you're from Maine, a real Mainer, you'll know the next line in the title.

Once my friend, Amanda, picked me up, we drove from Portland to the "L-A" area of Maine. I used to have family in the area, my grandfather. It has been almost six years since he died, the last time I was up that way. I forgot how nice it can be, strikingly different from city living. it was funny, as we drove through the area certain things began to look familiar. I asked my friend if a there was a little league ball park and community center nearby. She looked at me funny and said there was. I had to laugh. One of my fondest memories of my grandfather was hitting balls in that park one summer evening during a visit. We walked from his house to the park and he pitched to me until the lights came on. We walked back to his house and had ice cream afterwards.

I dropped my bag and freshened up while we waited for Amanda's friend to come by. Amanda and I talked about my tutoring job, since she used to be my boss, she was curious to know how things were going. After that, when her friend showed up, we tried to decide were to go that evening. Apparently, Fridays are the "off" night in Maine. People don't generally go out until Saturday. We decided on Italian food for dinner and went to a place called DaVinci's. Good food. I've found it can be difficult to get angel hair pasta to not be sticky because of its size. DaVinci's offering was excellent. They also serve "garlic knots," a buttery garlic bread role that also delicious. Amanda and I tried to take a picture together, while waiting for our food. Apparently neither of us can keep our eyes open! But we finally got a good one. After dinner I was shown different night spots in the area. The first, the Irish Twins, sounded promising. In Boston, Irish bars are synonymous with good beer and great company. It only seemed appropriate that an Irish bar in Maine have something similar to offer. I was wrong.

I was treated to my first "welcome to Maine" moment when the three of us entered the bar. I looked around at the place, which was of decent size. The bar was set up to the left of the door and to the right of the door, in the corner a band was setting up. On the one TV in the establishment, the Celtics game was playing with the sound on. There couldn't have been more than 60 people in the bar. I thought to myself, the place is dead. Not wanting to be rude, I kept my thought to myself. I'm glad I did because moments later, Amanda's friend commented on how busy the place was that night.

We did not stay at the Irish Twins long. Instead we opted to try a place called Gritty McDuff's or Gritty's for short. On the way to Gritty's I was told about a dance club called Babylon that was across the street from Gritty's. Perhaps some dancing would happen that evening...! We passed a beautiful church on the way to Gritty's. I didn't get the name, but the way it was lit up that night was breathtaking. Gritty's reminded me of the bar that I work at. A nice place that caters mostly to college students. In this case, Bates College. I guess because of the lack of things to do, Gritty's also gets the locals. Either way, it was filled up inside to a point that I felt was akin to a bar in Boston. Gritty's is a micro brewery so the stuff on tap is their own creation. It was quite good. Too bad the Celtics lost. It would have made the brown ale and pub standard lager taste that much better. I also saw my first black women in Maine at Gritty's. That wouldn't be worth mentioning had I just arrived in Maine. But since I had been in the state since 1:30 p.m. and it was going on 10:30 p.m. it was something that stood out, not to mention she was gorgeous.

Her name is Katie and she is a mix of African-American, French and "Indian" heritage. Not sure what type of "Indian" she meant. Could have been actual Indian from India or Native American, whichever it was, it was awesome. A petite build, light brown skin and wavy hair pulled back. Amanda and her friend thought she might be Latina, I approached her for clarification. It was funny because I don't think she expected me to talk to her. When I said "Hi" she looked up, a bit shocked that I was trying to make conversation.

The night ended with me and Amanda's friend drinking whiskey and playing a game called "What the F*ck." All in all a good trip, really a great diversion from the everyday routine.

Adventures in Maine - Portland

Today I traveled to Portland, Maine for a job interview. Sometimes I am taken aback by the ease with which we can travel from place to place. Money notwithstanding, you pretty much go anywhere. Currently, I'm sitting in a Starbucks in downtown Portland waiting for a friend to pick me up. I smile every time I think about how I was in Boston this morning. Let me recount the day.

The day started in Boston. 6:45 a.m. alarm, early for a Friday, but generally a standard wake up call. After a quick shower and shave I printed by train ticket, packed my bag and got a ride to North Station where I snagged the train to Portland, ME. I need to ride the train more often. I did it once before in college, went from Chicago to Boston. It took 24 hours and we generally enjoyable, if a bit dull. I remember things got interesting in upstate New York because suddenly the trees went from barren to snow-covered. This train ride was a little better because there was farm scenery on both sides of the train. Plus I fell asleep and when I woke up we were pulling out of Saco, ME. the second to last stop on the line.

Once off the train I hopped into a Mac Taxi, driven by the amiable Phil. During the course of the ride, Phil gave me the rundown on places to live in and around Portland. He said that I should look to live in North Gate, or up on the hill and that I should stay away from the city unless I had the money to live in one of the high rise apartments with a doorman. Otherwise, I would be bothered by the "addicts." Phil lives in North Gate, and would live closer to the city but his distaste for the addicts drove him out of the city. He even used to ride the local transit, but apparently it is spotty at best which lead Phil to get a taxi in town. He has lived in Portland all of his 51 years and loves it. I guess that would explain his impressive dislike for the addicts who are "always begging for change."

Phil dropped me off at my destination. I went inside and met a bunch of folks and talked about potential jobs. I won't bore you with the details. Suffice to say, I'm in the running, but I'm not quite what they are looking for.

After the interview, I had some time to kill before my friend picked me up. I wondered up Congress Street, the main street through Portland, stopping to check out the history museum in town. Probably would have gone in were it a free day... I also saw the local movie theater, the Nickelodeon, or Nick, for short. After walking and looking at the various shops, I stopped at a Starbucks, where I am currently, to wait for my friend.

I snagged a seat by the window and just people-watched. Several patrons of the Starbucks approached me to strike up conversation ranging from the weather to my laptop. The best, was a women who slid in next to me and began speaking rapidly about a man across the street who was about to juggle fire. At first I didn't think she was talking to me because she wasn't looking at me when she began to speak. I quickly realized she was, in fact, talking to me when I didn't respond and she turned a looked at me.
Fire juggling is pretty cool. The small black object on the street corner is a hat for people to drop money into. Perhaps this fire juggler is one of those "addicts" that Phil was referring to...

My friend showed up a few minutes later. Stay tuned for more adventures in Maine.