Maine Impressions

With another couple, we spent a week in Maine,arriving July 19. We spent 1 night in Bar Harbour at the LedgeLawn Inn and 6 nights in Old Orchard Beach at a condo building called the Brunswick. I went to enjoy the beach but except for Monday afternoon and Saturday, the weather was unfit for sunning and swimming except the early mornings when lots of people are walking about before the afternoon rains arrived.. However we made use of the non beach time by travelling to nearby destinations such as Kennebunk Port, Cape Elizabeth(where Bush Sr. has a summer home), Portland and some other small towns.

We each had a great room at the LedgeLawn for a mere $105US. It was formerly a huge old mansion thus had a rich charm about it. The condo we rented at the Brunswick for 6 nights, two bedrooms, big living room, kitchen and balcony overlooking an open air bar and the beach, somebody's home that they rent out when away, cost $1926US, pretty reasonable when split between two couples. The location was within a few minutes walking to a pier which is about the middle of that fine 7 mile beach.

In spite of the weather,we had a great time, good food, quaint sights and our women were delirious about the shopping. A few observations and happenings.
1. I saw very few blacks overall, on the beach at Old Orchard, the Quebecers were thick as flies, the amount of blacks that I spotted in the beach area, I could count on one hand. I put this as #1 because I have seen more blacks in my little home town than when I was on vacation in Maine.
2. Saw no signs of trouble, never felt threatened or even uncomfortable by the many people about. No fights or rowdy behaviour but I am sure that there must be some of that, just not where I observed. Then again, we spent the late evenings at the condo.
3. Heh, saw one lone Muslim woman walking on the beach, covered head to toe. I wondered what was going through her mind that morning as young sexy bikinied women walked and pranced about. Did she resent her confinement and wish to be free? Or did she view the young women with contempt. Or did she think nothing of it at all. I wish I had the balls to ask her.
4. Lots of famlies with children who delighted in the beach when they were out and about.
5. Friendly waitresses, encountered some from Russia and Bulgaria, charming young women with delightful accents.
6. The few random Americans we engaged in conversation were friendly and outgoing.
7. I made a point to read a newspaper from Portland and the Friday and Saturday editions of the Boston Globe. There was only one mention of Canada (the Portland one) and it was a story on the local association of lumbermen bitching about Canuck lumberjacks working in the Maine woods.
8. The road ways we travelled from the I95 to smaller routes impressed me with their good shape(too many roads in my province of New Brunswick are embrassing) and lack of litter. The houses for the most part were well kept, neat, many were often quaint which gives the area its charm.
9. Even though the Olive Garden is just a chain resturant, we thoroughly enjoyed the two meals we had there, one on our first day in Maine and another as we were leaving.
10. Thoroughly impressed when we went shopping at a Maine grocery chain, Hannaford. beautifuly laid out, an impressive place that the managers of the food stores in my town should visit to learn how to refresh their businesses.
11. Bought a 750 ml of Gordon's Gin at Hannaford for a total of $11.69US ($13.25 CND). A 375 ml bottle, (half the size of the Hannaford purchase) in my province sells for $13.00 CND while the 750 ml sells for $23.29CND. We have to go to the government liquor store to get our booze in New Brunswick, no booze in our grocery stores. Also beer is so much cheaper, there was a special on sale, 30 cans of a 5.9% beer called Natural Ice for just under $15US. A pack of 24 cans of Bud costs $39.98 in N.B. The natural Ice was certainly to our tastes as it was stronger than our average beer which is usually 5% alcohol. My friend drank 24 cans of it and bought another case to take home.
12. I was the only one we saw that went into the water with flippers and facemask/snorkle.
13. We only saw one begger, a young forlorn young woman in Portland holding a cardboard sign (Homeless and Pregnant). We are suckers for that kind of stuff so my friend and I each gave her a dollar. She shyly thanked us.
14. When (and if) I think of some other interesting tibits, I shall add them later.

July 31 Update
15. Just remembered, while reading a Maine publication, came across a survey that 1 in 4 adult Mainers are obese, yes, obese, BMI of 30, not merely overweight. Jeeze, if Mercan society keeps going in that direction, the government will be hard pressed to find enough fit people to fight in the wars.