Blogs from Maine, United States, North America - page 7

Two and a half weeks ago I returned home after travelling in Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia & Herzegovina, and Slovenia, but it just occurred to me this morning that I had confused two different funiculars in two different countries, combining them into just one! And, of course, sent out a blog post while these mixed memories were happily playing in my head. So this entry is a retraction, an apology for not only allowing two different countries to synthesize into one, but in reporting things that happened in two different cities as if it were a single occurrence. I think we all adjust our memories, changing what happened to reflect more kindly on ourselves or others, dulling and smoothing the sharp edges, and over time I have read that these enhanced memories become what we believe truly ... read more

We woke up this morning to yet another dreary day in New Hampshire. We've done pretty well avoiding the actual rain, mostly we've only been caught in a little drizzle. This time was much the same, it had rained all night and the roads were still wet, but the rain seemed to have subsided, though it was 59 degrees.. Not taking any chances, and as a windbreak to the cold, we went ahead and put on our rainsuits. Our hotel did not have breakfast, but there was a McDonald's just down the street, so we loaded up the bike and headed over for the Big Breakfast. While there, we encountered what we always do in the mornings at McDonald's - the towns senior citizens gathered together for the 99 cent coffee. This time they were mostly ... read more

Author’s Note: Part of my research on this trip was spending 6 days aboard a working, sail-only schooner. I had an absolutely amazing time and would go again (like now after I have showered and washed clothes), BUT I would say that if you just want to sail around and look at things and sip drinks and be nothing more than a passenger, sails with this company are probably not for you. You are never forced to help, but it is a working ship with a small crew. But, if you like camping and have a sense of adventure and actually feel like you are part of sailing the ship – go now! It should also be said that there are other windjammers (as they are called) in the area - a lot - with varying ... read more

Friday was rainy, so it was a good day to spend in the Brown Library. I know I haven’t mentioned much about my research first because I can’t publish any of the picture I took or publish the information willy-nilly and second, there is nothing exciting about someone sitting at a table for six hours peering at tiny writing and muttering to themselves as they try to translate. But, yesterday I looked at several original documents from the 1700s – the ink faded to brown, the paper so much thicker and textured than our thin, smooth sheets of today, the writing so tiny. I assume it was written small – at least in the private papers – to conserve space and save paper (Curtis, you would have fit right in). At the time, I couldn’t think ... read more

Geo: 44.9653, -69.1086 Christmas Eve is magical, always my favorite day of the year. As a child, the anticipation was heightened to an extreme level; Christmas Day could not approach the delights I felt the weeks, and especially the day before. Now, of course, the anticipation is much muted, but Christmas Eve remains my favorite day of the year. But why? The concerts are over, the presents either mailed out weeks ago or wrapped, sitting safely hidden for distribution late tonight or early tomorrow morning, most baking has been finished, the tree trimmed, all of the "chores" done, so why do I love Christmas Eve best of all? Because it just happens that when we are so focussed on one specific day, that day usually disappoints in comparison to all that led up to it. We ... read more