Gloria Upchurch (Upchur7@aol.com) -- Atwater, CA
8/31/01 -- 01:24:14 PM

My husband, Bill and I spent 10 years at LAFB.  We long to return to the place we felt most at home.  Some of the happiest times of our lives, including the birth of our son Mike were spent in the most beautiful place we have been privaliged to live.  If Ron sees this please send email.
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Tom Burgess (t_burgess_2000@yahoo.com) --  Huntington Beach, CA
8/31/01 -- 11:41:32 AM

A.G. - I agree with most of what you say. Many people who live in Maine make sacrifices and comprimizes to live where they do. It's a personal choice for most, other's have never left Maine long enough to see what life is like outside of the state.

During my last visit to Maine, just 2 weeks ago, I wished I could have stayed. One thing I learned though, real estate near or on the water is just as expensive as it is in California!

I'm in the computer industry and make a decent living at it.  I'm sure that I would rather be in California during a declining economy.

A.G. - email me if you want to further compare details.
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A.G. -- Richmond, VA
8/30/01 --  05:08:09 PM

Well I just signed up to participate in the Maine online jobfair that Jessica Tomlinson mentioned.  I doubt I will be going home, but it never hurts to keep your options open.  If the right opportunity presented itself, I would consider it, but I won't be holding my breath.  I earn more than twice what I did when I left Maine just four years ago.  When I left, I offered my employer an opportunity to match what I was offered to leave.  They didn't even attempt to come close as it was over a 50% difference of my existing compensation.  

After signing up for this jobfair, I looked around the MaineToday website a little and saw Maine had the wonderful distinction of being the most highly taxed state in the nation according to an article published in the New York Times.  The rebuttle made by the politicians was that they have to tax more because people make less money.  Hmmmm!  So they want us to come home so we can earn less and pay more in taxes.  This does not seem logical to me.  

Then they ask the question, why do all the young people leave our state?  This is why folks.  Here at this little message board in cyberspace, Maine politicians could learn a lot.  There are a lot of Mainers who would think about coming home.  You can scroll down through the messages here and read all the home sick posts about lobsters and italian sandwiches, and growing up in the county.  I don't, however, remember ever reading a post about someone getting a wonderful job paying a great wage so they could go home.  It seems the majority of the people that have left have done so despite their love of the state.  Most have done it for financial reasons, a few for personal reasons.  It seems the majority of the reasons for leaving and also for not returning are financial.  You go where you can live the best.  

The governor is now going to give laptops to all 7th and 8th graders to help make them more technically literate.  While this may sound like a good idea, when they hit the work force in 5 to 8 years they are going to take this exceptional technical savvy and leave!  Maine politicians will still be sitting around scratching their heads wondering where all the children went.  Maine's problems are not caused by a lack of producing technically capable people in the last 10 years, it is caused by a lack of being able to keep them in the state once they have an education that will better serve them somewhere else.  

Am I the only one that feels this way?
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Jessica Tomlinson (jessica@mainetoday.com) -- Portland, ME
8/29/01 -- 03:47:17 PM

If you are interested in coming back to Maine, I encourage you to check out our virtual job fair where folks "from away" can interview for jobs with Maine employers in chat rooms. Maine at Work is scheduled for September 12. Sign up now at http://careers.mainetoday.com/maineatwork
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Liz (epatte2325@aol.com) -- Warrenton, VA
8/29/01 -- 03:16:46 PM

I am not sure if I am getting my message out.
Anyone in Warrenton,Va from Maine. Email me and lets talk about wicked good times in Maine.
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C. S. -- Lake Wales, FL
8/28/01  -- 05:20:22 PM

Wayne St Clair your description of Autumn made me cry.
Dennis Bucklin - I lived for many years in South Berwick also In one of those old Victorians on Portland St. I was fortunate to be able to spend most of this summer there. Did a little work with the Historical Society and learned more this summer than I ever knew in all the years I lived there. I will return!
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Son of the Silver Fox (mainelover@hotmail.com)  -- Coulumbs, OH
8/28/01 -- 11:52:58 AM

Made the annual trip to Southern Maine in July - We were only in Maine for 3 days - but it's better than not going at all!

We got our Maine Fix until next year . . . ah yes - the way life should be!
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Liz Patterson (epatte2325@aol.com) -- Virginia, VA
8/27/01 -- 05:44:46 PM

Born in Maine,Fort Williams, father transferred and have been rooted in Va for several years, but do get back every summer
married a virginian so guess we will have to stay here. What a pity....
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Meg (frogladymim@chartertn.net) -- Maryville, TN
8/27/01 -- 11:03:25 AM

Brenda, Living in Knoxville! Hey, fellow maniac! I'm in exile down here also. Originally from Mexico/Rumford. Get in touch. There is one/two others here in Gore country!!! LOL
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Tim -- State College, PA
8/26/01 -- 10:32:40 PM

What a great site! I have been in exile since 1989!

I have been living in PA for the last 8 years...where taxes flourish, rent is high, house lots close, water resources is scarce and polluted, rules/laws are strict, and attitudes are hard...compared to Maine standards!

And the fishing...its funny watching people wade in 6in of water trying to catch a 6 inch fish. They don't know what real fishing is!  There are only a couple "lakes" nearby, if you can call it that. They are less than 100 acres in size, man-made, and do not allow motors on watercraft. After spending many summers as a kid on Sebago Lake and Casco Bay, nothing can compare to that!

Seafood...They do not sell "steamers" here. You mention the word and they say "What, what are steamers!?". The clams they do have are sold by the clam, not by the pound. The lobster is overpriced and not fresh.

Maine....just thinking about it can reduce the blood pressure. What I miss the most is the natural resources. The big, bountiful, clean lakes, natural untouched woods, the peacefulness, the privacy, the ocean, seafood and of course...family. Don't miss the mosquitoes though. There is also nothing like a good old fashion Nor'Eastah winter storm where people take it in stride and enjoy it (instead of complaining and closing everything down). Growing up in Maine, I probably took all this for granted. It is not until you move away, you realize what Maine has to offer and see that is a special place.

My wife (PA native) and I would like to move to Maine someday, if the opportunity would allow us. But as good as the ecomony has been, it has always lacked jobs in our sector, which is probably why I left in the first place.
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Maravene (J131934@aol.com) -- Sarasota, FL
8/25/01 -- 09:05:34 PM

The September issue of YANKEE magazine has a great article on the County and the potatoe . A good read. Plus you can find the magazine on line at; www.NewEngland.com
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Sharon -- Chester, VA
8/25/01 -- 08:20:16 PM

I was born in Camden. The hospital was then on the mountain side of Mountain Street at the base of Battie. I call it "my" mountain.
It has been over 20 years since I was there last. We moved away when I was a toddler; but my heart has been there since I was a child. I would move back if I could.
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Andrew Keniston (akeniston@hotmail.com) -- Salem, NH
8/25/01 -- 11:35:17 AM

Hey All,
Here's an interesting article I was reading today about Gov. King electing to add a "laptop in every seventh-grader's packpack."  If this goes through as planned, the 2002 school year will see 17,000 seventh graders in Maine getting state funded laptops.  Coming from Maine, and being forced to work in Mass because of our states lack of technology, this announcement warms my heart.  If I had a laptop in seventh grade, I definitely would have gotten into technology, math and science sooner than I eventually did.

The link: http://www.wired.com/news/school/0,1383,45866,00.html

(Also has a cool picture of Angus on his Harley!!!)
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Jennifer Bradeen McConnell (jebradeen@mindspring.com) -- Gainesville, FL
8/25/01 -- 09:54:21 AM

I was born in Bangor, and lived my teen years up to graduation in Windham.  I'm now in Florida, and what I miss the most, is walking through the woods and not worrying about poisonous spiders, snakes and gators...just the occasional tick and the mosquitos.  I also miss the smell of fall...the air redolent with smoke from the woodstoves, the crisp air that makes one think of apple cider and fairgrounds. Here in Florida in the fall it's still in the upper 80's sometimes into the 90's, and try going to a fair in that kind of heat!  I get to wear my "winter" wardrobe maybe for as long as a week or two.  I will admit no snow to shovel and ice to scrape is nice.

I also miss the seafood.  What's funny is that people from away think that the bigger the Maine Lobster the better the taste and tenderness (snicker).  That's okay, that belief I'm sure helps Maine's economy.  Can you believe nobody here has ever heard of eating more than just the neck of a clam.  Puh-lease!  I try to tell people that the stomach is the best part, every soft, gritty bit of it.  They think I'm from some heathen place!
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Dennis Bucklin (coliwabl@qwest.net) - Dallas, OR
8/25/01 -- 10:17:03 AM

My wife and I are Maine natives. lived in South Berwick for many years. Have been residing and working in Oregon for a few years now and waiting for retirement at which time my wife & I plan to permanently return to Maine. We really miss the thunderstorms, snowstorms, and the crisp fall days of October. We especially miss our annual fall trip to the White Mountains to view colorful changes.
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Alice Dunning Lewis (allew22@yahoo.com) -- Oxnard, CA
8/23/01 -- 02:52:47 PM

Thanks to Jim Santerre in Kennebunk - I did take a look, and then a second look at the
great pictures of your canoe trip - it took me back to times I spent exploring all the beauty
that Maine has to offer - thanks so much for sharing - it really stirred my soul - like
most things "Maine" can do to me so far from home.
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Tom Burgess (t_burgess_2000@yahoo.com) -- HB,CA
8/23/01 -- 10:56:14 AM

WOW! Just got home after 2 weeks in Maine! What a wonderful trip!<BR><BR>
We spent a week in Bridgton visiting with family, said our good-byes to grandma, camped out at the BAY OF NAPLES, pigged out on lobster and steamers. We took another ride on the SONGO RIVER QUEEN and visited old haunts like the (Old Gray) farm where my mom grew up, and the farm where I grew up, and the neighboring farms of old friends.<BR><BR>
We looked at property for sale to dream about someday having a place for a summer home. We looked at properties from Fryeburg all the way up to the north end of China Lake. It was really tempting, but I kept my wallet in my pocket...<BR><BR>
We visited my son who lives in Harpswell and works on a fishing/lobster boat and visited the many fishing communities along the coast. We even stopped at "LANDS END"!!<BR><BR>
I had won the plane tickets to visit home as a door prize at
 my company picnic, and while visiting Maine, we stopped in for a night of racing at BEECHRIDGE SPEEDWAY, I won the 50/50 drawing too! Ralph Cusak presented the $300 check to me, so I got to meet one of my childhood heros!<BR><BR>
I miss Maine in many ways. My roots in Maine go back to the BURGESS immigrant who came from England and landed in the New World around 1630.  The biggest thing to change my Exile status would be a good paying and secure job most anywhere in Maine, but I don't see that happening soon...
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Bill (mrbill201@cfl.rr.com) -- Melbourne, FL
8/21/01 -- 06:59:48 PM

Does anyone know of Maine reunions or get-togethers in Florida? I live near the Kennedy Space Center and not too too far from Orlando.
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Robyn Pendexter Hall (robynhall10@hotmail.com) -- Marlboro, MA
8/20/01 -- 02:44:06 PM

I really miss this time of year up in the county!  Jus the idea of the fresh potatoes and vegatables from the gardens!  I'm jelous every time my dad calls me and tell me about all his veggies he is eating from the garden!  But thankfully he does freeze me some fiddleheads and brings them to me when he visits!
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Jason Pereira (jpereira@kscable.com) -- Derby, KS
8/20/01 -- 01:05:04

If Maine had a better Aviation opportunities.  I would have moved back long time ago.  But since there isn't any, I must endure living in the midwest.  My dreams is to move back and let my children experence Maine, but then there is a conflict of interest being from Maine, and my wife being from Texas.

Its been 100+ plus here in Kansas and I catch myself thinking about home, were it gets cool in the evening, were I can go swimming a nice cool clear lake, instead of these manmade lakes.  When I go fishing I can actually catch fish, instead of driving all over the state to catch nothing. 

Wow I just rambled on. See what home sickness does
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Wayne St. Clair (wane9779@hotmail.com) -- Roanoke, VA
8/20/01 -- 08:49:04 AM

As summer is winding down my thoughts reach out to September in New England & especially to Maine. What a spectacular time of the year. I remember once many centuries (or so it seems) ago a very beautiful autumn up there. Not just your avarage wonderful Maine autumn but an above & beyond breathtaking one. The skies were crystal clear & a deep blue that sunk into your soul. The bay started taking on that steel gray that only the cold seasons give. And the trees were so incredibly bright they seemed like frozen fire. I was new to Maine being up there just a handful of years. It may have been then (77 or 78) I realized I was living in a place apart. At any rate, I was talking to an old fisherman & waxing poetic about how beautiful it was that year & he commented" Well ya know winter's comin don't ya?" I was shocked. I hadn't even thought of it being the grasshopper that I am (still am for that matter)& it put me in a seriously contemplative state of mind. Autumn always puts me in the mind for deep long thoughts.
  
   There are always certian trees, 2 or 3 across from the police station in Portland, one in the western prom cementary & others that I can recall that jump the gun as it were & start turning in late August, flushing at the top & slowly spreading downwards until they blaze all alone in their radiant orange/gold & red glory.And then there is the autumn air; you can get drunk on it taking deep droughts of its apple crispness. Each year when this time rolls around I miss Maine more than any other.
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Robert Currier (rcurrier@msn.com) -- Kent, WA
8/19/01 -- 10:38:38 PM

Ayuh, finally getting back to God's country for a two week vacation till the first week of Sept. I miss old friends and family and will rekindling old ties and hoping to network for a possible relocation. The goal while there is to eat as many lobstah sandwiches as humanly possible and some red hotdogs for breakfast, can ya tell I've been away awhile. To Doug of Anacortes, my new phone number is 253 856-7004, to Margaret in Seattle, ya owe me a call. Take care fellow mies.
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Tom Smith (onebadfxr@hotmail.com) -- Dublin, CA
8/19/01 -- 08:30:58 PM

I just returned from Jay. We put in some good second crop of hay for the oxen to eat next winter. Speaking of eating, I did quite well at the Lincolnville Lobster Pound myself, a two-lobster dinner and a cup of the very best lobster stew went down quite nicely.
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Maravene (J131934@aol.com) -- Sarasota, FL
8/17/01 -- 11:23:16 PM

Jim Santerre..you are my hero.Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the pictures. They are beautiful.You have refreshed my soul.
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Laura (lauralee1975@yahoo.com) -- Cabot,AR
8/17/01 -- 02:33:37 PM

 I grew up in Portland. I graduated from PHS in 1993. If there is anyone out there that may know me please write. The military brings me to Arkansas. I really miss home!!!!!!
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Jim Santerre (santerre@cybertours.com) -- Kennebunk, ME
8/17/01 -- 11:36:46 AM

For those of you who miss the quiet life style of Maine, please enjoy the pictures of my canoe trip. http://www.cybertours.com/~santerre/bowtrip/bowtrip.htm
It's what Maine is all about.
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Carol J. -- Dedham, MA
8/17/01 -- 09:24:37 AM

I was born in Portland, ME. Parents left and I went along.  Miss peace and quiet.  Needhams, raspberry pie, fresh blueberries, Skowhegan Fair.  Just came back from vacationing there. Hate leaving....feeling of freedom  will leave soon being back in the Boston hustle bustle.
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Joe Everett (joseph.everett@ots.treas.gov) -- Chamblee, GA
8/16/01 -- 09:50:30 AM

Born in Mercer. Left from Fort fairfield  for two enlistments in the Navy. College in Boston. Enjoyed the challenges of TV Broadcasting management during a 36 + years career. Will be in Skowhegan/Anson area week of Aug 26 for 6 days. Miss most, the beauty, independent feeling and people of my state.  P>O> Box 80591 Chamblee GA 770 455 9649. Chamblee is nicknamed Chambodia,
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 Brenda -- Knoxville, TN
8/15/01 -- 10:06:19 PM

My sister sent me the link to this site. We both moved away from home about 10yrs ago.  I think this site is great!! 
I was born and raised in Maine.  It is in my heart and always will be.  I think that what I miss the most is the snow and the ocean.  Here, in TN, when it snows an inch, the whole state shuts down. Once when I was on vacation back 'home', I was sitting on the rocks at Portland Headlight, watching the lobster boats go by in the fog, and I picked up a rock and took it home with me.....it was smooth and smelled of the ocean.  It has become a very useful paperweight on my desk and it brings me home whenever I touch it.   I will always want to move back, hopefully someday things will work out financially for me and I'll be able to.  Until then, it's great to know that I'm not alone out here in No-Mainers land.
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Brian -- Boston, MA
8/15/01 -- 02:05:39 PM

Has there been any responce from the people of Maine in regards to the Invasion of Seavy Island by New Hampshire Militia men?  Will this terrorist act go unchallanged?

Ex-shipyard worker raises N.H. flag in border protest

http://www.boston.com/dailynews/226/region/
Ex_shipyard_worker_raises_N_H_:.shtml
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R. B. -- Derry, NH
08/09/01 -- 07:31:14 PM

Hi!  I just discovered the Exiles website today after seeing a bumper sticker on a fellow Exile's car.  I consider myself fairly fortunate to live within 40 miles of Kittery, although this part of New Hampshire is really a big suburb of Boston.  My job takes me to Maine on business at least once a month, too (Millinocket and Presque Isle).  And it sure beats New Jersey, where my wife and I lived for a while.  We used to get really depressed driving back down there after leaving Maine for a visit.
It amazes me how many people I meet in this area who are from Maine.  We all moved here for the same reason:  a job.  (But then why else would anyone leave Maine?)  
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Teresa Finnemore (finnsva@netzero.net) -- Centreville, VA
8/9/01 -- 05:43:34 PM

I was born and raised in Maine, and I grew up in one home.  I left for college, and stayed away about 3 years.  Then, my husband (also a Mainer)and I moved back home for about 2 years.  Things were hard financially, so we moved here to Virginia.  It's been almost 3 years and I'm ready to head home.  Well, maybe someday.  I've read the unemployment rate is at an all-time low!
I lived in Palmyra--near Hartland.  Never heard of it?  About 35 miles southwest of Bangor.  I miss the snow.  And family.  And the peacefulness.  Northern Virginia is a zoo.  Like I said, I'm ready to come home.
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B. S. -- Tokyo, JAPAN
8/8/01 -- 10:28:14 PM

A co-worker recently visited Maine and came back with one of your "Living in Exile" coffee mugs for me.  I wish I had one of these 20 years ago when in college.

I've been away from Maine now for 21 years and back "home" only twice in the last 11 years.  While not native born, I lived in Orono for 11 years from 2nd grade through High School.  Unfortunately no immediate family members live in the great Pine Tree State, but have left behind numerous friends.  If I weren't a long-time resident of Japan, I'd very likely be back in Maine somewhere.
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Wayne St. Clair (wane9779@hotmail.com) -- Roanoke, VA
8/8/01 -- 11:55:43 AM

Awhile back the management of Exiles.com asked If I'd submit an extended essay or poem about Maine, I agreed but for various reasons I have been unable to comply even though I had the piece. Well here it is. I hope it isn't too long. W.

"New England Love Song" or "Maine Song"

Ahh...sweet new england;
where my heart is, is where I belong.
I know,
the day I left I buried it deep
on the Western Prom of Portland Maine
to call me back someday,
though I be old & frail
when that time comes.
And though I am southern born
it's scents, moods, colors & cold
have etched themselves like skrimshaw
onto my soul.
I want my bones shattered by frost
not left to mildew
in the humid southern heat.

For me new england's like a warm light
through frost etched windows
or a cozy, cluttered old room
filled with the bric brac of a life
long well lived;
an attic garrett maybe,
confined yet comfortable.
The rest of the country is expansive & open
except parts of the south
where the heat & humidity
will smother you in your sleep
then hide the evidence
in swamps of ancient illusion
like southern hospitality;
smiling to your face while sharpening
the knife,
offering another helpin
while grandpa finishes the grave.
Ya'll come back now ya hear.
Give me the hidden heart of new england
anyday;
chilly & cool outside
but warm as a glowing wood stove.

Though memory tends to color everything
in afternoon's golden hue
or midnight blue & gray,
I'd rather hardscrabble times up north
than easy living in a place
that says nothing to me
even if this place is home.

Spring's beautiful down south
but brash & sudden.
Up north she tiptoes up
& peeks through the window
then timidly taps on the door
to see if she's welcome
(still easily intimidated by winter)
before settling down for a spell.
When spring arrives in Maine
we cautiously peel off our outer garments
like the petals of an artichoke
brasied & well seasoned
savoring each discarded layer until
we reach the delicious tender heart
& discover once more
we're not just a pile of animate clothes
but have bodies,
sensous, delectable, playful bodies
full of trembles, shudders & precious sighs.
Down south
its jackets to tee shirts overnight;
no lucious dropping of winter's clothes
one by one
into seductive piles on the floor,
no orgasmic gasp
as the first warm breeze
gently caresses bare skin,
scare any renewal.
But then,
subltity has never been
A southern trait.

I've seen it snow the end of April;
didn't last of course,
just old man winter rattling our bones
one last time
before allowing us our moment in the sun.
Its said there are but two seasons in Maine,
nine months of snow
& three of lousy sledding
or
winter & the 4th of July.
Spring lingers late teasing us
with cold rain & frost
but eventually that whirlwind romance
called summer arrives;
and after winter,
ravishes us with wonder.

Summer's so damn hot down south;
the predomminate image is
drip, drip, drip
of condensation from the air conditioner
or sweat off the tip of your nose.
Each year I ask which is worse;
the long, cold, brutal Maine winters
or the long, hot, humid Virginia summers?
The summer's are worse.
You can always put on more clothes
but can only take off so many
before you're arrested for indecent exposure
or worse, nobody notices.
I'd rather be arrested.
Indeed there are days when
flesh on the bone is too much to wear.

An afternoon sea breeze like clockwork
cools hot summer days,
there's fog off the islands.
Children diving from the docks
gold in northern light.
Clambakes & lobstering
wild roses blooming by the shore.
Sudden thunderstorms with amber light,
pastal rainbows against charcoal skies.
Country fair's & midways
cotton candy & horse pulls,
kids grin through blueberry stained teeth.
Summer solstice in the White Mountains;
atop Mt.Monroe watching
the full moon rise out of the Atlantic
reflecting on water a hundred miles away,
turn around to see
sunset over the Adirondack's.
Sailing up to Acadia,
Cadillac Mountain rising from the sea,
pine green with lapis seas speckled white
with summer sailors.
Flyfishing for salmon, climbing Mt. Katahdin,
dancing down the knife's edge,
rafting the Allagash.
Ahh...summer in Maine
living fat & easy.

Change comes quickly;
a stray maple turns red
then the apples ripen;
the farmers markets fill with produce,
& the tempature drops a bit, the air
becoming crisp & clear.
Labor day, the tourists flee & September,
that golden month is ours.

It's a season all its own;
no longer summer, not yet fall
with just a hint, a babies breath
of winter to the air. Time on the cusp.
Hot indian summer days so unlike
those dog days, first frost.
Walking Cape Cod alone.
Tall grasses & sand dunes,
leaves sailing in the breeze.
Camping out in an artist's shack watching
the setting sun highlights
a steel grey surf tossed
by a late season squall
while dining on raw oysters, bread & wine.
Leaving Madison hut
high in the northern presidents
white capped with early snow;
straight down the headwall,
Great Gulf ablaze with colors yet unnamed.
A pumpkin moon races with the clouds
above mountains clod & high.
Late summer flowers, autumn's red & orange
golden afternoon sun,
fire on fire it seems to me.
Harvest time.
It can spin your head around
just breathing the crystaline air.

I miss Maine so very much,
I taste her like a lover in October air
rich with the smells
of apples, leaves, sea, smoke & pine.

The pilgrims were amazed by autumn here;
all the vivid colored leaves,
they thought it a devils trick
for in Europe they just turn brown.
I can't imagine,
but, ever walk a birch wood at their peak
on a dark, gray overcast day?
The leaves are so yellow, gold & bright
it's like walking through captured sunlight.
Autumn is our shortest season,
four to six weeks thats it,
& what makes the time so spectacular
& bittersweet.

Summer's gone
the leaves brown memories on the ground.
At the first artic blast, a gasp
& like a turtle you retreat
deeper into your shell of winter clothes.
The southbound sun amber hue'd
cast long shadows at mid-day.
The first snowflake's a treasure
the first blizzard's a romp.
Crisp biting air,
winter solstice snow & pine,
the Virgin gives forth a child.
Early season magic.
Snowball fights, ice fishing & skating,
sking under northern lights.
A snow covered tree
it's Christmas lights shedding
pockets of color onto white.
All the revelry & merrymaking
simply hide the fact;
after the holidays winter becomes earnest.
Ahh... that it would end with the new year.

Once the Christmas lights are packed away;
new years glitter cleaned up
& the relatives are all gone,
it hits you,
three months & more till spring.
The ice age, new england winter's big brother
looms always in the background;
after all ice carved this land
& by February
it's easy to imagine a new one's on its way.
Maine's cold is brutal,
a testing of your mettle & honing
of your soul
for a Maine winter can kill.
It's scared away many a spirit
& worn down more.
But, for those who stay,
they need that fight like a junkie his fix.
Winters down south
are just a damn nuisance;
one long brown season, some ice, some snow
too cold for shorts is about it.
At the rumor of snow they close the schools
& run off to the store to stock up on food.
Four inches? A dusting.
Give me a good ole nor'easter anyday.

The pride of the north,
yankee lasses;
ohhh... those new england girls can love.
They are not too prim & proper
for lust & lechery;
they learn their skills & ply them too
on dark cold winter nights.
They will keep you going & keep you warm,
make coming in from the cold
all that much more delightful.
I have survived many a February
on just their whispered sighs.

By February the winter stales & the days
take forever to pass.
The tempature's been to below zero & back
& the snow no longer charms.
Then comes March, the time of changes.
With warming days the first Crocus bloom
often through the snow.
Late season blizzards, warming day,
frigid nights
flowers & snow.
It's as if nature can't make up her mind
as the seasons turn full cycle.

Ahh...sweet new england;
where I belong is where my heart is.
And though I wasn't born there
I've walked its lands as a pilgrim
singing it's songs as my song
until they became my own.
My heart reaches out now longing to return,
to the place I call home
until the end of days.
And my bones not left to mildew
in the humid southern heat,
shatter with the frost.

There I hope everyone enjoys it.
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Peggy Mower (peggy.mower@state.me.us) -- Dresden, ME
8/8/01 -- 09:36:49 AM

Many of you may have heard that the annual Lobster Festival in Rockland was a huge success.  It was the biggest turnout in 54 years with over 100,000 people in attendance.  I was unable to attend but I did have steamed clams for the first time this summer at a restaurant on Front Street in Bath.  They served them with a cup of broth and a cup of drawn butter.  I love clams although when I ate them for the first time, I wouldn't eat the head of the clam but now I just plop the whole thing in my mouth without a thought.  Once in a while I might come across a clam with a little grit in them but that's probably what makes them taste good.  That's the test of a true Mainer.  You can't get a little dirt bother you.  

I get a kick out of it when the little bellies wiggle as I lower them down into the melted butter.  I swish them around in the butter for a bit and then I put it in my mouth (grit and all).  There's nothing quite like it.  I like the sound they make when I sling the empty shells into the pot(underhand, sometimes overhand--whatever).  I like people to know that I'm doing something important here--this is serious business.  I'm carrying on a Maine tradition that's been passed down through hundreds of years.  Rumor has it that John Wayne ate clams from the coast of Maine to prepare himself for his role in "True Grit" -he wasn't a-skeered of a little old gritty Maine clam.  No Sir-eee!  Some people eat mussels because they think they're cleaner.  Now I haven't got anything against mussels but we all need a little grit in our lives to help guard ourselves against all the things we Mainers come up against during the course of a year--the harsh Maine winters and don't forget the ice storm of '98.  When you put one of those Maine clams in your mouth, you know you've done something.
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Anne (apappala@snet.net ) -- Mansfield, CT
8/7/01 -- 09:52:16 PM

I do not currently live in Maine, but my roots are there. My mother was born there. All of my maternal relatives are in Maine. Back in the 60's, when my mom met my dad when he was on vacation in OOB, women followed men to their hometowns after being married (in her case, it was CT). So for 37 years I have traveled back and forth to the place I love most, but I haven't been able to move my home there yet. My parents have retired and my mom convinced my dad to now follow her back to Maine. My husband has loved Maine from the very first time I brought him there. 

I am a Mainer at heart. I was raised there (for a few weeks each year) but the sights and the smells and the people so deeply imprinted themselves in my mind while I was growing up, that I grimace when I see formerly wooded areas being developed...when I see small mom-and-pop shops being closed because Walmart has come to town. I feel depressed each time I leave -- as if I am leaving home. As if I am supposed to be staying there, not leaving. Call me a Mainer In Exile at heart.
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Doris Harrington (wolfwitharose@webtv.net) -- Steuben, ME
8/7/01 -- 04:54:07 AM

I was born in bangor,maine.
I live in steuben.
I have never left maine and i enjoy finding new places to travel and sights to see in maine.
I love the water and the sound of the lobster boats in the early morning.
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Kate Marquis (kate@thetroupe.com) -- Manchester, NH
8/6/01 -- 11:15:33 AM

You guys remember the Portland Press Herald Writer who wanted to write a story on Young Mainers in exile?  Well, she did.  I spoke with her... here's the URL for the article:
http://www.portland.com/news/state/010805census.shtml
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Bill -- Melbourne, FL
8/6/01 -- 09:42:40 AM

Thought you would like to see this one - many of you may have already but it is funny!

YOU'RE A MAINER IF:
>
>  1. "Vacation" means going to Bangor for the  weekend.
> 2. You've seen all the biggest bands ten years after they  were popular in
> Boston.
> 3. You measure distance in hours.
> 4. You know several people who have hit moose more than once.
>  5. Your classes were canceled because of snow.
> 6. You  often switch from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day.
>  7. You use a down  comforter in the summer.
> 8. Your grandparents drive at 60/mi per  hour through 13 feet of snow..and
> raging blizzard - without  flinching.
> 9. You plan your financial future around bingo.
> 10. You see people wear hunting clothes at social events.
> 11. You  install security lights on your house and garage and leave both
> unlocked.
> 12. You think of the major four food groups as moose meat, beer, fish and
> berries.
> 13. You carry jumper cables in your car and your  girlfriend knows how to
> use them.
> 14. There are 4 empty cars  running in the parking lot at the convenience
> store at any given time.
> 15. You only own 3 spices:  salt, pepper, and ketchup.
> 16. You design your kid's Halloween  costume to fit over a snowsuit.
>  17. Driving is better in the winter  because the potholes are filled with
> snow.
> 18. You think everyone  from a bigger city has an accent.
>  19. You think sexy lingerie is tube socks and flannel pajamas.
> 20.  You know which leaves make good  toilet paper.
> 21. You know all 4 seasons: Almost Winter, Winter,  Still Winter and
> Construction.
> 22. It takes 3 hours to go to the  mall for one item even when you're in
a
> rush because  you have to stop and talk to everyone in town.
> 23. You actually  understand these jokes and forward them to all your
> friends from Maine.
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