The great Heat

To say we have some hot weather might cause a smile on those people farther south of us, where temps have been lingering around the 100F and above. But for us, not being used to temps in the eighties it still feels hot, especially when we get the high humidity of over 80. Thunder clouds have been popping up most unexpectantly and sudden rain showers were of the tropical kind, with lots of water and sunshine 30 minutes later. The only place cool was directly at the waters edge as it almost works like a giant fridge with its temps around 48-50F. Lupines have bloomed off and been replaced by fireweed, a sure sign that we have reached the height of summer. When attending one of the “Summerkeys concerts” in Lubec on Wednesday I suddenly noticed that the beautiful church window right beside of me was glowing with a golden light. The reason was the setting sun. It was almost a sign from beyond. Most people didn’t notice it, but I had the NIKON right there. The concert was of a kind which didn’t cause me to listen too intently. Ever heard modern classic music? I think it is in fact a contradiction. “Classic” to me means music from a couple of centuries back. But I know that is not what music connoisseurs understand by it. But these “Summerkeys concerts” have another big attraction. Normally it is served during intermission, but last Wednesday it was served after the concert as there was no intermission. The most delicious cookies and pastries were served, all hand-made by two ladies, and offered without charge. Now, where can you go once a week to a free concert and on top of that get a delicious free treat? Only in Lubec, ME – I would think. Had myself a little project in the motor home. The pantry cupboard used to be a pain in the butt when you wanted something which was stored way in the back. Also the shelves had a tendency to fall of the little plastic pins, the manufacturer had fastened to the side. My idea was to rip out the shelves and the plastic pins and replace them with drawers we could extend to the full length, thereby having a full free overview of what was actually stored on the shelf. For the purpose I had acquired the necessary hardware at a Home Depot store in Ellsworth. It was time to change it over. I re-used the material from the shelves as bottoms for the drawers and made sides all around for it. The kinky part was to align the drawer slides absolutely parallel. That part is mainly tricky because of the fact that motor home manufacturers don’t seem to care about that things are mounted in level, or even symmetrical left to right. But after a couple of hours I got it all together alright. With the rising fuel costs (yes, they have gone up again over here) we have been thinking of how to cut the costs of traveling to the south. One way would be to sell our motor home and use our van for travel. When getting south we could buy a roomy travel trailer and leave that trailer in storage in the south over the summer. The times of traveling with a large RV within Canada are over for us anyway as Canadian fuel costs seem excessive. We should try the marked for our motor home and see whether it will sell at a price we can live with. And that would be all for today, have a great Sunday and thanks for having your eyes look at this blog.

Still waiting for fireworks

The first week of July is the week where most fireworks go off. From Campobello we can watch three fireworks. On July 01 vi can see the fireworks on Deer Island, on July 04 the fireworks of Eastport and Lubec follow. But not this year. Right before the fireworks should go off a thick fog settled over the area. When there is fog nobody can see anything. So consequently, both fireworks on the Maine side were canceled. Well not canceled but postponed. Eastport did theirs yesterday, while Lubec is gonna have it coming Sunday. We were just coming home from Lubec yesterday evening when we noticed that Eastport had started the big show. So we came to a stop when we reached Friars Bay and parked there to follow the rest of the show. Of course, one can discuss whether a firework rectifies the use of the money, but it sure makes for a good tourist attraction and tourists were plentiful over the last week. Eastport had a few great days and the visit of the USS “San Jacinto”. It is a long standing tradition that the city has naval ships coming in for the celebrations of Independence Day. I had myself a fine ride with the Fat Lady today as I had to go to Eastport to distribute brochures. Weather was marvelous and the car was really riding nicely along. Returned by way of ferry via Deer Island. This is one of the highlights of the entire region. The waters were absolutely calm and from the railing we could observe seals swimming in the bay.   Thanks for dropping by!

In the City of Eastport, Maine

Two days ago, Bea had gone off with our guests to Eastport, ME.     The “Island Hopper” – a ferry line connecting Campobello with Deer Island and Eastport Eastport lies directly opposite of Campobello Island. The city is entirely spread out over Moose Island and has a connection to the mainland via a causeway. Eastport is the easternmost city in the continental United States (although the nearby town of Lubec is the easternmost municipality). Independence Day in Eastport is not simply a festival, but rather a celebration of the birth of a nation. Towns and villages throughout Maine and Canada come together to party, but also to remember those who sacrificed so much to preserve and protect America. Because "Old Home Week" traditionally begins on Canada Day and runs through Independence Day, it is actually a celebration of the birth of two nations. Eastport hosts the largest Fourth of July celebration in Maine. Grand Independence Parade (with considerable participation of its Canadian neighbors), Fireworks over the Bay of Fundy, free entertainment at Overlook Park, greasy pole and water sports, antique car show, contests and games for all ages with prizes. Since 1905, U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard ships have made a port call over the 4th and provided free tours. The native Passamaquoddy Tribe has called this area home for at least 10,000 years. Some archeologists estimate the inhabitation at 20,000 years. However, the first known European contact was the St. Croix colony founded by the French explorer Samuel de Champlain in 1604. Near present day Calais, the Saint Croix Island Acadia settlement predates the first successful English settlement at Jamestown, Virginia by three years. On June 25, 1604, Champlain and his men spent a long and severe winter on St. Croix Island with no fresh water and diminished supplies. Two-fifths of the men died of Scurvy and the colony moved across the bay to Port Royal in present day Nova Scotia. Eastport was incorporated as a town from Plantation Number 8 PS by the Massachusetts General Court, and named for being the easternmost port in the United States. Lubec, on the mainland, was set off and incorporated as a town on June 21, 1811. From 1807 to 1809, the town was a center of extensive 2-way smuggling during the Embargo Act imposed by President Thomas Jefferson. In 1809, Fort Sullivan was erected atop a village hill, but it was captured by a British fleet under command of Sir Thomas Hardy on July 11, 1814 during the War of 1812. England claimed that Moose Island was on the British side of the international border which had been determined in 1783. Nevertheless, the town was returned to United States' control in 1818. The boundary between the U. S. and Canada in the area remained disputed until settled by the Webster-Ashburton Treaty of 1842. Eastport would be incorporated as a city on March 18, 1893. By 1886, the town contained 13 sardine factories, which operated day and night during the season, and produced approximately 5,000 cases per week. About 800 men, women and children worked in the plants. But the industry would decline, and many people moved away. Indeed, the city went bankrupt in 1937. In 1976, the Groundhog Day Gale destroyed many structures along the waterfront. Today, catching fish remains the principal industry, although tourism has become important as well. Eastport is also a port of entry. An international ferry crosses to Deer Island, New Brunswick during the summer months. Each 4th of July, the city becomes a destination for thousands of celebrants. Navy ships have docked there during the 4th of July celebration for many years. Each September, the city hosts the annual Maine Salmon Festival in the historic downtown district. For Bea and our guests it was a marvelous sunny day with  a lot of fun.   While being in Eastport they were watched all the time by the “Fisherman”.   Thanks for stopping by again.

Skip…Skip a Day Come Again Another Day

You noticed that I skipped a day? Yep, I wasn’t feeling up to it yesterday. Besides, it was the last evening  with our friends and such precious time should be taken care of. Bea brought our guests to Bangor today. They took the bus to Portland and are now “holed up” in a nice hotel. Their flight leaves tomorrow afternoon. While Bea was gone, I kept up the defenses. I must admit i got terribly mad today. Mad about our government. But I better start at the beginning. When the phone rang it was the Government telling me that our final transportation permit was ready to be send out, but that I had to throw in another 27 Bucks for the plates. You know I will be getting two sets of plates. One is issued by Service New Brunswick. That is for having the van on the road. The second set is for showing the mostly oblivious people that I am allowed to transport passengers. The whole thing is just meant to make another few bucks for the big cash box. So I issued a check and ran it over to the post office. You see the Government doesn’t take credit cards, that is except you deal with Service New Brunswick. They take your Master or a Visa card. And I do mean TAKE IT! With the check in the mail I was happily waiting for customers when I remembered to check on my stack of brochures at the New Brunswick Tourist information office. To my surprise my brochures were not in the rack. So when I asked whether they were all gone, I received the most incredible answer. One had send one off for approval. And until the approval was done they could not be shown to the public. Approval???? Yep, every brochure has to be approved in this province. I was stunned! To shorten the story a bit: Later today I got word that the brochure could not be approved. No reason given. When I phoned somebody up the ladder to get an explanation the person was simply not in her office. So If I shall sum this up, this is what happened: After months of sitting on their hands Government approves the business and gives permit against cash. At the same time Government denies approval of a friggin’ brochure which purpose is to marked the approved business. Are you still with me? Or have you fallen off the chair? I was mad! Very, very mad! So I have written an email to his Excellency, the Minister of Tourism of the Province of New Brunswick. Is this some sort of a Communist Country we are living in? What business has the d**** province with my brochure? By the way I have distributed that brochure most successfully in Maine and around St. Andrews By-The-Sea. Nobody phoned and let me know how disgusting my brochure is. But on my own turf I’m not allowed. My own government denies me that right. My guests have to kind of know it from birth that there is a sightseeing opportunity on Campobello. Just wondering how many months it will take to receive an answer from the minister. I’m done and out of words. Have a better evening than me!