New Page on The Lower 48 (Plus 2)! It's All About Maine!

I am a Misplaced Texan living in Maine. It's a long story of how I ended up here and if you'd like, I'll share it with you some day. I will always be a Texan first, but I am very happy in this little part of New England. My wife and children were born and raised (and in the girls' case, still being raised) in Maine, so it is now my home away from home. Maine is a beautiful state with abundant wildlife and some great scenery. On this page, I will share with you a little about my personal life in relation to how other Americans live their daily lives, and post photos of this wondrous locale nicknamed The Pine Tree State.

Learn more here.....

Maine Minutiae: Vet Makes Christmas Merry for Soldiers

Christmas Across the State***

I have mentioned that when it comes to serving in or showing support of the United States Military, Mainers are second to none. Literally. Per capita, Maine has the highest percentage of active and retired veterans of all fifty states in the Union. I know that to be true because I have substantiated it before, I just can't remember where. So you gotta trust me on this one. Most of the people I know in Maine are members of Heather's family and off the top of my head, I can name seven men that have served or are serving as I type this, and that's just a small part of her family. I know that's a bit anecdotal, but it also is representative of the larger group,the total population of the state.

Your average enlisted man/woman in the military is not exactly raking in the dough. Sure, they get some good benefits, but many of our bravest also have families to take care of. In a trying economy, like we are currently experiencing, it's all the more difficult to make ends meet for service members.

There is an organization here in Augusta that is a beacon of hope for military personnel during the Christmas season. I discovered an article in the Lewiston-Auburn area newspaper the Sun Journal that tells the story of Christmas Across the State and the man behind it, Kerry Birmingham, himself a Viet Nam Vet.
 
Daniel Hartill, a Staff Writer for the Sun Journal, gets the props for a job well done for bringing Christmas Across the State to the attention of the masses. Sun Journal.

Isn't that article a perfect example of selflessness, patriotism and a damn fine man? Daniel, again I thank you for your work in bringing this to the fore, and to Mr.Birmingham, I salute you, Sir, for your service to our country and for your continuing efforts to make sure our Bravest and Finest young people are looked after during the Christmas Holiday. God bless you and may God continue to bless the United States of America.

***Photo shamelessly swiped from the Sun Journal ***

Maine Minutiae : Augusta

I have been doing these posts on Maine for a few months now, and have written very little about where I live - Augusta . Augusta, the State Capital of Maine, is a town of about 18,000 people which makes it the third smallest capital city in the US (just ahead of Montpelier,VT and Pierre,SD). The first Europeans to explore the area did so in 1607. It wasn't until 1629 that English settlers from the Plymouth Colony first inhabited the area. About a mile and a half from where I type this sits a National Historic Landmark, Fort Western. Built in 1754, Fort Western is the oldest wooden fort in America. The Kennebec River runs through the middle of Augusta and has some pretty good fishin' (I caught my first smallmouth bass there). The Kennebec starts north of here at Moosehead Lake and runs 150 miles southward and eventually empties into the Gulf of Maine.
Despite its status as the state capital, Augusta often plays second fiddle to the larger cities of Bangor and Portland, however, there are, comparatively speaking, as many things to do here as there are in the other two cities - shopping, outdoors activities, nice parks, movie theatres, some names-you'll-recognize eateries, etc. I like living here in this safe, clean and friendly city and I'm certain that you'd love to visit Augusta.

Maine Minutiae : Weekend Festivities !

If anyone ever said that Mainers don't know how to put on a heavy duty weekend party, they have obviously never attended Harry's Hoedown in the town of Starks. Nor have they even thought about the Whatever Family Festival in Gardiner. But wait there's more ! A whole lot more ! Seriously now. These local get-togethers are a blast and, as you can imagine, not all that different from any other small-town celebrations throughout the country. The reason for celebration might not be the same, but the spirit and camaraderie of the attendees is no less festive than any other gatherings of the kind. the Whatever Festival is the closest one to us, as Gardiner is a "suburb" of Augusta. So all you Mainers pack up the youguns and head on out to Starks,  Old Town, Deer Isle or Whatever. It's a great New England Weekend to celebrate!