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I am a transplanted Mainer. I was born in Baltimore, Maryland; left when I was 11 years old to join my mother in Boston and remained there until 1993. I grew up in Boston, met and married my husband Charlie and lived an interesting life there. As a middle-aged adult I began feeling surrounded by too many people. Boston's population was growing rapidly, and with an increasing population many problems such as intense crime, heavy traffic, lack of parking space and excessive noise levels increase. The loveliness I enjoyed being in a large city began to grate on my nerves. I no longer felt 'safe.' Much of my inner harmony and balance was being siphoned off to create a 'safety shield' around my body. The noise level was unbelievable. Car alarms going off in the middle of the night, house alarms going off in the neighborhood, fire engines screaming through the streets, police in pursuit of suspected trouble sounding their alarms kept me from getting a good night's sleep. Going to work, not knowing if your apartment or home was robbed while you were away (it happened to us once and it is a feeling you never forget). Having to place 3 locks on your front door to keep people out did not make me feel 'safe'. For if someone was chasing me, it would be impossible to unlock three locks and reach 'safety.'
I found my blood pressure easing upward even though I was on medication to lower it. My breathing began to be affected. I felt as if I was having difficulty breathing and feared I might have something wrong with my lungs or an asthmatic condition, but the doctor could not hear anything wrong. So my labored breathing was 'emotional'. I began to dread living in a city where I spent 34 good years. My body and Spirit was telling me it was time to leave.
Once I made the 'scary' decision to 'move' things fell into our laps allowing us to leave. We had a very modest home built in a rural town in the foothills of west-central Maine named New Vineyard. It is populated with 735 people. The town was originally settled in the 1700's by people from Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. If you are expecting the "city life" don't come to New Vineyard. It is a peaceful, quiet little town populated with folks who own cows, horses, chickens, sheep, ducks, and people who grow their own food. It is a town where the annual 'Town Meeting' is held every March and residents come to vote on how their tax monies are to be spent (wish we had that choice in Washington, DC). We don't have a mayor, we have a Board of Selectmen. Our post office is a small one-room building where the post master does most of the work while one person delivers the mail to roadside mailboxes 6 days a week. The service is always warm and very friendly. Our library is also one small room. Our fire department is strictly 'volunteer service.' We share police service with the nearby town of Farmington. I was 'shell-shocked' when I left Boston. By that, I mean you think you are 'normal' until you leave a place and discover living in your new home is totally different. I knew I needed a change, but I did not realize just how much tension was bundled up inside. It took about a year to 'heal' and totally feel 'whole'. I am not trying to give Boston a bad name. For those who live there and love it, it's great. But for me, Boston represents a place of tension on many levels. In my little corner of Maine, I discovered we are located approximately halfway between the Equator and the North Pole of the planet. The one good thing about that is on quite a few occasions we are able to see the Northern Lights in the sky at night. Quite a beautiful sight if you haven't seen them before.
Maine is one of the heaviest forested states in the United States and covers 30,862 square miles. With a population of only about 1,321,500 people we have a lot of space to stretch and feel free. With only 42 people per square mile in comparison to 12,166 people per square mile in Boston (Boston has a population of approximately 581,616) is it any wonder why I was starting to feel 'squeezed out? '
What 'hit' me after moving to Maine is the wonderful scenery! Everywhere you drive, there is such breathtaking beauty. Here are some photos I have taken in the past few years:
Here we are on Wilson Lake, in the town of Wilton, a few towns south of New Vineyard. I think the blues of the mountain range in the distance is simply breathtaking!
I took this at a Blueberry Farm in Wilton. Blueberries are grown on either low or high bushes. High bushed blueberries are easier to pick because you don't have to bend over and pick them on ground level ( a real backbreaker). The high bushes stand about 8 to 9 feet. The field is dotted with round bales of hay drying in the sun. Later on they will be bagged and put into a barn to feed dairy cows during the winter months. If hay is stored while damp it will create spontaneous combustion. Some barns have burned to the ground because of improperly dried hay. Blueberries are loaded with Vitamin C and helps the body cleanse itself of toxins while strengthening your immune system.
Here is a beautiful field used to grow hay along Route 27 in Farmington. Once again, you can see the Mountains in the background. In the west- central portion of Maine you are surrounded with mountains.
Maine is highly populated with creative people. Here is a moose carved from wood that stands in front of the Mountain View Chocolate Shoppe in Farmington. The shop is owned by fellow New Vineyarder Pam West. Pam makes decadent chocolate candies, creates wedding cakes and carries a line of Made in Maine products.
Here is John posing with the wooden moose. Just so you have an idea how tall this creation is; John stands six feet, one. The antlers were found in the woods. The body was carved from a huge single tree trunk; the other portions were carved from smaller tree trunks. If anyone is thinking of commissioning a similar moose, better plan on dipping into your bank account for at least $3500.
Here we are crossing the bay of Maine going to Cabbage Island. Fog developed and the islands of the bay looked like something out of a science-fiction mystical place.....
Bales of hay in Jill & Randy Bates yard in New Vineyard. Jill and Randy own a dairy farm licensed to sell organic milk. Dairy farming is hard work. To my way of thinking, you are married to the farm. You cannot afford to neglect daily duties if you want to be successful. I take my hat off to those who do it, and feel it is a shame farmers aren't paid more for the work they do. Unfair compensation is also the reason so many are quitting the farm business.
This was taken at Clearwater Lake in the town of Industry.
This was taken at Rangeley Lakes a few years ago.
Here we are at the Shady Lane Farm in New Vineyard. It was Farm Day throughout the region and tours were given at various farms. The Lanes have a huge variety of animals and a Petting Zoo. They sell eggs, maple syrup, frozen chickens and ducks. They have the largest hogs I have ever seen!
