Am I missing the Maine experience?....In Maine (Lewiston, Auburn: credit, house)

[flycessna]

I once had a friend here in the Lewiston Auburn area that used to say to me....."this is not the real Maine".

I do not think he was slammiing the LA area which I will always stand up for esp. about is getting bad rap. Nor do I think he was from the "volvo line" party.

But he would often talk about his time he spent down east on the coast....and when he lived in Oxford county near the Mountains.

Aside from Urban sprawl...are there just parts of Maine the represent what Maine really has to offer.

Am I spinning my wheels looking outside of Maine for that perfect place. Is that place closer than I realize?

What is Maine.....the way life should be....and where is the best example.

[msina]

What a wonderful question. To me the "real Maine" is that feeling I get out of nowhere, when I'm at the farm stand and strike up a conversation with the woman there and find out her last name is my maiden name. When I'm bent down (back aching) picking strawberries in July or in the middle of an apple orchard filling my basket. A trip to the store where I'm greeted by name, or taking a drive in the spring to collect lilacs with a good friend. I think it's more than the mountains, forests and waterways, it's just feeling like I'm "home".

[Northern Maine Land Man]

There is a town where you can walk for 5 minutes or less and be in the woods. There are 6 banks and a credit union, all 3 major car dealers, a good hospital and more churches than you can count. There are 13 lakes and a huge river. Trails galore for horseback riding, snowmobiles and ATVs. Friendly people and a full time fire and police department. That's Lincoln. It's the economic center of the region. The next town over is Lee, with Lee Academy and Mt. Jefferson Ski Area. As you go out Route 6 from Lincoln the population drops off with each town.
Lincoln; 5,400
Lee; 845
Springfield; 465
Carroll; 185
Kossuth; 16

There are thousands of miles of old woods roads to explore. From Main Street in Lincoln you look out across the lake and there is not another paved road until you hit Route 1 in Waite, of the famous barber shop tale. Lincoln is not unique. Many regions have economic centers with their own smaller "suburbs" and miles and miles of woods in between. We are the most forested state with a small population. Some people want to bunch up in neighborhoods. Others want to be off in the quiet by themselves. Maine can accommodate all of these folks.

[Elcarim]

I thought this would be a great thread!

[maine4.us]

Well, you know my comments are from an "away" person, but I get the idea of Maine. Maine is not I-95 or the malls or the tourist traps that tend to be in southern Maine, Maine is not above the Volvo line (while I know what it means, I still don't understand why you use a Volvo to describe the line), it is what people consider to be a state of mind. Where people are called to use ingenuity, and their wits in order to have a decent life. Where neighbors are neighbors, and will help each other, rather than not know who each other are. Where life is slower, because there is no need to be in a hurry. Where people greet each other, and share the good and the bad times together. I think people want to be in the wide open spaces, with a little breathing room between neighbors. When people are crammed into a small area, and all are going about their own business, they are in such a hurry that they forget the things that we all have in common. I think people know that Mainers do not have a gentle life, but yet, they are willing to forgo a gentle life to be who and what they are. I grew up in a small town, in fact, I can still locate more than 90% of my high school classmates when I go home. I sometimes miss the feeling of home. There is no record of where I ever lived. Every house I lived in is gone. The school I went to is gone. If I had to prove where I grew up, I would be at a loss. The only thing that stands as a reminder is the chimney of my childhood home. The house, was torn down years ago, but the new owner liked the chimney so much he left it standing. I suspect he had a sentimental moment. That chimney was built about 60 years ago by hand. The rocks were chiseled, and the mortal held them together. I think that Maine's real attraction is the fact that much of the last generations of Maine still stand as a record of hard times, and close families. Call me nostalgic, and I guess I am. I see the old homesteads of Maine as a tribute to the pioneer spirit, because much of the pioneer spirit of America has been torn down, bulldozed, and turned into a strip mall. Maine has been much more fortunate in that it is still in touch with its history. Cherish it. When it is gone, it will never be reclaimed. Mainers are entrusted with some of the most beautiful land in the world. I know you know it, and so do those of us who now choose Maine to be our home. Signed "the away people", but not for long.

[Elcarim]

I know you know it, and so do those of we who now choose Maine to be our home. signed "the away people"

Here here!! You got me all teary eyed......

[K-Luv]

Originally Posted by maine4.us

Maine is not above the Volvo line (while I know what it means, I still don't understand why you use a Volvo to describe the line)

Because many years ago using a Volvo may have been accurate. These days the correct vehicle would be Subaru, but the thing is that the Subaru is also a choice car for Northern Mainers, so to say the Subaru Line would be meaningless, just as......

[K-Luv]

i am afraid that I must live in a fairy tale land. My Maine is a beautiful place that adores it's beaches and lobstermen and also it's forests. It is a place that is at a slower pace from the megalopolis's, but not so slow that it is dead. It is a place that is filled with arts, museums, food from around the world, and people from all walks of life. It is a place where terms like 'from away' and 'Volvo Line' do not exist, everybody would be just as welcome (well, until they make themselves unwelcome).

I dunno, I'm not a hippy. Really.

[elston]

Originally Posted by K-Luv

Because many years ago using a Volvo may have been accurate. These days the correct vehicle would be Subaru, but the thing is that the Subaru is also a choice car for Northern Mainers, so to say the Subaru Line would be meaningless, just as......

"They drew a circle to shut me out;
Heritic, Rebel a thing to flout
But love and I had a will to win;
We drew a circle that took them in!"

I will continue to try to overcome any line, whether it be Volvo or Subaru or Ford or Chevy, the mystery is that we are all connected even though we may feel so far apart.

[bignhfamily]

Originally Posted by maine4.us

Well, you know my comments are from an "away" person, but I get the idea of Maine. Maine is not I-95 or the malls or the tourist traps that tend to be in southern Maine, Maine is not above the Volvo line (while I know what it means, I still don't understand why you use a Volvo to describe the line), it is what people consider to be a state of mind. Where people are called to use ingenuity, and their wits in order to have a decent life. Where neighbors are neighbors, and will help each other, rather than not know who each other are. Where life is slower, because there is no need to be in a hurry. Where people greet each other, and share the good and the bad times together. I think people want to be in the wide open spaces, with a little breathing room between neighbors. When people are crammed into a small area, and all are going about their own business, they are in such a hurry that they forget the things that we all have in common. I think people know that Mainers do not have a gentle life, but yet, they are willing to forgo a gentle life to be who and what they are. I grew up in a small town, in fact, I can still locate more than 90% of my high school classmates when I go home. I sometimes miss the feeling of home. There is no record of where I ever lived. Every house I lived in is gone. The school I went to is gone. If I had to prove where I grew up, I would be at a loss. The only thing that stands as a reminder is the chimney of my childhood home. The house, was torn down years ago, but the new owner liked the chimney so much he left it standing. I suspect he had a sentimental moment. That chimney was built about 60 years ago by hand. The rocks were chiseled, and the mortal held them together. I think that Maine's real attraction is the fact that much of the last generations of Maine still stand as a record of hard times, and close families. Call me nostalgic, and I guess I am. I see the old homesteads of Maine as a tribute to the pioneer spirit, because much of the pioneer spirit of America has been torn down, bulldozed, and turned into a strip mall. Maine has been much more fortunate in that it is still in touch with its history. Cherish it. When it is gone, it will never be reclaimed. Mainers are entrusted with some of the most beautiful land in the world. I know you know it, and so do those of us who now choose Maine to be our home. Signed "the away people", but not for long.

Maine - The Way Life Should Be!

Great post!