Maine-ah mentality? (Calais, Eastport, Burlington: chapel, houses, YMCA)

[ProdigalLobster]

Thanks, Molly! I lived in Calais for a few years as a teen... not sure if that's where you are, but there are some amazingly beautiful spots in that area. Glad to hear things are opening up a bit more; I'm guessing the interwebs has helped with that.

BacktoNE... that's sorta what I'm thinking (with cautious optimism). These are both pretty mainstream activities in the larger picture, enjoying a fair amount of popularity in the US generally, so I don't think stuff like this is *too* obscure. Stretching it a bit for ATVL Maine, perhaps, but at least people would be familiar with their existence, & maybe even a lil curious.

Ranger, LOL, just be careful about combining food & dancing simultaneously!

Forest... wow, naked bowling in the OT! I love it!!! As for my urge to put on more clothes when I think of Maine.. it has nothing to do with 'closed mindedness', & everything to do with the fact that I get cold easily, hahaha! Though I am descended from ye olde Pilgrims who crept north, I'm aware that not all Mainers are prudes. Regarding my other concerns of closed mindedness (not involving nudity)... that's why I'm asking, to find out the real deal. And thank you for the welcome!

My memories of Old Town are not very vivid. I haven't spent much time there since I was very young, & was thinking of it as another small town like Lincoln, just closer to Bangor. But relatives assure me it is has more going on now, & a more open feeling... with the university nearby. I'll be visiting at Christmas, & can't wait to explore the area & get a feel for it in person.

[island mermaid]

I'd like to welcome you to the forum as well!

IMO- you would do well in many areas (including the smaller remote northern towns) teaching Salsa and Yoga. No, you won't make a living doing it but I'm pretty sure that a lot more people would like to do something new and different for fun and recreation. Dancing is a blast, whether you do it with "the stars" or not! DH and I used to travel from Harpswell to Portland every Sunday night for dance lessons. Occasionally we would go down on a Sat. night and attend a dance.

Many of the adult ed classes in the Brunswick/ Topsham/ Bath areas used to offer a dance class once a week. People came, I don't know whether they were Mainers or not and why would I care where they were from? We were all there to have fun and try something new - especially during the winter months.

Yoga is often offered at most gyms and even privately taught at instructors homes. Yes, even Mainers like a healthy lifestyle.

I think you should give it a whirl!

[Zymer]

"I think my main concern is not wanting to be in a place where people automatically frown on anything 'new'."

Automatically frown on anything new? Awww, shucks, now looky here, now we gots compooterizers, an innernets an everthing...and some of us kin even know how ta use em to put up messerges on bullitin boards too, without no pins an paper!

[mollysmiles]

LOL.... *some* people have "innernets" at home Zymer, you're working on yours right? cause you're missed

PL, ayuh, I'm in Calais, I grew up in Eastport. Now, Calais is about the size that Eastport was when I grew up, and Eastport is a lot smaller. I went to Orono to the University, and lived in that area for quite a while after so I'm partial to Bangor and the surrounding communities. I also really really really like the mountains....

[dmyankee]

Originally Posted by Zymer

Automatically frown on anything new? Awww, shucks, now looky here, now we gots compooterizers, an innernets an everthing...and some of us kin even know how ta use em to put up messerges on bullitin boards too, without no pins an paper!

As long as ya kin hold your Allens and open a bottle of Bud with one of yer remainin' teeth!

[Maine Writer]

Originally Posted by ProdigalLobster

... just wish there was more 'stuff' to do & help stay active through the winters.

There's always something to do but that doesn't mean there isn't room for more salsa. It's not new in Maine but I think dance can always use a fresh new face. Good luck! And welcome to the forum!

[Zymer]

Originally Posted by mollysmiles

LOL.... *some* people have "innernets" at home Zymer, you're working on yours right? cause you're missed

LOL, thanks Molly. Yes, I finally got a phone line last week. Next I need to run some quad-shield cable out to the road with a couple of amplifiers in-line so I can get Road Runner, this dial-up thing is testing my patience severely. (I had DSL in '98, got the fiber optic a couple of years ago, now I'm back to the stone-age of internet. Severe withdrawals.)

[txmom]

Originally Posted by dmyankee

As long as ya kin hold your Allens and open a bottle of Bud with one of yer remainin' teeth!

I even know how to drink Allen's properly now - with milk! Learned that this winter from city-data-ites. Can't open a Bud with my teeth, though. I'm kind of partial to my enamel being intact!

[tcrackly]

Stubborn,yes, closed-minded? I might differ. My experiences of 25 years around Down-easters and southern Mainers is pretty varied. And being African-American in Maine has a way of drawing suspicion. But I always get a hoot when I see a kid with a piercing or two and jeans around his @$%## slouching around Jonesport! Mainers are picky about what they choose to accept but the internet, cell phones and satellite have enabled many, especially young folk, to absorb what feels good! I still can't get used to the slouchy jeans though.

[mainebrokerman]

does salsa dancing involve a pole???

if it does,, i think you would do well,


from what i've seen and lived, i believe most mainers have softened thru the years.....
not as edgy