You Know You're in Maine When... (Portland, Saco: casino, living in, gardens)

[corgis]

Greengene - That was a beautiful story

[elston]

I just opened the mail and there was a nice story waiting for me, in an envelope without a return address. I opened it up and out fell a picture of a young man and a beautiful dog posed on a porch overlooking a lake; I didnt recognize either of them....so started to read the letter with some puzzelment...it read:

"Hi there,

My name is Sandy. I am the dog that you helped rescue from the pits of Afganistan. I want to thank you so much for your donation. Without your help and my new Dad wanting me, I would still be wandering around looking for food and shelter. I am 9 months old, two shades of brown with one blue eye and one brown one. ..... I have two brothers. They both got adopted and moved to the United States also. We were lucky.........I love it here in Maine. ...... It was by God's grace and your help that made this all possible." And it was signed with Sandy's paw print.

The story was that a litter of pups had been born on the marine base in Afganistan and several of the Marines had taken them in. When it was time to leave for home the commanding officer told the guys to shoot or otherwise get rid of the dogs.....they chose to take them several miles from the base and drop them off to fend for themselves.....but over the next several days...three of them made it back to the base. The military couldnt assist with bringing them home.....so the mother of one of the troops here in Maine gave an interview to the Portland paper making an appeal for help to raise the money for expenses. (My DP and I responded, as did many many others.) We wanted to help the animal and to show appreciation to the young Marine for his sacrifice and for his kind heart.

So Sandy left Kabul and went to Pakistan and stayed in a shelter and then was shipped to NYC and then to Boston and then picked up and brought to Maine. She made it "home" before her new Daddy. The extra donations were used to help other dogs in Afganistan and a local shelter. The letter included an invitation to meet Sandy and Eric at the bank in Madison that managed the rescue fund.

Such a nice story, I thought I would share it.

[reloop]

Originally Posted by elston

Such a nice story green gene......made me remember driving to Maine from NH when my eldest son was just about 5 y o. As we came to the Memorial bridge over the Piscataqua River I mention to the lad that we going to go over that bridge and then be in Maine......I thought he'd be excited but he started crying and fussing and working himself up into a panic.....his mother had to hang on to him ....we thought he was going to jump out of the car.......it got worse as we got closer to the bridge...."No Daddy, No Daddy...please don't go over the bridge!!!" As we started across he went limp and calm and said, "I thought you said we were going over the bridge!" The poor kid thought we were going to drive over the arched superstructure of the bridge......not on the road bed.

Going across the tracks would have been much easier way of saying we are in Maine.

Kids - gotta love the literal little buggers.

We used to make sure we lifted our feet off the floor of the car when we went over the tracks!

We also have a tradition of going over what we lovingly refer to as "Tickle Belly Hill" on the way to camp. The DH gooses the gas at the top for effect, and the kids get a big hoot out of the fact that their stomachs seem to be airborne for a moment.

[Raffie]

I would have to say when you see the sing that says WELCOME TO MAINE....

[GreenGene]

Originally Posted by reloop

We used to make sure we lifted our feet off the floor of the car when we went over the tracks!

Yep, we did the same thing ... and the first time I took my wife and our two (at the time, small) children to the same camp, and crossed the same tracks, I told the kids they should lift their feet as we went over the tracks.

We also walked up to the tracks from the camp, and did something I did many times as a kid - we placed pennies on the tracks, and went back later in the day to retrieve our very flattened pennies. That's probably against some law these days.

[reloop]

Originally Posted by retiredtinbender

My folks would buy me a pair of green rubber boot with teh yellow band around the top. They were better because at school we'd build dams in the spring where the melting snow ran down from the Primary to the Grammar School yards. At any given time before school, at recesses or lunch time there would be a dozen or more kids working on 5 or 6 (or more) dams. Just before going back in school the top one (usually the biggest) would be opened up and they'd try to flood the lower ones. If they didn't break then a group wouold usually "help" it out by kicking at it a bit. The boots were required equipment for scraping drt and san and ultimately, running through a dam that was built too well at lower elevations. Goloshes or rubbers just weren't up to the task. Plus they were better for diggin holes to shoot marbles. Try asking the kids about shooting marbles nowadays adn you get a blank stare. Lord, I sound like my father, rest his soul.

Ahhhh yes...the classic rubber "booger boots" I won many a "cats eye" with those...

BTW, my kids and I play marbles - we draw bullseyes on paper and shoot them in the house during the winter.

[dramamama6685]

Elston, what an awesome stroy of folks pulling together to help our little 4 legged friends!

[msina]

Elston, your kindness never fails to amaze me.

[Maine Writer]

...when the propane driver knocks on your door to ask, "You didn't call for the greenhouse this week but you usually need it filled three weeks in a row. Want me to fill the tank while I'm here?" I spaced out and forgot to order! It's being filled as I type.

[elston]

Originally Posted by msina

Elston, your kindness never fails to amaze me.

Thank you friend msina, coming from you that is a compliment indeed.