Maine connections while traveling- had any good ones? (Portland, Old Town: condo, high school)

[deerislesmile]

It seems that every time I leave Maine, I meet at least one person who does actually know someone I know, or at least know of. I find it quite funny and very interesting, and would love to hear any stories you have of finding a connection to Maine in odd places.

When I first visited my MIL, she was living in a trailer park in CT. We had to park out on the little lane, rather then the driveway, and as I was outside on day 2, there was an elderly man who came over and asked "What part of Maine are you from?" (He had obviously seen our license plate and was waiting for us to be outside) I replied "Deer Isle. What part of Maine are you from?" He laughed and said he wasn't sure they would ever let him back, but he had been raised in Belfast, and had lived in CT for over 50 years. We ended up inviting him over for a lobster dinner that week.

I was once (horribly) lost in the Phoenix area. I stopped to beg directions from a police officer. Once he got me pointed in the right direction, he asked if I was from Maine and he then said "Thought so. My ex-wife was from Winter Harbor, and you sound just like her!" (I think that was a bad thing. I'm glad I asked for directions first!)

On my first solo cross country journey (Maine to Oregon), I was bumped from a flight and ending up waiting for a long time in Salt Lake City. I noticed an elderly couple next to me were wearing jackets from the mill in Bucksport (St.Regis at the time, if that tells how long ago it was!), and ended up chatting with them for a long time, as we actually had a few mutual acquaintances.

[umograd83]

I've got a couple. I lived in Arlington, Virginia - just outside of Washington, DC - in the 80s after I graduated from UMO. One day I saw a car with Maine license plates out in the condo parking lot. I went up to the two people who were near the car and asked if they were Maine-iacs. Turns out one of my neighbors was from Portland and her cousin was visiting from Maine.

Today, I returned to Memphis from my two-week vacation to Maine. The lady I sat next to on the plane was my high school guidance counselor's sister-in-law. I graduated from Old Town High in 1976 and he was the guidance counselor way back then. He's been retired for ten years now. She's going to tell him she met me. I told her to tell him that he was the person who inspired me to go to college (told me I could do anything I put my mind to - he was right).