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Well, I live in a touristy area. Right across the bridge from San Francisco. I'm pretty used to tourists. I am one myself from time to time. Every place is different and everyone has pre-conceived notions about every place. The thing I find most amusing is that most people who come to the SF Bay Area seem to be expecting Los Angeles or more specifically, Hollywood. I lived in LA for a while and people who went to Hollywood seemed surprised it was very different from what they expected. I'm originally from Texas and most folks seem to also have an idea of what Texas is like. Well, not only is each state different but different areas of each state are quite different. I actually had people asking me about cattle when I moved to California some 20 years ago. To be honest, the first cow I had ever seen in my life was just across the Golden Gate Bridge in Marin County. I was raised in Houston, didn't listen to country music, and have never owned a pair of cowboy boots nor a hat. I notice that when I travel and people see I'm from California, they make many assumptions about me and where I live that simply aren't true. In short, people say some pretty silly things. It doesn't annoy me in the slightest. I'm looking at properties in "Downeast" Maine because I just happen to like the place. The wages are low and many areas aren't quite as convenient as living right in the middle of a major metropolitan area but then again, they don't have many of the other wonderful things I could very happily do without.
I don't let the silly things people say bother me because I'm sure some of the crap that spews forth from my maw can seem silly as well depending on the point of view. If I were to let it bother me then they'd go on their merry way not even knowing I was upset and they'd be living in my head rent-free.
Sometimes on this board I am amused when I see questions like "Do they have satellite TV in this place or that?" I'm tempted to respond with "No you dolt... They have satellite dishes pointed at the satellites up in the southern sky just like everyone else in the Northern Hemisphere!" but somehow I refrain. Don't let such questions and remarks get to you because one thing that folks from all over the globe seem to have in common, including some Mainers, is the ability shut down the brain and open the mouth.
Way back in the late '70s, I actually had a couple of Tourists from the Midwest ask me where they could find the gold-paved streets in Houston. Really! If there were streets paved in gold, I'd be out there digging instead of pumping gas.
People evrywhere think without speaking.. life's too short and spmetimes for peace of mind.. you have to let things go.
Anyway, can I google these streets of gold? I promise I'll pick you up on the way!
Guy from Texas stopped beside the road to take a picture of a Maine farmer. They struck up a conversation and the guy from Texas asked the Mainer how much land he had. The Maine farmer took a deep breath and said he had 27 acres.
"Why back home on my ranch it takes me all day to drive around it," said the Texan.
"Ayuh. I had a car like that once," said the Mainer.
Near misses/automobile: 3
Near misses/pedestrian or cyclist: 3
Stupid questions: 2
Rude comments/PFA (People From Away) Syndrome:
I drove through Stonington village this morning (all 1/2 mile of it) and am still surprised that I did actually make it back home. Cars doubleparked, people who cannot navigate narrow streets, people who walk at will down the middle of the street, cars parked in the opposite lane to take pictures (dead stop, out of the car, blocking half the road- for a photo...), parents that let their small children run into the road, cars that drive 15mph in a 45 zone... AAAAARRRG! Must be Tourist Season!So, as a gift to those people who might be coming for a visit to Maine, I thought we might compile a list of thing NOT to do when they visit!
-Do not stop in traffic to view something pretty. Find the next parking place and then pull over.
-If you are trying to navigate the sometimes narrow roads in Maine, you need to err on the side of getting too close to the woods- not travelling halfway into the oncoming lane of traffic to avoid said woods.
-Even in scenic areas, do your best to not impede traffic. I know looking at the water is pretty, but I have to get to the store before it closes.. and I don't want to drive at 15 mph to get there.
-Do not pull the nose of your car out into the road (from a driveway, for example) as you may be used to doing at home- the buffer strip in Maine can be very, very narrow (none at all, sometimes) compared to that in more urban areas, and you may be causing passing traffic to veer into the oncoming lane.- Do not reserve a room on the harbor of a fishing village and then complain that it smells too... fishy. (Or alternately, that the sound of the fishing boats leaving in the morning is too loud..)
-Do not continually tell us Mainers what you have back home, and how much better it is than what we have up here. It's likely we don't agree on how good it is, or how nice it would be to have. This applies to cell phones, good coffee, big box stores, expensive housing, and other assorted goodies.-Don't make fun of our accent, and especially not to our faces. We can make fun of yours, but you can't make fun of ours.a
-Don't ask where we go in the winter.. Maine doesn't close come Labor Day. Well, at least not mid-coast/Downeast Maine..
Please, feel free to add your suggestions!
Come on down to the city here in Connecticut...we go through this stuff all the time and more. Everyone thinks that there are at least 10 killings a day in the cities down here and most people think that city folk are rude and pushy...not always true. People not from the city think we have break dancing, gang bangers on every street corner with police sirens whaling 24-7. Everything you are complaining about especially the bad drivers...that happens here all the time only you are afraid to flip someone off down here cuz they just might have a GUN.
Make fun of your accent???? What do you call the driveway??? I believe it is a dooryard, right?? Oh, and what do you call the toilet?? I believe that is called a "flush"...no? AND..what do you call a grinder?? I see that is an EYE-TALIAN sandwhich, right? I lived in Northern Maine for 12 years so I know all about the accent just took me a while to translate.
You tell us not to stop and admire something pretty? I know someone living in Northern Maine who stopped in the middle of I95 to look at a Moose and ended up in a serious car accident...someone plowed into her while she was stopped in the middle of the highway...now that qualifies as dumb, right? How about those Northern Mainers who drive around at night with a huge spotlight shining it in the middle of a field looking for a deer? Can you say traffic hazard?
Regarding your all too narrow roads...why don't you put in guardrails to save people from going off into the woods? Where are your yellow lines on some of your backroads? Streetlights?? Not everyone who visits up there has x-ray vision at night nor do they like being blinded by high beams from an experienced Maine backroads driver who knows the road when we don't. What would be the harm in assisting an out-of-stater when they appear to be lost and going to slow on your badly marked roads? Have you ever tried?
Oh, and do all of us city slickers a huge favor and stop telling us that those nasty-ass blackflies are "not all that bad". In the 12 years I lived up there, I ended up in the hospital at least twice during the summer months with an allergic reaction to them...your "fly dope" didn't work on me and the last time my husband went up to Bangor for a visit in July he ended up hatching EGGS on his head from all the bites. Not bad...yeah...if you don't want us there then tell us the truth about those blackflies.
Ok...we won't ask you where you go in the winter if you won't make fun of how we drive in the winter. The road crews down here do NOT take as good a care of the highways as yours do up there...yours have more experience and know all about tons of snow. It is tough for us to drive on roads with 6" frozen ruts on them or black ice that the state feels will "melt" eventually. If how we feel about where you go in the winter bothers you then come down here if you want a place to go to and help us plow our roads properly.
Agreed...we won't tell you how good we have it down here if you won't treat us like we know absolutely nothing about living in the country. Connecticut is NOT all city. We too know about farming, raising cows, pigs, chickens and kids in a good clean country atmosphere. Don't treat us like we don't know how to do down home country cooking, or like we don't know what a fiddlehead is. Although your beautiful state amazes us, we are not so shabby ourselves.
Now all that being said...........I see an out of stater on the side road near my house going 15mph and I am going to assume he is lost so I best go out there and get him out of the middle of the road so he won't veer into oncoming traffic in this huge city I live in....NOT
What do you call the driveway??? I believe it is a dooryard, right??
It's a driveway.
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Oh, and what do you call the toilet?? I believe that is called a "flush"...no?
No, but don't give up. You'll get one right yet! It's a toilet.
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AND..what do you call a grinder??
A grinder. It's noisy but it does a good job on the beans every morning.
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I see that is an EYE-TALIAN sandwhich, right?
Now that's just gross. I'm trying not to picture an eye sandwich but gees, I wish you hadn't put that one in my imagination.
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I lived in Northern Maine for 12 years so I know all about the accent just took me a while to translate.
pssst....we don't all sound the same.
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You tell us not to stop and admire something pretty? I know someone living in Northern Maine who stopped in the middle of I95 to look at a Moose and ended up in a serious car accident...someone plowed into her while she was stopped in the middle of the highway...now that qualifies as dumb, right? How about those Northern Mainers who drive around at night with a huge spotlight shining it in the middle of a field looking for a deer? Can you say traffic hazard?
I think so. Traffic hazard. Yup, I can say that.
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Regarding your all too narrow roads...why don't you put in guardrails to save people from going off into the woods?
Four words - slow down, pay attention.
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Where are your yellow lines on some of your backroads?
They're back roads. There's no need for yellow lines. Those four words again - slow down, pay attention.
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Streetlights??
Ugh. Our neighbors moved here and put up a street light first thing. Thankfully they're selling and going back to CT (completely coincidence that they're from your home state). We met our new neighbors this morning. The light is going.
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Not everyone who visits up there has x-ray vision at night nor do they like being blinded by high beams from an experienced Maine backroads driver who knows the road when we don't. What would be the harm in assisting an out-of-stater when they appear to be lost and going to slow on your badly marked roads? Have you ever tried?
Of course we've tried. I thought this was a fun quiz at first but seems like it's getting awfully grumpy now.
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Oh, and do all of us city slickers a huge favor and stop telling us that those nasty-ass blackflies are "not all that bad". In the 12 years I lived up there, I ended up in the hospital at least twice during the summer months with an allergic reaction to them...your "fly dope" didn't work on me and the last time my husband went up to Bangor for a visit in July he ended up hatching EGGS on his head from all the bites. Not bad...yeah...if you don't want us there then tell us the truth about those blackflies.
Black flies. Two words. Those eggs were not black fly eggs unless your husband had his head stuck in running water, the place black flies lay eggs. Now, tell us the truth about those eggs...
I come from Pennsylvania with a photo on my knee!
[ATTACH]43730
I found the cd forum, while looking for a guestbook for Clinton, Maine. I chose the Maine Forum, because I wanted to locate Mainahs who might have a connection to my picture of a homestead still located in Clinton. (see albums) Sorta like using my strings as virtual lobster traps..... checking them for live ones.... collecting them etc (like I know what THAT is like!). All roads lead to Clinton, ME!
I have been learning my way .....finding friendly....and ....interesting posters along the way. But, I have to tell you I am experiencing your "Maine Attraction".... and will be sad to leave. I feel like I've been intruding on a party-line gabfest. Is the Maine forum only for Mainahs?
Don't be too hard on visitors...or yourselves! When we visit Maine someday, it will be to see Clinton. I will try to remember to behave myself and try not to ask dumb questions with my funny accent.
But for now, I will enjoy the threads and try to soak in all I can of Maine.
[ATTACH]43732
Make fun of your accent???? What do you call the driveway??? I believe it is a dooryard, right?? Oh, and what do you call the toilet?? I believe that is called a "flush"...no? AND..what do you call a grinder?? I see that is an EYE-TALIAN sandwhich, right? I lived in Northern Maine for 12 years so I know all about the accent just took me a while to translate.
And yet you wanted it to be exactly like where you were coming from.
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You tell us not to stop and admire something pretty? I know someone living in Northern Maine who stopped in the middle of I95 to look at a Moose and ended up in a serious car accident...someone plowed into her while she was stopped in the middle of the highway...now that qualifies as dumb, right? How about those Northern Mainers who drive around at night with a huge spotlight shining it in the middle of a field looking for a deer? Can you say traffic hazard?
In 20 years living in Northern Maine (I would think Caribou/ Presque Isle would be considered Northern) I NEVER seen a spotlight shining a field. Every single person I know up there will tell you it is illegal (I really don't know for sure).
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Regarding your all too narrow roads...why don't you put in guardrails to save people from going off into the woods? Where are your yellow lines on some of your backroads? Streetlights?? Not everyone who visits up there has x-ray vision at night nor do they like being blinded by high beams from an experienced Maine backroads driver who knows the road when we don't.
What type of vehicle do you drive that doesn't have headlights? In all my years driving and restoring old vehicles I have never seen one that somebody would actually drive that did NOT have headlights of some kind. I don't know about you, but most of the people I know can tell where the lanes are on a road. Maybe you lived in England for a time and forgot that the Right half is yours, the left half is the other guys; when it goes from pavement to gravel in a long line, that means you are driving on the shoulder.
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What would be the harm in assisting an out-of-stater when they appear to be lost and going to slow on your badly marked roads? Have you ever tried?
I'm not fast enough to run up alongside and give out directions as they are slowly driving around. If they stop and ask, I have never failed to give directions.
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Oh, and do all of us city slickers a huge favor and stop telling us that those nasty-ass blackflies are "not all that bad". In the 12 years I lived up there, I ended up in the hospital at least twice during the summer months with an allergic reaction to them...your "fly dope" didn't work on me and the last time my husband went up to Bangor for a visit in July he ended up hatching EGGS on his head from all the bites. Not bad...yeah...if you don't want us there then tell us the truth about those blackflies.
You married to aquaman? I always thought he was a fictional character from comic books. Could you get my son his autograph please, he is a big fan. If he had eggs hatch on his head it wasn't black flies. And flies don't lay eggs by biting.
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Ok...we won't ask you where you go in the winter if you won't make fun of how we drive in the winter.
Most don't go anywhere in the winter.
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The road crews down here do NOT take as good a care of the highways as yours do up there...yours have more experience and know all about tons of snow.
They sure do know how to clear roads. Better than anyplace I have seen before or since.
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It is tough for us to drive on roads with 6" frozen ruts on them or black ice that the state feels will "melt" eventually.
That would be tough to drive on. Your road crews must really suck if they let it get that bad. I never seen that anyplace I have driven in the winter.
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If how we feel about where you go in the winter bothers you then come down here if you want a place to go to and help us plow our roads properly.
Agreed...we won't tell you how good we have it down here if you won't treat us like we know absolutely nothing about living in the country. Connecticut is NOT all city. We too know about farming, raising cows, pigs, chickens and kids in a good clean country atmosphere. Don't treat us like we don't know how to do down home country cooking, or like we don't know what a fiddlehead is.
Then don't act like it is a new and bewildering thing when you go up.
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Now all that being said...........I see an out of stater on the side road near my house going 15mph and I am going to assume he is lost so I best go out there and get him out of the middle of the road so he won't veer into oncoming traffic in this huge city I live in....NOT
Damn, you people from Connecticut are fast. Good luck, I'll watch for you in the Olympics and cheer you on. "Look at ConnecticutPam go! She trained by running down out of Staters who didn't ask for her help."
Bah, some people just need to stay away from areas they don't like and let the past, live in the past. A long, wild rant that doesn't make a darn bit of sense to anyone except those from a large dense population center trying to ake a rural State like theirs. Everything different is automatically wrong, must be a miserable life.
Location: 3.5 sq mile island ant nest next to Canada
3,036 posts, read 5,887,882 times
Reputation: 2171
I just re-read this thread. I still LMAO on the first posts by deerisl and molly. Folks do some funny things. All of us. I almost went on a snipe hunt in Lousiana. Don't get yer nose bent outta shape. (nickers in a twist, etc)
It's just funnier when we can watch it happenrather than the other side. I love to get asked "Where'd all the water go?" and "Why are those hanging off the wharf?" while they point to tires hanging over dry land. Still waiting to see a skiff hanging from teh breakwater at low tide.
And Pam...those words are not accents, they are called colloquialisms. Probly spelled that wrong but they are.
I went to Connecticut once and gave a sled dog team exhibition for a girl scout troop. Some hippie lady stopped and screamed at me for being cruel to my dogs. I told her she better go check on her mushrooms. She went and got the local animal control officer who ordered me to stay right there until he could get the state police and a truck to haul my dogs away. Uh, No; I didn't "wait right there". Seems it's illegal to use a dog as a draft animal in Connecticut. Who'd a thunk? They probably would have really gone nuts if I had gone into the hardware store with a .357 on my hip. That's legal in Maine.
Thanks! Another reason for trying your forum was that I kinda hit the "google ceiling" if you know what I mean.
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Virtual Visitor from PA
All of us. I almost went on a snipe hunt in Lousiana. Don't get yer nose bent outta shape. (nickers in a twist, etc)
Thanks!
