North Woods Law (home, neighborhood, live)

[Zymer]

Originally Posted by Pammyd

Having lived in Maine for 12 years in a small town, sorry but have to say that although I loved the little town I was in, I had no running hot water, no oil furnace that worked... I had neighbors who used chamber pots at night and the woods during the day to go to the bathroom and took baths in the river in the warmer months, don't want to know what they did during the winter. Now, I am talking about 35 years ago but hell....toilets and running hot water have been around for AGES no?

House I lived in for a while over to Holmes bay, we didn't get indoor plumbing until...1970something? Outhouse, hand-pumped well and wood fired cookstove were standard up to that point.

[brfire]

I work in law Enforcement in Assachusetts, trying to eventually get up to Maine. I deal with people daily just like those depicted in the show. They're not bad people, just people in bad situations. I dont think the show portrays all Mainers in a bad light, but like others have said, Drama equals ratings. I have dealt with some of the most ass backwards people you would ever dream of meeting, and I live and work right outside of Worcester.

[cebdark]

Originally Posted by tcrackly

...haven't seen the show yet , but I hate to inform people of ME, NH, MA, and VT that some of those trailer-dwellers with the 5 wrecked cars and two chained junkyard dogs live within 5 miles of the $250,000 home suburbanites. I see'em everyday. I think most people have a way of not actively seeing that minority.

In our town there was a hoity toity subdivison group who passed a petition around to try and drive a man who had a junk business (not IN the subdivision mind you, but across the street from the ENTRANCE to the subdivision) out. That was a few years back. He's still there, so apparently that didn't work out so well for the snoots. I could understand in the subdivision proper, but outside of it? No. He was there WAYYYY before they were.

Down the road a bit from him is an assortment of 1970s mobile homes in varying states of decay with rust buckets parked in front of them, so I agree with you there for sure. There are also vinyl sided mobile homes that are old, but well taken care of. Not everyone can afford (or should be looked down upon if they can't afford) a $350,000.00 home.


I digress...as usual.

The episode I saw sort of annoyed me because the warden went chasing after a guy on a four wheeler and the warden was obviously speeding down the road <cue dramatic music>. If I round a corner and a warden nearly clips me over a four wheeling dipstick who failed to stop for him, I'm-ah gonna be peeved. Just sayin'.

There are a lot of winding roads (which are dangerous to be racing down) in Maine. If the dude on a four wheeler was shooting at someone, I would be a little more understanding.

Clearly the guy on the four wheeler was gone. As the warden was racing down the road, the 4 wheeler guy passed him going the other way as a passenger in a car. They eventually caught up with him of course.

Other than that, I find it amusing.

My teenage son is one who thinks it makes us look like bumpkins though lol.

[tcrackly]

All of those "reality" shows are set up for maximum drama, both plot-wise and scenery -wise. I think any of us would find that all fifty states and several territories have their own country bumpkins that are recognizable to us all. backward as they may seem, it is America after all, where one can choose one's lifestyle for good or ill.

Does make for interesting tv.

[Maine Writer]

I was contacted by a producer looking for someone to write documentaries and "scripted reality" shows based in Maine. By the time we talked she had her documentaries lined up. Scripted reality annoys the heck out of me. I kept her name and number at her request but won't be using it for anything scripted.

NWL isn't scripted. Friends of mine are in it and otherwise involved with the show. I'm going to a meeting at IF&W tomorrow and will ask if other episodes are going to be online.

[animalcrazy]

Originally Posted by brfire

I work in law Enforcement in Assachusetts, trying to eventually get up to Maine. I deal with people daily just like those depicted in the show. They're not bad people, just people in bad situations. I dont think the show portrays all Mainers in a bad light, but like others have said, Drama equals ratings. I have dealt with some of the most ass backwards people you would ever dream of meeting, and I live and work right outside of Worcester.

DH is retiring from 30 yrs. in law enforcement next year and was amazed at the resources available to do DNA testing on the arrow from the first episode. (Here it takes years for DNA testing on murder weapons.) He was also amazed at how low the crime rate was, and if chasing after unruly RV's is as bad as they get then they can't be all bad. I love taking care of the farmers when they show up at work. They are backwards as well, but some of the nicest people I've ever met. However, the poachers are another story. (Assachusetts ? LMAO I loved Marblehead.) Stay safe!

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by animalcrazy

... He was also amazed at how low the crime rate was,[[

Yes it is a nice part about Maine.

... I love taking care of the farmers when they show up at work. They are backwards as well, but some of the nicest people I've ever met. ...

Farmers are backwards ?

I see.

Care to explain further?

[Maine Writer]

Originally Posted by kellysmith

In fact I'd bet my house the canoe swamping was staged for the camera in the second episode. The canoe was upside down, pointing straight down the river, supposedly hung up on a rock or something. Not sure what they wanted us to think. I wasn't moving down the river, so it supposedly was hung up. Anyone who ever canoed even a little bit would know that the current would have brought it around broadside instantly. Only way that canoe would stay in that position was to have it tied off on an anchor on the stern. My guess is they wanted to include the guy swamping the canoe in their story, and needed some visual effects to make it appear like they were johnny on the spot. I also highly doubt the guy in the canoe when down the raging rapids they kept intertwining into the scene.

I asked last night. It wasn't staged. If they were going to stage it they'd have done a better job and had more footage. That's where the canoe was the cameras arrived. No, he didn't go down the rapids. The only staged parts of NWL involve evidence that can't be handled enough to show it on camera. They sometimes have to replace evidence with a prop.

[VOC1]

Originally Posted by reloop

I could understand in the subdivision proper, but outside of it? No. He was there WAYYYY before they were.

That's spot on, and something people run into in other parts of the country also. Nobody, nobody likes people moving into a neighborhood, city, county, or even region and trying to change it. The locals are pretty happy with their lives no matter where you go, and trying to change people's comfortable surroundings to match what you're used to from wherever you came from is a sure recipe for completely p*ssing off the 'locals'.

I think this is why Californians have such an atrocious reputation in the Northwest, and why Mass folks have a bad reputation in NH and Maine: you left your state to move here for a reason, now stop trying to make this area like wherever you came from.

You can also see this in action when people move next to airports or military bases. They were there first, and you knew what you were getting into, so shut up and deal with it! Just my opinion, but a pretty common one, I think.

Edit: I think this is also a huge factor (the largest, in fact) for why certain places like Maine get the reputation for being "aloof". If you approach people properly, don't spend the entire conversation talking about how great it is where you moved from, and show interest and respect to the wonderful area you moved to, the 'aloofness' disappears. At least from my observations. An old guy told me a little while back that the biggest difference between an "implant" and a "transplant" is how well they fit in...and this applies to people also. (sorry for the derail)






As for the show I have only seen a couple episodes, but I kind of liked it. Maybe "oh my god a bunch of hicks" will scare off the merlot & cheese set?

[Zymer]

Originally Posted by VOC1

As for the show I have only seen a couple episodes, but I kind of liked it. Maybe "oh my god a bunch of hicks" will scare off the merlot & cheese set?

Hey, nowwaitjustafreakinminutehere, I happen to like a nice Chilean Merlot, and some extra sharp cheddar on a slice of pepperoni and a cracker...actually, the Merlot goes better with a Fillet Mignon, for the cheese and crackers you want a nice Riesling. Sheesh, next you'll be telling me I can't enjoy a good Cuban cigar while I shoot squirrels from the porch...