Do you have a pair of these? These are mine! Outside this morning on my Casco front porch.
Confession: I am not a Maine native. I’ve lived here 24 years, and my three children were born here, but that doesn’t make me any less ‘from away’. So as an outsider, I’m still delighted and charmed by the iconic images that say “Maine”. Within 48 hours of my Maine wedding in 1988, I was at LL Bean in Freeport being fitted for my first pair of Bean Boots, the short version. (Celebrating their 100th birthday this year!) LL Bean I waited five years, to make sure we were really staying, before investing in the tall ones……..and I asked for the little hooks, not buttonholes. They will serve me well when I go for a walk later to the little AG store up the street; I still need one ingredient for the casserole I will take to the church bean supper tomorrow night.
Several of us here at Migis Hotels attended the Governor’s Conference on Tourism yesterday at Sunday River in Bethel. So many parts of the day, not just at the conference, spoke to my heart about this lovely state. We carpooled, and our ride was challenged a couple of times by enormous, lumbering logging trucks heading in and out of the woods. We passed dazzlingly beautiful country homes stilled deck out for Christmas, and worn trailers with rabbit ears poking through the snowy roofs. Shops featuring tourmaline from nearby mines, and diners offering Shepherd’s Pie for lunch. Night ski trails already illuminated when we were heading home in late afternoon, children creating impromptu skating adventures in their sneakers on slick driveways.
How about this telephone sculpture in Bryant Pond? I remember the bumper stickers when the last phone of its kind was about to retire; “Don’t Yank the Crank!”
More along the way. Fabric stores (yes, I’ve taking up quilting since becoming a Mainer), bait and tackle shops. lobster vendors, lumber yards. Covered bridges. Scenic turnouts along rivers.
Right here at Migis, we can all celebrate many things that say Maine. When did your kids last pick their own blueberries? Wouldn’t you like to see Dave the lobsterman deliver his wiggling catch to the back of the kitchen? Savor those overnight-baked beans under the pines at lunch cookouts. During cocktail hour, as the sun sets in the west over Sebago Lake, pause and listen to the cry of the loon. Watch them dive, then see if you can anticipate where they will emerge. Walk the Migis trails, shuffling pine needles and bending for a closer look at the woodsy mushrooms. Go out fishing with a registered Maine Guide for land-locked salmon. After dinner (and maybe s’mores), walk out on the dock for a clear view of the stars before you go in and enjoy a story (Blueberries for Sal, perhaps?) in front of your fireplace.
Come visit us at Migis Lodge. Stay for a while, and start to build your own collection of uniquely Maine images and memories. We have room for you!
Mary
207-655-4524