Author: Andrew Mooers

Vacations In Maine, Any Season Is A Good Time.

Float Your Boat, Sail It To Maine

The Maine license plate has a reminder of what we are all about…. spelling it out “Vacationland”.

There is no wrong, bad season to vacation in Maine. In fact, the state of Maine is so large, the area terrain so varied that a person needs a number of years to sample ME.

To do it justice and quickly learn that lobster, lighthouses and sea coast are nice, but there is way way more to Maine.

It’s not just rock bound sections on the ocean in Maine where the vacationing tourist magnets are for about a 100 cruise ships a year that park, visit quaint harbor towns.

The real beauty of Maine is the vacations don’t have to empty both pockets, hi jack a person’s wallet. Our fun in Maine is low or no cost because it is natural, unspoiled. Providing an experience money can not buy. That man did not make to charge an admission fee to enjoy.

The phrase “camping in Maine” is a loaded three word expression.

Can mean cooking on fire, sleeping under the stars. Or a half million dollar land yatch trolling the highways, byways of the Pine Tree State. Or a custom made yacht bobbling off the Maine coast while a dingy of travelers row to shore.

Pick your outdoor recreational favorite for each season in Maine and pencil it in to your busy life for never fade memory moments. And don’t forget to bring your camera for shots of Maine, to magnet to the refrigerator. That cause smiles every time you see them. As a reminder you need to return over and over for more of Maine.

Make Maine your healthy habit whether snow skiing, snowsledding, fishing, hunting, boating or hiking, kayaking, white water rafting. Or just sitting on an open Maine camp, cottage deck gazing out over the waterfront enjoying the wildlife in a nature setting.

Maine grabs your heart. Gets in your system.

Starts a fire burning that will never go out. Because it is what you need, live for, long for. Being on top of Mt Katahdin and staring out over the land expanse makes you clear headed. Able to figure out what is important, where the life path to stay on is.

Life is not just black and white simple. Start dreaming in blue and green. Get to Maine. Add some Maine waterfront to your life diet, like your doctor ordered.

Plan a vacation to Maine and start the journey, discovery. And if you relocate, retire here in Maine, it is like being on vacation every day. Working or not because you are in a place that’s the way it should be everywhere. Come see what the Maine tourist vacation brochure left out, forgot to mention because it ran out of room.

I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Broker
info@mooersrealty.com
207.532.6573

November 17, 2011
Our ME House, With Two Cats In The Yard.

Maine Victorian Queen Anne Home In Houlton ME Hidden In Snow Flurries.

Simpler living in Maine means use the space you need.

But forget the McMansion thinking to impress or just because you can. Many Mainers on rural farms lived with three generations under one roof line. Families were closer because of it.

Everyone pitching in, working together for the common good. Spending time together because everyone lived together. Used the entire home from the summer kitchen for canning, preserving food from the farm.

The Maine home open porch for everything from Sunday naps, shelling fresh peas, sampling a fresh glass of squeezed lemonade.

Or apple cider without the preservatives from the orchard out back.

Now once the kids grow up, go off to set up shop in their own sticks and bricks in a different zip code, time zone, a down size transition may have crossed your mind. To make your your day to day living needs simpler. Healthier, easier, less wasteful to maintain.

Rather than shell out for the upkeep, utility needs of a big home for just a couple holiday dinners, sleep overs with returning adult kids, maybe you’ve thought about a smaller version Maine retirement home. To avoid large areas of your family home being vacant, unused the rest of the year in between visits from your issue. But could you live in 89 square feet, a tumbleweed tiny home? Or a yurt home, a goat skin vinyl covered tent like house?

Today in America, 1 in 5 homeowners owe more money than what their home is worth!

But also, 8 out of 10 people live in a more expensive, urban area too.

Digging deeper, going further in debt for homes, co ops, condos and estates with more zero places in the price tags hanging from them. Many desperate for the money, the up against it mortgage needed to secure to put a roof over their heads.

Read a blog comment from a west coast buyer in California who said he was slumming it home wise. Having allowed himself to buy a Mr Fix It, a Handyman Special for a mere $400,000. Had to smile, chuckle thinking of all the homes you could buy with chunk of change in rural Maine. Maine, a place you dream in blue and green. The fun is always outdoors any season and low or no cost.

I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Broker
207.532.6573
info@mooersrealty.com

November 15, 2011
I List, Sell Maine Real Estate.

Hey Dad, What’s For Supper?

If you’ve followed some of the blog posts here on the Me In Maine platform, you don’t see the commercial pushing of new real estate listings.

It’s about being grateful to live in Maine. To raise a family here, enjoy the great outdoors and commune with nature. I have platforms, websites for Maine real estate. Or videos for Maine real estate. Other blogs about the technical aspects of Maine real estate and the job itself, property listings.

But why do I still list and sell Maine real estate since having my broker’s license from back in 1979? Because there is nothing like the honor of being called to help a family that is settling a Maine estate and needs to find a new buyer for their parent’s home. The place, house, home the Maine kids grew up in. Celebrated Christmas, Thanksgiving at. Other holidays.

Where the prom date waited nervously in the front living room for his date to come down the front staircase.

Where the winning baseball, basketball, hockey, soccer, cheerleading, whatever team had pizza parties to celebrate a victory. Or sleep overs in the Maine home or in a pitched back yard tent.

The Maine home with open porch summer talks with Grandparents now long gone. With a dog, cat, station wagon in the front yard. Baseball games in the back yard, neighbor’s kids sharing the place, invited over for supper. Back and forth. The kids spending just as much time down the street and growing up with others in the “hood”.

My job for over 31 years to help arrive at the realistic value of the Maine home, land, farm, waterfront, business, whatever property listing.

To create a short list of updates to maximize the marketing and shortening the time to get to the long Maine real estate closing table.

Or another aspect of the Maine real estate job as a broker, agency owner is to help a couple wanting a property on the waterfront. To help them find a Maine lake cottage for their kids to start traditions. And hopefully hang on to the place for years, generations to come.

To continue the same traditions, family reunions on the open deck over looking the Maine lake.

Teaching new members of the family how to water ski, fish, how to relax. Eating BBQ grilled food, home made potato salad, watermelon, ice cream with family. Sharing history, past events. Talking about characters in the Maine family.

Family is everything, the only thing when it all shakes down right?

I was a single full time Dad with four super kids. Two of each flavor. And through it all, listing, selling Maine real estate was a job I could fit in the rest of what I had to do. I was raised on a Maine potato farm and not afraid of hard word. This gig as a Maine real estate broker is not a 9 to 5 job. Working when others are available, nights, weekends. But you meet some really neat people. Learn a lot about life.

Traveling to and from Maine real estate listings with buyers from all over creations. Sellers, property owners just as diverse. Varied. Interesting. I get paid for this. Whoa. Am in the profession, the home town, state and place I need to be under the sun.

Thanks for following our Me In Maine blog posts. I’ll do my best to keep hunting, pecking electrons. To showcase the flavor of the unspoiled area, the neat people that are Maine. The hard working and family oriented in these small rural towns in a place called Vacationland. Maine, wake up and start dreaming in blue and green.

I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Broker
207.532.6573
info@mooersrealty.com

November 12, 2011
The Boston MA Hunter In Orange Slides The 30 Pack In To The Pickup.

Moose In Maine Further Up In Aroostook County Safe From Drunk Hunters.

Being a little higher up Interstate 95 in to Maine has some distinct advantages besides the crystal clean blue water, lush green forests that are off the beaten path.

It’s not over run, tramped too hard, spoiled here in Aroostook County. And the guy wearing orange and toting some heavy duty fire power in the back window rack of the pick up may not make it this far north. Not unless he is a pirate as a drinker.

As he slides that 30 pack of barley pop across the bench seat and hops in to his seven inch lift kitted pick up with the loud, smelly diesel engine. Leaving the bright lights, big city of Boston MA, Bean Town in his rear view west coast style mirrors for a long weekend.

The guy wearing the orange stocking cap who pops a top on his first cold beer on Highway 128 leaving Boston MA starts shooting cows, horses just North of Portland Maine.

He is here to hunt. And as he crosses the big green bridge with the blue sign saying Welcome to Maine, his excitement increases. Right along with his rate of beer consumption. (Burp, belch, swerve).

The plan to link up with other sporting buddies at a remote sporting camp in the willy wags of Maine. To peruse, sample the wildlife infested woods. In search of white tail deer, black bear, Maine moose and pheasants, grouse, partridge, woodcock, duck game birds. In season or not. To have some R and R time. Letting it all hang out, his hair down, doing damage to his liver with cranked up, increased pace over drinking. Maybe popping some pills or continuous smoking of those left handed cigarettes.

And hoping to come back to Boston MA with something big, four legged and dead in the back of that diesel pick up open bed.

To showcase in his neighborhood for all to ooh and ahh. Until the meat turns green, rancid, spoiled. Feeling like Rambo, even with an incredible hang over from the binge drinking up, during, returning from hunting in Maine.

Pleasure horse owners, dairy and beef cow owners around Lewiston Maine start spray painting animal designations on their livestock. “C-O-W” and “H-O-R-S-E” in red, orange letters on the sides of bovine, mares, geldings, stallions help the judgement and sight impaired pickup driver with the indentification of his next target. When his brain screams stop, lock and load, hurry, pull the trigger for some real shock and awe excitement of the hunt.

Cows, horses, small low to the ground farm critters are safe in Aroostook County from this “heater hunter” . The bleary eyed, needs to shave scruffy overweight guy with all the crushed PBR red, white and blue cans tossed, piled high on the truck passenger side floor. With his double barrel elephant rifle gun loaded like the driver. The safety off, ammo in the chamber and gun poked out and ready for anything that moves. Trolling out of the big knobby tire, high off the pavement pick up truck vent window.

Distance and kidney functions with an over load of alcohol intake are our Bambi’s best friends to assure survival for the rest of this day in Maine.

It’s hunting season in Maine, be careful out there. Watch out for the guys and gals wearing orange, that brings out the highlights in their hair. And in some cases, matches their bloodshot eyes from lack of any sleep over the last three days. And way way too much over drinking, consumption of the “recipe”, white lightning, alcohol.

I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Broker
207.532.6573
info@mooersrealty.com

November 11, 2011
Visions, Southern Aroostook Cultural Arts Center

Visit Visions Art Center, The New Moon, SACAP On Main Street Houlton Maine

SACAP Supporting the Arts in Southern Aroostook.

SACAP stands for the Southern Aroostook Cultural Arts Project. All ages of Northern Maine artisans contribute their talents and works to showcase the unique flavor of this part of Maine.

Often, out of state looking in to Maine can make a person think it is just lobsters, lighthouses, moose and collecting Vacationland tourist trinkets to take back home.

To really see, feel Maine, you need to head deeper inland. To really sample the unique small town spirit and pride.

SACAP, which houses the Visions Art Collection, and the Blue Moon Gallerythat sponsors a yearly spring student art show to showcase local young talent is a must stop if you find yourself lucky enough to live, or be passing through Houlton Maine. Discover Northern Maine.

Every year at the local Houlton Maine State Fair multi day celebration over the 4th of July, exhibits of local art work, all kinds and various media star this part of Vacationland.

Contact Visions Art Gallery, SACAP at 207-532-9119 for more information, upcoming events.

SACAP is located at 66 Main Street Houlton Maine 04730.

Plan your next vacation to Maine to be in Southern Aroostook’s County Seat for unforgetable experiences. To sample the local talent, meet the neat down to earth people who make the small rural communities around Houlton Maine extra special, memorable.

Maine, big state, less people, more blue and green dreaming goes on here. Get outdoors and sample the fun of nature unspoiled by man. Enjoy Maine wildlife infested woods, crystal clean water for all types of outdoor recreation. Any of the four seasons in Maine.

I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, REALTOR
207.532.6573
info@mooersrealty.com

November 9, 2011
Knitting On It, Plugging Along In Maine.

Me In Maine Blog Author Andrew Mooers In October 1958 Pauses For A Brownie Hawkeye Image, Photo.

Expressions, colloquialisms, Maine is famous for them.

Like the classic Downeast humor when asked by a tourist with a mess of a Maine map smashed against the driver’s wheel, his window rolled down. When needing directions to someplace and being told after a long drawn out pause by a crusty sea coast local “ya can’t get thar from he-yuh”.

Many of our expressions have rural Maine farm based origins.

References to Maine agricultural activities working the land. Like when I was a kid and with my Dad to get a tractor part, something at the hardware store. And Dad’s response in how are you doing as “oh you know, plugging along”.

My Mom if on board for the trek to down would roll her eyes and wish he had another response. She thought it sounded a little like an old farm plow horse comparison and that he could vary it up, add some other “thanks for asking” expressions when queried how his day was going out in public.

Bob Aucoin a local car dent puller and Maine autobody painter always has projects. Pretty much working all the time but after the 9-5 job with making wrinkles in car’s disappear, he shifts to puttering.

Or on longer projects where they won’t possible get done in one day or two, he takes a pearl one, knit two approach. Terms progress when asked how’s it going as fine. He’s “knitting on it”.

Not “I’m working on it” or pretty much half way done for a response. Something more Bert and I, Tim Sample, Bob Marley coloroful needed, called for. Like the three Maine comedians who amplify the local life style, expressions, situations in rural Vacationland for profit, humor, fun would use to communicate.

Saying the same thing different ways. Learning the language of Maine where we use the same alphabet as you but just have a little fun playing around with where we put this word. Dropping or adding a few letters without Vana’s help. The biggest offense to some is the vanishing “a”. And bolting on, adding an “er” to the say the state Florida when it comes up in conversation. “I’ve got my heart set on a trip to Florid-ER” this winter school vacation”. Or “hold it guys, I got a killer idea-er about another way to approach this log jam quandry.”

Where I live in Maine is not the center, heart of the state in the upper right hand corner of the nation.

Oh no, being parked on the Canadian border of New Brunswick means how I say something, communicate has another “across the lines twist, colloquism” flare variable attached.
Instead of would you like a soda, it’s fancy a tin of pop? And when asked how it is going, the retort is “everything is right on schedule” (pronouced SEDG-rule). Or “half an hour later in Newfoundland” if you grew up with Canadian television beamed in, picked up by your black and white tube rabbit ears.

I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Broker
207.532.6573

November 6, 2011