MeInMaine Blog

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  • Scenes From Maine, Not A Crowded, Noisy Urban City Setting.

    Maine, Your New Neighbor Probably Has Four Legs.
    Nothing Clears Your Head Like A Trip, Time Spent In The Real Maine.

    Click your heels, move your feet and get to Maine.

    The Maine images from Baxter Park, around Mt Katahdin make you realize that man does amazing things, but Mother Nature, God out class, out perform hands down. If you have never camped outdoors in Maine next to a wilderness lake, you have not a clue, idea of the experience you are missing out on. Said with Ricky Bobby all due respect and candor.

    When you are in a setting like Baxter State Park, the neighbors are few but always four legged.

    You are out of your comfort zone and thrust in to something beautiful, natural, real, unspoiled. It is in these many places that a rural state like Maine offers that you can really think. Figure out how life works, what is important. And when you share it with your family, introducing them to the outdoor Maine experience of hiking, appreciation and respect for our natural resources, everything fits. You get it. A simple ah ha moment. One right after another. And you will be back for more. You will not be able to stay away from Maine.

    I’m going to pipe down now. Climb down, get off the boy am I lucky, grateful my family and I live in Maine soapbox, bandwagon. And let the pictures, photos, images do the talking. These are only snap shots. Like a sliver, a tiny fragment, chip off the real thing. Add some sound, make the image wrap around your head 360 degrees and swivel. Careful, your jaw is dropping, you are starting to drool. We lost you there for a minute.

    Happens to everyone the first time out to the less traveled, remote nooks and crannies of Maine.

    Like someone just put a mask over your face. Pumped some pure oxygen in to your system. Making you weak in the legs. To go wobbly in the knees until you adjust. Get your bearings. And suddenly everything gets crystal clear, extremely vivid. More in focus than you have ever seen, heard, felt, realized before you traveled across the state border in to Maine. Wake up, start your dream.

    Maine, get here quick as you can. See a Maine moose, capture a shot of two of a lighthouse, have a piece of native grown fresh in season blueberry pie. Meet the wildlife, talk to the down to earth friendly people. Relax, you are in Vacationland. See a Maine moose getting closer, closer and not phased in the least that you are camping in his backyard.

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

  • You Better Learn How To Wave If Going To Maine.

    Adopt A Wave At Everyone. In The Islands You Find All The People Honk As They Pass.
    Maine Folks Smile A Lot, Wave All The Time, Are Friendly.

    Waving, nodding your head and smiling, saying hello to everyone you meet in Maine.

    Everyone, no exceptions. You have to become natural, at ease waving and being friendly if you plan to be in Vacationland long. There is a strong sense of community, a local connection and not just between native Mainers.

    Why? Because Mainers are interested in other people. Used to helping each other out from back in the days of I need a new barn on the Maine farm. And this weekend everyone is gathering to build one at your place. Next weekend, the same routine but down at my end of country road. We need each other, work together, survive and make it work.

    Mainers are strong community local volunteers and working together on local projects you get to know each other outside a work, professional relationship.

    The entire village also raises each others kids, watching them grow. Following their career and hoping for the best. Because we all had a stake as a little league, hockey, basket ball or whatever coach. Or were a teacher in public schools, church and we do know each other. Who your Dad and Mom are.

    Youth activities, family events in Maine are huge, common, happening all the time.

    So we bump in to each other, get to spend more time together in small town rural Maine.

    Kids are friendly, like to have fun and it rubs off on the adults that grow up but stay young at heart.

    Smaller population areas like Maine is famous for means we see each other a lot in the course of a week. At local community Maine events. At local farmers markets, down town shopping, sitting on a bleacher watching a youth sporting event. At an outdoor band concert. Beano or bingo, whichever way you spell low cost gambling.

    So back to waving, the new habit you better get proficient at if spending much time in Maine. To ignore someone is mean, hard too if you see them a lot. To be in a store and oh oh here comes so and so that you had a go around with a while back.

    Say hello. Just smile.

    Be pleasant, get over the misunderstanding and be civil. We don’t like being at odds, we fix broken relationships and don’t hate any one. We teach our kids to do the same.

    And if you don’t know someone from Adam or Eve, be friendly anyway. Make eye contact, hold doors open for them, let them go in traffic which is pretty light all the time in sparsely populated Maine. Wave at them. Everyone does. In showing Maine real estate I will get asked one question right off the bat by the fellow that came in with New Jersey, New York or some other state tags than ones with Vacationland stamped on the bottom. Do you know all these people they wonder as they ride shot gun looking at recreational properties on a lake, land in the middle of the woods.

    Most of them I do know. But the ones I don’t I will in no time if I just wave. Show an interest, acknowledge they are there.

    I see you, you see me Dick and Jane simple.

    They wave back, we begin to figure out who they are. In small town Maine, we feel like any of the folks are friends, family the longer you spend time here. It’s called friendly, neighborly. We don’t carry full charged tasers with the safety off. No locking our Maine house doors, camps. No worrying about personal safety in the 4th lowest crime state of Maine.

    The vehicles sit in the yard with keys in the ignition. Maybe that sounds dumb to you. Maybe you don’t live where things are like life should be. Maine, get here quick as you can.

    You will love the rock bound Maine coasts and sampling the food of the deep from lobsters, clams, baked potatoes, local fresh blue berry pie.

    But you will enjoy the people even more. The community spirit and how everyone is friendly, waves, gets along for the most part is contagious. That taste stays in your mouth, is easy to swallow and warm up to if where you live now the feeling is missing, dead.

    We have to get along. There are only 11 of us per square mile in Northern Maine’s Aroostook County. Similiar situation in the other fifiteen counties. We rely on each other in smaller towns. If we did not, what makes the area special would be lost. The pitch in and work together would be missing and it would become dog eat dog, every man for himself. Maine is home grown not store bought. Home made always trumps something off the shelf any day.

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

  • Ever Been Maine Lobstering, Out On The Boat At Sea?

    Maine Steamed Lobsters Are Bright Red, Pretty Tasty. But They Start Out Dark Green.
    The Only Maine Lobster Fresher Is Still Swimming In The Ocean.

    Maine lobsters, they start out dark green, not bright red.

    Have you have been out on the ocean, off the rugged rock bound coast of Maine floating in a diesel powerful lobster boat? Dropping lobster pots, hauling in new traps later on in the journey along the coast of Maine?

    My oldest son Alex got the lobster experience off the coast of Eastport Maine this past weekend. This image shows a large female lobster with a notched tail which I was told meant back in the drink.

    Growing up in Aroostook County, an expert lobster fisherman I am not.

    Liking to crack them open, dip them in real Houlton Farms Dairy butter and enjoy a family feasts of lobsters, steamed clams is fun, filling.

    But what about the actual lobstering and regulations the fisherman have to work around, abide by?

    Here is more on Maine lobstering license regulations. And here is more on the general lobstering history, device names and terms associated with the fishing industry Maine is famous for, depends on in our tourist industry and for exporting.

    For several years, a group of friends would get together in South Harpswell Maine, park at the local marine. And boat over to Catalina Island to camp, tent for the weekend. No lobstering or clamming going on but got harvest some mussels that were pretty tasty.

    In theory the annual outing was a Blue Fish Maine tournament.

    None of us ever caught any but we still got the invitation each year.

    A new neat designed t-shirt to show we had been part of the invitational Maine blue fishing event to feel prestigious, special was handed out at the end of the weekend. You will find a slew of Maine islands along the coast to explore, claim as your own unique special Vacation spot. Maine, big state, friendly people, neat places to explore with all of our nooks, crannies and drop dead gorgeous four season beauty. We are known as “Vacationland”, reminded on every license plate for a reason. Find out why.

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

  • Crusty, A Little Obstinate Sometimes Way Maine Protrayed.

    Maine Is Four Season Outdoor Living, Down To Earth People.
    Explore, Discover, Sample Some Of All Maine Has To Offer.

    You know the joke about an out of stater lost along the coast of Maine asking a local how do you get to (fill in, pick the ME location).

    And after a long pause, dead pan expression, the guy in the overalls, piece of hay dangling out of the side of his mouth drawls after much thought “Chummy, you can not get there from HERE-ahhh”.

    For someone on a cruise ship parked off the Maine coast for a night or maybe only a few hours to come ashore, pick up some knick knacks, a t-shirt and tender back to the big boat before it leaves harbor, this coastal experience may be all she wrote. And the rest of what is Maine is like is figured, supposed to be more of the same. You need to return for another visit. Many treks to the Maine inland.

    Maine is a big state, sixteen counties worth. The people are hardworking, God fearing, family and local community oriented, driven, passionate. Would do anything for you, help you out. But as far as playing games, being highly political and manipulative, Mainers are not. They don’t jerk people around, hold hidden agendas as a rule. What you see is who they are. All the time. Day in, day out.

    The life here in Maine is simple. The people however are not. They have their feet on the ground.

    Their heads not in the clouds and there is one intense yet peaceful awareness of all the drop dead gorgeous Maine surroundings.

    And each and everyone of us taught to respect it, other people’s opinions too. With the same expected in return. A fair trade.

    Anthony Boudain’s “No Reservations” globe trotting local food, spirits with a little middle age philosophy wantonly thrown in to make it all well rounded, entertaining did a show on Maine. And in it, the distinction of perceptions depending on where you live in Maine was there in living color.
    Backed up by naturally captured audio starting from a Milo resident’s perspective, that the folks in Portland Maine are a little snobbish.

    And if you asked folks on that end of the Pine Tree State, depending on the day, you might get a response that those north of Bangor are a little hickish. One quote in the show from a recent transplant from Vermont indicated folks way up north are 200 and 300 years behind the times. Ouch. From an expert who had never been north of where the Maine turnpike stops collecting quarters. Setting travelers loose to speed up the rest of Interstate 95 to where it connects to the Trans Canadian highway in my home town of Houlton Maine.

    Come see for yourself, sample the areas, meet all the people. Stay, visit long enough to draw your own conclusions and chew the fat with the locals of Maine. Fill up with local naturally grown, raised food and take in the jaw dropping out of this world scenery. Maine, too pretty not to be shared. The secret is out about Vacationland. Get here quick as you can. Experience our refreshing tell it like it is candor, without the spin, games.

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

  • One Son Lobstering In Eastport Maine, Other Heading To Baxter Park.

    One Son Lobstering In Eastport Maine, Other Heading To Baxter Park.

    Maine, The Outdoors Is Where We Live, Play.
    Family Fun Is Always Outdoors In Maine

    You can not count all the options, choices for outdoor recreation in Maine using just the fingers on both hands.

    When you live in Vacationland, or are lucky enough to be able to fit trips in to the Pine Tree State, some serious decision making has to happen. Like Disney Land or World with too many rides, too little time.

    Today the oldest son is heading to Eastport Maine to get a chance to go lobster fishing off the rock bound coast.

    lobstering in maine
    The Only Fish Fresher Still Swimming In The Maine Sea. Lobstering, Your Supper Bought Right Off The Boat.

    A friends brother is a true blue, real McCoy lobster fisherman and Alex is excited to be invited to come aboard the boat. Watch the operation and to pull up some lobster trap pots. Hopefully he brings back some images, experiences I can share, post about. And a few stray Maine lobsters to dine on.

    I know he took some world famous Houlton Farms Dairy butter with him so dining on some of the green turn red when steamed Maine lobsters is in the plans for later today.

    The other youngest son Elliot just left the yard with a pickup loaded with camping gear and three other friends. Heading for Baxter State Park and a outdoor Maine camping trip to Davis, Russell Pond.

    When you live in Maine full time, when you have the chance to punch out from work. Then so many options right in the rural neighborhood to retreat to for fun and recreation. Unplug, recharge, get to Maine is my motto. So many of the land buyers we match property to make the purchase to explore and discover Northern Maine.

    Love of outdoor camping in a place like Maine starts early with hiking, outdoor picnics, cooking.

    Baxter State Park… Remote, Refreshing, Memory Making. Get To Maine. Hike Her Trails.

    All four kids love the outdoors and have the healthy addiction to weave it in to their free time. That is why return trips to Davis, Russell Pond becomes a healthy habit, yearly event as many treks as can be fit, juggled in.

    Start small with Horse Mountain, roughly 1400′ high. Then work your way up for the climbing ability of your size and age family. Bring the gorp, lots of water to stay hydrated. Sun screen or hat wear to shield the bright, hot sunlight UV ways overhead.

    Feel the buzz inside from the outside eye candy. Get a work out from the effort putting one step at a time going higher and higher on a Maine hiking trail! Oh, and bring your camera.

    Also looking for new images, local areas of attractive to highlight in our Maine blog.

    Hope to get some more Baxter Park images and experiences to share with you on MeInMaine future blog posts. Wonder what the oldest daughter in New York City and youngest in Boston have in their plans today?

    They are always connected mentally and in spirit. But bet they wish they were in Maine, along for one of the two adventures now underway by their younger brothers. Get to Maine the way life should be.

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

  • Maine Farms, Open House Tours of 112.

    Baling Hay In Maine. Hot Summer Play Time.
    Hay Balers, Adding Twine, Stacking The Small Square Bales.

    What is it like to work, live on a Maine farm? Open house tours on 112 Maine farms happens July 24th through out the sixteen counties of Vacationland.

    The 22nd year of celebrating the rural farming in Maine flavor to the public is called “Open Farm Day”.

    Maine farming is not just potatoes, blueberries, grains and broccoli. More than dairy and beef. Or a few chickens, small animals with hobby farming level of activity. Here in Maine, farming is sustainable and the owners of these family spreads, properties are passionate about living off the land.

    To find out more about “Open House Maine Farm Tours” and to locate the nearest working operation to you, log on to scan the list. Or call 207.287.3871 and learn much more than this Maine blog post provides about getting the down home, up close and personal farm tour with your family, friends.

    See real working Maine farms in operation.

    You’re invited, expected for the education.

    Farming in Maine has become more visible as shoppers for wholesome, close to home grown produce are supporting them with eagerness. Maine’s “Open House” visiting hours are 10 in the morning to 3 in the afternoon. Bring the kids, get them exposed to field tours, milking, hay rides, petty zoos, nature trails, plenty of scenery. And maybe some product tasting, sampling too! Maine, one beautiful, rural agricultural state second to none.

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