Category: Growing Up in Maine

Small Maine Downhill Ski Areas

Small Maine downhill ski areas. Quoggy Jo Ski Center Presque Isle Maine is one in Aroostook County.

Family friendly, low cost Maine ski areas turn winter snow into outdoor fun. Skiing in Maine does not have to be expensive or limited when stepping into the downhill boards.

Small Maine Downhill Ski Areas, Quoggy Jo Presque Isle Maine

This blog post about small Maine downhill ski areas.

The visit to Quoggy Jo ski center in Presque Isle Maine this past Sunday made me think about small downhill trail facilities.

The small Maine mountains need lots of volunteers because the volume of skiers is smaller just like the lift ticket price.

And throw in a couple no show snow Maine winter weather droughts. When zip for consistent supplies from up above of new fresh powder snow. And well, then your small friendly area ski area in Maine can find itself reeling on the ropes.

The Air Is Thinner, The Clarity Greater On Top Of A Maine Mountain Or Steep Hillside Ski Slope.

Too cold, no snow, any pull back on local financing help. Or the loss of volunteers who pitch in while their families are young, etc. There is a lot stacked against the small Maine downhill ski areas. Insurance liability is one of the biggest expenses. Combined with power to run the mountain ski lifts, a profit for payroll, to keep the lights and heat on in the base lodge.

Maine Small Town Ski Areas! Ideal For Beginners, No Double Black Diamonds.

Quoggy Jo started as a registered non profit ski area in December 27th, 1957.

The history of the Quoggy Jo ski center . Dating back to back to 1932, today the downhill area is owned and operated by the Quoggy Jo Ski Club. Through fundraising, corporate business partners and generous donations from local Maine community members, Quoggy Jo operates 11AM to 4PM. That’s providing there’s plenty of snow and no hazardous weather conditions. The ski center provides rural Maine families with an affordable outdoor winter downhill recreation experience.

Free Lessons, Low Cost Ski Equipment Rentals. That’s Small Town Maine Affordable Mountain Skiing.

You can’t beat the $10 lift tickets, $12 rental packages, and FREE lessons small Maine downhill ski areas provide.

Quoggy Jo Ski Center offers a full service snack bar, ski rentals and if you don’t have fun, it’s your own fault. Patrons and those working at Quoggy Jo all try to make sure everyone enjoys their small Maine downhill ski area experience. To get them to keep coming back for more skiing on the groomed Maine ski slopes.

The Quoggy Jo downhill ski area offers beginner skiers a vertical drop of 215′. Slow and gradual, no blistering speeds tucked in and racing down this small Maine downhill trail slopes. No one is training for the Olympic speed trials at Quoggy Jo. There is one ski lift, a double t-bar. No snow making, just what ever Mother Nature supplies to trail groom and maintain. There is night ski riding and terrain parks with some mild jumps. The phone number of Quoggy Jo Ski Center is 207-764-3248. Quoggy Jo’s small Maine downhill ski area located at 420 Fort Road, Presque Isle ME 04769 in Aroostook County. This is close to home for Aroostook County and New Brunswick Canadian residents.

Small Hills, Mountains Are The Best For Learning To Maine Skiing. To Catch The Ski Bug For Life.

When Loring Air Force Base in Limestone was operational, many of the stationed families took advantage of Quoggy Jo’s Maine downhill skiing facilities.

Affordable, everyone in the family had fun and something to do besides ice skating, sliding or ice fishing. Winters in Maine are not spent on the couch hibernating. Snowmobiling is another big recreational pursuit. Snow sledding really jump starts the Maine winter tourism economy along with skiing.

There is no better atmosphere to learn to ski than a small Maine family friendly local downhill mountain or hillside operation.

Close to home, lift tickets and ski equipment rentals won’t break the bank. Everyone’s love for their small Maine ski area is great. Because all pitch in to support it from fund raisers, blog grant writing and taking turns with other parents to man the stations. The fire in their belly passionate ski volunteers are on fire invested so kids get introduced to beginner level down hill alpine memory making.

Hungry From All That Fresh Winter Air And Up And Down The Slopes Maine Skiing?

There’s Marge working the snack shack with your cousin, her granddaughter. Your Dad is helping a beginner figure out the best length of skis for their skill level. Your brother is hot dogging and showing off for his teenage friends on the small hill’s steepest run called the Bomber.

There is nothing like riding up the t-bar being pulled along with music, laughter, under the light night skiing too.

When you are a kid, looking back as an adult increases your appreciation of all the volunteers that keep the small Maine ski area mountain open for another downhill season.

Fireworks, BBQ’s, Something Always Happening At A Small Maine Ski Area To Keep Local Families Coming Back For More Than Just Downhill Skiing.

In college at the University of Maine at Orono, winter downhill night skiing at Hermon Mountain was one low cost close by option.

Sure planning a trip and pooling the resources to head over to Sugarloaf USA was an downhill ski slope adventure too. But small local Maine ski areas to get your fix of downhill fun and exercise hit the spot quick and easy. Something more personal and home grown happens in the small Maine downhill ski areas. Maybe it’s because your visit is more appreciated by those volunteering at the slope or due to many visits to downhill ski. Not just once a year or less due to the distance away or high cost to subsidize mountain operations. Small Maine mountain ski areas are popular places and so low cost, so nearby to visit for another perfect winter day.

The Lift Line At a Small Maine Ski Area. How Many More Runs Can You Fit In Today?

In my small Houlton Maine home town, Hovey Hill had a rope tow.

Lots of runs down the slope and just as much time spent pulled up the hill and gliding down it. Out in Colorado, when you ski in the Rockies you get lifts up to the top of several peaks with a series of gondolas and lift lines. On a small Hovey Hill ski area, a re-purposed Maine farm tractor jacked up with the big rear tire removed and the engine running the continuous rope tow. The Hovey Hill small Maine ski operation long gone run by the local parks and rec department. The downhill trail slope was near Houlton International airport’s glide path from the southern runway approach on dead end Hovey Hill’s elevation very handy to the Canadian US international boundary line.

No double and triple black diamonds and all the down hill trails at a small Maine ski area are green circle safe and easy.

The Ski Center For Quoggy Jo, The Trail Lodge In Presque Isle Maine.

Ideal for beginners skiers to avoid a trip to the hospital emergency room with a broken leg or two. Way way less stressful for the parent(s) shepherding the downhill family beginner skiers. When you live in Maine, you are just glad to have a small mountain or nearby hill ski area in your own backyard. For the kids and their parents to bundle up with clothing layers to swish swish carve the snow. Your support the small Maine mountain downhill ski area anyway you can to keep it up and operational.

May Mountain in Island Falls Maine was another small family ski area that I took my four kids to when it was open.

When I brought along my oldest brother Stephen’s three kids, the volunteers at May Mountain were awesome. Taking the never skied before newbies by the hand to show them each the ABC’s of this is how you ski. Now when I ride by May Mountain on US RT 2 on the way to list or show a Maine property listing, I think about the small downhill ski area experience. The big cable wore out, the mowed slopes grew up to brush. The base ski lodge had a second floor added and is now a re-purposed single family home with one long driveway, tremendous views, a killer sized parking lot.

At The Top, Ready To Ski Down After Letting Go Of The T Bar Lift Handle.

The kids skiing May Mountain grew up and moved on to other slopes in Maine and beyond.

Those kid’s parents were the life blood of May Mountain, Hovey Hill, other small Maine ski areas. Local small Mom and Pop businesses all pitched in their support for the love of downhill snow skiing. Just like they do to underwrite little league teams and local school musical and sporting programs.

Another small local ski area beside Quoggy Jo in Aroostook County is Big Rock in Mars Hill Maine.

Just across the border into Canada I used to book a room at the Holiday Inn in Edmunston so the kids could ski Mont Fralagne in New Brunswick Canada.

Usually the boys had a hockey team game in Plasterock or Grand Falls and we were close enough to stick around an extra day. To step into the snow skis for family fun on another small but Canadian downhill facility. The American dollar being stronger than the Canadian loonie helps subsidize the small mountain skiing fun. Lonesome Pine Trails in Fort Kent Maine is another small ski operation in Aroostook County.

Crabbe Mountain in Upper Haynesville New Brunswick Canada is another affordable family ski mountain folks in Northern Maine use.

You don’t have to race to get to Crabbe Mountain ski area either.

Open until 10 PM Canadian time meant after church, we all piled in the Jeep or Excursion to beeline for the Crabbe Mountain slopes an hour away. Lift ticket options beyond just full or half day meant you got your money’s worth downhill skiing at Crabbe Mountain.

Sugarloaf USA and Sunday River ski areas are Maine’s two biggest facilities.

The Top Of The Maine Mountain Or Hill Ski Area. Looking Out Over The Expanse Clears Your Head.

Large enough to be more than just put into operation for winter downhill skiing, the condos and resort hotel rooms at the summit used for year round group meeting conventions.

I’ve had Maine REALTOR state MAR association conventions at both Sunday River and Sugarloaf USA ski resorts. Over the years MAR has rotated where the continuing credit and guest speaker sessions will be this and next year.

It’s different coming into the base lodge without any snow, not wearing ski boots when you visit A Maine ski area off season.

The Maine ski areas not just put to use when snow is on the ground. The Maine ski resort operations expanded to offer golfing, biking, hiking the green not white colored trails. Leaf peeking the brilliant fall foliage colors with chair lift and gondola rides up the larger mountain slopes. Wondering about local Maine comfort food pub style cuisine choices that go hand in hand with the vacation recreation.

Snow Skiing In Maine, Lots Of Big, Medium, Small Size Mountain Downhill Options. Kids Start Out Best At Simple, Low Cost Small Hillside Ski Areas.

An off season mountain visit causes one to wonder and dream about new snow, groomed trails and down hill winter skiing to come.

And fond memories of past time spent on the Maine ski slopes flood the gray matter. More Maine ski area information. Check out these other Maine ski area locations and try out some new slope set up beyond your personal most visit favorite downhill mountain venue location.

Do you ski and which Maine mountain slope is the closest to where you life in or outside Maine? Getting you out of the house and on a set of skis or snowboard. Hope this blog post on small Maine downhill ski areas was helpful to get you headed to one or two this winter.

I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Broker

207.532.6573 | info@mooersrealty.com |

MOOERS REALTY 69 North ST Houlton ME 04730 USA

February 23, 2021
Thanksgiving, The 65th Local Rotary Auction In Houlton Maine.

Fall in Maine means local Rotary auction fund raising time in my home town.

The local Houlton Rotary Club celebrates its 100th birthday this year. And leading up to Thanksgiving week, the local club members work hard behind the scenes. Preparing for the biggest fundraiser of the year, the fall rotary auction. It started out as radio only for the audience connection. Just tune in, bid high, stick around for all three nights of the Houlton Rotary radio auction.

Local Houlton Maine Rotary Auction Hi Low Bidding, Watson Hall On Main ST.

The first radio auction for Rotary started in 1956.

In time with technology advances, the auction became radio, television and Internet broadcasts options to play the game. There is even a Facebook auction off shoot of the Rotary auction to increase the reach and help the bottom line of fund raising for local projects.

Area businesses donate goods and services to list in the local supplement of auction items to bid on with something for everyone in the small community broadcast listening area.

Those items to use as the bait to bring in bids are a big part of the fund raising numbers. But lots of home made smaller items from folks out in the bidding audience are the cream to raise money.

People scan the supplement list of items hard and mark items to watch and bid on during the three day event. Happy meals from Mickey Dee’s for the kids in the early hours of bidding.

Toys and sport game, movie passes. Bigger three night special items that cost a little more for the older bidders who wear larger wallets. Many hunt down the home made hand knit real wool mittens. Some bid on the Ward log cabin kit and dream of where to put it on a Maine land listing.

Looking for Gladys Dow’s annual chocolate log. Joe Beasley’s cajun Louisiana style spiced jar of sauce. Bob Blanchette’s and Kaye McGinnis’s fudge listings in the local newspaper bid list of offerings advertising supplement.

Or bidding on a local grocery store gift certificate, a case of motor oil, home heating oil, a cord of wood. Something for everyone to bid on. Gift certificates, savings bonds from area banks, books, puzzles, games. Home made cribbage boards go high too.

Home made mittens, cords of firewood, pontoon boat rides around a local lake, an ultralight ride up and over your small Maine town and the countryside.

Checking Out The Merchandise On The Rotary Auction, Houlton ME.

Everyone contributes to the auction items to raise over $50,000 to pour into local Houlton Maine community projects. Ads from the advertising supplement, oil raffle tickets, and donations to on air causes like the local library, hospital, school.

These revenue streams all part of the gross income and after the expenses create the year’s net profit to divvy up among well deserving projects. Capital expenditures and not a million smaller operating budget contributions the focus.

To do something like an outdoor amphitheater project for the community band, Veteran’s day ceremonies, lots of other uses.

The track building of an engineered hill and garage on top for soap box derby racing. A school performing arts center or much needed medical equipment at a local hospital. All part of the fund raising proceeds placement in the local area.

Some local projects highlighted in the auction advertising supplement are this year’s one time recipients of funding. Other side hustles on air for added awareness and promotion to a list of on going worthwhile projects get attention too.

“Buy a boot, give a hoot”.

The local slogan for small pewter statutes cast 500 at a time to support local health care as our hospital. Bought in honor of a past away family member or a thousand dollars pledged to buy one to park on a fireplace mantel or on a shelve in your home. The money raised supports quality local health care that you or a family member may need.

Small Maine towns are more connected.

“Rotary Auction, What Item You Looking At, To Bid On Tonight?” The 70 Member Local Rotary Club Hard At Work Raising Money For Local Projects.

The circles we travel are smaller, tighter.

Working on the local service clubs events together helps you know your neighbor. It’s all highly important to the quality of life in these rural areas of Maine. If it was not the local individuals banding together to fund raise and brainstorming to identify the need, it would not get done. The moneys from local government are not there to pick up the bill. Hiring it done is not an option. Plus it would miss the home grown satisfaction that rolling up your sleeves and pitching in causes when the entire village participates.

The Rotary Auction is the week of Thanksgiving.

Past Members Of Rotary Who Helped Out On Many Auctions. Some Members Gone But Not Forgotten.

As college kids return to their home town with several bags of laundry for the traditional holiday break. The auction is an important social stop to catch up with classmates.

The school chums make sure to stop into to the live broadcast auction operation at Watson Hall on Main Street. The local broadcast lets everyone know who is home from college or back to visit from out of town. It’s like old home week and these college kids remember bidding on items growing up in the small town. Many that are local end up working the auction stations and filling the positions of the bid collecting to replace those volunteers that are lost to old age or relocation. We do both in person and ZOOM Rotary club meetings to play it safe and protect the community we love and cherish. This year’s 65th Rotary Radio Auction is November 21, 22. 23, 2020.

Who Won And What Item? Tabulating The Last Session Of The Three Nights Of Bidding On The Houlton ME Rotary Auction.

There was a time when the auction was at our local high school so we could broadcast it on local cable not yet wired into Watson Hall.

A lot of work to haul items to showcase on air the three blocks away from Main to Byrd Streets in Houlton Maine. And the haul the auction equipment and all that merchandise back after three nights of bid early, bid high, bid often.

Bids Called In, Coming Down The Conveyor Belt For Placement On The Tote Board. Neat System Changed This Year Due To COVID19 Response.

Christmas shopping done during the Rotary auction too. Everyone gets excited and in some form or another is part of what makes each year bigger and better than the last auction.

Because we are in Potato Country, in Aroostook County, the garden of Maine, spuds are a big part of the local Rotary auction.

Usually up top in each advertising segment, you will see four or five fifty pound bags of Burbank Russets, Yukon Gold, Superiors, Kennebec or Katahdins potato varieties. The spuds grown locally and donated by area Northern Maine potato farmers. There is a lot of eating in a fifty pound paper bag of Aroostook County potatoes. So many ways to serve them up and prepare the meal for tonight’s supper time ritual. I grew up on a Maine potato and grain club and did not eat a lot of rice as a kid. “Farm to table” was a habit before the catchy agri-tourism term was coined and spun into an “Eat Local” buzz phrase.

Woods, Potatoes, All In The Shadow Of Mt Katahin! Northern Maine Tourism Is Big. Welcome To A Sportman’s Paradise!

This year with social distancing, the inner workings of the 65th annual Houlton Rotary Auction will be different for safety sake.

Crowding around the TV, lap or desk top screen or radio broadcast will still happen out in the audience at home. But the rotary club members will have less handling of bids using the old pegger and sorters method of processing incoming auction bids. Instead, using banks of lap tops to input the bids. The ones received on the phone lines called in to hopefully win an item in this year’s auction bidding.

Here are a couple videos from past Rotary Auctions from our 70 member service club.

Thank you all local Houlton Maine Rotarians for your “service above self” the last 100 years. What does your local Rotary club do and are you a member?

This year’s 65th auction is dedicated to Michael A Clark who passed away this weekend.

Working For Winter Clothes, That Jacket, To Help Out Family Expenses. Kids Learn Work Ethic Early On In Small Town Rural Maine.

The auction this year is dedicated to Michael A. Clark. Mike was a life long cheerleader, ambassador to the town of Houlton Maine, the county seat for Aroostook County. He will be missed an

condolences to his family, his wife Debbie who is our club secretary.

Mike was a past district governor for Rotary International and truly displayed “Service Above Self”.

Playing the drums during summer evening concerts every Thursday night. Tinkling the piano keys too at local rotary events for the background atmosphere. His trailer for band member chairs for the outdoor concerts in Monument Park proudly stated “Houlton, Music Town Of Maine” with lists of Suzuki Strings, Show Choirs, Community Bands. He was right. This is one musical place.

Local ATV and snowmobile clubs work hard too raising money for building, maintaining trails.

Having local breakfasts and dinners to raise money to keep the trails smooth and groomed. This tourism rich local volunteer effort brings in money from out of towners using the trails to explore and discover Northern Maine.

Volunteering, working together for a common cause in Maine small town living.

RIP Michael Clark, Dedicated Local Rotarian, Past District Governor, Paul Harris Fellow.

Pitching in for the greater good. Kids grow up watching their parents, teachers, their neighbors all pitching in to do amazing things as a village. It all enhances our local quality of life in small town Maine. So many in local fish and game, Elks, Kiwanis, local school sports, music, drama, etc clubs raise the funds to make local programs possible that benefit the entire population. And all ages, many talented local folks step up to get involved for the common good.

Fall harvest is wrapping up, the Rotary Auction is heating up time around Southern Aroostook County.

Like all the four seasons, each is a busy time for small towns in Maine where the locals are active volunteering to collectively improve their communities. The local events like the Houlton Rotary Club Auction Thanksgiving week are all part of the traditions. The ones passed down where everyone in the local small towns have a hand. All are part of the pretty impressive volunteer work force. You get to know the folks around you better working on common causes too like the Rotary Auction held during Thanksgiving week for the last 65 years.

I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Broker

207.532.6573 | info@mooersrealty.com | MOOERS REALTY 69 North ST Houlton ME 04730 USA

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October 20, 2020
Work Life Balance When You Live In Maine

The work life balance when you live in Maine. For me, each new day is an amazing opportunity to try something new.

Work. Life. Balance. To meet and learn from folks both local and far far from my home town Maine zip code surroundings. I believe being raised on a Maine farm with three older brothers in a tight working family created a positive foundation to build on day by day. The challenges of dealing with the unpredictable weather, precarious agriculture produce markets and trained to be efficient in time and money management early on has serve me well through out life.

Juggling Your Life Work Balance And Keeping Perspective. More Time In Maine Helps Clear Your Head.

Wikipedia defines work-life balance as the “lack of opposition between work and other life roles”.

It is the state of equilibrium in which demands of personal, professional and family life are equal.” Balancing work and life outside your job. I believe living in Maine has so so many advantages when walking that life tight rope. To have it all, to do it your way, to smell lots of roses along the way is anyone’s hope and desire right?

But how to easy does it balance your work life balance and pursuits living in Maine?

Knowing what is important to you, knowing how you tick. Making time for what seasoning needs to be in your life to enhance and enrich it. Maine to me is the perfect back drop to study and tweak what truly is needed for harmony and balance in the work life competition for how you chose to use your time. All this space, unspoiled pure and natural outdoor beauty. Maine. It’s not like this many other place. Maine is really like the marketing slogan says, “the way life should be”.

A New Day Spent In Four Season Maine. The Surroundings Help Your Work Life Balancing Act.

Money. Cash in your pocket, tucked away in a bank account or invested around you in the Maine community.

You need far less to keep your head above water in Maine. Housing is way cheaper. You don’t need to sell a duplicate organ or cut off an arm or leg to buy a house in Maine. Carrying one or more mortgages for long is not the local norm. Mainers are brought up to expect hardships, set backs and bumps in the road. Experience with tough situations is what sharpens your skills and level of deep down inside gratitude. Work life balance living in Maine.

They say seventy five to ninety percent of visits to the doctor are related to stress according to national medical statistics.

Problems with depression and stinking thinking. The work life balance when you live in Maine, anywhere. Stress causes everything from headaches to back pain to the inability to function properly in life’s simplest tasks. Poor coping skills can cause added stress. Expectations beyond what they should immediately be is a mental load that robs a person from a feeling of peace and contentment. Chasing the financial objectives to fuel the retail therapy for temporary happiness won’t work in the long run.

Your Backdrop That Helps The Feeling Of Contentment, Reduces Stress And Adds Fulfillment. Maine Offers That!

Debt is a cancer too. Better money management should not have to come from a Dave Ramsey course charged on your credit card in ongoing installments.

You should see the how to run your household finances the right way from your parents and share the same financial skills with your youngsters around the meal time table conversations. In talks from spending more time with family and less time working a zillion hours a week to keep your head above water and making ends meet. The mission is not just to exist and live by the seat of your pants without a plan or practicing procrastination. But to squeeze out the natural juices to enjoy all that life can offer with the right perspective and expecting not everything is going to always run smoothly.

Mainers keep it simple, have their heads screwed on straight. Their kids work, do chores, learn early on how to manage money and what impulse control is all about to save for rainy days. Something they really want and can buy themselves with their own money if the price is right. If money they earn is not wasted on nickel and dime endeavors only. Saving needs to start early to become a life long habit of living below your means for the nest egg for retirement, for a rainy day.

Earning Money, Entry Level Work Early On. Mainers Are Workers, Not Lazy.

My Dad’s University of Maine at Orono college graduation commencement speaker told the crowd sitting in the audience waiting for the rolled up diplomas to go forth and make a difference.

Be a spark, add to your surroundings and be an asset to yourself, family, local community. But in the wise words of advice to apply to their life, he sincerely shared that it was his hope that each and every new college graduate “knew adversity early on in life”. So they could apply what was learned from lessons made from mistakes early on to benefit and shape their life for the better as it progressed.

Around Maine, streamed cyber and safely distanced graduation ceremonies are one by one happening this week across Vacationland. Despite COVID19 adjustments to the norm routine in small town Maine living, creative work arounds to do the job at hand are underway. Making the most of what life throws at you is a test of not just your resiliency to survive and persevere. But it is the mental exercise that boosts your sense of appreciation, patience and helps you stay centered. To take stock along the way of what is really important to you and others you share your life. We all strive to live in different degrees off the land. For farm to table food locally sourced. For recreation and exercise and healthy perspective to remind us what is important, what is not worth the time to purse that is shallow or artificial or not lasting.

Fresh Eggs, Farm To Table. Satisfaction Knowing Where Your Food Comes From Daily.

When you live in Maine, the four season outdoor recreation is always ready and waiting.

You can mix business with pleasure and keep things balanced. We have Nature in our backyards, not hours of driving or miles away. Hopping on the bike for an early morning ride or strapping on your boards for some aerobic exercise to clear your head. Nothing is stopping us from heading out the door where we all spend most of our time through out the year. Dressing a little different to adjust to temperatures and weather patterns all taken in stride but we are not going to deprive ourselves from fresh air, all the rich scenery that involves water, wildlife, no crowds of people.

Social distancing was already the norm when the population is small and sparsely spread over a state as vast and unspoiled at Maine.

We like our own company, need time alone to think and process. Parked on a rock terrain on say Cadillac Mountain gawking out and detaching from your day to day cares, joys, woes is the all natural medication to apply to ourselves. When you already live in Maine, you have it made for safe and drop dead gorgeous surroundings. We have plenty of practice being one on one or alone and don’t fight it. Those times to reflect and process without interruptions or distractions are important vitamins to help the work life balance.

A New Day, The Air Cooler Than The Maine Lake Water Temperature Gives You Perspective.

Money is not so important living in rural Maine.

The right perspective and don’t take yourself so serious humble attitude works best in small communities around Maine. The can do spirit to dig in and learn how on your own or networking with others that barter back and forth in the exchange of goods and services. Small town Maine life is more connected. All the individuals in the small community social fabric are needed to rise and fall like the boats in the harbor lifted by the tide.

So work life balance living in Maine.

If what you do for work is fun, if there is sincere enjoyment from a labor of love well done. That’s what builds joy and gratitude. Helps the unpleasant developments roll off and not cause such a negative reaction. I believe Mainers are highly enthused and don’t get discouraged as easily as those feeling helpless and lost in the sea of faces along a crowded city street. We are more hands on, in control holding the reins to our own destinies.

Fresh Air, Long Views, No Worries. Life Work Balancing Easier In Maine. Exercise Is Key. So Is S-P-A-C-E And Elbow Room.

Binge eating, smoking, over drinking self medication only causes insecurity, exhaustion and difficulty concentrating and we have too much we want to accomplish to waste time on those endeavors. The satisfaction from our work and not the hours poured into it is the key to work life balance with family care giving and relationship maintenance. Work takes less effort when you are excited to get up and hop out of bed to begin again.

If you are not in a career that more often than not gives you a sense of purpose and satisfaction, plan your exit.

At the right time, juggling all the obligations surrounding you and people depending on you to enter in a new life phase. Don’t complain, do not blame or sit on your hands. And ask the person you stare back at brushing your teeth and combing your hair in the morning mirror one question. What’s wrong, what’s right and if anything needs adjustment you have control over, what are you gonna do about it? What are the options and best move ahead of you? Here my piece of Maine life story change of careers.

Empowerment comes I think from being more personally involved in your life.

Hands on and less hired out. You get your hands dirty lifting the hood and tinkering. Not relying so much on others to engineer your life. More skills developed early on in life increases your confidence, avoids delays, saves money and creates satisfaction. Teach your kids life skills and reinforce them in yourself is not a bad ideal to stay sharp and current. Life is not sour, not worthless or hopeless unless you thrown your hands in the air and give up. Feeling good about yourself means get moving, become involved and help others who in turn offer their assistance.

What’s For Sale, What Do Your Need Or What Do You Want? Window Shopping In Camden Maine At Night.

Summer is underway in Maine.

People are opening up camps. Many out of staters have been using their second vacation homes in Maine as their new outpost. Working remotely and telecommuting to leave the packed like sardines city apartments or households. Trading it in for simple Maine living. Getting out on the water, hitting the recreational trails, planting gardens, puttering around our homes and involved in community affairs. Working from home, educating our kids under the same roof as school vacation during COVID19 rolls on for locals too.

Glad to live in Maine where work balance is easier even with the coronovirus impact on daily life in Vacationland.

Our work defines us and for those out of work, you can only do so many job jar household projects repainting and repairing. But as the state opens up and health safety procedures with the face mask, gloves, booties too as I list and sell Maine real estate, every day is a reminder. From folks outside Maine who are not so fortunate and lacking the simple options living here not there offers.

Here’s a couple videos of new properties in Maine for sale to show you what I do in my day job.

Maybe you are looking for a lakefront property in Maine for summer living, even more. Pick a pair of ME waterfront listings.

Promoting Maine to others helps reinforce my own glad to live here more than ever convictions.

Work life balance when you live in Maine. Ever thought of relocating to achieve that ebb and flow harmony? With two grandchildren, healthy family around me and a wonderful partner, good health, living in Maine. I know how lucky I am and consider that I have it made. Stay safe, take care and thank you for following our Me In Maine blog post. Good luck keeping your work life in balance in check during COVID19 and other juggling balls your keep in the air.

I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Broker

207.532.6573 | info@mooersrealty.com |

MOOERS REALTY 69 North ST Houlton ME 04730 USA

June 3, 2020
Work Ethic, Lazy Used To Be A Disgrace.

Work ethic, where’s it come from and what feeds or hurts the drive to be anything but lazy.

The fire in the belly fuel to go above and beyond. How do you create and maintain that productive work ethic laboring spirit that just won’t quit? I don’t know about you, but during my childhood raised on a Maine farm, the parents did a stellar job. Creating a desire to work hard and do a good job at the family home, school, out in the work force, in your community.

They worked long hours and we knew no different but did not feel picked on. It made us resourceful, independent, sometimes glad to be done a job like picking field rocks. But we did it. Other kids in small Maine towns did too.

You’ve all heard the story about anyone from Maine applying for a job out of state was hired instantly. It’s no secret about Maine’s work ethic.

Learning How To Work, Enjoying Labor, Sticking With It. Work Ethic Is Developed, A Muscle To Tone.

Daily, my three older brothers and I witnessed Mom and Dad working hard daily on the Maine farm.

Both parents grew up on dairy farms where everyone in the large families works vital roles. When you are around hard workers, you are taught the importance of carrying your part of the load.

How to save steps to do the work of two. You don’t want to be labeled “lazy”. You don’t just work, you want to be the best at the labor.

Standing around watching someone working their guts out is not fun or comfortable. The pitch in and help out gene activates when you grow up in rural Maine. Where money is tight and frugality is a survival sport, As you got older in a Maine household where your parents owned and ran a Mom and Pop business, the list of duties increased right along with the new skills added to your resume.

When your Mom or Dad praise you for doing a good job, completing the task well it makes you beam.

Causing pride and to feel worthwhile appreciated is a warm sunshine feeling. When told we can count on you Sonny. To realize you and your brothers, all the kids in this Maine household are a vital part of the family. Where I need you and vice versa and everyone works together. All the cylinders firing in order, on the same page for the common skills to get the job done. Before moving on to the next items on the lengthy chore list. Don’t waste the daylight.

Work ethic, local farmers in my area hired kids to pick potatoes in the fall, to put up loads to ship down the road over the winter.

Not everyone was lucky enough to grow up on a Maine farm. But that did not mean jobs to earn money were not in abundance in our small rural area of the Pine Tree state. My Dad swore that kids did a better job handling the potatoes than mechanized harvesters. He raised 250 acres of golden spuds. All the crop hand harvested with four baskets in a barrel. Then pickers adding their ticket number in the groove slot on the top.

Eight row crop harvesters cover a lot of acreage quickly but leave boat loads of potatoes behind of all sizes. The rough handling damages the soft skin with cuts and bruises. That impacts the value in storage and out on the market later on. The produce buyer pays less for lower quality potatoes.

But back to today, work ethic, how is it viewed in society? What is happening to it as a highly sought after commodity when hiring your work force? There are cracks in the give it all your got in the work place. (more…)

November 25, 2019
Early Radio, Television Broadcast Stations In Maine

Early radio, television broadcast stations in Maine, the history lesson.

In the beginning Maine news spread by neatly folded bundles of papers. Everything was black and white with a crease to open wide and read read read. Top to bottom. Side to side. The news print reporting happening weekly, maybe daily. The news and information always delivered in small intermittent installments.

Radio broadcasting started with crystal sets and eventually changed all that.

I remember my Dad sharing tales about his childhood experimenting with radio sets and searching for air wave broadcasts.

Experimenting with early radio receivers overhead the milk house on the Aroostook County Maine farm.

Building radio sets, learning about the antennae array that worked best for shortwave radio frequency reception. I developed the same fascination with certain combinations of signal frequencies, power and antennae height. And how they all affect the broadcast radiation output and reception of AM, FM and TV signals in Maine.

The Milk House On The Family Farm In Maine. The Upstairs Space Used As A Crystal Set Ham Radio Location By My Dad Back In The 1920’s.

By the 1920’s, fifteen Maine radio stations went on the air.

By the end of the decade only three in the group remained live and broadcasting a signal. Auburn Maine radio station WMB was the first in the state. At the time, nationwide, only twenty four federally licensed radio stations broadcast over the not so well regulated pioneer airwaves.

Early radio broadcasts in Maine came before television.

Had to transmit the latest government reports, weather forecasts, farm crop prices across the state and nation. Local doctors providing tips on better health happened too. Making house calls over the Maine transmitter frequency airwaves. Local Maine bankers would share the importance of thrift. Area music community orchestras would provide live programming for early broadcasts.

No tape recorders, no CD burners or other hard drive devices were available for programming early Maine broadcasting.

78 RPM records could be cued up. Storage “save it for later” broadcast options just were not around to be later broadcast transmitted as prerecorded events. It was live, on a record and that’s all she wrote. Live and local without editing options meant here you go. Ready or not, like it or not. Take it or leave it. Not Hi Fi, not digital and crystal clear but static, pops, drop outs as the frequency signal drifted in and out depending on the weather.

Broadcasting was not so polished and anything goes transmitting the live radio broadcast programing in Maine happened.

Licensed to the Androscoggin Electrical Company in 1922, Maine’s first radio station WMB broadcast baseball scores.

Pretty much the correct time and local news happenings only went out over the airwaves. Live and local and limited. Early radio broadcasters in Maine not allowed to sell advertising or play records in the beginning. The radio transmitter broadcasts were nightly. The frequency signals dark and stations off air during the day. It was hit or miss catching a broadcast with so few and the lots of “dead air”. (more…)

October 16, 2019
Mainers Hang On To Their Old Cars, Trucks.

Early cars, trucks, vehicles that you remember in your life.

Like the family pet that grows up in your home, makes all the holiday picture appearances in the cherished photo album. The vehicles parked in the old black and white images with long gone family members posing in their younger selves. Those old cars carry fond memory attachments that hit you the same way as an oldie goldie spun on the local early Maine radio station.

Old DeSoto Car I Remember Parked In The Yard Next Door As A Very Little Kid.

The earliest cars in your memories, what are they as you look back?

My earliest images are from a neighbor on Franklin Avenue, the Blacks who had a red with white DeSoto. DeSoto was a division of Chrysler, produced over 2 million cars from 1929 to 1960 when the brand was dropped.

DeSoto was named after the explorer, the European credited with crossing the Mississippi first and introduced to compete with lower cost car market. It was created to provide a mid car class market option for auto buyers that could not afford the higher priced Chrysler line.

Ralph Black spit polished and maintained everything he owned.

He had a crew cut, loved to garden, enjoyed pink peppermints. Was a fan of dulse which is seaweed that tastes a little like bacon but way way healthier for you. Trained as an accountant, book keeper, no one took the job more seriously. Ralph was a company man. He and his wife were Canadians who moved over to Houlton Maine from New Brunswick and became US citizens.

Ralph worked at Almon H Fogg Hardware as a book keeper. Served in World War 1 and came home carrying shrapnel in his back from that conflict. Marj worked at Cary Library and did not drive. Walked everywhere with me and my brothers when Ralph had the car at work. I was his God child and when old enough to pedal my bike into town I mowed his lawn. The job inherited from my older brother Brian. His Excello lawn mower was a reel type maintained to the hilt. Had to trim with a silent hand pushed mower and clippers. I inherited the job from my next oldest brother Brian. I am the youngest of four boys.

This video shows one of the vintage grass clippers from the 1950’s.

Ralph’s was all blue green colored and had a lever to engage with pulleys to add the power to the wheels. Wooden rollers behind the sharpened reels helps spread out the grass clippings. No rotary scalping happens with the reel type mowers. Every fall Ralph would load the mower in the trunk and take to a fellow up the street who would service it to be ready for the following spring. The green ranch on 5 Franklin Avenue in Houlton Maine sat on a large lot with hillsides to struggle with plenty on the west side. As a little guy riding his banana bike into town from the country weekly. This was a serious mission for the five dollars and cold soda received to clip the grass for the Black’s who were fair but particular.

1966 Corvair Parked Next Door To Me Growing Up. Pushed By Air Cooled Motors In The Truck Like The VW.

Ralph and his wife Marjorie graduated from the 1955 DeSoto to the beige 1966 Corvair, the rear engine vehicle Ralph Nadar helped get off the road.

Corvair was a Chevy product made from 1960 to 1969. Reggie Walton in Littleton collected Corvairs of all types.

Spiders, the pick up and van versions of all years of this rear engine air cooled Chevy product. The TV series Bewitched also had a view Corvairs in their episodes if I remember correctly what I watched with the rabbit ears. Reggie lost his life in Florida bring back trailers to resell. He was a mover and a shaker on the local small town Maine scene for sure.

The next car owned by the Blacks was a 1966 Pontiac Tempest.

Not the coveted GTO but powered with a six cylinder instead of the big V8 gas hog 389 cubic inch or bigger under the hood of muscle cars of the time. I have seen these Tempest made into a GTO clone. Wished I had the Black’s cars so carefully maintained and pampered that Ralph and Marjorie purchased. Having no kids of their own helped the wear and tear too. There was none. Waxed weekly, the vinyl floors oiled and preserved. The inside of the trunk, under the hood all like when it rolled off the car factory assembly line.

Read more about early cars, even a tractor that I remember growing up in a small town in Maine.

Blogs about early trucks has made the Me In Maine blog post collection too in case you missed it. What early vehicles, bikes, trucks do you remember growing up?

Tempest, A Pontiac You Could Clone Into The GTO. The One I Remember Had A Six Not Eight Cylinder Motor Under the Big Hood.

When they age you don’t want to let go of them. Some of us see those old vehicles as people that get old. You want to re-purpose them and bring them back to their original factory glory. Like older folks that carry a lot of wisdom to share, these old vehicles have a spirit, can transport you back to an early time in history.

Ever long for an abandoned car seen in your travels?

Thought about bringing it back to life? It’s expensive and using your heart not your head. But heartstrings pulled on need attention to in the short life on Earth right? Can’t always be practical.

Like old songs, the smells of meals your grandmother whipped up, anything that hits the senses can evoke strong memories of happy times earlier in your life.

If I was going to go out and buy an old car it would probably be a big one from the late 1950’s. The fins, the space ship design reflected America at the time they rolled off the assembly line. How about a Square Bird… a 1958 through 1960 Thunderbird please for me. Tooling around a small Maine town behind the wheel of an old car ride experience. Ralph and Marjorie Black never had one of those old cars to dream about restoring but what they did have creates fond memories.

I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Broker

207.532.6573 | info@mooersrealty.com |

MOOERS REALTY 69 North Street Houlton Maine 04730 USA

April 24, 2018