Category: Living in Maine

  • Maine | What’s It Like Living In Maine?

    Maine | What’s It Like Living In Maine?

    Maine, what’s it like living in Maine?

    The state up in the right hand corner of the country, Maine.

    What to expect traveling to experience Maine up close and personal.

    maine photos
    Maine. Small Word, Big Place, Lots Of Unspoiled Space.

    For starters, the further you head north, east and west to get up to Maine, the quieter it gets.

    Man made noise gets replaced with song birds, a breeze in the rustling tree leaves. Waterfront settings and lapping waves, singing loons, where it just you.

    Maine hiking trails where you can really hear yourself think and process life.

    Spending time to unwind and get some exercise and perspective up in Maine. Space, time out. Not so hard in Maine with only 41 people per square mile in southern sections. Even less, just 11 folks per same 208’x208′ acre unit in the northern Maine region. Less distractions, sharper awareness happens when you remove the urban buzz and grind.

    white tail deer in maine
    Maine White Tail Deer. One Of The Wildlife Sights You’ll Meet On Your Trip To Maine.

    Maybe it’s the fresh clean air alone. Not just the natural unspoiled space that is the cure. Maine has lots to offer and just as much to enjoy that is missing.

    Traffic, crime, rude and impersonal. Those words don’t describe Maine. Not why you come for a day and end up staying a lifetime.

    We all hunger to get beside or out on the waterfront in Maine.

    maine mount katahdin photo
    Maine’s Highest Mountain, MT Katahdin. Located In Forever Wild Baxter State Park.

    Slowly you get away from less stress of crowds, traffic, the impatience and impersonal way of life surviving population centers.

    In Maine, you see wildlife, watch out for it as you drive the scenic highways. You meet some of the nicest the down to Earth friendly hardworking people always willing to lend a hand.

    Small towns in Maine are proud of their communities, their children and where they live all four seasons.

    The deeper you push up into Maine, the more relaxed and personal the strong local connection grows. The space, all this unspoiled Maine land

    and nature in your private backyard is never taken for granted by locals and returning vacationers to Maine.

    Chances are if you love blueberries they came from Maine.

    maine blueberries
    Wild Blueberries From Maine. More Delicious, Healthier Than Bigger Ones Not From Raked From Maine.

    Lobsters from the coastal waters of Maine are hands down the best too. Especially when enjoyed in a quaint Maine harbor town.

    But the state of Maine, it’s way more than Aroostook County fertile farm fields growing potatoes or being

    the dominate producers of the World’s tasty blueberries, lobsters and spuds.

    There’s lots more to this great state of Maine than one, two, three pick ’em up and put them in the basket then barrel potatoes.

    maine potato fields
    Maine Farm Field Produce The Best Potato Varieties. Many White Blossoms, Some Purple Like Above Maine Potato Plant Field Photo Shows.

    This blog post highlights the what’s it like living in Maine.

    You can not rely on reports from online folks who have never been to Maine but have very loud and negative things to say about Vacationland. What are your expectations and everyone is not just like you and me is a good start before broadcasting the wrong idea about Maine.

    Who would want to visit like 37 million folks do a year that vacation in Maine?

    Those vacations and return visits are what lead to reasons to consider moving to Maine.

    Often water has something to do with your picking Maine. Water is tied to your Maine vacation or relocation location selection. Nothing compares being parked on the ocean, lake, pond, river or stream in Maine. It is a spiritual experience if you are lucky enough to have the Maine waterfront for a property neighbor.

    maine loons
    Listening To Maine Loons. Seeing Them Paddling Your Kayak On A Maine Lake. Priceless.

    Breathing in the salt air, touring the Maine coast on a guide boat ride hearing and seeing the local highlights. Each trip in or around Maine is an education. Maine, you can’t say you been to a Kittery ME shopping outlet and be dubbed an expert of “what’s it like living in Maine. You barely entered the very big state. Keep going and sampling after you cross the big green bridge entering Maine.

    Ever been to Downeast Maine?

    Can you get there from here? Sure can. What’s it like in this part of Maine? Not the same take away coastal experience in say Wells Beach area as in Eastport or Lubec Maine.

    Downeast Maine. Eastport ME Harbor View.
    Traveling Downeast Maine. Where Is It Exactly Along The Jagged Rocky Maine Coast?

    Camping, hiking, biking, hunting, fishing, boating in Maine.

    What’s it like in Maine depends on what you like to do, which of the four seasons you visit. The close knit villages and small towns of Maine offer a unique quality of life. The work ethic

    develops at an early age living in Maine. Growing up, everyone in the Maine family no matter how small has a job. Mainers are productive, producers and not just consumers. Mainers are not lazy. Don’t have so much time to whine and complain. What’s it like living in Maine?

    The spirit of pitching in and volunteering in Maine communities is unstoppable.

    childrens theatre takes volunteers
    Putting On Local Live Productions Like Children’s Theatre Is One Huge Volunteering Event In Maine. Community Theatres, Bands Are Fun To Attend.

    Maple syrup operations and sugar shack sap collection events in Maine.

    Picking fiddlehead ferns in spring along river or stream banks. Witnessing wildlife in their natural habitat in Maine. Maine lupines and their vibrant colors. Shucking fresh farm corn. Diving into a pot of steamed clams or oysters, fresh fish right off the boat at the Maine harbor pier. Hoisting a sail on your own self propelled powered by wind boat. Lots of suggestions on the list of what it there to do in Maine. To answer the what’s it like living in Maine.

    Reading a good book or better yet writing one for others to share.

    Painting a Maine setting or trying to capture it from the best angle at the perfect sweet spot time of day for natural lighting. Maine is the playground to do all of this. Hobby farming and horsing  around or managing a Maine woodlot. Building a camp or cabin up in Maine. To live remotely to get below radar and live off grid. Heating with wood and nothing eaten that was not made from scratch. Farm to table all natural without sprays. You know your Maine farmer or have a hand in what you eat that was raised on your own patch of fertile Maine farm soil.

    farms in maine photo
    The Family Farm Owned And Enjoyed By Me In Maine Author Andrew Mooers.

    Cutting and splitting next year’s firewood for the Maine home or camp stove prepared a season ahead.

    Following orange bouncing balls around high school college circuits. Try to keep your eye on the round black circle at local high school and hockey level hockey games. There is lots to do and enjoy living in Maine. Youth sports is big and you know, maybe are related to the players. Possible coached a few in peewee rec leagues.

    Lots of good valid answers to the question what’s it like living in Maine.

    Old Port In Portland Maine
    Walk The Old Port In Portland Maine. Cruise Ships Seen. Take A Ferry Ride To An Island Visit.

    Apple picking, making the pies with all the Maine local fruits from raspberries, blueberries to mince meat and pumpkin flavors.

    Churning your own home made ice cream. Looking and see lots of Maine moose, wearing flannel in the fall, LL Bean boats tramping the Maine woods. Attending Maine farmer and lumberman museum public suppers. Maine snowmobile sled club breakfasts cure hunger. Then helping twitch the trails that always needing repair. Or a bridge repair, new short cut trail created with many hands and a few chainsaws.

    Leaf peaking the amazing Maine colors of fall around farm harvest time.

    Things to do in Maine suggestions? Attend A Sea Dogs baseball game.

    seadogs game portland me
    Play Ball. See The Sea Dogs Play Excellent Baseball In Portland Maine.

    Collecting Maine lighthouses.

    portland me headlight
    Many Get Snap Shot, But All Maine Lighthouses Are Unique And Beautiful.

    Over 60 of those Maine lighthouses to find and return to many times while on Earth. I have collected 45 Maine lighthouses and counting. Do not forget your camera and make sure the battery is charged and ready.

    Head to a Maine beach.

    maine coast
    Sandy, Sea, Salt Water Air, Swims,Walks And Talks. Maine Beaches Attract Like No Other Vacation Travel Visit Attraction Or For Life Long Locals Alike.

    Check out local artists at local Maine craft shows. Maine quilts, 4H exhibits around the local Maine fair circuit. Antiquing, checking out farmers markets, take a balloon, train or motorcycle ride. Golf, fish, look up and see amazing night skies in Maine where there is no light pollution. Paddle the Allagash Wilderness Waterway and see the ghost trains.

    Lots to do year round that attracts folks that come to know what’s it like living in Maine.

    Downhill and cross country ski in Maine. Strap on a pair of snowshoes and easily go up and down rolling trails and fields blanketed with fresh pure white powdery snow.

    Hang on and shoot a rapid in a rubber raft on a Maine river with other adventuresome sorts.

    river rafting in maine
    River Rafting In Maine. Hang On, Paddle Hard, Get Wet. Take Your ME Whitewater River Rafting Ride Down Penobscot, Kennebec, Dead Rivers.

    What’s it like living in Maine?

    Sample the state parks in Maine and start out with simple, low cost camping vacations. Picnic lunches and mini instate vacations in Maine are so common and

    enjoyed by locals and new visitors alike.

    Craft breweries, Moosehead Lake, Gulf Hagas, Maine’s Grand Canyon.

    These are just a few examples of what’s it like living in Maine. Why we do it and what we enjoy about the state of Maine.

    Biking Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor Maine. Or returning to see it in the winter walking the perimeter roads. Camping on Mt Katahdin in winter is unforgetable too.

    Winter in Maine, just one of the seasons.

    But remember, Mainers are outdoors everyday. Dressed a tad different but always happy, warm and filling our lungs with fresh Maine air.I love to downhill snow ski, to snowmobile on the well groomed and marked ITS trails.

    More on Maine winter weather.

    winter trails in maine
    What you See On Maine Winter Recreation Trails. Wildlife, Scenery, A Bald Eagle, Moose.

    To set you straight on lots of myths from folks repeating them who have never been to Maine, Vacationland. Folks come to Maine to stay that are wanting a better quality of life for their kids. To become involved and make a difference in their small Maine town location and community spirit of volunteerism. Retirement in Maine is an obvious choice for the Golden Years group of active seniors.

    Some retirees, transplants are snow birds. Flitting back and forth twice a year to and from Maine waterfront camps and cottages to shared home locations where snow shovels are not used. Many retirees moving, relocating to Maine are from here. Natives who returned to Maine, knowing it is truly the way life should be.

    farm cows in maine
    MOO Yourself. Milek Cow Calves In Maine Farm Visit Say Hello.

    Back to the land homesteaders and off grid living in Maine.

    The living off the land in Maine is not a new movement. Some come to Maine colleges and Universities and end up staying in the town where they get their higher education. Don’t forget while vacationing or living in Maine, quick trips to Canada happen. Maine is borders by Quebec and New Brunswick Canada. The I-95 highways starts in Maine, ends up in Key West Florida and is your gateway to the Trans Canada Atlantic Maritime Provinces.

    Being a Maine border town with Canada has so so many perks for both sides of the International boundary line.

    Come to Maine and island hop using regular ferry boat service. Island life in Maine, books written on the topic and many movies.

    Leaving you with a farmers market in Maine video.

    Seeing, hearing, being taken by the hand and introduced to Maine by a local insider native is the best way to use your time in Vacationland.

    Just ask, the folks are so willing to give advice and help out with suggestions. The locals in Maine love where they live, work and play.

    Thank you for being a loyal reader of the Me In Maine blog.

    And if this is your first blog post visit, thank you for sticking around to the end. Hope you return for more Maine blog posts on what’s it like living in Maine.

    I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Broker

    207.532.6573 |  info@mooersrealty.com  |

    MOOERS REALTY 69 North ST Houlton ME 04730 USA

     

  • Small Town Living In Maine

    Small Town Living In Maine

    Small town living in Maine.

    living downeast maine
    Living In Small Time Maine. Volunteering Is Big. Crime, Traffic Is Not.

    The attraction of Maine small town living is stronger than ever. The longing for space, a sense of connection and being needed is part of it.

    The joy of volunteering and helping others is a way of life in Maine small town living too.

    Volunteering is a way of life in small town living in Maine.

    All ages involved from youngsters helping little ones. Older active seniors training those middle age workers. The volunteers of all ages are the community fuel. Baking for fund raisers, coaching a youth sports team, working on a community event you’ve been a part of for years.

    Small town living in Maine is not boring, never dull because you are invested.

    The feeling of being needed and relying on the talents and consideration of others is security, contentment. You can feel you make a difference in small town living in Maine.

    You are needed.

    Folks count and rely on each other for the greater good of the area.

    In small Maine town, you can make a difference.

    Serving on local community boards and shaping policy. Combining personal talents and collectively guiding the community is its own personal reward. If you don’t do it, who will?

    Each season living in a small Maine town there is plenty to work on that improves the quality of life.

    Floats to decorate and put in parades, practicing for an upcoming community band concert, playing a role in a community play.

    community plays in small town maine
    Small Town Community Plays In Maine. One More Way To Volunteer.

    The folks who choose to live in a small Maine town step up and contribute their time, money and ambition.

    Not once in awhile but all the time due to deep pride for their community’s small town living in Maine lifestyle  way of life.

    Volunteering at the local Salvation Army thrift store, ringing kettle bells, distributing local food to families who need it most.

    lots to to in Maine, Vacationland
    Maine, Vacationland Means Lots More To Do For Fun And Recreation. Small Towns Are Friendlier. Volunteering To Help Out Happens In Local Small Towns.

    That’s part of living in a small Maine town. Our local Rotary club sponsors a literacy volunteer program.

    Taking turns, the club members visit local Maine area elementary schools to share the joy of reading. To cause a spark to get new readers in the habit of reaching for a book.

    Who says young children today don’t have the attention span to read a book? Literacy volunteers give away so so many books through the year.

    Our local small town library in Maine has a summer reading program.

    And a children’s section of the library to foster reading for its many lifelong benefits. Christmas stories around the holidays are part of the library festivities. When someone dies, money is channeled to the library to purchase books in memory of that individual. The sticker label in front of what is bought helps you get a sense of what this person loved and enjoyed.

    Local businesses contribute funds to put on free weekend movies too.

    For families to enjoy a free Christmas theme movie. For kids to munch on popcorn and watch the flick on the silver screen while Mom and Dad can Christmas shop locally in privacy.

    temple cinema houlton me theatre
    Businesses Donating To Local Maine Small Town Movie Theatres To Create Free Holiday Matinees.

    Small town living in Maine.

    You have a deeper awareness of more than the open space, the clean air, fresh water and wildlife. Exploring the recreational trails and being close to nature is what Maine is all about but who needs help. Those in your small Maine town that are struggling with an illness, loss of a family member or spouse. That’s where folks get together to make sure the person or family suffering is getting the help and support they deserve.

    lots to do in nature in Maine
    Maine Is Outdoors, Nature. Small Town Living In Maine Is 4 Seasons Outdoor Recreation.

    I think you have greater obligations choosing to live in a small Maine town. There is a sense of duty and like I said before in this Maine blog post. Volunteering is a way of life. As you step up, as those around you pitch in, everyone looks for ways to help. You feel the personal responsibility to make a difference if you are able.

    Asking if you can give a neighbor a ride to medical treatments down country.

    Or to feed their cat, keep the driveway cleared or the grass mowed. While another neighbor offers to shoulder some other burden chore to free up a community member.

    Lots more local communication happens in small Maine town living.

    Try to pop into the hardware store, dash into the local Walmart or a grocery store for what should be a quick easy task. Chances are, you will bump into lots of people you know and the next things that happens is a conversation. Often about something only those living in the small Maine town would care about or know the individual or event being discussed.

    The upcoming big high school sports game, the local weather. How’s your garden growing or your recovery from surgery going? Knowing the names of all your kids and asking about where they are? How everyone is doing keeps the small local town population current in their local community conversations.

    Where is there a job for kids to make some spending money? All kinds of those opportunities in small Maine towns.

    kids earn spending money in maine
    Money From Working For Area Farmers. Picking Potatoes In Maine. How To Make Your Own Money, Not Spend Mom And Dad’s Important Skill.

    Front porches in Maine small towns get used for local new updates.

    Folks out for a walk stop by and chat. Same thing happens in small Maine down towns. On sidewalks, or rolling down the vehicle window to talk about small Maine town events and the people living in it. It’s not nosy (usually) and it’s caring and sharing for the most part.

    outdoor exercise maine kids
    Getting Fresh Air, Spending The Day Outdoors In Maine. Kids Do That.

    Living in a small Maine town means more covered dishes and public suppers.

    Less trendy chic dining at a slew of local eateries. You need a bigger population to support the greater choice of places to pay to dine. But the local eateries we do have in small Maine towns are well supported and you know or perhaps are even related to the folks you see eating or that put on the apron to work there.

    farmers museum public suppers
    Public Suppers At The Local Farmers Museum. Volunteer To Work Them, To Dine There To Raise Money.

    I think there is a greater appreciation for the small things living day to day in a small Maine town. Because you are more involved, there is more sweat, love and tears poured into the local community.

    Each of us knows the quality of life living in a small Maine town depends on the individuals.

    Home grown not store bought. That describes living in a small Maine town. Fueled on volunteers stepping up and pitching in to create the sense of community.

    small town living in maine
    Window Shopping, Tooling Around A Small Maine Town At Night. Mom & Pop Operations, Not So Many Franchise Set Ups.

    Living in a small Maine town means Saturday you help gather folks to get behind a bottle drive.

    Or a spring clean up or attending an important meeting. Working or attending on a snowmobile or fish and game breakfast, a farmer’s museum fall harvest supper. Buying a magazine subscription from a youngster who knocks on your door from down the street.

    Fitting in when from away in a small Maine town.

    If you had problems where you live out of state now fitting in, often the reasons you left follow you to a small Maine town.

    Small Town Living In Maine Dances
    The Small Town Maine Local Events. Like Dance Recitals. Everyone Goes. Or Is Working It Behind The Scenes.

    Small Maine towns are protective and highly invested in their communities.

    Make an effort to get involved and with a positive helpful attitude, you can blend in wherever you live right? That’s pretty universal and along the lines of if you want friends, be one.

    If you are highly critical, pretty much self centered and like to whine or dominate a conversation where everything has to be done your way or it’s hit the highway.

    Well, there may be a real estate for sale sign planted shortly after your initial move to small town Maine. If you think folks were not friendly, you have to make an effort to get involved. Pace yourself because there are so many avenues of service to consider.

    local food vendors in maine
    Small Maine Towns, Food Vendors Working Community Events. MMmmmm Good.

    Many people start small.

    Investing in a simple vacation property to try out small town Maine on a part time basis to see how they like it, how the simpler lifestyle fits for maybe longer periods.

    Expectations, what caused your desire to move to Maine and leaving where you used to live before?

    Maybe you were raised in a small Maine town but left for college or job advancement and poof. Next thing you know, four or five decades whirl by before the return to your small Maine town roots.

    making music in small maine towns
    Tap Your Toe, Sing Along. Music Made Locally And Live Is Huge In Maine Small Town Communities.

    The older we get the more change is resisted and maybe the small Maine town experience is not going to be exactly as you remembered it years before you left.

    Interstates and Internet have impacted small town life in Maine in good and not so healthy ways.

    In life, there is a constant stream of trade offs and where you would enjoy living most is a highly personal decision that only you can make.

    small town hockey games
    Attending Local Sporting Events, Alumni Games Are Popular. For Fans Of All Ages.

    So what to plan for as you bite the bullet and make the leap into living in a small Maine town?

    If you used to let your fingers do the walking through the yellow pages looking for a long tall list of contractors. Well, welcome to small town Maine where anyone good is busy and worth the wait. All about timing. You need to be the first guy or gal out of the gate in the spring for home building.

    winter ice hockey in maine arena
    Keep Your Eye On The Black Circle. Dangling It Skating Down A Maine Ice Arena Contest.

    Or hit it right just before winter getting the groundwork down to construction a house that is weather tight from the elements. And you slowly finish it off as local tradesmen become available. Not into the slow cooked, think it out, easy does it approach to building or house repairs? What the delay causes is folks to develop and sharpen their own skill set.

    Tired of waiting? Let’s attend another session of YouTube University to DIY as much as we can ourselves.

    If you are used to hiring everything done and highly skilled in one discipline and pretty much helpless in all the rest, it may be like the old TV slow “Green Acres”.

    maine vacations in state
    Traveling Instate Maine To Enjoy Mini Vacations. Easy When You Already Live In State Maine.

    Heart ache and frustration and longing for where you used to live that offered different taken for granted luxuries.

    In Maine, independence to control your destiny and not be so tied to others to help and serve.

    It is a strong deep running trait of folks in small town rural Maine. Used for more than survival but for the joy in making more of your own decisions. That’s satisfying and custom made to what you want your life to look like and not so helpless just bumping along seemingly out of control.

    hiking mountains in maine
    Out For A Walk, Gradual Climb Up A Waiting Maine Ski Area.

    Lack of traffic because you live in a small town in Maine with only one or two traffic lights.

    Because that’s all you need to direct the flow of traffic that is slower moving and more considerate.

    Lower cost of everything because money is tighter and not spent so freely in small Maine town circles. That’s part of what you get in the Cracker Jack box of living in a small Maine town. Let’s face it, the way of life in small town versus large city is very different. It depends on where you are in your life cycle of what works best and weighing the pros and cons.

    making apple cider
    Gathering, Squeezing Local Apples To Make All Nature Cider. Do That For Fun Where You Live Now?

     

    Community owned and not privatized for profit.

    Where I live in Maine, you see a lot more of that. Our local electric utility is a co-op and not for profit. If the local electron power juice provider makes money, there is a utility price reduction. Less exploitation and more for the greater good.

    local small town community events
    Small Town Living In Maine, What’s Like? Home Made, Local Talent, Volunteers Pitching In.
    rural farms space land in small town maine
    Maine Is Farms, Lots Of Land, Less Population, More Wildlife.

    Money is not the end all but managing it is in living in a small Maine town.

    Jobs in small towns in Maine can be less varied but the need to make lots of money from a highly specialize vocation is not so important. Housing prices, no cost for parking, less concern about personal safety, low crime all have their own reward in small town living in Maine. Barters, no money exchanged is huge. Some folks are hard to pay back too and very generous. Which is contagious.

    Telecommute to work remotely online from Maine to anywhere.

    My small Maine town has it’s own broadband Internet provider too. Wired wall to wall and beyond with speed of thought connectivity is a beautiful thing. High speed Internet connects rural Maine to the rest of the blue and green revolving marble quite nicely.

    mt katahdin interstate 95
    Mt K, Maine’s Highest Peak! Fun To Climb, Memorable Climbs Up And Down Growing Up In Small Maine Towns.

    The audience does not know I am blogging this early morning post from a wireless laptop pausing to peer out over the misty, magical Maine lake today.

    Unless I tell them. Or show them to let the cat out of the bag.

    early morning me lake mist
    Peaceful, Quiet, Magical Mist Enjoying Fresh Coffee Early Morning On A Maine Lake. Priceless.

     

    The move to small town living in Maine often is due to where is the best place to raise a family. We don’t worry about the white van sliding open the big side door and snacking our kids in the 4th lowest crime state in the nation.

    Walk to school, ride your bike to the movies, library or little league practice.

    Would your kids be able to have that kind of independence? Get that kind of exercise outside the house and off the eerie blue glowing screen living in a big city setting?

    pond hockey cross country skiing
    Crisp Clean Air, Pond Hockey Or Cross Country Skiing, Snow Shoes Strapped On For Exercise. Small Town Maine Populations Don’t Hibernate.

    Healthier, not just your kids but everyone gets out to enjoy the four seasons of living in a small town in Maine.

    Instead of climbing on the commuter train and all the time stuck in traffic to get to any destination, walk. When your small town home location is a block from the corner store or a place to eat a meal, hoof it.

    Your backyard in a small town in Maine lifestyle is not a few feet with a tall fence to define it.

    There is no need for a fence. You are not in a 300 lot subdivision with snarky HOA bylaws living in a small town in Maine.

    hitting rec trails in maine
    Small Town Living In Maine. Means Trail Rides With Your Family And Friends.

    Most of the neighbors you can’t see spaced well down the country road live in homes not weighed down with a mortgage. Their cars and pickups, SUVS have many miles on them but are owned outright.

    Spending money with impulse control is taught early on with kids earning their green bills wearing the dead Presidents.

    Money not doled, handed out like candy by parents to meet their kid’s every needs.

    Voting in a small Maine town is taken seriously. Being in line to cast your ballot and knowing by name the folks in front and behind you. To be in a large polling place and not know a soul living in a large urban area would not be the same experience.

    ice circles maine stream
    Artistry Thanks To Mother Nature. What You See On A Walk In Maine.

    In a small town in Maine there is pride and also concern on problems we need to tackle together.

    There is not a feeling of hopelessness or of what good would only one person be in the outcome. No matter how small the group, band together and make the situation better than it was in whatever way you can.

    You don’t just blend in with the landscape or step back to avoid responsibility in small Maine town living. Not everyone gets along peachy keen all the time and like families, there are squabbles and division. But there is a shared love of the small town way of life in Maine communities.

    maine canoe races in spring
    Spring Means High Fast Water, Canoe Races.

    The parents in small town living in Maine don’t fear their kids.

    There is mutual respect mixed with love going both ways in the family connection. It is true the village really collectively raises the child in a small Maine town. Small towns in Maine are really like one large family.

    The stigma of living in a small town anywhere comes from feeling trapped.

    FOMO, fear of missing out. Or due to early on being told by family and teachers that you have to leave after high school. See what’s out there, travel, relocate for perspective. But never let anyone make you feel somehow you are local townie loser for choosing to put your heart and soul into living in a small town in Maine.

    Small towns are walkable and safe.

    drones used for real estate in maine
    Maine Looks Different Captured From The Air, Using Real Estate Drones.

    People wave, smile, stop in traffic to let you cross streets in small Maine towns.

    Holding doors open, striking up a conversation. Friendly happens in small town Maine town living. Less fears, more comfortable and no one ignores others. Social happens in small Maine towns. Lower population means closer to all the special places folks flock to Maine to tap into on vacation.

    No crowds at a lake boat launch or need to reach for your wallet.

    Parking in a small Maine downtown is free and plentiful.

    aerial market square houlton me
    Everyone Outdoors Meeting, Greeting, Attending Local Small Maine Town Events. Click For Farmer’s Market Video.

    Restaurants, stores are mom and pop unique not always franchise branded in small Maine town.

    The economics of small Maine towns are not rich and flashy. More simple down to Earth practical. Using common sense for survival and Maine humor applied in large doses. Locals are fierce about supporting their friends and neighbor’s business establishments. Every dollar spent locally turns over six to seven times.

    Trading with each other in a small Maine town feels good inside.

    Like being current on property taxes, casting a local ballot, supporting the many fund raisers around you. There is a shift in more and more working remotely and an exodus from expensive, impersonal city living underway.

    get togethers for walks talks
    Walks, Talks, Everyone Brings A Covered Dish To Enjoy After The Outdoor Exercise. That’s Small Town Living In Maine.

    Have you thought of where to move and Maine comes up in conversations or in the thought process?

    Glad to share what we know as a life long native of small town Maine! Here to help answer questions about what small town living in Maine is like as a local insider.

    I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Broker

    207.532.6573 |  info@mooersrealty.com  

    MOOERS REALTY 69 North ST Houlton ME 04730 USA

  • Weather In Maine

    Weather In Maine

    Weather in Maine.

    What’s in the weather forecast today and down the road is pretty important. Especially if you work and play outside in Maine.

    drone real estate photos
    Aerials Capture The Local Surroundings Using A Real Estate Drone.

    Unless you are stuck inside, parked on a couch, the outside weather in Maine is pretty darn important.

    If your job is at always chained inside to a desk, the forecast weather rain, sun, snow, wind, temperatures impact are not so critical. But true Mainers are outdoors every day of the year. Can’t wait and just make sure to dress accordingly. So many myths about the Maine weather

    Have a son who lives in Leadville CO which gets snow fall of over 140 inches a year. Inland Maine gets 100 inches or so of white stuff.  More on snowiest area of the US.

    Ask a Maine farmer if the weather matters to his/her livelihood.

    The family farm depends on just the right amount of rain water. Too much in the spring, delays tilling the soil to prepare the cultivated ground to receive seed. A shorter growing season is one sure way to limit the yield which is your bread and butter. Bigger crops mean more return to pay the one annual payment to stay on the family farm operation.

    Breaking even is considered a good year and the weather usually is the biggest culprit in making the feast or famine situation.

    The profit is in the expenses because the USA has a cheap food policy. Lots of middle men to get the food serves up on your family table to enjoy. Weather in Maine is one big variable that challenges the bottom line of any farmer in Maine.

    farm soil conservation map
    From The Air, The Parts Of A Maine Farm And Woodland.

    Non stop water keeps the farm tractor from cultivating whatever you plant on the Maine land. Wet falls mean delays in harvest. Or more time spend getting stuck and a struggle to get the crop out before a killing frost happens.

    Weather in Maine affects the guys and gals in the full rain gear heading out of a Maine fishing village harbor.

    Gale force winds, sleet and snow just increases the dangerous job of fishing off the coast of Maine.

    maine coastal lobster fishing zones
    The Coastal Fishing Zones That Slice & Dice Maine’s Craggy, Rock Bound Coastline.

    Rainy days at “uptah camp in Maine”.

    I will agree some early misty mornings enjoying a fresh coffee are reflective. But weren’t we planning on hiking Mt Katahdin today?

    The white water river runs down the mighty Penobscot, Kennebec or Dead depending on the weather in Maine.

    maine rafting whitewater boat
    Our Highways To Thrill And Maneuver In Maine. Less Travels, Sometimes Watery.

    How many in your party and are you a little nervous when the captain of your boat explains what to do if you fall out. If the raft flips over. You plan on getting wet but a hot sun overhead helps the cold chills. When you eddy out to empty the rubber boat, it helps to feel the sun or just glad you are wearing a neoprene wet suit.

    Weather in Maine.

    Think what if you are a airplane pilot. Ever been delayed from take off in Maine to Florida for the icing the plane procedure? Some days better than others to lift on without a hitch in the flight schedule.

    maine recreation camps foliage
    The Falls Colors Explode. Natures Second Bloom Fireworks Happen In Autumn.

    I’ve always respected the weather safety flying in Maine variables it takes for the pilot up front

    He or she does not want to die or lose any of the crew, the passenger fare load behind in first class and coach. When he, she, their co pilot and crew take off to fly the friendly or not so fun skies.

    Studying and passing a FAA Part 107 sUAS drone license just hammered home the point.

    small maine airplane,
    Small Private Operator Aircraft Fill A Hangar At A Maine Community Air Field.

    Flying seems way way easier than it looks. Ever read a busy airport sectional chart? What do you mean it looks like an upside down wedding cake for controlled air space regulations?

    Here are drone laws in Maine.

    And METARS, TAF weather reports to study before leaving an airport in a plane or whatever location you launch your unmanned drone. To most people the weather’s impact means just don’t bother washing the car today, it’s gonna rain. Or it will just as soon as I soap up and rinse down wax the vehicle you drive.

    Change or weather in Maine or temperatures means more than rethink the wardrobe selection.

    wings wheels houlton airport
    Wings & Wheels Fly In To Houlton International Airport (KHUL). Like To Learn How To Fly Like A Bird?

    Let’s reconsider the plans to take the kids water skiing or tubing on a Maine lake today due to the choppy rainy colder temperature conditions.

    METARS are issued hourly unless significant weather condition changes occur. Wind, precipitation, sky visibility, cloud cover, temperature changes. All that and more are jammed in that weather report aviators use to prepare for what’s ahead.

    Here’s a METAR weather report for KHUL, my local Houlton ME airport.

    KHUL 231053Z AUTO 00000KT 9SM CLR 03/03 A3034 RMK AO2 SLP278 T00330028

    Looks pretty cryptic huh? Not so much once you one by one study each category in the list of flying shorthand. Pilots read them with ease and they are not so hard once you learn out to decipher them. The weather in Maine is critical to whether we fly or not today. With a Maine real estate drone mission, it’s safety first.

    flying in a balloon in maine
    Maine Hot Air Balloons. Like To Fly Without An Engine? Turn On The Gas Burner Wilbur Or Orville.

    Besides wanting to capture stunning light bright clear stills and video loops from overhead, you want to the real estate drone to return to base. Lots of rules for good reason on where to fly and where you need a drone waiver. Hot air balloons or gliders are a hazard to watch out for flying. The helicopters, airplanes have the right of way so stay clear of those Maine licensed drone pilots.

    Drones for real estate, for inspections of roofs to bridges to towers, for agriculture, for national defense, broadcasting, community reels.

    The FAA has a lot of extra work to set up rules to control air space use by licensed remote unmanned drone pilots. You don’t want to be collecting drone video loops and still photography images in a lightning storm.

    helicopters in maine
    Drones Fly 400′ High Or Under. To Stay Clear Of Helicopters, Other Airplanes, Hot Air Balloons, Gliders.

    Flying a drone in Maine.

    The weather can ground the drone mission for safety reasons and just because the drone photography needs to captured with blue skies, little or no winds at just the right fly by angle, time of day.

    Maine Lake Photo, Low Population In Maine.
    This Is Not The Landscape Where Too Many People Live. Maine Is Less Population, More Natural Unspoiled Space.

    Real estate drone video photography is way more than just controlling two thumb stick controls and flying skills.

    It’s the same real estate photography and video making skills apply standing on your own two feet on the ground around the new property listing.

    John R Mooers B24 tail gunner
    Tail Gunner On A B 24 Bomber, John R Mooers Happy. Made It Back To Base ..Barely.

    My Dad was a B-24 gunner in World War II.

    He wanted to be a pilot. Everyone did and they had plenty of those. His skinny size made him agile and able to fit easily into the back end of the four engine war aircraft. Before climbing up and squeezing back into the tight tail of a multi engine Liberator turned out every 55 minutes. With the help of Rosie back stateside operating the rivet gun.

    Prior to a six or seven hour bomb run cramped quarters mission over a primary, secondary target in un-pressurized cabin wearing an oxygen mask. Some missions were “milk runs”. Other had complications involved and weather, mechanicals added to the will we make it home alive.

    Cold as a barn at 20,000 or higher feet approaching your target over enemy territory. The plane smelled like a latrine and each flight member in the crew had a survival kit, a parachute.

    In the kit was a chocolate bar, an ampule of morphine, some silk thread, a map, some silver certificate currency with the blue seal.

    A post car written in seven languages says please help this airman to get to safety and there is a reward in it for the help behind enemy lines.

    You can smell the 88 mm shell cordite and gun powder as sharp pieces of flak get a fix on your altitude.

    Everything on whether to fly or not today revolved around the weather over the bomb run target. Daylight bombing was very effective but early on, half the planes did not return to base with the rest of the formation.

    Weather for flying, from take off to making the big loop in all the artillery flak to return to base lighter than when you left base.

    During war time, fighting on the ground and especially high overhead. It all depended on important weather forecast reports. Working around them to help write the words in the history book story.

    Weather in Maine, planning your travel or outdoor lawn party, a wedding.

    Heck, a long summer of rainy dreary colder days means lower sales at the local Maine ice cream dairy bar. People’s moods go up and down with changes in the Maine weather.

    Maine weather changes fast and we have lots of it to make things interesting. I think learning to prepare and handle the weather in Maine helps define us. It makes you deal the best you can around things you can not control and to be flexible.

    Thank you for following our Me In Maine blog that covers a range of topics!

    Anything Maine is fair game. Please go back in the blog post archives for other interesting Maine blog post topics. And remember. Don’t like the Maine weather, just wait a moment and be ready for the change to keep things interesting!

    I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Broker

    207.532.6573 | info@mooersrealty.com  | 

    MOOERS REALTY 69 North ST Houlton ME 04730 USA

  • Maine Real Estate Market Going Strong

    Maine Real Estate Market Going Strong

    Maine real estate market going strong.

    It never fails to be in the local grocery or hardware store, the hair salon, barber shop or out and about in a small community in Maine. Here’s the question always on every Maine home buyer or seller’s mind.

    “How’s the Maine real estate market?”

    The answer is always where in Maine are you considering buying or selling in today? Maine is one tall, wide state and like the weather that has several zones, real estate market behavior is the same “it depends”. Where in Maine are we talking and what type of property listing are you eyeballing?  Yours truly reaching for a Maine real estate business card in the image below.

    maine association of realtors
    Gathering To Learn, Network At The Maine Association Of REALTORS State Convention At Samoset Resort.

    Just got back from a three day Maine Association of REALTORS state convention.

    Here’s the take away for the often asked “how’s the Maine real estate market” question. For starters, a REALTOR, agent, broker does not just list and sell homes in Maine. Land sales in Maine because of the sheer size and lower, spread out population is one big component of listing sales too. Waterfront lots, building sites, land for recreational use with or without a Maine house are highly attractive to real estate buyers around the World. But what about home sweet home in Maine. How do the stats look in a state this big?

    samoset realtor convention
    The Light House In Rockland ME Out Front Of The Samoset Where ME REALTORS Met This Week.

    During COVID, folks seriously hunkered down to search for a new, less crowded location to call home.

    To live that had wall to wall strong and long Internet service to telecommute to work. Maine was the number one pick and can you blame folks for pin the tail on Maine? You had lots of fun on vacation in Maine. Why not live where you love to spend four season outdoors for recreation right? So the COVID pandemic helped push Maine real estate property prices and inventory sales up up up.

    But remember, where you buy and sell a home in Maine makes a very big difference in the numbers.

    Here’s a statewide real estate market in Maine glimpse from MAR.

    maine REALTOR convention
    Registration For The Learning, Networking. This Year’s Maine REALTORS State Convention At The Samoset In Rockland ME.

    At our 2022 Maine state REALTORS convention held this week at Rockland’s Samoset Resort, we learned overall real estate listing inventory is down 10%, home prices are up the same 10%.

    Lucky to have the National Association Of REALTOR’s Lawrence Yun, chief economists for the NAR beam in for a ZOOM presentation. The live stream segment was very helpful and all tailor made to just Maine’s real estate market. Maine stands out on the map and there is a good star for affordable housing even with tight inventory supplies.

    We are luckier than most and the look out ahead is brighter in Maine for property listing sales in the days ahead. Maine is the way life should be.

    maine realtor convention
    Maine’s REALTOR Convention Brings In Agents And Brokers From Around The State For Education.

    Networking, continuing education credits to renew your Maine real estate license are all great reasons to gather at a state REALTOR  convention.

    But the talk around the meal time dinner tables, the sharing what’s it like in your community and real estate market compared to another in Maine is invaluable. You learn outside the continuing education classroom meet up from the conversations in the hallways, during snacks and socializing.

    The common denominator is we all know how lucky each of us is to live in Maine and help others buy and sell a piece of property.

    There is no other place on Earth I would rather live than in a small rural Maine community. These movers and shakers so active in their Maine communities are the “they” that need to do this or plan for that. During one of the three meals to fuel up at a state convention, you learn about Tom’s a scout leader, his son is working on his eagle scout designation. Pete is from Scotland, lost his wife less than a year ago and shows me a photo of his orange cat.

    REALTORS are people, that are part of families, communities and very invested in wherever they live in Maine.

    Sheryl has a duty to warm up the crowd and welcome everyone back to the REALTOR convention. Susan makes each convention better and more memorable, helpful than the one before with the help of all the other Maine Association of REALTOR members. The older seasoned veterans who have weathered a few real estate markets help the ones who are brand new with much to learn. But the younger more digital real estate agents, broker help those older analog members of MAR.

    It’s like a family that all work their matchmaking magic on the find or sell a home, whatever type of Maine real estate listing type.

    samoset resort early morning
    Early Morning With Rising Sun, Lots Of Mist, Dew At The 2022 ME REALTOR Convention.

    You don’t pay your money to attend an event in small town rural Maine.

    You are working behind the scenes yearly to pull off the community event again and again. That’s how you get to know the other residents living around you. Small towns, Maine has over 430 of them, just a handful of cities. Down home simple, friendly, common sense and grateful to live here Maine towns are like that.

    More intimate, tighter connected and everyone willing to work for the common good to make the community a the best possible place to live. That’s Maine, what we are listing for sale way beyond the four walls, roof and floor of the structures. The just listed property listings with a silent salesman sign speared in the lawn out front to broadcast hey. This one’s for sale and probably will go into a multi offer scenario so can you say bidding war?

    maine realtor real estate market
    Maine REALTOR Market Report From Lawrence Yun, NAR’s Chief Economist ZOOMs In To Annual Meeting.

    Will continue to do Maine real estate market reports.

    Glad to be back in “The County” and it was a little over 3 hour drive all downhill to arrive at this year’s Maine REALTORS state convention in Rockland ME. No working vacation goes unpunished even with cellphones and the Internet email connections that are your traveling companion. Hope you are enjoying your fall in Maine or wherever you are.

    I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Real Estate Broker

    207.532.6573 | info@mooersrealty.com  |

    MOOERS REALTY 69 North ST Houlton ME 04730 USA

     

  • St Andrews By The Sea, New Brunswick Canada

    St Andrews By The Sea, New Brunswick Canada

    St Andrews By The Sea, New Brunswick Canada.

    When you live in Maine, quick frequent trips into Canada happen. Why do Mainers cross the border into Canada? Lots of reasons. The dollar is worth more than the loonie. The Canadian provinces are beautiful and people who populate them friendly, warm, genuine.

    st andrews by the sea
    Lots Of Shops, Not Franchise Set Ups. One Of A Kind Old Originals.

    And if you check your family lineage, I bet you will find a DNA connection. My Dad’s mom for instance was 100% Canadian. That means your Me In Maine blog post writer has Canadian blood in the hemoglobin mixture of the red stuff.

    This blog post is about a quick but fun trip to St Andrews By The Sea, New Brunswick Canada.

    st andrews by the sea
    Honeybeans One Neat Breakfast Stop While Vacationing In St Andrews By The Sea. Maine Border Towns Can Mini Vacation Easily Due To Their Unique Time Saving Locations.

    Being close to the Canadian border living in on the International boundary line is a real perk.

    Houlton ME is a border town with the province of New Brunswick Canada. Just like if you live up in the St John River Valley in the “Crown of Maine”, frequent trips from both sides of the border in Maine and Quebec occur.

    I tell people new to the area that living in a Maine border town is like a two nation vacation.

    ford edsel wagon
    They Did Not Make Ford Edsels Very Long. Don’t See Many Station Wagons.

    COVID did put a slight damper on the trotting back and forth border crossings trips between Maine and our Canadian cousins.

    Had two boys that chased the black circle, played hockey with half their games over on a solid polished sheet of Canadian ice. It was not uncommon for four times a week or more to be crossing over from Maine into Canada with a Jeep full of young hockey players. But this past weekend’s mini vacation from Houlton ME to St Andrews By The Sea was an old travel habit resumed.

    Like  before COVID and from back in the hockey game at a different Canadian hockey arena days, it was a nice return.

    Where parents have as much fun as the skaters. My two boys played winter hockey tournaments in St Andrews and it looked different with less businesses open and some white stuff on the ground.

    ice cream st andrews
    Two Scoops Of Bounty Please. Unique Flavors, Tasty Ice Cream At St Andrews By The Sea.

    The border crossing was a super pleasant experience.

    The ArriveCAN app to make your appointment to cross the Canadian border syncs up quick and easy with your shot records and passport. If you’ve had your COVID shots, the crossing a border between Canada and Maine is nothing to fear or avoid. Red maple leaf rover, red maple leaf rover, come on over.

    ocean floor roadway ministers island
    The Way To Ministers Island. Just Follow The Tide Charts And Ocean Floor Roadway. Looks Like A Jeep Commercial Doesn’t It?

    And both sides of the border are all for the commerce benefits the crossings provide consumers eh?

    So leaving Houlton ME, sliding into the port of entry lane entering New Brunswick Canada on our way to St Andrews.

    leaving houlton me entering canada
    Leaving Houlton ME, Entering Canada Where I-95 Connects To The Trans Canada Highway. This Is The Scene Leaving The States, The USA.

    When leaving Maine, you pass right by the Houlton or whatever border town port of entry.

    They will be seeing you on the return back into the states for the questions. The “where have you been, anything for firearms, alcohol, plants? Bringing anything back to declare or picked up on your trip over into Canada?”

    Just like TSA, don’t be a comedian, easy on the irritation tone from lack sleep or over spending on your vacation.

    For national security, the border crossing customs and immigration people are just going their job. Help them do their routine and everyone behind you can be on their return from Canada way with a little empathy!

    When you get on the Trans Canada, switch your cell phone to airplay mode to avoid Canadian cell phone tower roaming charges. Learned that one on ski trips to Crabbe Mountain in Canada. There is lots of commerce happening back and forth across our common Maine Canadian border.

    canadian customs immigration port
    Entry To Canada After Leaving The Houlton ME Port Of Entry Border Crossing.

    Two hours, sixteen minutes or 113.8 miles heading from Houlton ME to St Andrews By The Sea, New Brunswick Canada.

    Easy trip with lots of scenery and everything on road signs in metric numbers and not forgetting those speaking French as a major language. You have left Maine and suddenly everything changes a tad in a good way. So so lucky to live this close to Canada and hope folks on the other side of the border feel the same way about Maine in the International connection.

    This last minute dash into Canada on a Labor Day week found the Algonquin Hotel was booked solid at St Andrews By The Sea.

    algonquin hotel st andrews
    Algonquin Hotel In St Andrews. Rich History As A Passenger Train Destination Like The Hotel Frontenac In Quebec City.

    This blog post about another grand yesteryear hotel that my family made trips to during Winter Carnival. We stayed at the Hotel Frontenac in Quebec City Canada.

    But back to the St Andrews and making this more of a photo blog post so you can sample the eye candy and flavor of this quaint seacoast harbor town.

    st andrews new brunswick canada
    Harbor Scene Of St Andrews By The Sea In The Maritimes Of New Brunswick Canada.
    st andrews harbor scene
    In For The Night, St Andrews As Dusk Arrives In A New Brunswick Harbor Town.

    The salt air, change of scenery, meeting new people doing the same getaway before school goes back in. The change from summer tourist season waiting for leaf peekers looking for the red and other changing color maple leave of early fall.

    Each trip into Canada or Maine is a different experience depending on your season and whatever is happening in your life at the time.

    Every been to Canada on a vacation and aren’t you long overdue for a Maine getaway to unplug and recharge?

    dulse
    Ever Had Dulse? Big Treat In Canada.

    My Godfather Ralph Black was from Canada and became an American citizen and move to the states. Ralph, a World War 1 veteran who wore a few pieces of shrapnel in his lungs and knew first hand what mustard gas was in the trenches. He loved dulse. Dulse are a different kind of seaweed. Meg and i opted for the seafood. Had a bucket of mussels and then moved on to one of the best seafood chowders I have ever tasted.

    seaside beach resort
    Neat Little Apartment Like Cabin Units At The Seaside Beach Resort, St Andrews, Canada.

    We stayed at the Seaside Beach Resort and loved the lodging set up, the ease to walk the street to our meal venue. Neat location and no car to drive again once you arrive. Or well, until we decided to head over to Ministers Island the next day before returning to Houlton Maine.

    places to stay in st andrews
    One Highly Recommended Place To Stay In St Andrews… Seaside Beach Resort.
    st andrews new brunswick
    St Andrews New Brunswick Canada. Fun Mini Vacation Destination.

    Ministers Island, doesn’t that sound like a place for clergy to be? Part of this 500 acre island was once owned by an Anglican minister but bought by an American hired to build a new section of Canadian railroad. This railroad executive got the job done before the deadline and under budget. Read more about Sir William Van Horne, a big cog in the Canadian Pacific Railroad.

    bald eagle st andrews
    Bald Eagle Trolling For A Fish Dinner In St Andrews By The Sea. Photo Capture On Way To Ministers Island, St Andrews Cross Ocean Floor Roadway.

    You have to watch the tides to visit Ministers Island.

    ministers island st andrews
    Ministers Island St Andrews. 500 Acres Farm Estate With Impressive Buildings.

    Traveling by foot, car, bike, you can cross the ocean floor that when the tide is out, you don’t have the 14 feet of seawater to contend with overhead. You will see one massive barn and a 17 bedroom mansion with 42′ x 30 formal dining room for all the guests.

    van horne summer estate st andrews
    Ministers Island, Summer Estate Of Sir William Van Horne, St Andrews Canada.

    Meg and I loved touring the big yesteryear smasher sized home with all the furnishings of period.

    van horne estate summer home
    Bought With The Million Dollar Bonus Given To Van Horne For Early Railroad Completion Under Budget.
    antique wood cook stove
    The Wood Cook Stove On Ministers island Summer Estate. No Glass Top Easy To Clean Surface Here.
    formal dining room
    Many Course Meals Served Up In The 42’x30′ Formal Dining Room At The Van Horne Summer Estate.
    billard table ministers island
    8 Ball Corner Pocket. No Netflix, HBO. More Game Playing Inside And Out.
    billiards pool table
    Rack ‘Em Up And Sink ‘Em One By One. Crochet, Billiards, Ping Pond, Making Puzzle Time. No Devices. Communication By Post, Telegram Not Text.

    Be sure to tour the barns, stables and farm outbuildings at Ministers Island.

    ministers island barns
    Not Your Average Farm Barn. And Carefully Preserved At Ministers Island.

    Very impressive and well kept, over designed and not your average farm operation barns or accessory buildings at the Van Horne, Ministers Island summer estate.

    van horne estate barns
    Van Horne Estate’s Barn Stable Creamery Buildings. Like No Other.

    I own and cherish a Maine farm barn and buildings, land around it but nothing on the scale of this St Andrews estate’s set up style and size.

    ministers island barn
    Masonry, Rock, Beams, Posts And Iron. The Barns, Stables On Ministers Island.
    antiques ministers island barn
    Inside The Van Horne Summer Estate Farm Barn And Stables. Lots To See And Transport Back To The Early 1900’s Way Of Living.
    grain silos farm barn
    Grain Silos, Farm Barn At Van Horne Ministers Island Vacation Summer Estate.
    van horne estate fireplace
    Warm Up In Late Spring, Early Fall. This Estate Only Used Summers. Not The Dutch Ancestry Motive Of The Fireplace Tiles?

    Hope this little travelogue to St Andrews By The Sea gives you inspiration to tour Minister Island, the seacoast harbor surroundings.

    Water, whether in Maine, Canada, everywhere fixes everything right? See you next installment of the Me In Maine blog!

    I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Broker

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

  • High School Class Reunions In Maine | How To Make Attendance Higher

    High School Class Reunions In Maine | How To Make Attendance Higher

    High school class reunions in Maine.

    How to make attendance higher at Maine high school reunions? This blog post about a recent high school reunion in Maine I attended and reasons why or why not classmates attend one.

    For starters, COVID messed up the in person Maine high school class reunions for a few years.

    maine high school reunion
    High School Reunions In Maine, How To Make Attendance Increase?

    Or you could argue more people could attend a cyber class reunion using ZOOM technology. But we all know online meet ups are just not the same. How do you mingle and move around the room in a ZOOM meeting?

    You don’t get to make the rounds to personally see and talk with your high school class group sitting up straight peering into a video camera.

    So high school class reunions in Maine. Here are tips to make the attendance the best it can be. What to do and what to avoid to cause great participation at a Maine class reunion.

    First, in small Maine towns, lots of the high school classmates still live local for the reunion.

    Some of them moved away, climbed up the ladder, joined the service or left for many reasons. Some away classmates relocated and then later in life returned to their small town Maine roots for a simpler lifestyle.

    high school class reunions in maine
    High School Class Reunions In Maine, How To Improve Attendance Numbers?

    Cheaper Maine real estate and cashing in the chips with high priced urban properties.

    Trading it all in for no crime, no traffic the push to return back to small Maine town living.

    If you already live local and are in the biggest group, a high school class reunion should be a piece of cake to gain large attendance.

    This is the biggest group yet often the hardest to get to attend your class reunion. Why?

    Fear of I am not quite successful enough to attend my high school class reunion.

    Not wanting to be judged or comfortable with your answers to “what have you been up to since we graduated from a Maine high school?”. Some classmates attended their fifth or tenth class reunion and got a dose of “why did you stay in your home town” questioning. I thought you were smarter than that is the inference from anyone in your class out to impress you with their Worldly success.

    High School Class Reunion
    High School Class Reunion, Where To Have It In Maine?

    Made to feel like a “loser local” or hearing continuously about me me my success in life by just a few not so warm and fuzzy classmates can be disastrous.

    For some wanting to see old high school classmates but secretly hoping a few just don’t make it home to attend they view toxic.

    Some argue the high school class reunions are not so needed due to social media keeping everyone up to date. Heck, you even get notifications when it is someone’s birthday. People already feel connected and can catch up or get updated online on a regular basis.

    Were you active in your high school class or moved away before graduation?

    Were there several clicks in your high school or one big happy family with lots of spirit? Let’s face it, some high school classes just were tighter knit and the chemistry more connected.

    good food at high school reunions
    High School Reunions, What To Serve Up For Hungry Classmates?

    Small high school class size in Maine towns has something to do with it too. When your graduating class was in the teens or under one hundred, you were closer. No one forgotten or lost in the shuffle. And smaller class size Maine high school graduates I think make a bigger effort to attend.

    It is harder to miss who did not come in a small high school class then one from Maine’s handful of city larger class size reunions.

    High school class reunions in Maine, it’s a lot like a family reunion too.

    The bigger the family, the more like a reunion it feels when more make the effort to show up on the magic day. With all the generations in the family bringing their covered dish or whatever contribution to the family party celebration.

    class reunion food
    What To Serve up To Eat During The High School Meet And Greet?

    Some families are closer than others just like Maine high school classes. With families, who married into it can be a blessing or cause division. At a class reunion, who they married does not impact the attendance as much. Unless at the last reunion someone drank too much or flirted or just did not like all the old high school information shared with their new spouse.

    So, was the high school reunion experience a good one for the classmate?

    If yes, why wouldn’t they want to attend each and every reunion? Unless sickness, distance away or timing was an obstacle, some classmates from far away always make the most effort to attend the reunion.

    The high school classmates handy to the reunion who do not attend.

    Have they forgotten the ones from out of state and feel they get to see everyone local already? Unless you pick up an old high school year book and thumb through the images once in a while, it is easy to lose touch. Until you see or hear about a classmate’s death, and feel we need to have a high school reunion. It’s later than you think and none of us is getting any younger by the day right?

    lake loons in maine
    High School Reunion On Drews Lake In New Limerick ME!

    So more tips to improve attendance of your Maine high school class reunion.

    Pick a good easy to access high school reunion venue, like Tall Timber Lodge in New Limerick on Drews Lake. There is a cost for the out of town or state classmate to attend. But regardless if local or not, a personal contact by email, snail mail, social media postings have to happen. Watch a video on Drews Lake island property sold a while back but that gives you a feeling of what the Northern Maine waterfront location is like.

    If you want to improve attendance, effort to show each and every classmate no one is left behind has to be obvious. The classmates that were in the flock until eighth grade or moved away should be invited to the reunion too. Those that were in one high school but finished the education in another. It can be like a ball player traded mid season and like a man or woman without a country in not feeling like you belong. The class reunion attendance improving approach has to always be “not member left behind”.

    high school classmates changes
    Who’s Changed The Least, Most? Who Traveled The Most Miles To Get To The Class Reunion?

    “Also, no one let me know until the last minute. “

    That’s a huge excuse for why some classmates missed the Maine class reunion. But is it the truth? When high school reunion notices were mailed, emailed, with follow up texts and personal calls. Even getting your family to sound the bugle charge to retreat, return to your class reunion.

    Or what if the high school experience was not so much fun or you were not so social, not a scholar or an athlete? For some they ran away from their home town high school or parents relocated, divorced and severed the connection.

    Why would you want to go to the expense, take the time to hang out with a group of classmates and a high school you spent years trying to escape?

    Is that how you feel about your high school class? Let’s face it, some of us are more social than others. Or high school was a struggle for lots of personal reasons.

    Maybe a few in your class are the last people on Earth you would want to spend a few hours with after all these years. Or do you fall in this group “I attended the 10th high school reunion, found little in common with my fellow classmates who I shared those four years of high school. Went to the 20th reunion under pressure from my best friend and it was even worse.”

    photo taking at class reunion
    “Everyone Line Up, Tallest In Back, Shorter Ones In Front Class! “

    So now there may be mini high school reunions where a few in your class stay in touch and it is pick and choose. If the “reunion” is a few classmates critique members in a not so favorable way when they do “meet up”, that could be a big reason why so low a turnout to milestone events.

    The cost of the reunion, especially in the early class meet ups can be a factor.

    Was the event lavish and expensive or simple and low cost to appeal to a larger audience? Did the high school reunion committee work long and hard or was their disention in the planning ranks? Too many, too little planners for the reunion?

    The many little reasons that help or hurt attendance means awareness of how people decide should I go or not?

    The more reunions you miss, the harder getting classmates to go becomes. Some don’t view high school graduation as that big a deal. Many argue I “peaked” outside of the halls and classrooms of their high school. Done, finished, not going back to their high school reunion.

    table to table class reunion hopping
    Hopping Table To Table To Meet, Greet, Catch Up At A Maine High School Class Reunion.

    Or what if your small Maine high school is no longer?

    Lost are the game balls in a trophy case, class colors and the gym, classrooms, cafeteria because the school is no longer. Merged with a larger school administration district SAD or RSU.

    I’ve been told “you feel out of the loop”. The feeling only intensifies the more reunions you don’t attend. So just go to the next one, l heard someone whisper in the blog post audience. Like a church invitation that is always open for you to attend.

    The invite that says “you can always come home”.

    All’s forgiven, here’s this week’s program and all the church bulletin happenings to get you up to speed and back in the flock. Many who do attend class reunions is because they sincerely want to reunite and see old friends, recall school stories. These folks wish there were more class reunions.

    “I’m over weight, just went through a divorce, or oh, I wasn’t that close to anyone in my class.” Good excuses and how some decide I’m not going to this or any of my class reunions. For some, I could wait to get out of town and after the graduation, I high tailed to the big city lights. Rippe3d off the rear view mirrors and never looked back.

    I didn’t graduate from this Maine high school.

    Was that the reason not to go or were they even invited to the class reunion? Don’t overlook anyone in your class and make an effort to find their location. In this day and age of Internet connection, it is easier than ever to “Google” someone. To search Facebook, other social media platforms to find your classmate. Without the “return to sender” experience.

    lost classmates at reunions
    High School Class Reunions Deceased Members. Sad But Part Of The Reunion Head Count And Catching Up Process.

    Calling other local classmate’s family to get them to help invite the MIA’s is good recruiting too.

    You really ought to go to your class reunion Maine high school.

    And put an extra emphasis on if you have not been to any class reunion, you especially are missed and classmates so happy to see you. Or your spouse helps push you to the event with or without them.

    But what if that spouse views your class reunion as torture being in a room where probably half the attending have no connection to the class. Or maybe they do and married a classmate, someone a couple years older or younger who is anxious to attend.

    Time of year, trying to schedule a class reunion for your Maine high school when out of towners are home anyway helps your attendance.

    Cost, menu, venue, timing impacts attendance whether everyone has a good time or not.

    maine high school class reunions
    Class Reunions For Your High School In Maine? Do You Go? Why Or Why Not?

    The program for a Maine high school class reunion, how do you make sure everyone has a good time? The year you graduated music that is like a time machine transporting your class back to high school. Alcohol, can it help or hurt the class reunion. Everyone comes away glad they came and thinking about the next reunion because of the success.

    And isn’t the entertainment beside music is good food, the classmates themselves?

    Remembering the good times, paying respects for those you lost as the Maine high school class year size of the living shrinks?

    Apathy, because of overbooked living or because high school classes differ? Some more rah rah rah school spirit and others “meh”? I know some high school classes that just were tighter, like one big Maine family that stays together closer during and after graduation.

    Maine class reunions, the effort to attend important or thinking the high school event has gone the way of the hoola hoop, chia pets, cherry cokes, drive ins, mullets, bobby socks, penny loafers and cracker jacks? What’s your experience with high school class reunions and any tips on how to increase attendance?

    I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Broker

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