You never know what we'll churn up in cleaning a stall
Tribal dancing at Sipayik is a major community activity at the annual Passamaquoddy Days gathering. It does bring back memories for me of the Native dance competitions (and big jackpots for winners) when thousands from across the continent gathered for Tinowit in the Yakima Valley. This is much smaller and closer to home, in more ways than one.
My introduction to Native drum circles came at the annual Tinowit pow-wow on the Yakama reservation in Washington state. That event is much larger than the more relaxed annual Passamaquoddy Days gathering near my home in Maine today, but drum circles are still an important part of the culture and identity. By the way, the Passamaquoddy emphasize that their celebration is NOT a pow-wow. There are some formal distinctions.
A favorite flower that came to my attention while living in the ashram is, alas, also a favorite of the deer who graze our yard. Like other fav blooms, this has gained a host of warm associations ad memories over the years.
An ascent of Mount Washington in New Hampshire in 1974 and then in the high country the Cascade Mountains starting two years later introduced many magical arctic flowers to my awareness, along with prickly pear cactus in the desert to the east where I lived and worked for four years.
The fly-eating pitcher plants, found in arctic peat bogs in our corner of Maine and New Brunswick, continue that exotic delight.
I came to appreciate lupines in the high country of the Cascade mountains in Washington state. They proliferate on the island in Maine where I now live, too.
He doesn’t know who’s the true boss. That would be the Chicken Farmer in our family, and, yes, I still love her. She really does tend to some gorgeous chickens and their colorful eggs.
Think of Maine and you’ll probably envision lobster fishing as part of the scene. This crowded pier is in Kittery at the westernmost stretch of the state’s long coastline.
Gone are the days of paying with quarters, especially not now that the hourly rate has gone up to $4. We have many memories of the Long Sands stretch of York Beach, Maine.
On our end of the state, the ocean parking is commonly free but the water’s too cold for swimming. Alas.
The weather can be iffy, even in summer. Your week by the beach may be mostly rain and or fog. Plan accordingly. There’s nothing wrong with hunkering down with a good novel when you’re away from everyday distractions.
Where I live the ocean is too cold for swimming. Period. Even before factoring for the currents. Further south and west, this can be iffy.
Black flies. They’re early summer, to mid-July. Inland, especially. You’ve been warned. They’re even worse than swarms of mosquitoes.
As for your expectations? A more laid-back lifestyle perhaps with antiquing is one thing. If you have kids in tow? That’s another. Hope they enjoy the outdoors.
If you go for a whale-watch anywhere, what you wind up seeing is what you are given that day. The best part may be simply the cruise out and back from the prime ocean. There are no other guarantees.
In many destination locations, retailers are faced with a six-week business model. Restaurants, lodgings, and stores have to cover most of their year’s expenses in those few intense weeks and then hold on through the rest of the year, if they stay open at all. Prices will be higher than you might like.
Nightlife may very well mean looking at stars.
Jnana's Red Barn 