In Pursuit Of Maine: April 1, 2014 - Sea Monsters

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

April 1, 2014 - Sea Monsters

There are 57 active lighthouses in the State of Maine, and with good reason. The rocky, craggy shoreline reaches outward, sometimes for miles, with many dangers just below the water. Some lighthouses are closer to shore; others are located on craggy islands a mile or two away from shore where danger still lurks just beneath the waves. Many a sailor owes his life to the old lighthouses. Of course, the rocky shoreline is just one problem a seaman faces, and it's a lesser problem if you ask me. The sea monsters are the real problem because, unlike a rocky underground island, they are free to move wherever they please. This makes them exceedingly dangerous as they can appear, however briefly, wherever they choose. They are skilled in the art of camouflage, and it is easy to pass one by without realizing you have done so. The lighthouses are strategically placed in areas where the sea monsters are known to frequent. This rare photo shows the back of one of the scaly beasts just before it submerged. I was lucky to get it.

"The Plain Maine Cookbook" is my own collection of vintage Maine recipes that will immediately bring you back to a simpler time, a less confused time. These recipes are more than just comfort food. They're family food, traditional food, simple food, plain food. One bite and you'll say, "Ah, yes! I remember my grandmother used to make this. I had forgotten all about it!" Recipes for whoopie pies, funnel cakes, fried fiddleheads, haymaker's switchel, coffee can bread, glogg, and much more are in these pages. There is even a recipe on how to render lard. So open the door and go back to some simple, time-tested foods you can prepare easily. You'll find that you save money and waste less by "making do" with commodity cooking. What's in the pantry or in the garden is what's for dinner.

"So You Want to Move to Maine" is an invaluable little book in helping people to make a permanent move to Maine. It will save you a ton of time because all the initial footwork is done for you, including 100 links on how to find work and living quarters, getting your driver's license, pet requirements, programs for people with disabilities, programs for senior citizens, getting married in Maine, hidden taxes and expenses, hospitals, health insurance, handling a real winter like a pro, etc. Stop being "just a number" or another face in the crowd. Walk away from the rat race. Become boldly individualistic and make your mark in life. You can still do that in Maine, one of the last holdouts of ordinary, old-fashioned, kind, and decent American living.

I’ve chosen 37 unique fairy tales that will be loved by both adults and children as they can be read and interpreted on many levels. But if you are looking for only sweet tales that end in joy and fairness, you may want to pass this book by. Some fairy tales are simply “dark,” and that is because sometimes life is simply dark. Not always, of course, but often enough. Sometimes the hero lives; sometimes he dies. Check out my book, “Fairy Tales of Maine,” in the photo link below. If you are brave, you might just meet yourself in one of these tales.