tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2344981180035127840.post2126216944810233590..comments2023-05-09T06:52:16.263-07:00Comments on Neighborhood Watch: Day 4: Powered by PancakesChristyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14762814181349108405noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2344981180035127840.post-76521269478121359552008-07-08T06:36:00.000-07:002008-07-08T06:36:00.000-07:00That'd be great!That'd be great!IMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00770956092269600588noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2344981180035127840.post-74702521092901681292008-07-07T09:07:00.000-07:002008-07-07T09:07:00.000-07:00Psychlops,After reading all these great responses ...Psychlops,<BR/><BR/>After reading all these great responses I'm so disappointed we didn't get to meet on the trip! My parents live in Brunswick, though, so I'm out that way with some frequency. I'll send something over the transom next time I'm in the area and hopefully we can get a cup of coffee. Cheers, and thanks!Christyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14762814181349108405noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2344981180035127840.post-790801859940549172008-07-07T07:20:00.000-07:002008-07-07T07:20:00.000-07:00As for that tank is empty NOW thing...I discovered...As for that tank is empty NOW thing...I discovered midway through a particularly difficult backcountry snowshoe slog that peanut butter and honey on dense whole wheat is just the ticket! Don't go home without it :)IMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00770956092269600588noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2344981180035127840.post-710331530913397952008-07-07T07:17:00.000-07:002008-07-07T07:17:00.000-07:00Christy,One of the things I edited out of my origi...Christy,<BR/><BR/>One of the things I edited out of my original post was the decline of the fishing industry over the past 20 years or so that's hit the coast very hard. Due to a mix of factors like rising property values (a BIG factor), tough fishing regulations and rising fuels costs it's hit towns like Rockland pretty hard. Up and down the coast what were once primarily working harbors are now mostly full of pleasure craft. This also impacts the folks who support the fishermen (bait sellers, equipment sellers, shipyards, etc.).<BR/><BR/>I don't really know what sort of social support services there are in the area but I do know that the State Health and Human Services department is pretty much perpetually in crisis mode. <BR/><BR/>I'm not sure globalization has hit Maine as hard as elsewhere. But many of the lumber/paper mills have closed for a variety of reasons including it being cheaper to purchase wood from abroad. But also multinational paper companies that own tens of thousands of acres in the north woods have found it more profitable to sell the land to developers rather than to sustainably harvest the trees. So you might get some short-term rise in construction jobs but a general long-term down-turn in the local economy (in addition to local infrastructure cost increases).<BR/><BR/>Looking forward to more posts!<BR/><BR/>IIMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00770956092269600588noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2344981180035127840.post-49847420481544151662008-07-06T10:54:00.000-07:002008-07-06T10:54:00.000-07:00the first time i really experienced the "tank is ...the first time i really experienced the "tank is empty...NOW." feeling was sea kayaking the san juans and hiking the olympic peninsula. it's really good to experience it, and have that connection. we're so overwhelmed with opportunities to eat on a daily basis. that said...when's dinner, sister?!?Diana Sudykahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16409337678043351973noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2344981180035127840.post-49694812868164283522008-07-03T07:49:00.000-07:002008-07-03T07:49:00.000-07:00Hi Psychlops,Thanks for your comments! I envy your...Hi Psychlops,<BR/><BR/>Thanks for your comments! I envy your life in magnificent Maine, and sort of had a feeling the clouds and fog might have been unkind to Rockland. Still, I felt a sadness for what seemed a disproportionate number of disenfranchised folks, maybe left behind by shifts away from local and toward more global trade. I'd be curious to know the social-service make-up of the town. I've seen great signs of mission-driven nonprofits in the state (the puffin organization in Rockland as well as wonderful Spindleworks in downtown Brunswick), so maybe there are some good options for these struggling people. <BR/><BR/>Have a wonderful time in Acadia!! (Did I mention I envy your life in Maine?) :-)Christyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14762814181349108405noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2344981180035127840.post-74481233081375608062008-07-03T07:44:00.000-07:002008-07-03T07:44:00.000-07:00I found your blog via a link from Diana Sudyka's b...I found your blog via a link from Diana Sudyka's blog (I'm a bird geek as well as a poster geek). I've really enjoyed reading about your trip as I live here in coastal Maine (a few miles from Red's Eats) - I recognize a lot of the photos and places you described :). In fact, next week we'll be on vacation up in Acadia with our bikes! <BR/><BR/>Rockland really isn't as sterile as you sadly found it to be (though I admit the downtown can appear kind of bleak). It's home to one of the largest blues festivals in the east (yeah, it's not Chicago but...), they've recently brought one of the town's original theaters back to its former glory, and then of course as you mentioned, the Farnsworth. But Rockland used to be really bad - A large industry did "recently" leave the area - mainly a huge fish processing plant back in the 80s that made the town stink like hell and was anything but a tourist attraction. The town was really down in the dumps. Likewise Belfast, which up until the 80s was home to a chicken rendering plant which also stunk the town up and made the river flow with chicken fat :( It was a very down on its heels town too.<BR/><BR/>I look forward to reading more about your trip!<BR/><BR/>sorry about the ramble...<BR/><BR/>IIMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00770956092269600588noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2344981180035127840.post-82063515294756324532008-07-03T06:30:00.000-07:002008-07-03T06:30:00.000-07:00mmmmmm....paaamcakesmmmmmm....paaamcakeskkurtzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09410766796767190221noreply@blogger.com