The Nor’easter of 2015

Here are some pictures I gathered of the storm yesterday. I tried to download a Real Cloud video from my friend Robin Robinson but couldn’t figure out how to do it so I shared that on Facebook. If you are a friend you can see it. It’s of Bass Harbor down on Mount Desert Island and is awesome. See if you can check it out.

These first pictures come from the internet and some Facebook friends. If I know where they were taken I will note it.

From  friend and classmate, Jean Rowling Monroe 

 

From Beth Pinkham--Lubec, Maine  

 

 

From Brianna Walisa 

 

 

From Heidi Varle Biddeford Pool  

 

 

 

From Jane Karker on her farm near Rockland. The plower had no place to put the snow.



 

 

From Judith Malburg-Haskins, Bucksport, Maine 

 

 

From George Jewelers in Rockland, posted on FB by Susan Kelley

 

 

 

 

These four pictures come from my FB friend, Laurel Butler Pierce.

 

 

 

 

From Pamela Fitzgerald 

 

 

 

From FB friend, Scout—Boston

 

These four pictures are from FB friend Susan Allen Thomas

 

 

From Therese Lessard—Biddeford

 

 

These three pictures are from TV station WMTW in Maine

 

Notice the sign on the right that was probably blown over by the wind.

High surf.

 

From FB friend Bob Skoglund who says this came from his buddy Harris in Massachusetts.

 

From Maine Magazine. Commuters on West Street in Portland this morning 1-28. Photo by Jeff D’Amico, Maine Media Collective

 

 

This picture from the Rockland Historical Society was posted by cousin Linda on FB. This picture is circa 1920 and shows a shoveling brigade which is how they cleared the snow off Main Street in Rockland.

 

 

 

 

The following is a homage to those heroes behind the snowplows. It was posted on FB by my friend and classmate, Judy Chapman.

 

 

I hear there is more snow coming up that way. You better gas up again, guys.

Anticipation

The word of the day is Anticipation. The inspiration for this blog comes from an article I read yesterday in one of the many magazines (OK it was Time) I get for nothing for one year’s time.

The article told of an experiment you may have heard of whereby a group of small children were faced with two marshmallows set in front of them. They are told they can have both of the marshmallows is they but wait for 15 minutes. If they can’t wait that long they are told they may eat just one immediately thereby succumbing to instant gratification.

The children who waited were found to be more successful in life later on and scored better numbers on their SATs.

Have we become a society who insists on instant gratification? How do you anticipate things in your life? Do you go for instant gratification over perhaps even more gratification if you wait just a bit? You must agree that there are good things to anticipate and also bad things to anticipate. For instance: If you were one of those kids who spent a lot of time waiting in a chair outside the principal’s office because you acted up in class and were sent to the principal for your punishment, that is obviously a bad anticipation. I was never one of those kids thank god, but the principal in the first school I taught in down in Kittery in the 60s had a big ruler in his office which he used on kids who acted up. Corporal punishment had not yet been banned in schools.

The trick my principal and other principals used that was much worse than the actual slaps with the ruler on their back ends was the punishment of anticipation. Kids sent to his office were made to sit in that chair outside the office for at least 15 minutes. You know what they were anticipating right? They did a lot of squirmed believe me.

Similarly, although not a punishment per se, kids didn’t like to sit and wait for the dentist either, myself included. A lot of dentistry was done without Novocain in those days by the way. Ouch.

So what are some of the good things to anticipate? How about Christmas Eve when you were a kid and thinking about what the next day would bring? How about the last day of school for the year? Or maybe you anticipate a vacation coming up or a special time with your friends and/or family like a wedding perhaps.  How about the new season of Downton Abbey? Good things, right?

Have we become a society who must have instant gratification all the time? Take this small test to find out if you grasp at instant gratification or if you are an anticipation spoiler.

Have you ever:

Skipped to the end of an Agatha Christie mystery to find out who dunnit.

Eaten a snack too close to dinner thus spoiling it.

Binge watched

Secretly opened a Christmas present and wrapped it up again before the big day.

Had a slip of the tongue and told a secret to someone before the secret should be known.

Gone to a movie you’ve seen before with someone who hasn’t seen it and told them the end before the movie is over thus spoiling their anticipation.

Told someone who won the game they are watching, which they taped previously to be watched at a more convenient time, again spoiling their anticipation.

If you answered “yes” to one or more of these questions, you may be an anticipation spoiler and an instant gratification seeker. By the way, this quiz is not scientific in any way because I just made it up; but you get the idea, right?

Anticipation is one of those things that make life more interesting and happier. Hold on to your dreams and anticipate only good things ahead. This is my wish for you in the coming year and throughout the rest of your life. Here’s to Anticipation!

Thanks for listening.

Born and Raised in Maine

What does it take to be a real “Maineiac” or one who is “Born and Raised in Maine?” We’ll explore that question in this blog by highlighting some interesting sites I recently found online. Some of my Facebook friends have already found the blog “Born and Raised in Maine” and “Journey on the Back Roads of Maine.” I’ll give you a sample of some of the history and humor of Maine people and hopefully you’ll get a sense of what it means to be a Maineiac.

I have noted lately that there has been a proliferation of Maine based shows on T.V. which include a show about Maine State troopers, “North Woods Law.” Maineiacs call this area the “County” for Aroostook County which covers most of the top half of Maine and is mainly a wooded area. There is also a new show called “Downeast Dickering” which we’ll talk about later.

At the beginning of Downeast Dickering you’ll see a sign which reads, “What living should be.” I propose that we change the Maine license plates to include this phrase instead of the present “Vacationland” or “Pine Tree State.” I can’t remember which one is used now.

At this point in my life I have lived in Georgia longer than I have lived in Maine, where, yes, I was “born and raised.” In all the 30 plus years I lived in the Atlanta area though I’ve never lost my Maine roots or speech. I may have softened a little around the edges living in the South, but the Maine in me is still very present.

 Maine people are a hardy sort. They have to be because life is sometimes hard during the winter, especially up in the County. That’s where their humor comes in. In order to cope with the environment or a difficult situation in Maine, Maineiacs will often make a joke about it, believing that if you can only laugh at the tough day you’re having, then it can’t be all that bad and tomorrow is indeed another day.

Here’s a poem to illustrate that point which I found at the Born and Raised site:

 

 

Let’s look at this site some more. To quote the page, “This page is devoted [to] Maine living, Maine lifestyle and most important good ol’ Maine humor!” Not exactly perfect English grammar, but I suspect there is a true down-to-earth friendly Maineiac behind this statement.

A “Fun Fact of the Day” I came across here is: “Maine is reported to have more Moose per mile than any other state.” (Not square miles mind you)

Here are some more interesting pictures from this site that will give you a sense of what Maine is all about:

Monhegan Island

 

 

Gotta love that Maine humor.

An antiques store in Searsport which looks like a fun place to explore.

 

 

The Portland Press Herald photos of the year found on this site are also worth a look.

Journey on the Back Roads of Maine

Some great historical facts on this site along with some pictures you may not be able to see anywhere else.

 

The caption reads: “Some of the young cartoners in work room, Seacoast Canning Co., Factory #2. Five-year-old Preston working also. Location: Eastport, Maine” Obviously this was way before child labor laws.

 

 

Part of the caption reads: “1856-1920. Robert E. Peary attended Portland High School and Bowdoin College graduating in 1877 with a civil engineering degree. He worked as the town surveyor in Fryeburg, Maine…after retiring from the Navy in 1911, Peary summered on Eagle Island, which is now a state park, off the coast of Freeport.

 

Paraphrasing the caption: September 1878. Theodore Roosevelt visited Island Falls. He came with a cousin and two friends. They came by train to the Mattawamkeag Station (up in the County), the nearest point reached by the railroad, and traveled the remaining 36 miles by buckboard. They slept that night in a field-bed in the third floor of the William Sewall residence. Left to right: William Sewall, Wilmot Dow, Teddy Roosevelt at age 21.

I can tell you from my own experience of being stuck in Mattawamkeag, you won’t find a more desolate place in the dead of winter.

 

 

Photo from the Maine Historic Preservation Commission, Pettengill’s store, Island Falls, taken about 1920.

 

“It was on a Thursday in early October of 1940, that Presque Isle residents took a break from the potato harvest to celebrate the first international barrel rolling contest.”

 

 

From the Aroostook County Historical and Art Museum. “An A.G. Bryson team hauling 60 logs on a bob sled at Cut Lake, Patten. H.W. Nelson, second from left, is the foreman.”

 

 

Photo from Lois Leavitt-Harrington. “This is a drawing of Sherman Railroad Station where my dad worked. We were Sherman Station but now it is called Stacyville.”

In case you don’t know it, Maine is the biggest state in New England. It is said that you could put all the other New England states within its borders. Therefore, there are many places in Maine I’ve never been through, visited, or even knew existed. You’ll find many of these places at this very informative site such as Addison, Dixfield, and Wilton. Have fun exploring Maine here.

Down East Dickering

I hope you all have seen at least one episode of my new favorite show, “Downeast Dickering.” I’ve given you a peek at one of the shows from a video on YouTube. Just love Duke.

 

 

I hope you all have seen at least one episode of my new favorite show, “Downeast Dickering.” I’ve given you a peek at one of the shows from a video on YouTube. Just love Duke.

YouTube: Down East Dickering Tony, Codfish and Duke

The guys you see on these shows are not actually Downeasters as that distinction is given to those Maineiacs who live along the coast and especially way Downeast Maine in Washington County. As far as I can tell, these guys hail from the middle of the state towards the western part of the state. However, I expect the title was a good alliterative one, thus the use of it.

That being said, all the men on this show are about as Maine as you can get. You get a real sense of what it means to be born and raised in Maine.

More References

I recommend the following references if you wish to get more involved in this subject. Methinks there could be a good term paper here for any of you college kids who may be reading this:

On Facebook:

Rockland Historical Society, Rockland, Maine History, We Grew Up in Thomaston Maine, The Humble Farmer with Robert Skogulund.

Radio stations: WERU 89.9 from Bluehill, Maine; WRFR 93.3 FM from Rockland

Maine State Archives

Maine Memory Network

TV station Channel 7 out of Rockland.

I’m proud to say that I was born and raised in Maine. Have fun exploring the sites we’ve talked about here and learning more about the Great State of Maine.

Thanks for listening.

Sail, Power & Steam Museum

 

My life is an open book.

The Death of Pen and Paper

 

With the closing of The Reading Corner on Main Street in Rockland, are we seeing the appearance of but one more nail in the coffin of the written word on actual pen and paper? Let’s examine the facts and try to look into the future of the possible forms of the written word in the future.

If you remember, it wasn’t that long ago when the book store which occupied part of the bottom floor of what used to be the Bonnar Vawter manufacturing building on Camden Street went out of business too. What’s left is one used book store on Main Street, Hello Hello Books. You can find my book there.

Why did The Reading Corner close? According to a story in a recent Free Press, owner Warren Bodine says that changes in the book industry and the rise of online book retailers like Amazon.com is a big reason for the closure. He says, “It’s just a different market out there now.”

Let’s talk about the big box store online, Amazon. Stephen King doesn’t have much good to say about the online behemoth. Amazon has not been kind to writers. Such things as making independent writers submit to Amazon’s own printing process is one thing that irks me in particular. They will also drop a writer for apparently no reason at all.

By the way, my book, “The South End” can be found there. They say they have copies when in fact they only “have” them when you request it. They will get the book at my own publishing site to pass on to the reader. I’m not sure I want any future book of mine posted on Amazon or any other online retailer.

I could rant some more, but I’d like to talk about digital “readers” for a minute or two.

As much as I’d like to make my next book available to those of you who prefer your “digital” reader devices, I’m hesitant to trust the owners of these devices and the manner in which they sell “books” to readers. The writer doesn’t get as much of a royalty as they do for an actual “pen and paper” book. They claim that the volume of books sold is higher, therefore making up for the lower royalty, but I’m skeptical about that answer. I also do not trust that there may be a way for “book crooks” to steal your book by copying it somehow. Maybe I’m just paranoid, but I don’t think so.

Now I will agree that a digital reader is convenient, easy to use, etc. etc. For those people with sight problems who could only read a book from the library that came in big print, the readers are a godsend as the reader can magnify the type as big as they need to. Will I ever buy a reader? I don’t know at this point.

Then there are those of us who still like to hold a book in their hands; to be able to flip back and forth easily; to put a marker in where we left off.  We like how they look on our bookshelves. It’s like a status symbol to some. To smell the ink in a newly purchased book is the same as smelling the insides of a new car.

And what about newspapers and magazines? Will we see them sold exclusively online in the near future? It looks like things are going that way already. Again, I like to hold a newspaper in my hand; fold the crossword puzzle so I can figure it out. I do have an online subscription to the Village Soup and have passed on some stories to my Facebook friends from the site. But I also get The Courier Gazette through the mail. I often cut something out and stick it in my “blog to-do pile” to be used later. Many of you may know that I come from a long line of “newspaper” people. My family all worked at The Courier at one time or another. Brother Ted, of course, went on to become a bureau chief for the Bangor Daily News. There is printer’s ink in my veins therefore.

Nanci works as a distributor of books and magazines. She puts up all those materials for grocery stores and the like. She reports that her employer is already looking for ways to diversify because of a slowdown in the sale of written material of the pen and ink variety. However, Nanci said that actual books were a big seller this Christmas. I suspect that there are a lot of older folks like me who may have gotten a book for a present as it’s one of the most popular gifts to give someone. It’s a gift that keeps on giving. Let’s hope that tradition continues for just a little while yet.

How do I handle my own written materials? Do I back up my stories and other work with a written copy? You bet I do. Every story you see here has a written copy in a binder somewhere. At this point in my blogging career, I have several binders. If you want to look at a whole year’s archive, I’ll hand that year to you if you come to visit me.

My book is on a flash drive, plus my publisher has a drive too. Then again, I have the written book, don’t I?

What does the future of “pen and paper” hold then? Think about the Library of Congress. Will it become known as an ancient depository of “real books?” When will they stop accepting books from authors for deposit in the library? My book is there. At least it will become an ancient relic if nothing else.

I believe that as long as there are writers to put the words out there, there will be readers to read them. What format gets the words to the readers is another kettle of fish altogether.

Remember the burning of the books in Germany by the Nazis? Remember the book called Farenheit 451 where books were outlawed and any found were burned? Ray Bradbury, the writer of that book in 1953, figured out that Farenheit 451 was the “autoignition” point of paper, thus the name of the book.  Do we want a world without books?

Thanks for listening to my ranting. Go read a “real book”, please.

Correction:

January 13: I would like to correct the phrase above which reads: "I'm hesitant to trust the owners of these devices..." to "I'm hesitant to trust the manufacturers of these devices..."

Bertram G. Snow

Last February we reported on the death of “The Last South End Snow.” That title wasn’t entirely correct. At the time of Richard Snow’s death on October 8, 2013, he still had a cousin, Bertram Snow, whose family still maintains a home in the South End. With the death of Bert on Jan. 6 of this year, we can probably say that he is indeed the last Snow from the Snow Shipyard family living in the South End.

I remember Bert well and I know he will be missed by many. The following is the obituary which was printed in the Courier on January 6.

Bertram G. Snow, 91, husband of Helen L. Fickett Snow, died peacefully Jan. 2, 2015, at Knox Center for Long Term Care with his family at his side.

The son of Walter E. and Rita M. Storer Snow, he was born in Rockland Dec. 19, 1923. He held a deep love for the city and served it in various capacities throughout his life.

Born into a family of shipbuilders, he began working at the family shipyard on Mechanic Street when he was a junior at Rockland High School, from which he graduated in 1942. His affinity for things of the sea led him to serve his country during World War II as a Navy Seabee in New Guinea and the Philippines from 1943 to 1947, earning the rank of boatswain's mate second class.

Upon his return, he began a study of naval architecture and met his partner for life, Helen Fickett. They married July 3, 1952, and raised their family in the local area. Continuing the family legacy, he designed, built and repaired vessels; and for a time operated his own shipyard on the Rockland harbor. He served as harbormaster from 1954 to 1966, and also managed Knox Pier.

Drawn to public service, he volunteered as a local firefighter and sustained an injury that nearly cost him his life and greatly limited his ability to participate. This, by chance, was to begin his long career in law enforcement when he was hired to maintain and service the city’s then-new parking meters. It was there he fell in love with walking the streets and interacting with the people of the city that he loved. He moved into the patrol division of the Rockland Police Department in 1962, after attending the Maine Criminal Justice Academy. He rose to rank of sergeant, then deputy chief and was named chief in 1985, a position he held until his retirement in 1989.

After retiring, his desire to still serve the community led to his working as a court security officer. His leisure time was spent researching and documenting the history of more than two centuries of Rockland shipyards and their vessels. This work was later published in hardcover as a collaborative effort titled "The Main Beam," and is available through the Shore Village Museum.

Mr. Snow was predeceased by his twin brother, Burton, his parents and his great-grandson, Laken Harrington.

Besides his wife, Helen, he is survived by his daughter, Carol M. Mullett, his son, Jeffrey B. Snow, and wife Kimberly; grandchildren Judith A. Harrington and husband Leroy, Michael E. Lea and wife Amber, Jared S. Lea and wife Amy, Anastasia Snow, Katie Snow, Tanya Snow and Maia Snow; great-grandchildren Dustin, Nick, Tristan, Alex, Emma, Ryan, Addison, Gabriella, Malachi and Damian; and great-great-grandchildren Alivia, Jeffrey and Parker.

He lived a long life of service, was a constant source of strength to his family and will be forever loved and missed.

Relatives and friends are invited to visit from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 8, at Burpee, Carpenter & Hutchins Funeral Home, 110 Limerock St., Rockland, where a funeral service will be held at 1 p.m. Friday, Jan. 9.

Memorial donations may be made to the Knox Center for Long Term Care Activities Fund, 6 White St, Rockland, ME 04841. To share a memory or condolence with Bert’s family, visit his Book of Memories at bchfh.com.

The family wishes to extend special thanks to former son-in-law Stephen Lea for the care he provided our loved one while still at home, to our vast and supportive extended family and many, many friends. Each of you is a blessing. To each of you at Quarry Hill and later at the Knox Center; you became his home and extended loving family; the family will forever be grateful for the years of compassionate and attentive care he received.

The Seasons come and the Seasons go…

As New Year’s celebrations go, when you wake up on the first day of the year you don’t feel much different than you did the day before in the previous year. However, the seasons will come and go without you noticing the subtle changes that carry you through your life.

Thinking about the loss of one of our family members this year, our dear Aunt Virginia; and the birth of a new member of our family, Beatrix Millie Peabody, my great-great niece, I gathered some pictures I have hung onto or have acquired from other family members over the years. I present them to you as a sort of mini-family album. There is neither rhyme nor reason to the ones I chose to show you nor are they in chronological order. Not all family members are represented by any means. You will be able to see some comparisons of the years passing before you in the pictures presented here.

 

Two pictures of the sisters, my mother, Evangeline, and Aunt Virginia Poletti. The picture on the left shows them as young Winchenbaugh girls, Virginia on the left. The second picture shows my mother on the left and Aunt Virginia as they relax in the sun down at Spruce Heat at their retirement ages.

 

 

Mother and brother Harlan at the Birch Street Place house.

 

Four Generation picture: Harlan, Mother holding her first granddaughter, Brenda, and Brenda’s great-grandfather, Herman Winchenbaugh.

 

Harlan’s wedding day to his bride, Kay Katherine Keizer of Thomaston

 

Harlan and Kay on their 50^th Wedding Anniversary Cruise to Hawaii with their family.

 



 My parents, Ted and Evangeline Sylvester’s 50^th wedding anniversary at the old Methodist Church on Union Street.

 

Cousin Mary Sue Hilton Weeks and sister, Sally in their flower dresses they wore as flower girls for brother Ted’s wedding. They wore them here again for my folks 25^th anniversary party or at least I think that was the event.

 

Mary Sue’s picture from her guest blog, The Hilton Homestead

 

Recent photo of sister Sally

 

My twin cousin Diane Hilton O’Connor and I at age 4. I’m on the left. Diane passes away three Thanksgivings ago.

 

 

The cousins take a trip over to Vinalhaven a few years ago: Diane on the left, me and cousin Babs Emery Weber who was visiting from Oregon.

 

Sister Sally and I standing on a snowy walk at Mcloud Street. We are about age 6 and 11.

Sally and I on the steps at Fulton Street dressed up in our Easter best. We are about 10 and 15.

 

 

Uncle Mac and Aunt Virginia dancing with Brenda Sylvester Peabody and new husband, Milton on their wedding day. Brenda is now a grandmother to Beatrix.

The four Sylvester sibs, now first generation: front, Sally on the left, me; back Ted on the left, Harlan at the wedding of Sally’s son, Christopher. I am now the great-aunt to his son, Matthew.

 

My great-niece, Danielle with her mother Barbie Dotsie Sylvester at Danielle’s wedding.

 

 

Great-nephew, Nicholas, Sally’s grandson, at Danielle’s wedding.

Nicholas at his recent 7^th birthday.

 

Nicholas getting a recent skiing lesson from Daddy Dave Ruddy.

 

My dad, Theodore Winthrop Sylvester, Sr. in his Sheriff’s uniform. He worked in the courts.

 

Dad in the center with his two boys, Harlan on the left, Ted on the right of him. I think this was circa 1980s.

 

 

A fun day with my dad on our mopeds as we toured Spruce Head and Tenants Harbor area. He was feeling very French that day with his tam and all. Late 80s I think.

 

Niece Bette, daughter of Harlan and Kay Sylvester as a princess at the Lobster Festival circa 80s I think.

 

Brenda, daughter of Harlan and Kay at my graduation in 1964. Washington State Teachers College is now UMM, University of Maine at Machias.

 

Christmas photos of my three great-great nieces. At top newly born, Beatrix Millie, daughter of Jon and Bridgett Peobody; and Allison Sylvester with the big fur hat, and her sister, Katie Mae; daughters of Great-nephew Jake and Linda Sylvester.

 

The “Berry House,” now Berry Manor Inn was once owned by my grandparents Herman and Carrie Winchenbaugh. This is the winter of 1947.

 

The party goers at my 5^th birthday party sitting on the steps at the Berry House. Do you see yourself here…Judy?

 

Me sitting on the steps of the Berry House at about age 3. Wish I still had those blond curls.

 

I hope I haven’t bored you non-family readers out there. This was a fun project. I may do another one next year with a lot more of my family members. It was not possible to represent everyone of them here.

I found two poems reflecting the theme of this blog. Enjoy.

From http://www.lds.org/new-era/1998/03/m-mother-my-daughter?lang=eng.#listen=audio

For an audio version of this whole poem, go to this site.

Mother:

3. The seasons come; the seasons go; and I see you grow.

The light of faith is in your eyes; I saw it long ago.

I weep at your sorrows, smile when life is fair.

I speak your name in each tender prayer.

I know the time will quickly come when I must let you go,

But seeds of truth within your heart were planted long ago.

So reach for your dreams, for ev’ry good thing,

depending on my love, my dear daughter.

From the Disney movie “Pocohontos”

Steady As The Beating Drum

Vocals: Chorus
Music: Alan Menken
Lyrics: Stephen Schwartz

---

Native Americans

Hega hega ya-hi-ye-hega
Ya-hi-ye-ne-he hega

Hega hega ya-hi-ye-hega
Ya-hi-ye-ne-he hega

Steady as the beating drum
Singing to the cedar flute
Seasons go and seasons come
Bring the corn and bear the fruit

By the waters sweet and clean
Where the mighty sturgeon lives
Plant the squash and reap the bean
All the earth our mother gives

O Great Spirit, hear our song
Help us keep the ancient ways
Keep the sacred fire strong
Walk in balance all our days

Seasons go and seasons come
Steady as the beating drum
Plum to seed to bud to plum
(Hega hega ya-hi-ye hega)
Steady as the beating drum

Hega hega ya-hi-ye-hega
Ya-hi-ye-ne-he hega

Thanks for listening to Pocohontos and me. Happy family memories in 2015.