Friday, June 20, 2014

Walking with the Natives

Sometimes, during breaks and lunches, I walk outside in work town.  Since I only like to go outside between May and September,  I have to fit all my walking into those months.

Work town is a bit different from swim town.  Not really a tourist area.  Although it does have the only basilica in Maine.

However, I still get asked for directions.  As I walked between the mills one day this week, a woman in a very small car accompanied by a very large white dog, pulled up and asked if I knew how to get to a certain doctor's office.  The medical center is a few blocks up the street, but I took a guess and asked if she wanted the dermatologist office, since it is in the actual mill.  I was right.  I directed her around to the front of the building.

Two days later, as I walked down the sidewalk, a very large old station wagon pulled a u turn and pulled up next to me to ask where a certain address on the street was.

Apparently I just look like the kind of person who is not lost and gives good directions.

  I know my office address o the street, and that's about it. But then she asked where the dermatologist office was.

I pointed across the street and told her the building number.

Clearly, the dermatologist needs to give better directions to their new patients.

I'm thinking of charging the dermatologist a fee.

Thursday, June 19, 2014

Walking with the Tourists

It finally dawned on me a couple of weeks ago, now that it has stopped with the continual rain and fog (which I will undoubtedly jinx by having mentioned it here), that I could walk while Jupiter is in swim practice.  Outside, and not on the treadmill.  Not only do I not have to sit on the pool deck during practice, I am encouraged to leave the building.  What a difference a year makes.

So I've been walking down a country road in swim town.  It's a touristy town.

Twice in two weeks, I have seen cars stop in the middle of the road to photograph the herd of Dutch Belted cows.  I used to call them Oreo cows, but Jupiter and I recently read a Patricia MacLachlan book which featured a herd of Dutch belted cows, so now I know the proper name for the breed.  I amuse myself by trying to count the cows in the herd.  I consistently come up with a number between 19 and 21.

Last week a car stopped in the middle of the road to ask me how to get to a particular hotel with a name of Native American origin.  It took me a few tries to determine the destination, and while I could tell them the inn was in the village, I was completely unable to tell them if the road we were on would GO to the village, since my hour time limit only brings me past the cow herd to the hayfield and back.

Since tomorrow is Friday, it's likely that the photographers may be the direction seekers as well.

Sunday, June 15, 2014

Time flies!

So, fourth grade will be done in a few more days.  Thank you, never ending winter.

Though I'm not really ready for fourth grade to be done.  Or third grade, for that matter.  Or for one short school year left before middle school.

I feel like I blinked and missed the last 9 years.