Damn it is cold

July 11, Birmingham to Brooklin

I tried to blog the trip to the Virgin Islands and that just didn’t work. The days were full and we were having too much fun to stop and write. Besides some of it, you couldn't write about anyway. What happens in the islands stays in the island. Anyway, I am off to the Wooden Boat School again. It is my vacation from reality. There are no TV’s and cell phones. Internet is available but you have to sit on a bench outside in the cold without any lights to access it.

This was supposed to be an easy day with a 9:30 flight from BHM and a drive up the coast of Maine. Well Mr. Delta screwed with me again. They changed the flight to 6:00, so the alarm went off at 3:30 to make it to the airport on time. My luggage is full of planes, saws, and other tools. I am sure I will get one of those tags inserted saying that TSA need to look inside my bags. I will probably get some kind of star by name saying we need to watch this guy he is weird.

One casual observation. I was following two “older” women thru the line in Birmingham to get some coffee. You have never seen such disorder. They couldn’t figure out how to get a tray (just pick it up), how to work the coffee machine (just put the cup under it and push the lever), were the cream was (with all the other condiments), etc. Yet with all of this, they had no problem in telling the guy serving the food where to put the eggs. Don’t touch the eggs and gravy. That isn’t enough gravy. And, the poor girl at the counter got a lesson in why cream should be beside the coffee. Why can’t some people just accept the way things are and not try to boss everyone around.

At Portland, I picked up a rental car for the drive to Brooklin. I was trying to find the “best” place on the coast for clams but when Katherine (our GPS) told me I was there, I didn’t see anything that looked like a place to eat. If I had seen it, I am not sure I could have got back in traffic. Highway 1 can be busy this time of year. Someone told me that they were having a jazz concert in Rockland and had the streets closed for the party and I need to avoid that area. There is a cut off road around town but it misses the Maine Prison Store and I wanted to stop by to see what they had. For those of you who haven’t been, it is a real treat. It is full of woodworking “things” made by prisoners in shop. It resembles the stuff that came out of shop class when I was in high school. Although some of it reminds me of things that Bro. Owens would have the boys in Vacation Bible School do when I was a kid in Sycamore.

I “had” to stop at the Lincolnville Lobster Pound. Carole you could get two 1 ½ pound lobsters for $30.00. There were a couple of kids swimming in the water at the beach near the restaurant. I don’t know how they could even wade into the water as cold as it is.

I stopped at the grocery store on the way in to Brookin. It is about 20 miles from the school to the main grocery store for the area. There is a local “Shields” type market at the intersection but that is it. While I was waiting in line, the people in front of me bought some yellow squash. It was a $1.00 for each squash. I took Julie and Larry 20 of those things yesterday out of the garden. If anyone wants, $10 or $15 worth of squash, I am sure Carole will be more than happy to share crop with you. She is going to have her hand full with the garden over the next couple of weeks. We are getting about 2 grocery sacks full every day of it now and the okra is just starting to come in.

There are few people at the school who are staying over to take the 2nd part of a class or who are taking back-to-back classes. The farmhouse is about half full. Kim was nice to me and I am staying in the room normally reserved for instructors. Apparently, the attendance at the school is way off this year. The course I am taking only has 6 people in lieu of the normal 12. The fundamental course under Greg is about 3 short of a full class.

There is a small boat regatta going on this weekend at the school and there were about 40 boats signed up to participate. Maybe I can get some good photos as they leave out tomorrow morning. Most of those people are camping out in tents. It looks like a tent city over the top of the hill toward the waterfront. Which brings up the discussion of weather.

My body had acclimated itself to the 90 degree temperatures. When I left the house this morning and pulled out of the garage the temperature on the car was 76 degrees. On the way to the interstate, it cooled down to show 70 degrees. Right now, it must be in the upper 50’s with about a 20-knot wind blowing. It didn’t take long to unpack the jacket. I may have to head up to the Bean Outlet tomorrow and get be a sock boggin for my head.

I will probably go exploring for part of the day tomorrow. I have to explore far enough to get something to eat. The local breakfast and lunch place is closed, I heard the waitress was sick and they didn’t have anyone to take her place.