Yah--marine diesel is going for $3.50 a gallon, maintenance on boats is through the roof, and for those 18-hour days in shit weather you're getting HOW MUCH at the dock for lobster? What is it, $2.75, 2.80 per pound? And wasn't there a story not too long ago about a bunch of lobstermen SHOOTING each other over traps?
Yeah, I'm the idiot because I'm sitting in my office (or shop, or in the plant) TAKING HOME more than those lobstermen DREAM of making. I don't minimize their work, dearest, but don't think for a second they wouldn't trade places with me in a heartbeat. But then again, mention the words, "phasoring", "metering", or "protective relaying", their eyes will glaze over.--- How much do you know about navagation on the open sea, no land around.? Can you repair a dead diseal out at sea by yourself with a force 6 sea.? what is the first thing you would do if your boat was sinking, after the mayday call????
Bottom line--there's a reason why Maine's population has dropped below that of NH for the first time since 1800. Yeah, you read that right. 210 years. Because anyone with half a brain has already left.
But Maine still has you. Be proud, toots.
Yeah Sparky there are some places that are strange here or there in Maine, why do you think Stephen King came up with most of his dreadfull story's.?? Those small towns Down East are fodder for a horror writer.
Then there is Ogunquit that advertises for Gay tourists to spend the summer and Then the Gays complain about the Canadian woman tourists sunbathing on the beach top less and all hell breaks out.??
It's them darn Mass. big money people that move to the state that change our lives. They put demands on the State government that wreck a town budget. Hell they expect the town to put in fire hydrants in a sub division right on a lake that can supply more water in a fire then i5 hydrants can..
Perfectly good dirt roads with just a couple dozen pot holes that can swallow a washing machine and everyone knows where they are----the New Bees insist those roads be paved of crying out loud.
New out of state people come in and change 10 generations of tradition, They want electricity and sewage, cell phone towers and cable.
Land that has been in family's for since forever now has a portion of their land claimed by public domain to install all these new fangled things that the locals never asked for.
New folks come into town and object to the Churches ringing for their bells for 5 minutes as a call to worship on a sunday morning at 11 AM. Then these new folk build a Mosque with a PA system that can be heard for 5 miles around to blast out their call to prayer 5 times a day 24/7.-----Tolerance we are told, YAH Right.
Sparky I read the Bangor Paper the other day and it really surprised me at how life has changed in Maine.
Last time I was way up north western Maine in a small town called Abbot Maine, 40 acres of land was for sale for $5,000.I came home, told my son, he told a coworker and he went up and bought the land. Lots of land up there in unincorporated towns, a great life if one wants to disappear . We got lost on one dirt road and came across a Wolf Farm, darn I have never seen one in the wild and this farm rehabilitated wolves to turn back into the forest. They were in wire inclosure's next to the road and we parked and watched them watch us for some time.
Anyone that is tired of the day to day grind of work can take out their 401k plan and go to school for small engine repair and work up to the bigger ones. Buy cheap land and open a business to repair boat engine's, snow mobile, motorcycle, tractors. One can live in a travel trailer for a couple years until the business begins to bring in money. Take the back end of the land and put in some outhouses and rent out space to campers that hunt or ice fish in the winter.
Once anyone that has little to loose try this and it works,and it will, 20 years later they will be spending winters fishing for Marlin from their own boat in the warm waters.
Maine has more self made people then any other state I know of, they take a risk and face it down.[/color]
