Men marched topless, too

“Ladies: It is perfectly legal to be topless in public in the State of Maine. Gentlemen: Women’s breasts aren’t anything to get excited about. Really.“

That seemed to be the message organizers intended to convey when they marched topless through the streets of Portland last month. It’s difficult to tell, actually, since they didn’t publicize it or make a statement at the march.

In March I read a tweet from @portland_maine about a topless march planned for April 3rd. Interested, I read the scant press as well as several articles about the history of toplessness in Maine and the legal precedents. I was pleased to learn that women in Maine have as much right to be topless as men.

Tweet from @portland_maine

feminism · gender · maine · march · portland · protest · topless

It was announced today at Monument Square in Portland that the Maine Red Claws NBA Development League basketball team will be affiliated with the mighty Boston Celtics! Woo hoo!

I’m excited to attend the games and cheer on the Red Claws.

basketball · development league · maine · nba · portland · red claws · sports

Maine’s largest city OKs backyard chickens
Boston.com, February 19, 2009

Maine’s largest city has become the latest municipality in the state to allow residents to keep chickens in their backyards.

Portland officials said the council received 150 e-mails, the most it’s ever received on any issue, which came up as the recession has more people interested in locally grown food.

It’s a fantastic idea. Cut out the middle-man and get fresh eggs and meat while helping the environment by producing locally. Bravo, Portland.

chicken · economy · egg · environment · food · frugal · maine · pet · portland

It costs a mere one or two cents per gallon to transport oil by tanker. Today oil prices fell to $36.22 a barrel–their lowest level in more than four years. Imagine how much revenue the federal government would generate if it would just tax a gallon of gas to a minimum of six dollars per gallon. Perhaps it would be sufficient to provide universal health care and make necessary infrastructure improvements and investments in energy sources that would free us from our dependence on dirty crude? I digress.

Yesterday while I waited for Kirsten to take her algebra final I read the newspaper, drank copious amounts of coffee and took pictures of lighthouses and oil tankers.

The oil tankers offload in Portland because it has a natural deepwater, ice free harbor. The Portland-Montreal Pipe Line carries the oil to refineries in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Full and Empty

maine · oil · portland · ship · tanker

brentdanley

Yes, that’s a keyfob. And, because it’s a Volkswagon Jetta keyfob, it’s also the key.

Last Sunday the girls asked me to take them to Portland Head Light to climb on the rocks, hike and take pictures. The answer to that request will always be an enthusiastic “yes”. While I took pictures the girls made a “house” out of driftwood, mangled lobster pots and rocks. I climbed all over the cliffs and boulders trying to capture the lighthouses from new and interesting perspectives.

I laid on a rock about six inches above the surface of the water to get this shot.

And got really low to capture this reflection.

Then I waited for the girls to be done playing. After a long while I suggested we go play on the swings before heading to the hospital to get Kirsten. The sun was getting low and the tide was coming in and I was getting a bit chilly.

Skye and Hayley headed to the playground while Jenna and I went to get the car and drive it down. I couldn’t find the key! It wasn’t in my pants, jacket or camera bag. Nowhere. If it were down on those rocks the tide would, in a very short time, completely cover it. Besides, it was getting dark and there were about a bazillion round rocks it could have fallen between. And, it was getting dark. And, the park would be closing at sunset. And, Kirsten needed a ride home after her twelve hour shift at the hospital. Fuck.

Jenna and I walked to the playground to get her sisters then headed back down the tall granite cliffs to the rocky shore where we had spent most of the afternoon. I scanned the ground in what I knew was a futile attempt to locate the missing key. I suspected it had fallen out of my jacket pocket in either of the two places I had laid down.

The girls were too slow over the cliffs and boulders so I told them to go to the top of the cliff and walk around. That way they wouldn’t slow me down and I could keep an eye on them.

At the first location, where I had laid on a rock to shoot Ram Island Ledge Light, the rock was submerged by the rising tide. I looked through the clear water but couldn’t see the key. I hurried to the second spot and, when I rounded the last corner, saw the bright red PANIC button of the keyfob at eye level. Whew!!! After snapping a few pics for this blog post I retrieved the key and headed back to tell the girls the good news. I had no idea the adventure had just begun.

The girls hadn’t gone up to the cliff, but were still down on the beach. Apparently they hadn’t heard me or communicated to each other. And they couldn’t hear me now, they were too far away. When they were in range I called out to Jenna and Skye and asked them where was Hayley. I figured she was behing a large rocks and was just out of sight. All I got was a shoulder shrug. I yelled for Skye to go find her and off Skye went. When I finally reached Jenna I was missing two girls, but was confident Skye would find her sister and we could finally leave.

As Jenna and I climbed up the cliff there were about fifteen people standing on the edge watching us. When we got close to the top a women asked if I was the dad. I told her I was a dad. She said they found my daughter, which was nice. I didn’t think they were lost, really. Pretty soon Skye rounded the corner and everybody looked quite pleased about the reunion. Until I told them I have three daughters. Those happy expressions instantly changed back to concern and panic.

With Skye and Jenna close behind I walked around the top edge of the cliffs yelling for Hayley. After only a few very long seconds we heard a man yelling that he had found her. I could tell by his voice that she was okay. She had a huge smile on her face as he carried her up to us. Everybody was relieved and happy our little family was back together. Hayley had been several hundred yards away from where I had left her. She was trying to find us but was going the wrong direction over very large, sharp and treacherous boulders.

I was never as concerned as any of the spectators. The girls are very good on the rocks and hardly ever fall off them.

2008 · adventure · cape elizabeth · emergency · found · keyfob · lighthouse · lost · panic · phl · portland

Last week, while searching the internet for like-minded people here in southern Maine, I discovered a new and wonderful website. Meetup.com is a place where anyone can plan events for people who share a common interest. It’s fantastic! Group members can share photos, messages, files, and are able to comment on and rate each meetup. When a meetup is announced users are able to RSVP so everyone knows how many people will attend (or not attend).

So far I belong to Meetup groups in Portland for skeptics, adventurers, Ruby developers, and people who like to play park games. Kirsten met interesting people this past Tuesday evening and enjoyed the conversation at a Skeptics Group meetup.

Meetup.com is especially great for Kirsten and I since we’ve recently moved here “from away” and don’t have many friends. We’re excited to meet many fun and interesting people in the area!

“Virtual World, I’d like to introduce you to the Real World.”

You can view my Meetup.com profile here. Now go. Join a group or start your own. Life was not meant to be lived staring into a computer monitor alone.

activity · adventure · friend · fun · internet · maine · portland · social · web

I call her Debbie

Yesterday I peddled the Harborwalk Trail from Bug Light to Back Cove and back. It was a fun ride filled with wonderful sights, sounds, and smells.

While I was cycling I had a lot of opportunity to think and appreciate all the wonderful things in my life. I love living in Maine! I’ve lived in more than a handful of states and visited many more. Maine has similarities to three of the best places I’ve lived.

First, Maine has magnificent natural beauty which is second only to the great state of Alaska. It’s long shoreline consists of massive granite cliffs and soft sandy beaches. The tall woods that cover most of the state are broken only by the thousands of lakes and ponds created by glacial flows many years ago.

Second, the thriving tourism industry here reminds me of Florida. Maine hosts millions of visitors each year seeking the cool climate, pristine natural environments, and beautiful sandy beaches. The result of this influx is a place full of opportunities for adventure, excellent restaurants, shopping, and transportation infrastructure.

Third, people here enjoy the environment and seek to protect it. One of the things I liked most about my time in Boulder, Colorado was the many hiking and biking trails and how people got out and enjoyed nature. Maine has all that and more. In addition to miles of dedicated trails here many of the roads have bicycle lanes. There seem to be as many kayak racks on cars as there are bicycle racks. And that’s a lot! If you look into Casco Bay you’ll certainly see many people kayaking, sailing, fishing, and enjoying the water alongside working lobster vessels.

Maine has it all! Portland is a small city with a big city feel. The people we’ve met have been very nice (probably because they’re as happy to be here as I am). And if you’re bored here you’d be bored anywhere. This is the way life should be. Moving here is the best thing we’ve ever done.

adventure · bicycle · maine · portland · recreation · travel