What would you like to drink?

I've known this for a long time and it was definitely one of the many (though minor) cultural differences I noticed coming to Maine. But here's a picture of what we all know is true. This is more interesting than if you're a blue state or a red state. So I grew up in a turquoise state and moved to a green state.

This was shared by my goddaughter who was born in Texas (turquoise), grew up in New York (green), and is going to college in Michigan (black).

She shared the graphic from http://cdn.iwastesomuchtime.com/2142013091631.jpg I do not know the original source.

Wicked snowstorm

I'm actually not in Maine right now, but I've been hearing about and reading about a "wicked" snowstorm they're having while I'm gone. The Maine Office of Tourism posted this picture on their Facebook wall in honor of this storm. I think it's oh so appropriate.

Define "Camp"

The word "camp" is used here in Maine in ways I've never heard before. Like the way the British say "hospital" without an article in front of it ("I took her to hospital" instead of "I took her to the hospital" or "a hospital"), so Mainers and Mainiacs use the word camp without an article. It's not uncommon to hear, "Are you going to camp this weekend?" But they don't mean the verb "to camp," and they aren't referring to the noun for an established summer camp like Girl Scout camp. They're referring to summer homes, generally on lakes or near water, often very rustic, where families have gone for generations to wile away lazy summer days. I actually first heard the term in Louisiana, but then there are so many similarities between Cajun things in Louisiana and Franco-American things in Maine that I'm not surprised.

These are sentences I've heard so far using the word "camp":
We went to open camp Saturday. (Everyone in the family--different generations and in-laws--like a family reunion but more like a work party--all went to the family homestead camp and cleaned it up and aired it out and opened it up to get ready for camp season, i.e., summer)
My mother's family has camp on Big Pond. (All the family and extended family on her mother's side of the family goes to the same cottage/cabin/house every summer on Big Pond. In this sentence, it can often mean that there are several different buildings on the same land or on nearby pieces of land where different families that are all related go every summer so that all the cousins can play together.)
What time are you going to camp this afternoon? (A family (mom, dad, 2 sons) that we sat with at the 4th of July parade, was there with extended family (both sets of grandparents AND two sets of great grandparents, a brother and sister-in-law, I think a sister and brother-in-law but I lost track, and lots and lots of little kids). All those generations and barely-related folks were going to a plot of land on a nearby lake that had several structures (cabin/cottage/house) that somehow all belonged to all of these people and they had a big 4th of July picnic planned at that location.)

6/19/08 they're not shopping carts . . .

I came "home" to Maine on Tuesday night, the 19th, and caught my ride on Mermaid Transportation without a hitch. My driver dropped me off at the Park 'n Ride in Biddeford and there was my car, waiting for me, courtesy of Grace and her parents who babysat (carsat) for me while I was gone. Then I drove to Old Orchard Beach and Grace and I worked all day Wednesday and Thursday morning. We got a LOT of work done including data analysis and paper writing for our proposal for SITE 2009, and agenda planning and research for the Tools Retreat in August. We treated ourselves to an afternoon of fun for our reward. First on the list was a trip to The Christmas Tree Shoppe for goodies for my new apartment. Check out the sign in the parking lot. Well, first notice that the parking area for shopping carts is covered . . . that's pretty cool and in winter that means your carts aren't covered in snow. But notice that the sign says, "Please return carriages here". Carriages? Even Grace, a true Mainer, calls them shopping carts. At The Christmas Tree Shoppe in Augusta, they call them carts. But someone somewhere calls them carriages and it's someone important enough to determine verbiage on the sign!

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Dr. Theresa Overall
Assistant Professor
University of Maine at Farmington
Secondary/Middle Education Department
office: Education Center 220
phone: (207) 778-7049
email: theresa.overall@maine.edu

6/9/08 Communities and Abbreviations

I'm still working on figuring out the difference between a city and a town here in Maine; then throw in township and a funky numbering system of NWPs (whatever that stands for). For example, an area that isn't a town or city may be classified as T23 R35 NWP. It's all so new . . . there's so much to learn . . . still.

Today I received an email from a colleague with her address at the bottom. Where the city/town would normally be located was written "Sandy River Plt., ME" So what is PLT? I thought of PiLoT and PLaTte but wasn't sure. I searched a lot on the web but kept getting addresses with Sandy River Plt. and nothing which spelled out what PLT stood for. I even found a school district for Sandy River Plt but they just referred to themselves with Plt in the name. Now I'm thinking it's a big PLoT to conspire against those of us who are "persons from away."

I finally found a fabulous website called "Maine Local Government" which lists every city/town/township/incorporated area/whatever in the state, in alphabetical order, and when you click on the name, you get a little description of the area, its history, its county, etc. And on that page, I found out that Plt. stands for PLanTation! I didn't know there were any plantations in Maine, much less towns named for one. But now I know. And so do you. :-)

5/17/08 interesting sign

As at all graduations that I'm aware of, parking is at a premium and folks get pretty creative at parking, so lots of temporary measures are taken to insure safety for all. This sign, however, baffled me. Are they creating a temporary parking space for handicap parking since there is such a need for a large event like this, or are they creating additional parking for those with temporary handicaps?

3/14/08 interesting governmental body

I took the elevator to the third floor of the building called Roberts. I usually take the stairs, but I wasn't sure where I was going and decided finding the right office was adventure enough. I'm sure other elevators have a similar certificate but this was the first time I noticed the wording on the certificate. "Department of Professional and Financial Regulation." I find that combination interesting. I've never heard of such a department before. "Board of Elevator and Tramway Safety." How many tramways do you think there might be in this state? And is someone who's knowledgeable in elevator safety going to also be knowledgeable in tramway safety? Inquiring minds want to know.

IMG_0375.JPG

2/11/2008 "through the white and drifted snow-o!"

"Over the river and through the woods, to Grandmother's house we go. The horse knows the way to carry the sleigh through the ____" And what words do you sing in that blank? As a kid, I used to sing "wide and drifting snow". It didn't make sense, but back then, neither would "white and drifted snow" which are the real lyrics. But now I understand.

Those howling winds created some incredible snow drifts. I don't think I ever knew the difference between a snow bank and a snow drift before, but I'm learning. Who knew that snow had so much vocabulary??! In the street light I could see gorgeous patterns in the snow caused by the wind. It looked like the patterns in desert sands. These photos don't do the beauty any justice. Oh well. I tried. Just know that we've had lots of wind and now we have drifted snow.

12/15/2007 Snowy Sunday

Even for Maine, this snowstorm is supposed to be unusual for this time of year and it's supposed to be a big one. Check out the article below that describes the impending storm, discusses why it's unusual, and uses the word "wicked" as a superlative (a common Maine practice, but I always thought of it as slang and was surprised to see it in print in the newspaper outside of a quote).

We walked to church this morning instead of driving since the roads weren't plowed yet. I was up for the adventure The snow was pretty light and not too deep, but there was enough of it that I was very glad to finally arrive at church and get out of it. During the service you could see out the window that the flakes were getting bigger and the quantity of falling flakes was increasing. I was glad to take Patty up on her kind offer of giving us a ride home.

REGIONAL STORM
Snow could turn to sleet
By DOUG HARLOW
Staff Writer Kennebec Journal & Morning Sentinel 12/16/2007

Here we go again. Another winter storm promising snow, sleet and howling winds was bearing down on the state Saturday night for arrival in central Maine sometime this morning.

By the calendar, it's not even winter yet.

And according to John Jensenius, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Gray, the track of this latest batch of winter weather could mean a change-over to sleet this afternoon, which could mean lower snowfall totals and some wicked travel conditions.

He said 6-10 inches of new snow and sleet can be expected by tonight in Kennebec County, 8-12 inches in southern Somerset and Franklin counties with up to 18 inches in the mountains.

Coastal and interior Waldo County can expect 4-8 inches.

"We expect snow to develop across central Maine probably early in the morning -- 7 a.m., something like that," Jensenius said. "At this point it looks like snow will mix with sleet and freezing rain along the coast and actually mix with sleet in the interior sections as well."

The powerful coastal storm began forming over the Carolinas Saturday night, then rapidly intensified as it moved northeast up the eastern seaboard this morning.

Moisture is forecast to collide with Arctic air, spreading snow up through the entire state.

By noon today, the snow will just be reaching northern Maine and several inches will have accumulated over southern areas of the state, according to the Weather Service. Temperatures are expected to remain in the teens and low 20s, with mighty wind chills making it feel like 6 or 7 below.

Jensenius said the culprit in any possible change- over is warm air being dragged in above the cold air that is already solidly in place.

"What is happening with the storm moving right along the immediate coast, is the winds out ahead of this storm are bringing warmer air in aloft -- between about 7,000 and 10,000 feet," he said. "That warm air aloft is causing the precipitation to change from snow to rain as it falls through that warmer layer and then eventually as it gets into a colder layer, it refreezes back into sleet or when it reaches the ground, possibly freezing rain."

If the track moves further east -- off the coast -- more snow can be expected, he said. Further west, inland, could mean more in the way of sleet and rain.

The intense weather maker is expected to move out of the region tonight.

Strong northwest winds will develop as the system pulls away, creating lots of blowing and drifting snow in all areas on Monday. Winds could reach 10-20 mph, with gusts to 25 mph, Jensenius said.

Central Maine Power Co. is preparing for possible power outages due to ice and blowing snow, company spokesman John Carroll said Saturday.

"We are expecting high winds and lots of snow, which could be heavy and wet along the coast," Carroll said in a statement. "This combination can be tough on our crews and equipment.

"People see the damage storms like this can do and they understand they can cause outages. Our crews will be there to put things back together, but we hope people will also take some simple steps to keep themselves safe and comfortable."

CMP offers customers some simple steps to stay safe and comfortable if power outages do occur.

•Keep battery-operated flashlights and radios on hand.

•Stock up on supplies of drinking water.

•Keep a supply of non-perishable foods.

•Never use grills or camp stoves indoors -- they can give off dangerous gases.

As is common practice during potential storm situations, Carroll said CMP has been in touch with utilities in other parts of New England and in the Canadian Maritimes to discuss mutual needs and capabilities.

Retrieved 12/15/2007 from http://morningsentinel.mainetoday.com/news/local/4568907.html

Supper to aid ill fireman

I am soooo far behind in writing in my blog. And there is sooooo much to tell. But I wanted to post this newspaper article before the electronic version of it wasn't available anymore. Maggy teaches math education at UMF. She's in my department and is a phenomenal professor who contributes a lot to the community and the state. Her husband is Harry Wyckoff who is the subject of this newspaper article. I went to the Benefit Supper tonight. It's such a Maine thing to do and it's such an awesome thing to do. There were probably 40-50 cars when I got there at 6:30. It was packed inside the Town Office building. People of all ages and a LOT of volunteer firemen were in attendance. I found a table with university folks that I knew and joined them. We had a great time, though there was a somber feeling in the air as well. Harry wasn't there, but I did get to see Maggy. What a strong woman. I think she hugged every person who came.

I had a printout from Google maps with directions but it turns out, I went the wrong way on the very first road. But I still ended up in the right place! If I ever go back to Chesterville, I bet some of the signs that told me which way to go won't even be there. God takes very good of this "flatlander" (another name for 'a person from away' but specifically someone from the other 47 continental states) and He pulled another fast one tonight. On the way home, I figured out what I did wrong, but I still have no idea how I got there in the first place. But Lindsay . . . there were no U-turns!

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Supper to aid ill fireman

By Ann Bryant , Staff Writer
Monday, December 3, 2007

FARMINGTON - Harry Wyckoff has spent more than a quarter century as an active volunteer on the Chesterville Fire Department.

"He's watched others face trials and tribulations and how they handled those," his wife, Maggie, said Friday, "and has realized that it's not what happens to you but how you approach what is happening."

"A positive attitude is a gift," she said, speaking of her 65-year-old husband, who is undergoing cancer treatment and faces surgery in January.

The Chesterville Fire Department will support the fellow firefighter with a benefit spaghetti supper from 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 8, at the Chesterville Town Office on Dutch Gap Road, said Ed Hastings, a friend and member of the department.

With a magic that draws kids in, Wyckoff said of her husband, he enjoys children and has visited schools teaching youngsters through the Learn Not to Burn program.

The couple wrote and received a grant for funds to purchase a 14-foot fire prevention trailer that is used as part of the presentation, Hastings said.

The trailer, painted to look like a child's bedroom, uses stage smoke to simulate a fire. Wyckoff starts in the classroom, she said, teaching the children to get down and to touch the doors with the back of their hands to check for heat.

Then he takes them out to the trailer where he asks if they have a light on while they sleep. He then adjusts the lighting and starts the smoke, she said. The children can hear the smoke coming before the two smoke alarms. They then drop and crawl out to where there is a fake phone to dial 911. The phone is connected to an acting-dispatcher who asks the same questions they could expect from a real dispatcher: town, name, address and problem.

"It gives the children that edgy feeling of a first-hand experience," she said.

The trailer was used during fire prevention week in October, said Chief David Archer as he named several local schools that were visited this year.

"The trailer's available to other departments to use also," he said. "It's a great educational tool, and if it saves one child, then it's done its job."

Wyckoff has written several grants over the years, Hastings said, the most recent one received, a FEMA grant in 2004, brought several thousand dollars to the department to help purchase fire equipment such as air packs.

It's equipment that brought the department up to OSHA standards, Wyckoff added.

A retired self-employed carpenter, Wyckoff is often around to respond to fire calls, Hastings said. He is important to the fire department, especially so when the town's two fire departments merged in the late 1980s.

A little rivalry between the North Chesterville and Chesterville departments was buried when they built the new firehouse together, Wyckoff said.

"They're a wonderful group of people," she said, "and the department has brought in many young people as junior firefighters. Watching them learn and grow has been very edifying for him. He's a real mentor."

Wyckoff has also served as the department's treasurer for years, said Archer, who called him a good friend and his experience a valuable aid.

The Wyckoffs have two sons, one in Baltimore and one in Cape Cod, she said. She is employed at the University of Maine at Farmington.

Donations will be accepted at the supper, Hastings said, to help with expenses expected when the Wyckoffs travel to Boston in January for the surgery.

Wyckoff was undergoing treatment Friday and was unavailable for comment.

Retrieved Dec. 8, 2007 from http://www.sunjournal.com/story/241372-3/Franklin/Supper_to_aid_ill_fireman/#
As seen in Sun Journal newspaper, Lewiston, Maine