Wind and rain, wind and rain! There's still quite a lot of both around here in Midcoast Maine. I just got back from a visit to mother's farm on Georgetown Island. Good thing that I waited a couple of hours beyond high tide because the road over the salt marsh was still flooded but passable when I motored through.

The road through her village had some impressive sights, a telephone pole broken in half still supported by its wires and the branches of a massive pine tree. The two major pine trees that had come down on the driveway, Stone Bridge Lane, had been cleared away by friendly neighbors but the electrical and phone wires were shambles. The brook under the stone bridge was raging merrily. At the foot of the final hill up to the farmhouse, neighbors had strung up orange flagging on the electrical and phone lines blocking the road. I had been warned and left the van at the head of the driveway. Mother's propane generator was chugging away and everything seemed fine. She was happy to get her incoming mail and even happier to be able to mail out her tax returns.

It's going to be at least 2-3 days before her power lines are restored.

I dropped off another cellphone and a charger and made sure she knew where to plug it in.

Nice to be back home, but I'm really thirsty. No, not another rusty nail but thanks anyway. Sure, why don't you drink it yourself! I'd like a nice tall mug of amber ale.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble