Maine's Charms

I am in Otisfield, Maine. If you've never heard of it, that's because you have to look hard to find it on a map. It's about 45 minutes NW of Portland. My friend Emily and her husband Nick and two little boys live here. Their house sits on a decommissioned Christmas Tree farm, so the rows and rows of trees remind one of Christmas all the time. And they are so tall because nobody is cutting them down.

The town consists of one stop sign (that I could find), two fire stations, and a community hall. That's it. But this area has charm and beauty every way you look. This is in the heart of the lakes district. Every couple miles (it seems) there are large glassy lakes with dense trees packed up to the water's edge and mountains reflecting in the calm water. In the summertime, this place is booming with vacationers. The rolling hills, curving roads, views of the mountains, and abundance of nature is what draws people here. We stopped at a barren apple orchard where my friends picked apples a few months ago, with views of the mountains and a ski slope, and I found one lone apple on the ground.

Maine, you have provided cold weather (20-35 degrees) and a beauty of nature so foreign to my everyday, but no snow. I still like you a lot. My explorations of you will continue....