Portland

In an effort to breakfree of the Portsmouth/North Conway tussle vieing for staff time on days Off I broke free and tagged along with Zack (the outcamping food guru and lord of gourp(othewise know down these parts as trailmix)) to head up and across to Portland in the vacationland State of Maine before catching a baseball match in nearby Sandford. Like most New England towns I've visted, it had a very similar feel and style, although the tank farms associated with the petrolium plant on the otherside of town gave it a distinctive feel the others lacked. Down near the docks much of the heritage of the Portland has been preserved with cobbled lane ways and side streets giving it a more trip back in time feel just like the Rocks in Sydney and maybe Souverin Hill.

In addition like most New England towns it was a Mecca for tourists and I'm sure now one of the larger industires, given the number of trendy shops and eateries. The live music scene is apparently alive and well and something Portland is noted for these days, as could be seen by the number of flyers for gigs and music shops/venues around.

Figure 1.0 One of the many cobbled side streets of Portland

Figure 1.1 One of the founding industries of Portland: Crustation harvesting and selling.

The origin of Portland's begining is blantently obviuos with fishing boats, barges and docks of all sizes dotting the shoreline. It's said (at least the plaque accompaining the sculpture in Figure 1.1) that portland was founded on the back of Lobsters and given that some one payed alot of money to commision a bronze sculpture I'm inclined to belive it.

Figure 1.2 J.LCoomes as is immediatly apparent from viewing the shop sign they sell shoes.

Figure 1.3 The Iguana. Need I say more.

The noise of the gulls was surreal. This may sound strange but your jsut walking around the docks and you hear the sound of gulls overhead something that just surpirse d me a brought a smile to my face. It was just like the sound effect you here in the movies.

Figure 1.4 Mmmmmh chowder.

Chowder sounds just a sickingly similair to chunder. I'm told most LOFCFians don't know the definition of chunder and so is probably a good thing. Probably why it never really took of in Australia. I'm alergic to shellfish so had a excuse out of part taking of the clam chowder instead taking the fish and the fish I'm told was hadock. I forgot to ask for the grilled option rather than the fried so I got fried. the batter they used was crumbed compared to the flour based batters I've partaken of back home. It went down alright but for $US 10 I think I got royalely sqrewed over.

Figure 1.5 Guys in a yellow and a blue shirt and onterage, filming some show or segment thereof.

Whilst downing the fish and chips a camera crew rocked up. I couldn't really make out the jist of what they were saying but had something to do with the fish and eating the fish and lobster so probably some kind of travel show or segment for a news program. anyway I made sure I got into a few shots so my ugly head will be rearing itself some time in the near future on some LOFCFian's TV screen.

In summation my day off progressed something like this.

sign out of Merrowvista.

get in car without first going to the drivers side thinking it was the passenger side

Play selection of all Australian music as road trip progesses towards Portland.

Arrive in portland

Take a wrong turn

Try to find a park (this took awhile)

Walk around Portland for a bit.

Get a phone card and some batteries for my camera.

sit in a scetchy park full of scetchy people and read for a bit.

Eat some lunch which consisted of Fish and Chips

Managed to get myself on TV

Peruse to some shops.

Ask a shop attendant if I could take a picture of James Earl Jones reads the bible: 16 DVD specail edtion digitally remastered box set to add to my you know your in the land of frosted cornflakes when series sadely I was told I could not.

Find were we parked the car.

Head to Sandford

Pay a toll on the way to Sanford

Arrive at Sanford baseball Staduim

Watch some baseball.

Watch a giant Moose moscot parade around like he owns the shop when not watching baseball.
relished and make full use of the fact that we were the only suporters of the Keen Swamp Bats in the crowd.

Have the intracatcies of Baseball explained to me by Zack

Try to in noavail to fustrate Zack by posing hypothetical questions on the rules of baseball that were just obsurd and esoteric at best.

See the Swamp Bat's coach have a red hot go at the umpire for a run out call in the closing innings

See the Swamp rats coach have another red hot go at the umpire in a effort to A: take his aggression out on someone other than his star pitcher/batter B: attempt in what seemed vain to fire up the troops C: get assisted out of the stadium by security thrown out of the stadium D: all of the above

Drive back to Merrowvista

Sign back in
Can't really remember what I did after that probably sleep.