Maine
Maine seems like another laid-back, scenic state. It is certainly the land of the cute slogans.
"Maine. Worth to visit. Worth a Lifetime" "Maine: The Way Life Should Be." "Vacationland"
"Where America's Day Begins" (because it's where the sun first shines on the USA every day.) And my favorite one: "Maine. It's not the edge of the universe, but you can see it from the edge of the universe."
Everything about my trip to Maine was lovely except for the Motel 6. Which was one of the worst I've stayed in. The male desk staff were all barely existent and certainly not friendly or helpful. There was an abundance of handicapped parking any where near the only entrance door for the whole building, so there were no parking spaces that didnt' require a long, shlepping walk just to get to the lobby. My room had a musty funk to it and there were no screens on the window, so I had to choose between the mosquitoes or the funk. There was no microwave in the common area, which is not required of Motel 6s, but it's very common. In fact it is very rare that there is no microwave. In some places, you have to bring your food to the lobby and ask at the desk to heat your food up for you, but this place. Nothing. The vending machine is also another fixture at Motel 6 that one could almost rely upon. I don't often use them, but once in a while I get a late night craving for some chocolate and I can usually find something fairly benign in the vending machine. But not this one. The glass had been broken out and all the inventory was gone. At one point, in the morning, a fire alarm went off and they made us all go outside and wait in the parking lot while the fire department came and checked everything out. I was glad to finally load up the car and leave that place.
But in the meantime, I had a bit of respite from the horrors of my accommodations in the form of a lovely Nia class. My easternmost Nia class in the USA. Portland, Maine. I was hosted by Erin Curran who teaches at Casco Bay Movers. She assembled a great group of about a dozen students as well as teachers from near and far.
I love that I can teach this routine over and over again and still not get sick of it. Of course, the enthusiasm that it is usually received with could possibly have something to do with that.
After class some of us went out to check out Erin's art car.
Erin took River and I on a long walk part way around a body of water that I assume was Casco Bay, as in the name of the place in which we danced.
Erin wanted so badly to be a gracious host to me, but I had no needs and didn't really want to do much but go back to my room and shower and eat. Even though my dinner was going to be cold (ref. Motel 6 rant above). She even offered her microwave up to me in case I wanted to come by, heat up my food and leave. But instead I ate cold food and loved it.
It was weird to be in Portland. All my life I had known Portland to be on the west coast, in Oregon. Seeing signs and store names including the name Portland, momentarily pulled me out of my reality and made me think where I was.
"Maine. Worth to visit. Worth a Lifetime" "Maine: The Way Life Should Be." "Vacationland"
"Where America's Day Begins" (because it's where the sun first shines on the USA every day.) And my favorite one: "Maine. It's not the edge of the universe, but you can see it from the edge of the universe."
Everything about my trip to Maine was lovely except for the Motel 6. Which was one of the worst I've stayed in. The male desk staff were all barely existent and certainly not friendly or helpful. There was an abundance of handicapped parking any where near the only entrance door for the whole building, so there were no parking spaces that didnt' require a long, shlepping walk just to get to the lobby. My room had a musty funk to it and there were no screens on the window, so I had to choose between the mosquitoes or the funk. There was no microwave in the common area, which is not required of Motel 6s, but it's very common. In fact it is very rare that there is no microwave. In some places, you have to bring your food to the lobby and ask at the desk to heat your food up for you, but this place. Nothing. The vending machine is also another fixture at Motel 6 that one could almost rely upon. I don't often use them, but once in a while I get a late night craving for some chocolate and I can usually find something fairly benign in the vending machine. But not this one. The glass had been broken out and all the inventory was gone. At one point, in the morning, a fire alarm went off and they made us all go outside and wait in the parking lot while the fire department came and checked everything out. I was glad to finally load up the car and leave that place.
But in the meantime, I had a bit of respite from the horrors of my accommodations in the form of a lovely Nia class. My easternmost Nia class in the USA. Portland, Maine. I was hosted by Erin Curran who teaches at Casco Bay Movers. She assembled a great group of about a dozen students as well as teachers from near and far.
I love that I can teach this routine over and over again and still not get sick of it. Of course, the enthusiasm that it is usually received with could possibly have something to do with that.
After class some of us went out to check out Erin's art car.
Erin took River and I on a long walk part way around a body of water that I assume was Casco Bay, as in the name of the place in which we danced.
Erin wanted so badly to be a gracious host to me, but I had no needs and didn't really want to do much but go back to my room and shower and eat. Even though my dinner was going to be cold (ref. Motel 6 rant above). She even offered her microwave up to me in case I wanted to come by, heat up my food and leave. But instead I ate cold food and loved it.
It was weird to be in Portland. All my life I had known Portland to be on the west coast, in Oregon. Seeing signs and store names including the name Portland, momentarily pulled me out of my reality and made me think where I was.
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