Drake's SoFreeport Log

Merriconeag Waldorf School - May Fair - Freeport Maine

2008-05-11T04:53:00.000-07:00

Each year the Waldorf school ushers in spring with dancing around the May pole. The teacher's go all out in their medieval dress. This year, more than ever, this rite of spring to stamp out old man winter is particularly appreciated. www.merriconeag.org

Cricket Hunt School - Founder and Head of School Michele Gilbody

2008-05-01T14:02:00.001-07:00

"Things deemed impossible, I dare" is from a poem whose author I don't remember. This quote describes Michel perfectly because of her fulfilment of a life long dream of starting her own school. Michele is from Wells Maine. She graduated from the University of Maine in Farmington. She has 15 years of teaching experience both in public and private school settings. She began her teaching career at the Breakwater School in Portland Maine. Michele liked the way Breakwater School took the time to understand each student's learning style and match it with the appropriate instruction. Michele's teaching career thrived at the Breakwater. Michele also enjoyed several years teaching in the public schools. Eventually the calling to start her own school was too great, and she took a leap of faith to embark on "an interesting ride" as she said to start a new school. In February 2001, she bought a building and renovated it to suit the needs of her new school which she named Cricket Hunt School. By September 2001, Michele opened her doors to five students. The following year she had 15 students enrolled. Michele could qualify for the Guiness book of records for multi-tasking, here is a list of some of her roles: Head of School, Teacher, Admissions Director, Sales Rep and Janitor. Cricket Hunt School now has two locations on Main street in Freeport. Michele will have a new facility located next to Wilbur Chocolates in Freeport starting in the Fall.

Don't miss her article in Kidz 'n Maine, the May 2008 issue titled "Inspiring your child's creative and independent thinking" Click on http://www.kidznme.com/

Do yourself a favor and contact Michele to discuss your child's educational needs. She is articulate and inspiring to talk with. She is an educational entrepreneur who believes her school can make a difference in your child's education. For more information, visit Cricket Hunt School online at http://www.crickethunt.com/ or call 207-865-9696. Her school is locate just across from the Casco Street corporate headquarters of L.L. Bean.

Vanity Plates you'll see in the Freeport area

2008-04-23T05:23:00.000-07:00

When you move to Maine or if you live here already, you will notice an increasing number of vanity plates on the Maine roads as time glides on. That is what I've noticed in the 10 years that I've lived here. I was speaking with Don Cookson who is the Communication Director for the Office of the Secretary of State in August today and he notices this trend as well. Don's communication responsibilities include the Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles. In Maine, there are a wide range of license plates to choose from including the two you see above, the Chickadee plate and the Loon (Conservation Plate) to name a few. Recently the state has added a colorful Agricultural plate with vibrant orang, red and yellow colors. Don said he will send me some statistics on the number of vanity plates owned by Maine drivers. Off the top of his head, Don thought roughly 6% or 7% of registered cars in Maine have vanity plates. Don recounted how he was at an Augusta eatery recently and out of the 25 cars in the parking lot, he estimated that 15 to 18 cars had vanity plates. For license plate fans like me, Don mentioned a USA Today article that touched upon this topic last November, and it can be found here: http://www.usatoday.com/news/offbeat/2007-11-11-vanityplates_N.htm?csp=34

Don is also amazed how many people like me are interested in low number plates. I drive a 007 car...well, if you squint your eyes the car almost looks like an Aston Martin! Just the other day I was at Town landing in Falmouth and Craig and his wife Charlotte whose license plate is simply "C" asked me how I came to be 007. I mentioned it all started after I took my boys to see the last 007 movie, Casino Royale, starring Daniel Craig as the new 007. My boys and I have seen almost all of the 007 movies. Casino Royale was released in November of 2006 and shortly thereafter I had to register my car. I knew at that time that I wanted a low number plate, so I called the Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles in Augusta and spoke with a woman who was in charge of issuing low number plates. She asked me what number I wanted. I paused for a moment because I really didn't know what low number plate I wanted. Suddenly, I said "how about 007"? She responded and said that the conservation plate 007 had just became available. I said "I'll take it". Craig and Charlotte, owners of a Chickadee "C", enjoyed the story. Craig then told me he was a 007 in the Korean war serving in a naval intelligence capacity. It just so happened that his Navy retirement number is 007007.

Now you say, who owns the Freeport plate, spelled Freeputt that I featured above? I think it belongs to someone who works at Maggie's gas station at Exit 20 in Freeport.

Patriots Day afternoon on Bradbury Mountain

2008-04-21T17:27:00.000-07:00

My son and I had a delightful afternoon walk up Bradbury Mountain today. Upon reaching the summit, we met Dane from Corpus Christi Texas who is the "raptor" counter hired by Wild Birds of Yarmouth www.yarmouthbirds.com. I had read the Sunday Press Herald piece several weeks ago and knew that Dane would probably be on the summitt. I also was having a "mandatory fun" event with my 14 year old. There wasn't much happening in the sky during our brief visit with Dane until we were about to head back to the parking lot. As we were about to hit the trail, a pair of Osprey dove from the sky right near us in what Dane described moments later as a spring mating dance. The male was in hot pursuit of the female. Moments later, they were both enjoy circling upward in a thermal. Dane said he heard a wind noise coming from the Osprey wings due to their close proximity. So we were treated to one of the most impressive and quite up close Osprey events Dane had ever witnessed. Dane expressed how fortunate we are to live in an area such as Freeport/Pownal with such a large state park. And such a large state park that happens to on a major raptor migrating route!

Sailboat "Apres Ski" at Brewer's Marine in South Freeport

2008-04-17T15:17:00.000-07:00

The weather is starting act like "Apres ski" with temperatures in the 60's today and into the 70's tomorrow. All of us who have lived through the winter of '07 - '08 with it's record snow fall are a bit worn out! Hope springs eternal with this kind of weather. My wife and I have watched the snow on our property make a "dramatic retreat" as the snow moves off our land and into the forest.

By hey, Sugarloaf and Sunday River Ski areas are still open for business. I'm sure there will be a few "loafers" heading to the hills for one more ski.

www.sugarloaf.com and www.sundayriver.com

Freeport's CEO Fred Reeder

2008-04-14T15:52:00.001-07:00

Especially in a town with national name recognition like Freeport, there are huge residential and commercial development pressures to contend with. The code enforcement officer, aka CEO, plays a critical role by making sure homeowners, landowners and commercial entities abide by the zoning rules in place so that Freeport doesn't one day look like Long Island, New York.

Meet Fred Reeder who is the CEO and has been since 1986 when he relocated to Maine from Southbury Connecticut. Fred's career unfolded as follows. Upon graduation from college, Fred taught for 2 1/2 years at the Deveaureax school, a private school in CT that specializes in teaching those with special needs. Fred then transitioned from teaching to picking up an entirely different skill set. Fred had the good fortune to wind up working for reputable Southbuy builders who taught him all that is required to build a new house.

Fred, his wife and three sons migrated north to Maine in 1986 and first lived in Richmond Maine. Fred's wife's sister lived in Richmond and consequently it was a good place to be as the Reeder family learned more about their new state. Fred thought he might get back into teaching until one day he found a position open in Freeport that was a perfect fit. He applied and was offered the Code Enforcement officer position.

For the last 15 years Fred has lived in the village of Freeport. Fred and other town officials including the design review committee have worked hard to keep Freeport from looking like a homogeneous American small town with big box stores and giant signs dominating the landscape. Most recently there has been a tempest in a teapot over whether or not the Pet Pantry was in compliance with the very bold color of purple color the owners chose. Fred thoroughly researched the issue to learn that Pet Pantry didn't violate a town ordinance.

For all questions, simple or complex, visit the code enforcement officer and his staff at town hall. You can go online to learn about zoning in place for each area of Freeport. www.freeportmaine.com

The "Lilly B" Bustins Island Ferry in winter storage at Brewers South Freeport Marine

2008-04-11T08:03:00.001-07:00

The Bustins Island ferry, Lilly B, is all wrapped up in her winter blanket perched on boat stands sitting next to the Brewers South Freeport Marine building. Brewers had a fire last week created by a massive machine installing new dock pilons for the Brewers' new dock facility. These machines drive the pilons in so fast that extreme heat can build up to become flamable. The new homeland security camera mounted on the Harbormasters office at the end of the wharf determined that arson wasn't involved. Apparently a South Freeport resident woke up at 5 o'clock in the morning to see flames on a few pilons including a barge that was ablaze. The good news is that noone was lost and all the boats at Brewers and Strout's Point were safe.

I asked Rob Taisey whose family has a longstanding connection to the island for help learning about the Lilly B history. Rob has already given me a few leads for me to pursue including Al (Eliott) Spaulding who designed the boat. He and his wife Sue are Freeporters and I understand that Sue could fill in some historical details.

Leslie Berry is the Captain and you can contact her about getting the 2008 summer ferry schedule at 207-841-4944. The Lilly B is scheduled to launch on May 15th, just about a month away.

Buck's Naked BBQ - Freeport Maine

2008-04-10T16:58:00.000-07:00

Today is Buck's Naked BBQ's grand re-opening in the building that formerly was a Dexter shoe store off Exit 20 in Freeport right next to Maggie's gas station. I didn't have an opportunity to sample the food, but I'm very encouraged that I won't be disappointed. Whoever was hired to design the interior of the restaurant did a great job. Upon walking inside, I was reminded of the "Gladstone Smokehouse", one of my favorite places to eat barbecue in Kansas City Missouri. As many of you know, Kansas City is legendary for great barbecue in addition to great jazz. I will be eating at Buck's Naked BBQ with or without my mostly vegetarian family soon and can report back later with first hand experience.

Owner Alex Caisse, featured at the far right in the picture above, is with his awesome kitchen staff. These guys are having a blast cooking up a storm for their patrons. I took the photo at 5 o'clock today on my way home from work. The parking lot was packed which augurs well for the long term success of Buck's Naked BBQ. I didn't get a chance to meet Wendy Caisse, Alex's other partner in the business. For more information, go online at http://www.bucksnaked-bbq.com/ You can also call the restaurant at 865-0600.

North Yarmouth Saltbox - This home will take you back 100 years!

2008-04-08T08:04:00.001-07:00

Isn't this the quintessential New England saltbox home? I never tire of looking at this house when I take the North Road from Yarmouth heading either to Pownal or New Gloucester. Today I drove by this property on my way from Merriconeag Waldorf High School at Pineland Center to Yarmouth. I'd welcome any comment from my readers on facts relating to this property e.g. builder, age of home, etc. If you have any information, click on the "comment" box and share your knowledge with me.

Bayside Boat Sales in Freeport - Steve Trenholm Owner

2008-04-05T10:16:00.000-07:00

Steve grew up with the ocean in his back yard in the Bayside summer community near Northport Maine. While attending the University of Maine, Steve played football for four years graduating in 1977. Afterwards, Steve embarked on a career at sea as a merchant marine working on 800' to 900' tankers carrying gasoline and chemicals to Europe and to Russian Black Sea ports. If you are having a hard time imagining tankers this size, just pretend you are standing in front of the John Hancock building in Boston. Now imagine laying that building on it's side in Boston Harbor!

Steve worked at sea two months on and then was ashore for two months. To keep him occupied while on land, Steve started a part time boat sales business. He began by fixing up Boston Whalers and selling them and then moved up to selling bigger power and sail boats. Steve retired from being a merchant seaman in 1988 and has enjoyed the boat business ever since. On his boat lot, Steve has a large barn like structure which he rents out to Mike Casey. Mike has an expertise in repairing both small and large fiberglass boats. Earlier in the winter I dropped into Mike's facility and he was restoring a beautiful French built 35' Jeanneau sailboat. If I had the money, I would have hired Steve as my yacht broker and bought that boat on the spot!

Steve naturally gets alot of summer traffic going by his facility at 369 U.S. Route 1 in Freeport. He finds that boat buyers typically come to his facility well informed about what they want because of the research buyers do on the Internet. The same thing is true for home buyers. Eighty five percent of home buyers start their search on the Internet and I'm sure the same thing holds true for boat buyers. Visit Bayside Boat Sales online at http://www.baysideboatsales.com/ or Call Steve at 207-329-0094

Steve Drake in front of Merrill Auditorium in Portland Maine

2008-04-03T11:12:00.000-07:00

My wife and I saw several Freeport couples at Merrill Auditorium on Tuesday, April 1st to see a Portland Symphony Orchestra (PSO) performance dedicated to Russian composers. As my blog profile states, I do enjoy Russian classical music because I like thunderous instrumental sounds that optimize all of the instruments in the orchestra. My favorite piece on Tuesday evening was from Rachmaninov Concerto No. 3 in D minor for Piano and Orchestra, Op. 30. Stewart Goodyear, a 26 year old native from Toronto, Canada, had the audience captivated during his piano solos. Stewart drew 3 or 4 curtain calls at the end.

For those of you who are thinking of relocating to Freeport, Merrill Auditorium is a 25 minute drive from Freeport and parts of Pownal. The auditorium is located in the back of the City Hall building across from the Portland Press Herald building. The auditorium has a classy, metropolitan look. According to Joseph Silverstein, a highly accomplished violinist and an interim music director at the PSO, the Port city has a very accomplished group of musicians and an extremely supportive music community compared to other cities the size of Portland. For ticket information call 207-842-0800 or http://www.portlandsymphony.com/

Do yourself a favor and eat at the Freeport Cafe! - Take Exit 18 off 295

2008-04-02T13:56:00.000-07:00

Amy Gillis will make you very welcome at this fine Freeport eatery. In our 20 minute interview today, I learned some very interesting details about her career with the Maine Course Hospitality Group http://www.mchg.com/ In 1994, Amy started work at the adjacent motel next to the cafe where she did laundry at nights. From there, she worked in housekeeping and then progressed to Supervisor. She left Maine at one point in her career to work in New Orleans where she took a very challenging job working for Firestone selling oil changes door-to-door. I could relate to Amy somewhat in that her sales job with Firestone was completely commission based. If she didn't make a sale, she didn't eat. She had to learn how to speak more slowly so that the slower speaking Louisiana residents could understand her. While working her way to top salesperson for Firestone, she dealt with the rigors of reverse discrimination and sometimes sales territory that wasn't exactly prime. When she returned to Maine, she worked for a time as a massage therapist. Eventually, she accepted a job offer to work as a server at Freeport Cafe. And today, she is at the top of her game again as manager.

Amy told me that she has introduced some new ideas to Freeport Cafe which sound pretty creative. For example every Thursday night, there will be a different theme buffet. So everybody needs to get out their calendars and mark the following Thursday meal themes starting this Thursday with a Mexican fiesta buffet. Thursday April 10th is a British Isles buffet; April 17th is a Vegan buffet; followed Thursday April 24th with a Polynesian buffet; and finally on May 1st there is a Southwestern comfort food buffet.

Now that our dollars is on par with the Canadian dollar, Amy has noticed an increase in the number of Canadians eating at the Freeport Cafe. Canadians have either a two week or three week winter break during March. Things really get hopping at the restaurant just after July 4th. Amy sees more tourists and fewer locals in the high season. She'll see more locals as the weather warms up because they will have more disposable income once they aren't spending a fortune to heat their homes. Tax rebates will also be another reason to draw the local crowd.

Great spot for Bikers, Birders, Skiers, Hikers, & snowmobilers

2008-03-31T04:57:00.000-07:00

Bradbury Mountain State Park is a jewel in Pownal located 15 minutes by car from Beans in Freeport. At the summit of this "little" mountain you can see Eagle Island in Casco Bay where Admiral Perry, the Antarctic explorer, spent his summers. There are numerous trails for hikers and mountain bikers alike. In fact, local mountain bike associations are good stewards of the park by helping to maintain trails. I enjoy heading up the quick way to the summit which is .2 miles from the parking lot. It is a great way to unwind while looking at the bucolic farmland below and seeing a slice of Casco Bay and Eagle Island in the distance. I learned from using google that Bradbury Mountain is the only state park in southern Maine to offer shared-use trails for horseback riders, mountain bikers and snowmobilers. The Pownal Land trust should be thanked for their efforts to add conserved lands that abutt Bradbury and connect to Pineland Center. Maine birding News informed me that there were 38 Bald Eagles sighted during the 2007 season. Other significant bird counts include the following: 288 Osprey; 70 Turkey Vultures; and 805 broad-winged hawks. You will want to meet my Pownal neighbors, Derek and Jeanette Lovitch who own Wild Bird Center in Yarmouth for their sponsorship of the Bradbury Mountain Hawk Watch program For more information contact Derek or Jeanette at 846-8002 or http://www.yarmouthbirds.com/

Freeporters Sharpen their WWII History - Uboats off the Maine coast!

2008-03-27T07:16:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Belinda who works at the Freeport library, Freeporters were treated to a fantastic history lesson Wednesday evening, March 26, 2008. Mason Philip Smith, Maine photographer and book author, featured in the photo is an expert about German U-boat activity and German spy activity here in Maine as well as North America. Mason has a bookd coming out called Bold Gamble. Among the approximately 50 people who turned out was a Freeporter who captained Becuna, an American submarine. The Becuna captain began his training aboard her after the war. However, Becuna did prowl the pacific during World War II sinking several Japanese ships. Becuna is now a floating museum based in Philadelphia. To learn more about Becuna history, click the following link. http://www.phillyseaport.org/ships_becuna.shtml If you see a Maine vanity license plate with the word Becuna spelled out, you will know that you are following the captain!

Did you know that two German spies rowed ashore from U-boat 1229 on Hancock Point November 29, 1944? The two German spies were William Colepaugh and a Mr. Gimble who set off to Bangor by walking down the west side highway near Scoodic Point as they headed toward Route 1. A local woman named Mary Fournier was on her way home that evening when she saw two unusually dressed men who were definitely not from here. The Germans were dressed in top coats that were not the kind men wore here in Maine during that time. Mary notified the police shortly thereafter. Meanwhile the two Germans flagged down a taxi and headed for Union Station in Bangor. They took the train from Bangor to Union Station in Portland and then boarded a train to Boston. The Germans stayed at the Hotel Essex near north station, one of them enjoyed the company of at least two American women while in beantown. These guys made it to NYC where shortly thereafter they were picked up by the FBI.

A woman who grew up in Bath during WWII asked Mr. Smith if the rumor about a German spy infiltrating Bath Iron Works was true. He answered that that rumor was true, but fortunately he was quickly apprehended by the FBI. Mr. Smith also confirmed the rumor that a German U-boat sank what I believe was a Coast Guard Ship off the coast of Cape Elizabeth during the war. Our navy had for years held to the position that the American vessel suffered a boiler explosion. Yet just a few years ago an article in the Press Herald confirmed that it was in fact a U Boat that sank the vessel. That same U boat was later sunk by allied forces off the coast of Block Island.

Mandatory Fun for my Freeport Teens

2008-03-25T05:37:00.000-07:00

If you have teenagers and your family lives in the Freeport area, they will ask repeatedly to be taken to the Maine Mall. As my teens don't yet drive, such a request was made to me this past Saturday. I can't stand going to the Maine Mall unless I really need something I can't buy elsewhere. So I told my kids that I needed to go see some crashing surf before taking them to the mall. Periodically, they need to be reminded that they live in an incredibly beautiful state with some of the most dramatic coastline in the country. I think they enjoyed the view for about two minutes because a northerly wind was blowing between 20 and 30 knots. As you can see from my picture, I was having a great time even though I was suffering with a nasty cold. For more information about Two Lights, go to http://maine.gov/doc/nrimc/mgs/explore/bedrock/sites/jun02.htm

Briefly Two Lights State Park is in Cape Elizabeth covering 41 acres. From the parking lot you can climb an old WWII bunker used for U-boat sightings that affords a dramatic view of crashing surf that you don't get at Winslow Park in Freeport. You are just a half mile from Crescent Beach which is a favorite beach of ours in the summer. Both of these natural treasures are located 8 miles south of Portland.

Jeremy Schneider - Manager of Freeport Starbucks

2008-03-21T14:13:00.000-07:00

Jeremy Schneider is the manager of the Freeport Starbucks conveniently located at 49 Main Street. He is a man with many talents which include boat building skills to singing-in-a-chorus skills. When he's not working, he enjoys singing with the Chorale Arts Society which performs in Portland area churches. He volunteers for the Compass Project, a non-profit organization which helps young middle school students learn boat building skills www.compassproject.org.

A native of New York, Jeremy and his wife made the move several years ago to start a new life here in Maine. Maine felt familiar because for many years Jeremy and his wife had visited his wife's grandmother's place in Naples along the lovely shores of Long Lake. I too spent 7 terrific years at Camp Owatonna which is at the other end of Long Lake.

While in New York, Jeremy gained extensive working experience at a Starbucks there. I forgot to ask whether he is from the city or perhaps "upcountry" New York. I'm not quite sure how New Yorks refer to those who live outside of NYC. What drew Jeremy to Maine was an opportunity to work at the Landing School in Kennebunk http://www.thelandingschool.org/. He went on from there to work at Portland Yacht Services (PYS) www.portlandyacht.com which is a large boat builder and repair facility. PYS helped Bruce Schwabb several years ago build his ocean racing sailboat which enabled Bruce to be the first American to race non-stop around the world. By the way, PYS sponsors the Maine Boat builders annual March show which is held in an old turn-of-the-century warehouse on Fore Street. Jeremy left PYS to take on a large boat building project at Six Rivers Marine in North Yarmouth

While at Six Rivers Marine in North Yarmouth, Jeremy worked on completing a 42' Westmack tuna fishing boat. The hull was brought down from Eastport and completed at Six Rivers Marine. The boat owner is a avid Tuna fisherman. Jeremy did some refrigeration work, fiberglass work, and woodwork. He also helped to install the GPS system. He sprayed on the exterior fiberglass compound called gelcoat which required many hours of sanding and buffing. The Westmack has an 800 h.p. Catepiller engine.

When Jeremy and his wife bought a home in Windham, they decided to pursue careers that weren't as cyclical as boat building. So they both went to work for Starbucks stores in the Portland area. Jeremy has 17 staff members which can fluctuate between 15 and 22. Jeremy looks for staff members who have positive energy and who are engaging. The summer season brings in a stampede of tourists to a facility that isn't as large and spacious as the new Falmouth store. When the Indigo Girls came to Freeport last summer, there was a line out the front door for six hours!

Jeremy told me that Starbucks' CEO Howard Schultz has recently taken the helm of Starbucks again. The company had grown rapidly and had diversified into new business lines that took the company off the mark from its original focus. The core mission of Starbucks is a cafe environment where customers can enjoy fine coffee drinks made by baristas. A barista is an Italian term for a highly skilled coffee drink maker. Italians invented the coffee cafe concept over a 100 years ago with the advent of steam milk machines. Starbucks strives to take care of its workers. Those who put in 20 hours or more each week are eligible for "Bean Stock" which consists of a 401K plan managed by Fidelity. These same workers can also apply to purchase health care insurance as well.

In an attempt to not be too long winded, I better close with saying that Jeremy one day aspires to a saiing goal that I reached back in 1992. In 1992, I sailed across the Atlantic, from Boston to Liverpool England, on the sister ship to our Coast Guard Tall Ship "Eagle" Jeremy too would like a trans-Atlantic crossing as long as he doesn't have to do a solo crossing. Yet for now, he's very happy with his Starbuck's management position in Freeport and a terrific lifestyle here in Greater Portland!

Freeport Village Station - Ground Breaking Event

2008-03-20T13:40:00.000-07:00

I was glad to be invited to the official ground breaking for Freeport Village Station at a historic brick building that borders the new 3.5 acre site. Once again, Rich DeGrandpre who was featured on my blog yesterday, told those gathered that this is an important historical event for the Freeport history books. I had to edge around the local TV filming crews to get this picture of Rich DeGrandpre and Governor Baldacci. This project involved the cooperation of the Town of Freeport, L.L. Bean and Berenson Associates of Boston. Opening in April 2009, this large downtown Freeport development includes several shops, restaurants and a brand new free 550 space parking garage. Signed leases for the new retail space include Nike, Calvin Klein, Van Heussen, and Geoffrey Beane. The plan presented includes architecturally designed builders that are in keeping with Freeport's zoning ordinance to preserve the historical look of the village.

When the official part of the event began, Rich spoke about the long term planning that Freeport needed to do to prepare for a future after the heyday of the town's shoe making industry. It was fun to hear Rich teased Governor Baldacci about the awful condition of Route 136 as he came into town today. Baldacci returned in kind to tell DeGrandpre that when he reaches DeGrandpre's age, the governor would like to have a neck strap to hold his eyeglasses just like the one Rich has.

Dressed in his Bean attire including his bean boots, Baldacci joked with Chris McCormick and other officials for being over dressed for digging in the dirt today. Baldacci is a bullish promoter of Maine businesses and workers both in the US and overseas. In fact, Baldacci said he just returned from a trip to Japan where he learned that there are 12 L.L. Bean stores in that country. In his brief remarks, Baldacci said tourism will always be "big business" in Maine. During our summer months, the state receives approximately 3.5 million tourists and summer people which is triple the size of our year round population. He went on to say that tourists typically think of Maine in the following order: Lobster, Lighthouses and L.L. Bean. Chris McCormick, CEO of Beans, spoke briefly of how this project will benefit Freeport by allowing more green space because existing parking near the flagship store will be converted to green space with the addition of the parking garage. (Note Rich DeGranpre and Chris McCormick are featured with their shovels in the picture above. For the Portland Press Herald's full report, go to their website at http://www.mainetoday.com/

Rich DeGrandpre - Owner of R & D Auto in Freeport Maine

2008-03-19T17:03:00.000-07:00

Don't let this picture fool you. Rich DeGrandpre rarely stays in one place more than 30 seconds as he deftly multi-tasks at R & D Auto located on Varney Road just behind Antonia's pizza on lower Main Street. I don't know Rich very well even though we were neighbors in Freeport for just shy of one year. It wasn't that we didn't like the neighbors, we moved just over the Freeport line to Pownal so that our young kids could have more space to roam.

Rich and his right hand man Darrell seem to keep abreast of the wide range of cars that R & D services. Today when I stopped in to photograph Rich, he was trouble shooting a SUV that had radiator fluild oozing out that looked like a Starbuck's Frappachino!

Unlike other garages, when you stop in for your ailing car to be serviced, Rich will educate you about current issues he's dealing with on town council and bring you up to speed. He's also keen to know what you think as well. Rich's other job is Chairman of town council. When I dropped a car off for service the other day, Rich was out of the office handling some important political matters. When he's out of the shop, he has Darrell and three other very capable service technicians to handle the work load. Several months ago I had a conversation with a relatively new Freeporter at Merriconeag Waldorf High School. She and I were talking about car repair facilities in and around town. This person mentioned R&D as the place where she has her car serviced. I inquired how she selected R & D auto? Her reply revealed that she walked into a nearby NAPA auto parts store to ask for a recommendation for auto repair. The NAPA employee volunteered R & D in Freeport. For more information, call 865-3452.

Happy St. Patrick's Day from the Freeport YMCA

2008-03-17T07:47:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful thing to be greeted Monday morning by this happy YMCA executive crew and feel the spirit of the Irish! From left to right Bert Zuckerman, Suzanne Nelson, Tim Stewart & Susan Snyder. Scott Krouse with the large hat is the Executive Director. Tim Stewart is on the baord.

Tim invited me to attend the 6th Annual Casco Bay YMCA Auction Saturday, March 29th from 6 to 9 p.m. Hors d'ouevres & entertainment with an Asian theme to benefit the YMCA's adaptive services program. Tickets cost $30 for a single ticket and $55 per pair. The auction will take place at Delorme Mapping down the road in Yarmouth. For more information call 865.9600

ME Boatbuilders Show - Portland Maine

2008-03-16T15:09:00.000-07:00

If owning a classic Maine built power or sailboat is your dream, then you need to attend the Maine Boat builders show on Fore Street each year in Portland. I was happy to help my friend Tony Widmann sell or attempt to sell boat show attendees who came by the Harbor sailboat display area. You can see a sliver of the Harbor 25 behind Tony and me in this photo. The Harbor 25 is a California built boat with classic Down East Maine styled lines. After the show, the boat you see in the photo is en route to Lake Sunapee New Hampshire for delivery to it's new owner.

I've known Tony for four years. Last year Tony hired me to sell his Freeport house when he decided to relocate to Connecticut. Tony is a venerable yachtsman and a terrific guy who owns Proper Yachts: Fine Sailboats and Powerboats for Sailors http://www.proper-yachts.com/ Proper Yachts has the New York and New England distribution rights to the Harbor 20, Harbor 25, and soon to be the Harbor 30.

I met many people at the show who know me as a Realtor; consequently I had many conversations explaining that I was still in the real estate business. Saturday morning, I had a showing at a wonderful listing of mine at 72 Webster Road in Freeport. The potential buyer is from Virginia and she couldn't have been more taken with this lovely home. You can see it on http://www.realtor.com/; simply select the price range from $400k to $450k option as the home is priced at $449,900.

After the boat show, Tony took me to the Muddy Rudder in Freeport for dinner. I enjoyed hearing about Tony's illustrious business career including a few good stories about his Navy days as an officer. Officer Widmann served in the Navy during the Korean war aboard a 350' (approximate length) ship called the APD Liddle. I laughed when Tony told me that APD was jokingly referred to by the crew as the All Purpose Dog. The Liddle had served in the Pacific theatre during World War II. The Liddle survived a Kamikaze attack which tragically killed many sailors, destroying the wheelhouse and communication tower. Although it's engines were unharmed, the Liddle limped back to port in Hawaii with a manual steering device which made it difficult to manoeuvre through the heavy swells of the Pacific. The ship was moth balled after the war and then brought back to life for the Korean war. Tony was an officer with about 100 men serving under him. The ship conducted a wide range of war game missions to keep the sailors prepared for anti-submarine fire including non-explosive torpedoes that were fired at the Liddle. Tony remembered a refueling operation in the middle of the Atlantic with an aircraft carrier. During one refueling mission, the Liddle almost had a dangerous collision with the aircraft carrier when the two ships got dangerously close. As I recall from Tony's story, the captain of the Liddle
was left speechless when he saw that a collision was imminent. Fortunately, a junior executive officer took decisive corrective action which prevented the collision. The captain tried to save face with his men and tried to blame the executive officer for the near collision. Several months later the captain was forcibly removed. He apparently made regular mistakes and bad decisions.

That's it for now. As you can see I can easily ramble on with nautical intrigue.

John Chatterton - co-discovered German U-Boat - Speaks at Topsham library

2008-03-14T19:19:00.000-07:00

Do yourself a favor and read Shadow Divers - The True Adventure of Two Americans Who Risked Everything to Solve One of the Last Mysteries of World War II by Robert Kurson. John Chatterton standing next to me along with his German American partner, Richie Kohler (not pictured here) identified what was referred to in the book as the U-Who. John spoke to over a 100 people today at the Topsham Public library about his successful commercial diving career and how it led him to spend five years and most of his savings trying to properly identify the U-who, located 60 miles off the coast of New Jersey. In my opinion, John Chatterton should be as well known in Maine and New England as Tom Brady and Bill Belichick.

I promise you that this book will appeal to you whether you are male or female. Kurson is an unbelievable story teller. I'm not an avid reader, but I was spellbound by reading this book.

I'm very glad that I read my Freeport Community Library (865-3307) March newsletter this month. I learned about the John Chatterton talk from Marie McCann who was in attendance with 5 or 6 other fans of Shadow Divers. The library had a Shdow Divers Book discussion group that evening with led by fellow Freeporters Bob Lezer and John Karp. John Karp has an extensive underwater diving and sailing background. John had several harrowing underwater tales to share, two of which were life threatening! It was fascinating to have in attendance a World War II submarine captain who gave us a window into the world of submarine life and culture. He and his wife live off Flying Point Road in Freeport. Several attendees spoke about the recent movie by Nova titled "Hitler's Lost Sub" which features John Chatterton and Richie Kohler and their discovery of U-869, the alias U-Who mentioned above, that sits on the bottom of the ocean in 230' of water.

John Chatterton (http://www.johnchatterton.com/) describes himself as a diver. He related the story of having an epiphany when he woke up from a dream in the middle of the night and got the clear message that he was to be a commercial diver. He soon enrolled in a commercial diving school in Camden New Jersy funded by the G.I. bill. His first commercial dive took place in the Port of Philadelphia in what sounded like an old fashioned dive suit and helmet with people topside controlling his air flow. John said as he descended in the murky water he immediately felt alone and quite uncomfortable. He had almost concluded that when he returned to the surface, he would get in his car and head home, leaving behind commercial diving forever. Yet the calling to be a commercial diver outweighed his initial fears. He would perform many types of work underwater including matters relating to power plants with pneumatic tools, cranes, etc.

He soon became intrigued with ship wrecks and wondered how they ended up on the bottom of the ocean. Was it a hurricane or a torpedo? John started diving deeper. He's gone as far down as 500'. The majority of divers never go beyond 130' feet. John pointed out that there is a huge difference between the simply recreational diver and the diver thirsting for real adventure. One of his first significant dives was on the Andrea Doria that sank in July of 1956 off the coast of Nantucket. There have been 13 wreck divers who have died while swimming around inside that famous wreck. There is a high probability that the divers contracted nitrogen narcosis which John describes as a diver being able to think, but unable to control the functions of his body.

Getting back to John's discovery of U-869. The submarine was built in Bremen Germany and departed somewhere after April 15, 1944. John found a gas canister on U-869 with the 4-15-1944 date. Toward the end of the war, Germany was running short on raw materials including brass tags on hatches that made it more easy for divers to identify earlier U-boats. U-869 didn't have any brass tags on the hatches and the true identity of U-Who came from the electric motor room in a box. It was in the electric motor room that John Chatterton ran out of air after a heavy metal object fell on him. Fortunately, John had brought down extra tanks secured to the outside of the sub. He quickly bolted for the outside of the sub, swimming by his bewildered partner, Richie Kohler who thought he was going mad. John told me at his talk that he never thought about the possibility of death. He said that he berated himself for not being more attentive to his oxygen supply and that he was over eager to haul out several other heavier boxes that would hopefully had the indentity tags in them.

Well, I'd better sign off so that you can go buy a copy of Shadow Divers which has sold over 1 million copies and has been translated into 21 foreign languages. To learn more about the book go to http://www.robertkurson.com/

2008-03-12T15:57:00.000-07:00

I'm always interested to learn how people transition from one job to another. I'm fascinated to meet people like David Young pictured here who do what they love to do and know that the money will follow. David started Freeport Book Shoppe in 2001 after working as Security Director for Maine Medical Center for 20 years.

David is from Bangor who with his family moved to Greenport, Long Island where he attended high school. David wasn't a book collector at an early age. However, he told me that he read all the classics before he entered high school. He moved back to Maine and I'm guessing in his 20's he signed up for the Army reserves. He completed his reserve committed in August of 2001.

In the last few years before David left Maine Medical center, he began going to book auctions. To his credit, he has invested well in real estate; including 176 U.S. Route which is headquarters for Freeport Book Shoppe. He does have a Raymond store that is only open during the tourist season. He is a self-taught antiquarian and used book expert. I rarely goes to a book auction these days. Rather, he has "book scouts" who know what David likes to buy for his store. He considers himself a book generalist, yet David learns quite a bit from his customers and their particular interests. While I was interviewing David, a customer from Farmington Maine was eagerly browsing the shelves for early English mysteries. Apparently, this person is one of his regulars!

He estimates that he has 40,000 books available for sale at any given time. He calculates this by determining how many books on average will fit in a linear foot and multiplies that by his total available shelf space. One he visited an estate sale in Bowdoin and discovered a treasure trove of books in a huge, classic Maine barn. There were books dating back to the 1700's and 1800's. He paid the estate a fair price and loaded up what amounted to 2 pick up trucks worth of books. The books easily sold once they arrived on his Freeport shelves. David sells books for as low as a dollar all the way up to $300 for a rare book.

David is on a book finding mission for me. He is looking for a book by a German U-boat captain about his perspective on submarine fighting during World War II. As you may know from my profile, Shadow Divers by Robert Kurson is one of my favorite books. John Chatterton who is the main character in this book now lives in Harpswell Maine. Chatterton and his partner Richie Kohler discovered and properly identified U-869 as being sunk 60 miles off the New Jersey coast. U-869 had previously been thought to have sunk off the coast of Gilbralter. Even if you aren't a submarine fan, you will be spellbound by reading Shadow Divers. Check out Robert Kurson's website at www.robertkurson.com

His busy time starts when the tourists arrive on Memorial Day and goes right through the end of October. January and February business tends to be a bit slow. For David and his wife, that's a good thing. He just returned from a trip to Mexico which helps to break up the long snowy winter. For more information go online at http://www.freeportbookshoppe.com/ or call 207.865-9524

Thai Garden - featured below is Prisa, the owner and manager!

2008-03-10T12:38:00.000-07:00

Prisa is the proud owner of Thai Garden in Freeport. Whether you are a local or a tourist, you will want to eat lunch and eat dinner here. Prisa has a fascinating story which includes immigrating to the United States and arriving in Oakland California when he was 4 years old. Prisa's family left Vientian (the capital) of Thailand because of difficult political conditions. Apparently, there is a small wealthy group of individuals that control Thailand, at least that was the case when Prisa left years ago. Prisa lived for a period of time in Elgin Illinois where his mom's sister lives. His uncle successfully started a Thai restaurant in Bar Harbor as well as in Brunswick, Maine. Bankock Garden is the Brunwick Thai restaurant which has since been sold to another owner outside the family.

Prisa is a graduate of Deering High School in Portland Maine with one and a half years of college experience. He speaks Thai fluently; although he said he really doesn't read or write the language. He and his parents became United States citizens in December 2007. He is very excited to be an American. With American passports, he and his family can now plan their first trip home to Thailand since they immigrated to the US. Odd as it seems, Prisa says he knows more about American culture and history than he does about his native Thailand.

Prisa became active at Thai Garden in 1998 and 1999 starting out with odd jobs in the kitchen. He essentially grew up with parents who worked in Thai restaurants and consequently knows the business through his parent's and his uncle's experience. Today, he owns and manages the restaurant. Because business is doing well, he has hired two very helpful and friendly waitresses, both of whom are named Jenny.

His uncle started Thai Garden 12 years ago. Then another uncle took over for several years. Then that uncle's son ran the business until ownership transferred to Prisa. Prisa has a loyal Freeport customer base including my wife and me. Prisa and his Thai staff in the kitchen work 7 days a week from 10 in the morning until 9:00 in the evening with extended summer evening hours. He is very happy with the location of his restaurant and he benefits tremendously with all the Route One summer traffic. I didn't ask if he has a website, but you can try to google Thai Garden in Freeport Maine for more information, including the phone number. Thai Garden does a substantial take-out business!

Meet Jim - Freeport DiMillo's Yact Salesman

2008-03-06T10:34:00.000-08:00

I pulled into DiMillo's lot this fine, sunny morning and saw some pretty impressive motor yachts under winter wraps. I did manage to fix my eyes on one lonely sailboat in the 30' length range for sale that piqued my interest. I will report on that at the end of today's post.

Jim and I had lots to talk about during our nearly one hour interview. Soon after sitting down, Jim was tempting me with glossy brochures of sleek, Down East style, aka lobster boat sytled, new power yachts. In fact, I'm drooling over the Back Cove 26' and the Back Cove 29' brochures as I write. Back Cove yachts is a sister company to Sabre Motor Yachts. Back Cove yachts offers less teak and bright work; yet imprssive style and less money than a Sabre.

I told Jim that I race on a Sabre 34' sailboat named Milady; owned by Kris, a Freeport cabinet maker. Kris keeps his Sabre 34' is top condition. He also is competitive and whips his crew into great shape for the Harraseeket Yacht Club summer wednesday evening races.

Jim manages the Freeport Maine office of DiMillo's Yacht Sales. His primarily function is to focus on selling new and brokerage yacts; including, Sabre, Back Cove and Criss Craft brands. Prior to yacht sales, Jim sold surgical supplies for 10 years.

DiMillo's is highly recognized name in greater Portland because of it's long standing good reputation for fine seafood on a floating restaurant with a floating marina next door. Chris DiMillo, son of the founder of DiMillo's restaurant, launched DiMillo's Yacht Sales back in 1998. Like Jim, Chris sold surgical supplies in California just after he got out of college. When Chris' dad called him to see if he would be interested in managing a yacht sales business, Chris jumped at the opportunity to be back in Maine. However, Chris wanted DiMillo's yacht sales to be his own venture; independent of his father. You might ask if Chris has been successful? The answer is a resounding "YES". Right now DiMillo's is the number 1 Sabre Motor Yacht dealer in the world. Jim says the Sabre Motor Yact dealers in Massachusetts are green with envy about the stellar success of Portland based DiMillos Yacht Sales.

Built in South Casco Maine near Sebago Lake, Sabre states in it's advertising "At Sabre, we believe every detail in a boat should have the power to move you - not just transport you." Check out the boats at http://www.dimillos.com/ and see if you agree.

DiMillo's has four locations including Portland Maine, Freeport Maine, Freeport New York and Montauk New York. Beginning this summer, DiMillo's will have a sales office in Bar Harbor which Jim feels will be an incredible venue to sky rocket boat sales with nearby Hinkley and Morris Yacht sales offices. DiMillo's has 25 employees; eight of whom are yacht brokers. There are six service guys including a master marine electrician, marine mechanic, boat washer and service manager. I should also mentioned that I had the pleasure of meeting Graham who is the service manager.

Jim picked up on my interest in that one sailboat on his lot. Like a good salesman, he encouraged me to make an offer. And yes, even to consider financing for a 1968 Netherland's built and sort of Bristol yacht styled Complex Contest. I had never heard of the boat manufacturer but the boat's sweet lines and wood trim spoke to me and give me something to bring up with my wife this evening. Fortunately, my wife likes to sail. With 3 kids heading for college, I'm not sure it would be a wise move to follow my instincts to make an offer on the Netherland's contest!

Say Hello to Josh at the Freeport Transfer Station

2008-03-05T13:15:00.000-08:00

You will appreciate Josh when you make your weekly trip to the Freeport transfer station. He often lends a hand if you have multiple recycling bins to empty. Josh operates the scale for those who drive a truck or haul a trailer behind their vehicle with bulky or metal waste to dispose. The scale is hooked up to a personal computer and within minutes you will know the disposal fee. Josh acknowledges what a great community Freeport is and appreciates that residents treat him nicely.

Josh is from Durham, a fine town bordering Freeport to the north. A graduate of Brunswick High School, Josh loves to snowmobile in the winter during his spare time. He especially likes to snowmobile in Rangely or Greenwood, but will ride anywhere in Maine. In the summer, his favorite outdoor activity is either saltwater or fresh water fishing.

My Brazilian born wife has had it up to here with the snow! Aruba anyone?

2008-03-02T14:31:00.000-08:00

We who live in Maine are somewhat concerned that the snow and ice may never recede. Perhaps the new ice age just started. We'll get through this record breaking snow fall, but you should know that April school vacation is just around the corner!

My wife would love to have you book your sun-filled Caribbean, Mexican or Florida vacation at http://www.mybesttraveldeals.net/ Call Heidi at 207.688.6242 to learn more about the following Spring Break 2008 specials. There are low, low prices that include air and hotel packages for the following destinations: Acapulco, Cancun, Daytona Beach, Jamaica, Las Vegas, Los Cabos, Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta.

Heidi's travel business is associated with YTB International, headquartered in Illinois. YTB is a company that makes it easy to start your own travel company with discount travel and tax deductions that make sense. Sign up under Heidi Drake at http://www.mybesttraveldeals.biz/ and you can immediately qualify for an 8 Day "Taste of Europe" Tour that includes France, Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany. This all inclusive trip for new travel agents is $1,099 plus $280.00 for airport tax is available through March 31, 2008. Please note that the price is subject to increase if the dollar slides more than 3% against the Euro. Enter Tour Code ES8.

Consider an exclusive 9 Day "Taste of China" tour for new YTB travel agents. This trip will take you to Beijing, Shanghai, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Xitang and is hosted by YTB & Spring Tour International, the largest tour operator in China. Simply enter Tour code: BT9. The cost is $999 departing from Los Angeles plus airport taxes of $280.

Heidi has excellent Freeport references. One Freeport family recently experienced huge savings by booking on Heidi's travel website for a church group heading from Portland Maine to New Orleans. After exploring all other travel websites and travel agents, these particular clients were astounded at the savings they received on Heidi's travel site! Call her today at 207.688.6242.!

Mike Perrino, Principal owner of Casco Bay Yacht Sales

2008-02-28T14:48:00.001-08:00

I don't know about you, but I'm ready for spring! Like many sailors, I love to ski; however, after February school break I'm starting to long for the lazy hazy days of summer. Today I saw the first signs of spring at the Portland In-Door Boat Show off Warren Avenue. There were rows and rows of glistening new motorboats and a few new sailboats. Under foot on the walkways, there was a comfortable, soft green astro-turf on which to leisurely walk around and visit with the boat vendors.

I was hoping to run into Mike Perrino at the show and as you can see I was successful. Mike loves the used boat business and he loves his prime Freeport location on US Route One across from Cold River Vodka. During the summer, tourists will get off 295 by the Delorme mapping store in Yarmouth and cruise up to his facility in Freeport.

Mike grew up on Great Pond in the Belgrade area of Maine and has been involved with boats his whole life. Mike majored in Forestry at the University of Maine in Orono. He become involved with Casco Bay Yacht Sales in 2005 when he decided he would pursue a career that he really loves. He has a a few service technicians working for him as well as Heidi, the woman who manages his office.

I saw a few sailboats for sale that caught my eye. He has a 33' Hunter sloop listed at $21,000 which doesn't sound bad at all for a sailboat of that size. He also has a 20' foot 1975 centerboard Balboa with a full suit of sails on a trailer (no engine) for $2,495. Visit his office at 398 US Route One or visit his online store at www.yachtworld.com/cascobay/ His toll free number is 1-877-242-3472 or the local number is 207-865-4103

Meet Clinton Swett - At Freeport Town Hall

2008-02-28T07:18:00.000-08:00

Clinton Swett is the Assistant Freeport Town Assessor and someone you will enjoy getting to know. He is knowledgable, helpful, organized and calm amidst all the demands on his job. Clint and I spoke about his Maine roots, education and career development in his very attractive corner office at Freeport town hall. Clinttold me that there are many Maine residents with the last name of Swett just as I know that there are many Drakes located throughout Maine. His mother is from Calais and his grandfather is from the Houlton area. There is a Canadian family connection too with several family members in the Bangor area. Clinton's mother remarried a Pharmacist in the Portland area which is how Clint arrived here in southern Maine. H graduated from Portland High School, one of the oldest and prestigous urban American public school systems in the US. He attended the Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Technical School where he focused his studies in the Travel industry. He obtained his first job as a computer operator for a Research and Development firm in Columbus Ohio where he worked for 18 years. Clint and I both share work experience in computer operations back in the days when computers were large behemoths requiring special air conditioned rooms. Clint joked about working a CDC mainframe computer that was water cooled. Clint moved back to Maine in 1998 and took a job at CMP in their computer operations department. When CMP outsourced their computer operations department to New York, Clint had been working a part time job in the town of Freeport Finance department. When Lynn Anderson, the assistant assessor, left her position, Clint was a natural choice especially with his extensive and highly developed computer skills. When he is not working, he enjoys dabbling at golf. He says it is a good day on the golf course when he doesn't lose too many balls and no one gets hit by one of his shots. He and his wife love to travel, especially to Quebec City. He also loves living in Freeport and marvels that he and his wife live in a town that attracts thousands of tourists from all over the country and the world. He and his wife are within easy walking distance from their Kendall Road home to local restaurants and shopping.

Cold River Vodka - Chris Dowe

2008-02-26T15:52:00.000-08:00

I enjoyed getting to know Chris Dowe today, an Operating Principal and Head Distiller, at Cold River Vodka in Freeport. Cold River's other Operating Principal is Bob Harkins whose past professional life included U.S. Women's ski team coach. Cold River Vodka came to market in October of 2004 with an official launch meeting held at the Harraseeket Inn. Chris and Bob have a unique corner on the US vodka market in large part because of the copper pot still that you see in the photograph. The copper takes out the bitter sulphur compound and yields a vodka product with a "backbone" as Chris describes it. Cold River Vodka obtains fresh potatoes from Donnie Thibedeau's Green Thumb Farm in Fryeburg Maine. It takes about 11 days to produce 200 cases of Cold River vodka. Chris has extensive experience setting up microbreweries nationwide; so far Cold River is distributed in all the New England states including Delaware, Maryland, DC, South Carolina, Kentucky, Indiana and Florida. Just like the nationwide microbrewery movement that created strong demand for local beer, Cold River is part of the "craft distilling movement" comprised of a large number of small distilleries surfacing across the country. There were 60 new craft distilleries when Cold River came to market. Today there are 140. Chris says that the demographic for vodka drinkers is a high income 35 to 65 year old. Chris is originally from Windsor, Connecticut. He lived for a short period of time in Kennett Square, PA, known as the mushroom captial of the country where he sold medical office equipment. Today Chris and his wife live in New Gloucester which is close to Freeport and is a Maine town that has beautiful rural land and open space. For more information http://www.coldrivervodka.com/

When you live in Freeport, you occasionally need to get away!

2008-02-22T11:41:00.000-08:00

I haven't been posting for the past week as it is Maine's February vacation and our family had a Colorado getaway. Here I am with my two boys, Phillip and Daniel on top of Snowmass earlier this week. Perhaps our family was the exception, because undoubtedly many Freeporters have skied the "loaf" or other fine Maine ski establishments like Sunday River, Mt. Abrams, etc. In fact, one Californian who rode with us up the chair lift asked me "Doesn't Maine have good ski areas?" Of course I answered a resounding "yes".

Heidi, my wife, is a travel consultant with her own travel website at http://www.mybesttraveldeals.net/ She knows how to save you money on travel and she did just that for our family for February break. We visited family in the greater Aspen area this past week so we had no lodging expense. We saved significantly on the airfare because my wife booked our travel on her travel website. We flew the outbound and return leg of our trip on a Thursday. Did you know that Thursday is the cheapest day of the week to travel? It would have cost us an additional $400 per person to travel on any other day. Our rental car that we picked up at Denver International Airport was almost as expensive as our plane tickets. Yet, with Heidi's travel agent discount we saved significantly on the car. When you live in Freeport or the Greater Portland area for that matter, you are in easy striking distance of Logan Airport, just a 2 hour ride on Concord Trailways www.concordtrailways.com We flew Midwest Airlines which has the most comfortable seating, business class leather seats with tons of leg room! Oh, did I forget to mention anything about Aspen real estate? Real estate is all about location, right? I saw ads in the Aspen Times for a 9,000 s.f., seven bedroom, seven bath home offered at $29,000,000. The former Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the United States has his home on the market for $110,000,000. Apparently, the ambassador sold his guest house for a mere $25,000,000. Anyway, it's nice to be back home, refreshed, and ready for a good solid spring Freeport real estate market.

Freeport Curves - Imagine all the fun You'll have working out here!

2008-02-12T03:48:00.000-08:00

Jacqueline who is the owner, seated on the excercise machine in the photo, and Mary Lou, Amanda, and Julia are the staff that will make working out a whole lot of fun. My wife, a Curves member, mentioned that Julia is a great artist with some of her works featured in the health club here. Jacqueline is from Kansas City, Missouri which is a classy mid-western town. Jacqueline and I were talking about the "city of fountains" where a JC Nichols, a local developer went to Europe in the lat 1800's and bought many grand fountains and them shipped to Kansas City where he integrated them in one of the most attractive residential developments that I've ever seen. We also talked about the great barbeque that is a hallmark of the town. Speaking of Hallmark, the world headquarters of Hallmark Cards is in KC. Jacqueline is certified by the American Physical Fitness Council. She received her certification at a course she took in Las Vegas where she studied with famous fitness icons like Jack Lalane and Arnold Swartzeneger. She started her women's fitness career at a health club in California. According to Jacqueline, it was a long story how she arrived here in coastal Maine, a story she felt would be too long to include here. Jacqueline opened her first Curves in York, Maine about 13 years ago. She's delighted to now be in Freeport and she simply loves living in Maine.

The mission of Curves is "Strengthening Women" founded by Gary Heavin and his wife. Gary says in his book, "The Curves' dream began over thirty years ago when I dropped out of a pre-med program and took over a failing health club. With nothing but a passion for women's health, I began the learning process that would inevitably evolve into the world's largest fitness center franchise" The book I refer to is titled "Member Guide: Curves, strengthening Women". So ladies, don't delay, go visit Freeport Curves today which is located above Thai Garden, easily reached off Exit 20 in Freeport. Or call 865-3147

Freeport Conservatory Design Gallery

2008-02-10T14:57:00.000-08:00

I had the pleasure of meeting Heidi Pranger who manages the retail end of Freeport Conservatories. Many of you have probably driven by world headquarters here in Freeport as you can see their contemporary office from 295. Heidi and I talked about her business and her background in the conservatory featured in this photo which is one of three conservatories that you can view. Heidi is a Mainer who has lived in far away places like Oslo, Norway and not-so-far-away places like San Diego. She also lived for a while in New York City. She and her husband, who is from Cumberland, were glad to finally make it back to Maine. I was interested to learn that Heidi is a flight attendant who is quickly making a full time transition to managing Freeport Conservatories. check out the outside view of the conservatory featured in my photo at http://www.freeportconservatories.com/

The custom designed conservatory featured with Heidi seated for this photo measures 14' x 14' and was constructed in the UK. While I was in the showroom a man came in who lives in a retirement community in Falmouth. Heidi gave him the tour and arranged to meet with him in Falmouth for a site survey. This customer seemed very enthusiastic about what he saw. The process typically works as follows: Heidi visits the site and takes the measurements which are converted by computer design equipment to the metric system and sent to England. The time can take as little as 8 weeks; but normally takes anywhere from 12 to 16 weeks. There can delays assoicated with the trans-Atlantic voyage via cargo ship from the UK to Boston. US Customs can delay a shipment up to 3 weeks. The conservatory is locally assembled with a final cost of around $250 dollars per square foot. A 4' deep frost wall foundation is poured on which the conservatory is placed.

I am a prime candidate for a conservatory. I need as much winter sunlight as possible to make it through January and Febrary. My Brazilian wife would also enjoy winter living more easily if we had one attached to our home. We may call Heidi soon at 207.450.3522.

Frost Gully Violin - A one-of-a-kind Maine Music Store!

2008-02-08T06:39:00.000-08:00

I had a very pleasant, late afternoon visit with Kevin McElroy at Frost Gully Violin in Freeport. There was a nice piece of Irish or Celtic recorded music playing in the background. Kevin is a New Englander with family ties to Downeast Maine and to the north shore of Boston. He has been fixing instruments all his life. He studied music instrument restoration at UNH in Durham under the famed Hans Nebel. Nebel is from Bavaria and was fortuneate enough to escape Nazi Germany in 1944. Kevin founded the business here in Freeport 12 or 13 years ago. A unique, full service store, Frost Gully provides the opportunity to buy a violin, a cello, a viola, a mandolin, or simply to buy bows. No worries if you can't buy an instrument, Frost Gully has music instrument rentals. Right now Kevin has 300 rental instrument contracts which he is particularly proud of. I shouldn't neglect to point out that you can also sign a contract where you can rent-to-own an instrument. As long as a school has a music program, Frost Gulley provides rental instruments to grade schools all the way through to colleges. He supports musicians at the Portland Symphony Orchestra, the Bangor Symphony as well as the Mid-Coast Symphony. This store is so unique that you won't find another like it between Freeport and Boston. Kevin likes the variety of interesting and diverse people in the Freeport community. Kevin has clients who come as far away as Winnepesaukee, NH. He says that people always have a reason to come to Freeport. Kevin appreciates Freeport's busienss-friendly environment. For more information, drop in the store located next to Royal River or go online at www.frostgullyviolins.com

Mako My Day - Perfect Description for our Weather today

2008-02-06T10:34:00.000-08:00

The name of this boat caught my eye as I drove down US Route 1 in Freeport today. The boat is bundled up in shrink wrap and sits cheek by jowl to other winterized motor boats on the lot owned by Casco Bay Yacht Sales www.yachtworld.com/cascobay/ . Today's weather includes a winter weather advisory for the Freeport area which includes a wintery mixture of rain, sleet, snow and who knows maybe even a smattering of hail if we're lucky.

On the real estate front, I have a new listing at 72 Webster Road in Freeport. The price is $461,600 and it shows beautifully. Check it out on http://www.realtor.com/ by using the MLS number of 877853. I had an open house before the disappointing Super Bowl last Sunday. The 3 people who dropped by to view the home loved it!

Kevin Gallagher - Freeport area Personal Insurance Agent

2008-02-04T14:04:00.000-08:00

I have a daily regimen of swimming laps at the Freeport YMCA. Recently I've had the pleasure of meeting a fellow Pownal resident, Kevin Gallagher. He and his family moved up from Portland in 2004 to enjoy country living with the convenience of easy access to Maine's largest city. Kevin and his wife Mia treasure being able to walk in their woods, keep chickens and the occasional pig, and enjoy the peaceful life. I was interested to learn that Mia Dyson is the minister at the South Freeport Church.

Kevin grew up in the Fairfield county (Westport, Norwalk) area of Connecticut which is about an hour from New York City. As this is the day after the Patriots lost to the New York Giants, it is important to point out that Kevin is a passionate Patriots fan who is heart broken as I am about the game last night. Kevin spent the summer of 1974 up the coast in Friendship which made a great impression on him. In 1982 he moved to Maine to work at Portland Stage Company as Lighting Designer and Master Electrician. After different careers that included work as an electrician and social worker, he raised mllions of dollars for Friends of Casco Bay and the Univeristy of New England. Kevin is now proivding insurance protection to families and businesses throughout southern Maine through his work for J.C.Milliken Agency and Guardian Life.

Kevin has served as a Board Member of MaineShare, the Pownal LandTrust, and the Maine Society for Clinical Social Work, as well as Chair of the Finance & Stewardship Committee at Mid-Coast Presbyterian Church in Topsham. Now, his free time is spent driving his four children around, reading, and cheering on the Celtics. Give him a call at 651-9411 if you wish an insurance quote for Auto, Home, Busienss, Life, Disability, or Long Term Care.

Scott Krouse - Executive Director of the Freeport YMCA

2008-01-30T13:17:00.000-08:00

From early childhood to the present day, the Y has been an integral part of Scott's life. Raised in Boothbay Harbor by parents who are from Pennsylvania (his dad from Allentown & his mother from western PA), Scott feels there is no better place to live than in Maine.

He feels very lucky to be working as Executive Director at the Freeport Y which is one of three facilities that comprise the Cumberland County YMCA. An avid basketball and baseball player in high school, Scott picked up golf and tennis when he went to college. He felt golf and tennis would be activities he could enjoy for a lifetime; he also became a tennis coach during college. Scott graduated from Boothbay High school and moved on to further his studies at Springfield College in Massachusetts where he majored in Sports Management. Scott then went on to pursue a Masters degree in Education from Springfield College. As part of his graduate work Scott completed an internship with the Boston Celtics working in their front office.

Mike Harrison, a former Executive Director at the Boothbay Harbor Y, proved to be very helpful in Scott's emerging career. For starters, Mike employed Scott at the Boothbay Y during college allowing him to work in many departments experiencing the true diversity the Y offers. As he emerged into the world of work, Scott started out at the Portland Y where he was a sports and recreation director. He eventually became Executive Director of the Portland Y.

Scott handles multi-tasking very comfortably or so it seemed to me when I saw him handling situations that arose and needed his immediate attention. As I waited to interview him, Scott lead a tour of board members through the new construction site that will give the Freeport Y very needed space to expand. Susan, one of his employees, was informing Scott about a critical repair needed in the women's shower area. As Scott and I sat down to talk, he told me he had to prepare for a board meeting later that day.

Scott spoke earnestly about his goal to raise $167,000 for financial Aid to both individuals and to families who can't afford the many wonderful programs that the Y offers. I learned that noone is turned away from the Y due to inability to pay. The Y provides financial assistance in many different ways such as: childcare, summer day camp, membership, adaptive services, swim team, etc. The need for financial assistance continues to rise. For example, this year alone there are 110 members on the Stripers swim team; over $5,000 has already been provided in financial support for children to swim on the team.

The next time you visit the Y ask for a copy of their Long Range Strategic Goals. I had no idea that the Casco Bay Freeport Y serves 600 indivduals every day! How do all of these activities happen and who are these faithful workers? Scott says that a Y is as strong as the community that supports it. The Freeport Y wouldn't be what it is today without the dedicated support of all their volunteers. In fact there is a goal to double the number of volunteers this year. Another major goal this year is to address the high incidence of obesity, chronic disease, and other healthcare crises among our community. For web information, click http://www.cumberlandcountyymca.org/ To suport the financial aid program, call 865-9600.

Royal River Natural Foods - A one-of-kind Maine organic store!

2008-01-30T04:24:00.000-08:00

I had just read an article in the newspaper titled "Happiness is a warm 'thank you' in the Christian Science Monitor before my interview with the owner at Royal River. Marilyn Gardner, the Monitor staff writer, says "Ask bosses what makes employees happy at work, and many are likely to think in terms of tangible rewards: a good salary, a pleasant office, generous benefits." Marilyn goes on to say, "...workplace specialists are discovering that for many workers, the "happiness factor" depends heavily on intangibles, such as respect, trust, and fairness"

Ruth Finch who comes from Connecticut is the founder and owner of Royal River Foods. She is fully committed to taking good care of her workers. This fact is proven out when former workers move away, but return to Maine to visit Royal River and express their appreciation for the special place that it is. Customers like this place so much that they periodically ask Ruth whether she would consider opening other stores in Maine or even out-of-state. For Ruth, her workers are like extended family and she takes good care of them by offering a profit sharing program. Founded 14 years ago when Ruth had two small children, she came up with the idea to start her own organic market. She said to me that she had no idea how hard it would be to start her own business. Had she known, she might not have even tried.

Royal River is all about providing quality organic food and being one of a very select few outlets that support Maine organic farmers. Ruth began her career in organic natural food working many years ago at the "Good Day Market" in Portland. Ruth first started Royal River Natural Foods in Yarmouth, at that time hardly anyone in this area knew what Tofu was. Today world headquarters is located in a beautiful building on US Route 1 in Freeport.

Tina Wilcoxson, the general manager, is from the county. She has been with Ruth for 12 years. Tina said that in 2007, 25% of goods sold at Royal River were from ME organic producers. Tina loves the work culture at Royal River so much as evidenced by her 12 years of service. She said, "If I didn't like it here, I would have moved on a long time ago". Tina's husband calls her the "mayor" because she is recognized everywhere she goes. When Tina and her husband reached the summit of Tumbledown mountain, within minutes a Royal River customer was madly waving and hollering out her name.

Doug hails from Easton Massachusetts. He is the grocery manager who coined the phrase "the home office is upstairs" Indeed the home office of Royal River Foods knows how to satisfy their Freeport, Pownal, and Yarmouth customer base. Ruth saw a customer in the store that has been shopping here for 14 years. You'll see her in the above photo with Ruth's arm around her! So, no need to call Austin Texas to find out what the corporate office feels is right for the Maine organic client base! I don't think I will ever feel quite comfortable shopping at the new Portland big box organic food store ever again.

Sharon Hughes & the Freeport Hardware Crew!

2008-01-27T05:36:00.000-08:00

While visiting with business owner Sharon Hughes Saturday morning, I learned a wonderful story about the woman and her very capable crew that make Freeport Hardware a "true value" to the Freeport community. Sharon didn't want me to take her picture without including all the employees that make her company such a success. Candidly, she admits she couldn't operate Freeport Hardware without their fine customer service and their depth of knowledge about the products that she sells. Sharon and her late husband Mark ran the business for many years. Mark's life's dream was to own a hardware store. For years Sharon and Mark were climbing their respective corporate ladders as they moved about the country. It was hard on her family because they weren't able establish roots and strong ties to a community. Sharon described her life as fairly ordinary until she and Mark embarked on their small business journey of a lifetime. Mark and Sharon mortgaged just about everything they owned to start the business. I don't recall how many years they ran the business together before Mark contracted cancer and passed on. Sharon, alone at the helm at Freeport hardware, without seemingly any working knowledge of running a hardware store had some important decisions to make. I'm sure she had many a sleepless night wondering which direction to take with the business. But she forged on with the business and with her employee partners who keep the ship profitably on course. Sharon says she never goes home at the end of a day without learning something that is pretty cool about the hardware business. Sharon's expertise is in the area of finance and she mentioned working with such companies as M&M Mars and McGraw Hill in New York.

A native of New Hampshire, Sharon and her family regularly came to Maine during summer vacations in the Kezar lake area. Sharon and her husband were so glad that they landed in Freeport because she feels the residents are so wonderful and were so supportive when Mark passed on. She and I agreed that this town is a great community of both locals and people "from away". She has one son who graduated from Stonehill College in Massachusetts and is now working in Manhattan for Goldman Sachs. Given recent events on Wall Street, I'm sure he is helping Goldman Sachs chart a steady course through some pretty stormy times. One day, Shaon hopes her son will come back to Freeport. For more information, call 207-865-9557.

AutoWerkes Maine - European Auto Service

2008-01-24T15:34:00.001-08:00

I am having a blast this week meeting so many remarkable business people in Freeport. Today I interviewed Voit Ritch, owner of AutoWerkes Maine which specializes in fine European automobile service and sales. A native Pennsylvanian like myself, Voit lived and worked in the Lehigh Valley area of PA http://www.lehighvalleypa.org/. Voit has considerable professional experience working on foreign cars. I'll let you click on his website for a more complete presentation of his professional qualifications http://www.autowerkesmaine.com/. But before you click away, let me share with you an interesting fact I learned about him. Voit was a partner in AIR Corporation. What is AIR? Bill Cosby, one of my all time favorite comedians, had a funny answer to that question in a 1960's record album. Anyway, in Voit's case, I learned that AIR stands for Automotive Import Recycling. In the late '70's and early 80's AIR Corp. would do a "total makeover" of an old BMW or Volvo in just 8 to 10 days. For many years, Voit enjoyed coming to Maine in the summer and he always found suitable work here. In 1982 he moved here for quality of life reasons including more affordable real estate and less clogged highways. Today, he has his new auto repair business in Freeport. Voit is a real estate investor in the Augusta area. I'll have to help him invest in property here in the Freeport area. So, drop in and introduce yourself to Voit or to his service writer and parts manager Ryan Jenks. Autowerkes services BMW, Mercedes, Porsche, Audi, and Mini brands as well as Volvo cars. For more information, call 865-6600.

Freeport Tack Company - Lisa Judd owner

2008-01-22T09:40:00.000-08:00

You would really enjoy getting to know this fascinating Freeport business owner as I did earlier today. Lisa hails from Massachusetts, yet was brought up in Saudi Arabia in the port city of Jeddah. Her father worked for an American company with a base of operations in Saudi Arabia. As a young girl she got to know Prince Sulton's daughter who was an avid horse back rider. Lisa and her Saudi friend had access to the Sulton's horses and rode horses over a vast area on his land. I mentioned to Lisa that I visited Jeddah 10 years ago when I was shipboard director for Class Afloat www.classafloat.com , a 188' tall ship that served as a floating high school for Canadian and American children. Lisa said she sailed on the Red Sea in small sailboats known as Lasers. The Red Sea is known to have a large white shark population and Lisa said it wasn't as much fun to snorkel after she saw "Jaw's" in a Saudi Arabia theatre. She grew up without TV in Saudi Arabia and it served her very well because she took advantage of all that a woman could enjoy in that country. As you may know, women can't participate fully in that country as they do here. For example, women can't drive cars. Lisa mentioned that there was a pool near her home where the Americans and other foreigners lived, however, the pool was segregated in such a way that there were hours for men to swim and hours for women to swim. She lamented the fact that she never got to swim with her father. Lisa and her family knew friends who lived in Tehran back in the 1970's and several of her family friends became hostages during the crisis in Iran during the Carter era. When Lisa reached the age of 15, she had to leave the country as the government felt that western teenage values were in stark contrast to Saudi values. The government paid for her to attend a fine school in New York; although Lisa laments that she didn't opt for a private school in Italy or elsewhere in Europe. Lisa speaks Arabic, French and of course English. She came to Maine to attend Bates College and is a trained Speech Therapist. In April of 2003 she started to work at Freeport Tack company. By December of that year, the owner decided to move on in her life and sold the business to Lisa. She has an active local clientele including a number of clients from Quebec and other parts of Canada. So, please stop in to see her fine store before Lisa moves next door where she will double her current retail space. For more information, www.freeporttack.com or call 865-1811.

Imported Motor Cars of Freeport

2008-01-21T06:47:00.001-08:00

Mark who is featured here in front of his new business, Imported Motor Cars of Freeport, has extensive experience in the automotive business. Last year he bought the building here at 353 U.S. Route One in Freeport which previously operated as Freeport Automotive, a small local used Volvo dealership. Mark has an active Mini Cooper business including European cars such as BMW, Audi, Mercedes, VW, Saab and Volvo as well as Japanese brands. Many of his cars are purchased at the Manheim auction located one hour west of Philadelphia where I'm from. Each car he purchases is subject to a thorough inspection to make sure he offers customers the best quality used vehicle. Mark is thrilled with his new business and is amazed how all the details of purchasing the business all fell into place. He leases a space behind his showroom to a company that focuses on foreign car repair, a business that will be featured in a upcoming sofreeport post. Go online at http://www.importedmotorcars.com/ to check out his inventory. Or call Mark at 865-0008.

Freeport's George Brockman - Watercraft and Sport car enthusiast

2008-01-19T12:08:00.000-08:00

After swimming my laps at the Freeport YMCA, I ran into Owen, a regular reader of this blog. He offered the wonderful suggestion to start featuring Freeport people in the SoFreeport blog. So, please meet George Brockman and his wonderful golden retriever, Olive Oil. George grew up in South Freeport and spent many years sailing on Casco Bay. George excelled in sailing so much that he competed in the National Sear's Cup where he raced a variety of sailboats including Turn-Abouts, Lightnings, and Explorers. He spoke enthusiastically about the thrill of sailing on a 16' Hobie cat strapped into a trapeze harness and heeled over to the max! His love of speed led him to power boats and eventually buying and selling them. Today I saw everything from a 16' skiff to a 34' Luhrs Motor Yacht on his lot. He business is both local and from those who are from away including a number of Canadians from Prince Edward Island (PEI), Nova Scotia and even Newfoundland. Apparently the PEI customers are in the Oyster business and are willing to drive the 10 hours down to Freeport to pick up a good, used boat. George is a youthful looking Vietnam Veteran who is an amateur race car driver. He competed at the 2004 Vintage Celebration in New Hampshire International Speedway in a very cool looking 750 horse power Chevrolet. Top speed he told me with a wide grin was 180 mph. Maybe I sould sell George my ME license plates with "007" on a conservation plate.

Jay Pinkham - Freeport's Harbormaster - Summer seems a long way away.

2008-01-18T05:04:00.000-08:00

Today's post is a work-in-progress as I need to connect with Jay Pinkham, Freeport's harbormaster for an interview. Jay has the best water view town office in Freeport located at the end of town wharf. Jay manages a busy harbor including a waiting list for those who like me would like a permanent mooring in the harbor. To be on the waiting list, you need to pay a $5.00 dollar yearly fee. The thinking behind this is that those who are willing to pay a yearly fee are truly interested in having a mooring. Last time I spoke with Jay I learned that the waiting list was significantly whittled down. Freeport residents are eligible to be on the waiting list which effectively means that as a Pownal resident I will not be able to get a mooring. However, there are moorings available at Strout's Point Marine and Brewer's, the two private firms that provide year round boat services. You can easily google "Freeport Maine harbormaster" to find out how to apply for a mooring. You might want to also check out http://www.maineharbors.com/ Fair winds and following seas!

Would you believe this is MacDonald's in Freeport?

2008-01-16T07:54:00.000-08:00

I was speaking with a new client of mine who is moving to Freeport from the Midwest. She and her husband are so taken with our town for many reason. One in particular is the way the town maintains it's New England charm with respect to all the national retailers who have to tone down their signage in order to business in Freeport. For example, one of the first things that visitors notice upon entering the village off of Exit 22 is how subdued and almost camouflaged the MacDonald's restaurant is at the corner of Mallet Drive and Main Street. My Midwest clients live in a town in Illinois where national retailers clog main street with large stores and super-sized signage. Ah, Maine the way life should be!

Motoboat "Knot too Fast" ahead of me on 295

2008-01-11T15:16:00.000-08:00

I was thoroughly amused on my commute from Freeport to Portland by having a motoboat ahead of me with the name of "Knot Too Fast". As a sailor, the Maine State police couldn't have orchestrated a more original idea for reminding motorists to obey the speed limit during morning rush hour. Anyway, Happy Friday!

On the real estate front, my wife and I looked at the second phase of the Concord Brook condominiums located just off Pine Street in Freeport. We liked the way the developer tucked that phase into the woods. There is an extensive trail system behind Concord brook that leads to R&D auto as well as all the way to South Freeport village. Call me to set up a viewing of both the new and resale units at Concord Brook.

Tree Clearing near Exit 22 in Freeport? What's the Scoop

2008-01-10T07:26:00.000-08:00

There still is no definitive word on what kind of building, if any, that might emerge on land that appears to belong to Pine Tree Academy. Perhaps Brendan Krueger, the school's Principal, will post a comment soon about what might be happening. The school, which is owned by the Northern New England Conference of the Seventh Day Adventists, hosts a large gathering of church member in July on their property. They also have a wonderful classic car show in August that car buffs wouldn't want to miss. The school's website is www.pinetreeacademy.org

Pine Tree Academy - A school with a fabulous music program

2008-01-09T07:36:00.000-08:00

Pine Tree Academy is a K-12 Christian School whose mission is a quality Christ-centered educational institution full dedicated to the development of the spiritual, intellectual, physical, social and artistic talents of each student. My wife and I have been thrilled with Dottie Krueger who runs the music program at Pine Tree. Our daughter Elizabeth took piano lessons with Dottie for many years. My son Daniel has taken cello lessons there as well. Mrs. Krueger has taken some of her Pine Tree Academy music students on a European tour. If you have any further questions about the school, you can send an e-mail to Mr. Brendan Krueger who is the Principal at bkrueger@pinetreeacademy.org

Pine Tree owns 80 acres of land that borders in part 295. I've had several inquiries from readers of my blog about a large clearing of trees visible from 295 near Exit 22 that appeared within the last month or so. I may have an update from Mr. Krueger soon to share with you about potential development plans.

Beans has banner snowshoe sales this Christmas Season

2008-01-08T08:38:00.001-08:00

I bought my wife snowshoes at Beans just before Christmas. Actually, I made my purchase the day before Christmas. According to Bean company spokesman, Lori Brooks, the company identified a new spending pattern shift where consurmers like me did a significant amount of shopping the two weeks before Christmas.

My snowshoe salesman, Eric, was very knowledgable and helpful in assisting me with my purchase. He mentioned low inventory for snowshoes including the new "snap-on" snowshoes that I bought for my wife. Clearly the heavy snows here in Maine have driven consumer demand for this product. Fortuneately, I had a box of snowshoes under the tree for my wife. However, I had to call Beans catalog sales to order the actual shoes that went with the snowshoes. The shoes arrived the Friday after Christmas and my wife was ready to head outside and enjoy a walk in our woods.

My wife is from Rio de Jeinaro where snow is unheard of. So it was all the more fun to see happily walking on top of our 22 inches of snow in the yard.

Stay tuned for updates about Village Station which is land that Beans owns in the center of town but has leased to a developer. The developer is charged with building the new garage and stores and leasing them. This project will make shopping in Freeport an even better experience than it is already. My wife and I stopped in at the Kittery Mall on the way back from Boston last weekend. What a boring shopping experience that is!

Cabella's, a national outdoor sporting good store headquartered in Nebraska, is moving to Scarborough on the corner of Haigis and Payne Road sometime in the spring of 2008. Scarborough seems like a bit of a drive from Freeport, but I'm sure I will make a trip down there to see how it compares to Beans and to see how price competitive they are.

You can't beat homeownership - Freeport ranch, log home!

2008-01-07T08:40:00.000-08:00

This is a lovely 3 bedroom home in Freeport situated on 2.5 acres of land on Baker Road. I am the listing agent and it is scheduled to close on January 15, 2008. Once it closes, I can provide you the sales price.

It still makes sense to own a house and here is why. You have a "Use" asset that depreciates over time, while it grows in market value. Naturally, you need to keep the home in good repair to maximize your return on investment.

For example, with a stock you put in all your money for a little piece of a company. With a house, you put down a small amount of money (small is debatable) and you get all of the house. What other investment can you put in 5 percent of the cost of the asset, reap all the appreciation and pay no capital gains? Of course you need to own the house for two years and for singles you pay no tax on capital gains up to $250,000. If you're married, you pay no tax on capital gains up to $500,000.

Winslow Park Caretaker's house

2008-01-06T18:19:00.000-08:00

I am hopeful that someone at the Freeport Historical Society will comment on my blog to interpret this house at Winslow Park. The restored house no doubt has a story including when it was last renovated. It appears to be the home provided to the caretaker of the park. I would think there would be a long line of applicants for the caretaker position when the current one decides to move on.

Freeport's Purple Pet Pantry & Webster's Proposed Septic Bill

2008-01-05T06:43:00.000-08:00

The Pet Pantry featured here in this photo was the center of local media attention this fall with respect to whether or not it conformed with Freeport's ordinance for preserving the traditional New England village look. The owners prevailed when Fred Reeder, the code enforcement office, stated that in fact purple was an acceptable color. In fact, there were probably many colorful homes during the Victorian era around the late 1800's and early 1900's.

Freeport's David Webster is proposal a septic system bill modeled after a Massachusetts law that has allowed that state to have a thriving shellfish industry on Cape Cod, the Elizabeth Islands, including Nantucket. Webster's bill would require that failing coastal septic systems be corrected at the point of sale by the seller or the buyer.

Passenger Rail Update

2008-01-04T05:28:00.000-08:00

There is much discussion about the Downeaster and how to fund the train in Maine. There is also talk in the state house about a proposal from the rail authority for Maine to pick up an 8 million dollar tab. In as much as I like the idea of the train service from Boston to Portland including an additional northern rail service to Freeport and further north, I'm a tax payer who is not willing to pay that kind of ticket. I think I've taken the train to Boston twice since the service began4 + years ago. I usually take the bus to Boston's Logan airport as an alternative to driving. It's still cheaper to drive to Boston for the occasional visit to Boston's back bay or to a sporting event.

On the real estate front, there is talk in the media about how home prices rose faster than rents. Since 2000, the price of buying a home shot up faster than the cost of renting one. This large divergence illustrates an overpricing of homes that can't be sustained. "Historically there's a relationship between value of a house and equivalent rents," says Bob Walters, chief economist at Quicken Loans in Livonia, Mich. Information gathered for the real estate news is from the Christian Science Monitor 1-2-2008 article written by Mark Trumbull In 2007, 22 parcels of land in Freeport sold, far fewer than during the peak of the market several years ago.

Forecast for the 2008 Housing market

2008-01-03T05:47:00.000-08:00

The Wednesday, January 2, 2008 Christian Science Monitor had a front page article "Home prices: Where's bottom?" There were a few nuggets of information that I wanted to pass along to you including the National Association of Realtors data that said America's median home price is now $210,200, down 3.3 percent from a year ago but 7.6 percent above its 2004 level. In the last 3 months sales volume and prices for existing home sales, not new construction, were fairly stable. The current for-sale market has a 10 month supply of previously owned homes and a nine-month supply of newly built homes. An area of concern is that there is a higher foreclosure rate than in past housing downturns. Obviously a higher foreclosure rate could push prices down faster because a foreclosed home most often sells for a much lower price than a home sold with a Realtor. For a full report see Mark Trumbull's article at http://www.csmonitor.com/

Pound-of-Tea to Bustins - Winter canoe races anyone?

2008-01-02T08:42:00.000-08:00

This is a racing canoe seen training on the St. Lawrence river for the upcoming race during carnival time in Quebec City. I propose that Freeport start such a competition especially this year with the early snowfalls we've had that normally don't come until February. In the Fall there is the Lobsterman triathlon here in Freeport. Why not a canoe race from Pound of Tea island to Bustins and back. Maybe I'll contact Beans to see if they want to be a lead sponsor. Who wants to join in and help organize this?

On the Freeport real estate front, there were 100 homes sold in town in 2007. 84 units were single family, the others were condos. Today I've shown property at the Running Ridge subdivision off the Baker Road. This is an affordable, convenient subdivision which seems to be selling well given the market that we are in.

New Year's Day in Freeport & at Pineland Center

2008-01-01T13:45:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! Here is a photo of Snowbird, a lobster boat tied up at the Freeport Town Dock. The easterly, raw wind was starting to kick up while I was down at the harbor this morning and you could feel a snowstorm brewing in the air. All the seasonal snowbirds who enjoy Maine in the warmer months are missing out on all the fabulous snow we are getting this winter. My wife and I went to Pineland Center www.pinelandfarms.org after lunch today to enjoy the miles and miles of groomed cross country ski trails. I saw many Freeporters at the Visitor Center or on the trails this afternoon. What a great way to kick off the new year.

Another Freeport Favorite home

2007-12-31T19:23:00.000-08:00

This is another one of my favorite houses in Freeport. I listed this house in January of 2007 and it sold in the middle of July for $670,000. The relatively new house was a resale because my client's wife had passed on late in 2006. Both my client and his wife had become my friends during the time I worked with them to find this property back in 2005. My client's wife passed on in November of 2006 after a quick illness. Notwithstanding the sad circumstances, RC Emerson was the builder and Eric Huemme and his crew deserve praise for how well they worked with my client, a Princeton trained architect. Today the house belongs to a young doctor, his wife and their young daughter.

Quebec City is relatively close to Freeport, ME

2007-12-30T05:50:00.000-08:00

Our family makes a yearly trip to Quebec City which is only 250 miles from Freeport. According to the Delorem software I used at the Map Store in Yarmouth, www.delorem.com, New York City is 336.77 miles or 11 hours from Freeport. Apparently the software calculates the traffic time as well as the tolls one would have to pay. Nevertheless, it is far easier to drive to Quebec which is only 5 hours from Freeport, than to drive to NYC. Those of us like me who have lived in large metropolitan areas before coming to Freeport appreciate Maine country living. Yet, every now and then it is great to see the sights and sounds of the big city. Our family appreciates Quebec City because it feels like you are in Europe without actually having to fly to Europe. The French Canadians are great people and they certainly appreciate any effort the tourist makes at speaking French. You will be welcomed with open arms if you can say "Bonjour". Then simply ask your question in English and they will send you off in the right direction. The picture above was taken on a ferry boat that was breaking through ice, not Polar ice, but chunks of ice that would make it difficult to cross in a small boat. The famous Frontenac Hotel is looming in the background.

On the way to Bradbury Mtn from Freeport - A Pownal Masterpiece

2007-12-27T05:41:00.000-08:00

On the way to Freeport from Pownal Center, you pass this amazing property that has been preserved with the help of the Maine Coast Heritage Trust land conservation organization. This barn and farmhouse sits on 18 acres of open land. It is visible from Bradbury Mountain, a large state park with hiking trails and mountain bike trails. Bradbury Mountain is a 15 minute drive from Exit 22 in Freeport.
Pownal has an active land trust working hard to preserve open space. Quoting again from Richard Barringer from the Portland Press Herald article "Report: Maine's singularity key to development" on December 5, 2007, "Our woods and waters, our open field(s), our historic and cultural heritage, our picturesque downtowns and working waterfronts, and our tradition of public access to private lands" are treasures that are imperiled by "the selling off of our industrial forest, the decline of agricultural lands, the arrival of large-scale national retailers, the spreading out of homes and schools across the landscape, the buying up of coastal, riverfront and lakefront lands, and the lack of investment in our downtowns."

What makes Maine and Freeport Marketable

2007-12-26T06:55:00.000-08:00

A December 5, 2007 Portland Press Herald article titled "Report: Maine's singularity key to development" suggests that economic development should be aimed at the overall appeal of the state. That "assets" of Maine consist of the natural beauty and the desirability of Maine as a place to live, to vacation, to work or perhaps for those who don't mind the weather, as a place to retire. The governor put together a task force called "Maine's Quality of Place" which examined ways to preserve the state with such programs that I've touched on here before, namely, the Land for Maine's Future and tax incentives for historic preservation. The report reiterates that "...Maine's surroundings are the very key to our economic future. Other ideas include a an intrastate trail system to connect all of Maine's major centers with trails. Freeport has adopted that idea already with many conserved lands in town offering trail systems. By the way, the Lobster Cooker featured here is located on Main Street in Freeport next to the Gap.

Santa Claus comes to Town

2007-12-25T06:20:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas! Santa Claus is somewhat difficult to see here in a prominent display window at Thomas Moser, a fine furniture maker here in Freeport. Most of us who live here are very much acquainted with the masterpiece furniture that this firm creates. You should do yourself a favor and visit the showroom on Main Street located diagonally across from the Harraseeket Inn. Check out www.thomasmoser.com

More Holiday Spirit

2007-12-24T09:52:00.000-08:00

This Hunter Road homeowner in Freeport has their annual candy canes attached to their birch trees out front. Hunter Road is one of my favorite routes to return home from either business in Portland or Freeport. The road has an easy rural feel which helps me unwind from the "busyness" of modern living. This house has a near front row view of 40+ acres of field which is mostly used to grow blueberries.

Downtown Freeport 2 days before Christmas

2007-12-23T10:09:00.000-08:00

Sunset on Main Street taken at the major intersection with Bow Street across from L.L. Bean with Ben and Jerry's ice cream shop barely visible to the right. Two more days until Christmas means the commercial part of Freeport will be clogged with last-minute Christmas shoppers today and tomorrow. I will have to contact the Freeport Merchants association soon to see how this holiday season compares with the last few years.
The days are now getting longer and by summer of 2008 you will see a huge, positive change in the downtown area with the large construction project featuring an expanded central village area with new shops, including a new parking garage behind the buildings to the left.

A Winter view of the Drake Property

2007-12-22T09:13:00.001-08:00

I thought it was only fair that I took a photo of our house since I've been so actively photographing and describing other peoples' houses around town. I also had a friend from St. Louis who asked me to send her family a photo our our house with all the snow we've received this December. Our family lives in the Evergreen subdivision just over the Freeport line in Pownal. The property is in a storybook setting, especially at this time of year with regular snow falls. We have a pond out front and to the left side of this photo, but it is currently buried beneath 18" of snow. Our lot is almost ten acres in size which is extremely rare for a subdivision living in the greater Freeport area. There are 11 lots that comprise the Evergreen subdivision; on one side of Woodland Road there are 5 acre lots, on the other side the lots are 10+ acre lots in size. Our house was designed by an engineer who owns his a commercial enterprise in Portland. The house was built in 1989.

This Freeport House was a Church!

2007-12-21T08:23:00.000-08:00

24 Kendall Lane in Freeport was converted to a single family dwelling in 1977. The Christian Science Church of Freeport sold the property in that year. Through a bit of networking today, I had the pleasure of speaking with Clinton Mason who now lives in Florida. Clinton and his family moved to Freeport in the early 1940's from Winchester, MA. He mentioned that the first Christian Science Society was located on the Pownal Road in Freeport. Clinton's family owned Mason's Drug Store in Freeport right near L.L. Bean. In those days, L.L. Bean was in a building located over the post office. In the 1950's Clinton sold advertising for Channel 8. He actually called on Mr. L.L. himself and sold him a television Ad. According to Mr. Mason, back in the 1950's L.L. Bean was doing $300,000 a year in sales. He and I couldn't put a figure on how many billions of dollars the company makes today. One other memory stood out to Clinton which was that on his first day of high school back in 1946, Clinton was given a bucket to collect the rain water that dripped through the roof. Clinton would be amazed to see how nice the Freeport school buildings are today.

John Libby - Houses and Barns

2007-12-20T06:17:00.000-08:00

This photo is world headquarters in Freeport Maine for John Libby's firm, House Masters and Barn Masters, located just off Exit 22. I took the picture from the Freeport Middle School driveway looking across 295 to the north. I don't have any Freeport houses or barns to share with you today, but I am certain my friend Ben MacDonald who works for John Libby in a sales capacity will respond to this post with a few examples. I do know of a house in Falmouth currently for sale off the Johnson Road that has a barn that was restored by John Libby. For more information click http://www.housesandbarns.com/

One Cove Road Freeport

2007-12-19T05:22:00.000-08:00

This house, listed for $599,000, is being split off from it's original 38 acre parcel and will convey soon with just 4 acres. I hope that the Freeport Conservation Trust is working with the Shaw family to preserve the remaining 28 acres. The house was built in 1780 and is a 4 bedroom colonial that has a commanding view of the Porter's landing area including the Harraseeket river. This house is located at the other end of Cove Road from where I took the picture of the Michael Welsher house several days ago.

The Freeport Flag Ladies

2007-12-18T07:31:00.000-08:00

The Freeport Flag Ladies were out in front of St. Jude's this morning with their American flags and enthusiastically waving at drivers like me. I felt impelled to pull over and get into the picture. This picture was taken by one of the four famous FreeportFlag ladies. These fine people not only reawaken our American spirit on Tuesday mornings but they hold regular yard sales to raise money for soldiers serving in Iraq and their families. They also periodically drive to Bangor and greet returning servicemen and servicewomen at the Bangor International Airport. If unfamiliar with all their good work, I invite all of you to learn more about the Freeport Flag Ladies by going to their website http://www.freeportflagladies.com/

A December sunset at Porter's Landing

2007-12-17T15:44:00.000-08:00

Porter's landing is one of Freeport's special places to live. It is all of 2 minutes from the retail area of Main street, yet it is a study in contract with the holiday shoppers marching around Main Street. I'm standing on the boat ramp at Porter's landing where I have launched my boat in past years. At high tide, it is the perfect place to put in a kayak or a canoe and paddle to the mouth of the Harraseeket or to Pettingill Park. The photo features another fine Michael Welsher house built 3 or 4 years ago for a woman who wanted a peaceful haven from the hustle-and-bustle of Boston. This house located on Cove Road has a perfect view of Falls Point marine and the boat launch. Currently, there is a house located at 1 Cove Road that was listed at $599,000 and went under contract in 10 days. I'll provide an update on that property in a future post.

The Freeport Fendersons and Swift their horse

2007-12-16T06:19:00.000-08:00

In Freeport, there are always new discoveries, especially with respect to the residents and their rich and interesting life accomplishments. Meet the Fenderson family, minus their eighth grade son who was playing his musical instrument at the time of this photograph. Michael is the French teacher at the Merriconeag Waldorf School on Desert Road. He also has a major role on school governance which is comprised of teachers who help make administrative decisions for the school. Bobbi, his wife, is a guidance counselor in the Greeley school system. I've known Bobbi and Michael for ten years, yet only in the past 3 years did I learn that Bobbi loves horses just as much as I like to sail. So Michael and his friends figured out a way to make Bobbi's dream a reality. During the past two years I've watched this barn emerge from a foundation to the handsome building it is today. Michael reminded me that there are a few remaining projects including trim and putting up clapboard siding on the side and the back of the barn.

Michael and Bobbi are from northern Maine. I was informed by their son who is a good friend of my son's, that Bobbie has family both in northern Maine and in New Brunswick. Michael has a sister and a brother who live in southern Maine, Phippsburg and Falmouth respectively. Michael's brother is a builder and probably had a part to play in this barn. Before kids, Michael and Bobbi spent a year living in France. Michael is a self-taught guitar player. They both love to sing. I'll invite their friends and family to amplify or to claify some of their life experiences that I've shared here.

Contemporary Home in South Freeport

2007-12-15T06:40:00.000-08:00

I congratulate the owners of this South Freeport house for their bold design. A Portland Maine architect designed this house for a couple who had moved here from California. Unfortunately I can't remember the architect's name at the moment. My wife and I have been inside this home and it has a wonderful original feel. I will try and get more details in another post for this house.

One of my favorite new houses in Freeport

2007-12-14T08:00:00.000-08:00

This fine, tasteful home was built by Michael Welsher on a lot formerly owned by my wife and me. This house sits on 2.5 acres and abuts the Bliss Woods conservation land. There is public access to the Bliss Woods conservation land by way of a short driveway located next to Bliss Woods Way off the South Freeport Road. In 1999, South Freeport residents raised $538,000 to purchase 86 acres which comprises Bliss woods conservation land to prevent a 37-home subdivision from materializing. Today, one can walk all the way from Bliss Woods to Sayles field behind South Freeport Church in the village. Sayles field, which is 63 acres, was acquired in 2001 when Michael Welsher's father, Larry Welsher, took charge to help raise $885,000 to buy and preserve the hay fields and surrounding woods.

Hemlock Ridge - Call me for details

2007-12-13T06:18:00.000-08:00

Land prices in Freeport have been coming down in the last year. However, the costs associated with building a new house remain high and are not projected to come down any time soon. All new Freeport subdivisions are required to have land set aside for conservation or common areas to avoid the "cookie cutter" suburban subdivision look; this is true here at Hemlock Ridge. Typically these kinds of subdivisions allow lot sizes of an acre or at the most 1.5 acres in size. I have clients who prefer the old 2.5 acre lot size available in older Freeport subdivisions. I'm waiting to hear from the owner of this subdivision about the details with respect to lot size, underground or above ground utilities, and whether or not the association road will be paved. Most important to me is whether or not the owner(s) will compensate me if I bring a buyer to Hemlock Ridge.

Don't miss Classic Convertibles near the Big Indian

2007-12-12T08:24:00.000-08:00

If you are a car buff like me, it's hard not to turn your head and look at the Classic Convertible lot while driving on Route 1 near the Big Indian in Freeport. Businessman,Roger Bowdoin, had a novel idea several years to open a business that restores and sells classic American and foreign cars. I've seen a range of cars on his lot that I would like to own including a '57 Chevy's, a '73 Monte Carlo hardtop and even a Delorem gull wing sports car. The snow covered 1973 Monte Carlo featured in this photo is listed for $13,000. You can also have your car or classic Roger owns the Classic custard business next store which is mobbed with locals and tourists during the warm season. Spring of '08, Roger will be opening yet another business nearby called "Classic Cookout".

FSBO in Freeport

2007-12-11T10:40:00.000-08:00

If you took the trees down out front, this is the view you would have from the living room of a For Sale By Owner on the Webster Road. It is a Colonial on 2.5 acres built in 1989. It is a spacious 3 bedroom home with a very attractive garden in the back. The first floor features a family room with gas fireplace and cathedral ceiling, a large eat-in-kitchen with custom oak wainscoting and adjoining year-round sun room overlooking perennial gardens. The seller is offering to compensate a buyer's agent, so please call me if you know of someone who might like to live here.

Christmas Spirit Alive and well in Freeport

2007-12-08T11:42:00.000-08:00

It was sort of a "Robert Frost" moment as it started to snow Friday evening when I was on my way home from visiting a client on Baker Road. I immediately pulled the car over and walked up to the front door to ask permission to take this photo and post it on the Internet. Permission was granted and I thought my readers would appreciate seeing that the Christmas spirit was alive and well in Freeport. I was told by the homeowner that this nativity scene has been a regular feature on Durham road for a number of years. The gentleman went on to say that the Nativity scene occupied his parking spot in the barn; consequently, his truck would be left outside and uncovered for a few weeks until Christmas was over.

Freeport Snapshop

2007-12-07T11:25:00.001-08:00

Talk with those who live or work in Freeport to learn about the diversity of people and the rich community life that comprise this town. There are fishermen and business owners, bank president, and a state senate president. Freeport teens have a new community center. L.L. Beans and investors from away are transforming Freeport into an attractive village for both residents and visitors to enjoy. Call me to learn why you should think about buying a home in Freeport. Now is the perfect time to buy!

Freeport Grinch on Baker Road - Miscellanoues RE comments

2007-12-05T07:39:00.000-08:00

We've had an early nor'easter snow storm this Monday as you can see in this photo taken on Tuesday, December 4th on Baker Road. I'd like to think that this Freeport homeowner is telling the real estate Grinch to leave town.

Those of us in the real estate business feel that the media Grinch needs to stop harping on the bad real estate market. All markets are local and Maine and Freeport are doing pretty well thank you very much.

Yet we can't ignore the problems that got the country into a national real estate slump. We've all heard the bad news about the sub-prime market. The National Association of Realtors which is the voice for the 1.3 million members in the residential and the commercial real estate industry is encouraging Realtors to to contact their senators for Senate action needed to accelerate the real estate recovery. According to the Christian Science Monitor yesterday, the Federal Reserve is taking action to avoid more foreclosures by helping some homeowners freeze their interest rates. You can read that story online at http://www.csmonitor.com/

Baker Road Barn - November Home sales data

2007-12-03T08:23:00.000-08:00

The answer to the December 1 post is "Needlework and Fine Yarns on Route 1. I've asked the owner for a press release to give me more information about their company and the renovation of their building. You can contact them at 865-6110.

Today's post features a nice barn located on the Baker Road. I met the owner of the barn about a year ago after the barn was completed. This is an example of a barn that I would like sitting on my property in Pownal.

Here is the "sold" data for Freeport during the month of November:

2 Youngs Lane $172,900 Days on Market (DOM) 122 days

78 Varney Road $300,000 DOM 94 days

90 Flying Point Rd. $550,000, DOM 176

330 Lower Flying Point Rd. $585,000 DOM 22

Where is this busienss in Freeport?

2007-12-01T08:15:00.000-08:00

It's sparkle weekend in Freeport. Do you know where this business is located? Hint, you can reach it when you drive from the Big Indian on Route One to the village of Freeport. You can also see this lighthouse structure when you drive north to Freeport on 295.

The Porter House - But not at Porter's Landing

2007-11-30T09:29:00.000-08:00

This house is essentially around the corner from the lovely farmhouse and barn located at 400 Pownal Road, the house that I featured in my previous post titled "A Freeport Gem". This house is owned by a Porter, the namesake of Porter's landing and is located on 8.9 acres.

I recommend that you visit the Freeport Historical Society to learn more about the Porter Family. The current exhibit it "Shipwrights, shopkeepers & privateers: The Enterprising Porter Family of Freeport, ME".

A West Freeport Gem

2007-11-28T11:07:00.000-08:00

This is one of my favorite Freeport properties which I drive by every day. The driveway is lined by two rows of maple trees which gives the property a European feel.

About 5 years ago, I met Lester Noyes of Famouth who grew up in this house. Lester mentioned that he would walk to Freeport on the Pownal Road, then a dirt road, to enjoy an evening out on the town. I imagine that he would walk to school in Freeport in all kinds of weather. He told me that he remembers cars from the 1920's and 1930's getting stuck in the mud after a hard rain. Today the Palmer family owns the property and has taken great care of it. Lester had told me that this property had become a derelict property before the Pamer family bought it. This property should be protected from development just like Andy LeMaitre's Mitchell Ledge farm off Flying Point Road. I think LeMaitre made out quite nicely by receiving a generous amount of money from the Land for Maine's future as well as private donors in town. Perhaps the Freeport Conservation trust has spoken with the Palmer family about conserving the land. I hope so!

"Green-built" home emerging on Park Street

2007-11-26T07:48:00.000-08:00

Here is a green built house being built on Park Street in South Freeport. We can expect to see more green construction popping up in Freeport next year. There is a new "green" subdivision in Freeport off Flying Point Road. Please check out my listing located on 12 Lower Mast Landing Road in Freeport. It is a "green" built home that is partially heated by solar. You can see the virtual tour of my listing on http://www.realtor.com/ Simply plug in the MLS number which is 863531.

Harraseeket Yact Club - Summer View

2007-11-19T12:51:00.000-08:00

Summer of 2004 view of HYC on a foggy day when my kids were probably learning to tie knots rather than sailing on the bay. All of my children have learned to sail with me and with the help of the HYC summer program. Overall I think the instruction is good; although, I think the success of this program depends largely on how responsible the teenage counselors manage the children. My daughter use to sail with me on our Bullseye when she was young. She took sailing lessons at HYC and developed a fear of sailing probably because of the swift tides that ebb and flow in the Harraseeket river. I also think that better oversight by the counselors could have made a difference for her. My sons did learn the basics of sailing with me; yet honed their sailing skills at the yacht club for the two summers that they participated in the sailing program.

Harraseekt Inn - Broad Arrow Tavern

2007-11-18T05:12:00.000-08:00

The Harraseeket Inn owned by Nancy Gray will be in full swing this week as families arrive in Freeport for Thanksgiving. Don't miss the Broadarrow tavern during your visit. My Colorado relatives will staying at the Harraseeket Inn for part of the Sparkle weekend holiday festivities. We will no doubt have lunch at The Broad Arrow Tavern. As in my previous post on the Harraseeket Inn, I may learn a history lesson about the Broad Arrow tavern in the comment section. I will try to provide posts while I'm visiting my mother and brother in Santa Fe this week.

Bustins Post Office

2007-11-17T07:23:00.000-08:00

This is where island residents receive their snail mail delivered by the island ferry, the Lilly B. I have enjoyed communicating with many Bustins Island homeowners this week via my blog and a few via telephone. I have become more educated about island history courtesy of one or two island historians.

Bustins Island - The nubble

2007-11-16T06:39:00.000-08:00

This octagonal cottage actually is slightly offshore from Bustins and is referred to by islanders as the "nubble". I don't have any background information to offer on this cottage; consequently, I'm hoping to solicit valuable insight from those who are reading my blog to provide architectural and historical details on this property. I was very appreciative to the anonymous writer yesterday who provided valuable insight into the green cottage by the propane dock.

Bustins Island - An Edward Hopper-like cottage

2007-11-15T04:24:00.000-08:00

As you approach Bustins on the Lilly B, the island ferry, from the direction of South Freeport harbor, this classic cottage comes into view. It is located on the southeasterly end of the island that looks out onto Little Bustins island. In front of this cottage is the island mooring area where many island craft reside. One of my favorite boats that I enjoy seeing as I sail by is a sailboat with the name of "Panacea" It is an older Hinckley with very elegant lines.

Bustins Island - View of cottage from the water

2007-11-14T06:00:00.001-08:00

I thought I would offer another Bustins Island photo this morning of the cottage I visited on Veteran's Day 2007. I happened to speak with someone yesterday whose family owns a cottage on Bustins. This person said that the owner of the cottage featured above, currently a FSBO (For Sale By Owner) may have a potential buyer. Naturally, I would be thrilled to list this cottage and implement a marketing plan that would allow the property to have broad exposure to the national market. Yet, I am mindful that this island is a place where word-of-mouth plays a significant part in finding potential buyers usually from people who have a longstanding connection to the island.

Bustins Island - a true Maine treasure

2007-11-13T06:44:00.000-08:00

Who wouldn't want to own the cottage on the east side of Bustins with this incredible view from the front porch? I had a business appointment with a potential seller client who drove me out in his motorboat to see this cottage with it's millsion dollar view. Bustins Island is comprised of 115 summer cottages where homeowners and renters alike can escape from the rat race. Bustins feels as if it is frozen in time where life flows more easily and slowly than it does onshore. I sold two waterfront properties on Bustins island this year. Both properties had been in the same family since the late 1940's. I don't think much has changed on the island since then and that's just fine with most residents. You can access the island on the island ferry, the Lilly B, from Memorial Day through Columbus Day. Regular ferry service is out of South Freeport harbor.

Veterans Day is everyday here in West Freeport

2007-11-12T05:14:00.000-08:00

This homeowner provides those of us like me with a daily reminder of all things good about America. This home is on the Pownal Road in West Freeport just after the S curve heading toward Pine Tree Academy. Today we salute and honor those who have fought and died for our country.

Harraseeket Inn -

2007-11-11T10:10:00.000-08:00

The Harraseeket Inn is perfectly situated on the outskirts of the shopping district in Freeport. It offers an authentic New England Inn with great service. It is the only place in Freeport that offers a formal dinning room where you can enjoy an elegant dinner. It also has the reputation for being a great spot for Sunday morning brunch. The adjoining Broad Arrow tavern offers great informal dinning and a small bar which is decorated in a way that makes you feel you are in Maine e.g. mounted moose head, hanging Old Town canoe, etc. Recently Beans opened a new Hunting and Fishing store which is comprised of 33,000 square feet and is a totally "green" building. It has the LEED certification which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. Freeport is also undergoing a downtown revival with it's newest retail project called Village Station well underway. The town will be an improved destination for year round tourists.

R & D Auto

2007-11-10T07:58:00.000-08:00

You will want to consider R&D auto for your auto repair needs. The owner, Rich DeGrandpre, is not only knowledgeable about cars but he is also knowldgeable about town and state politics. I stopped by R&D recently to discuss with Rich an alignment problem with my 1998 Toyota. Rich asked me very discerning questions including what brand of tires I had on my car. I confessed that I had opted for very cheap tires, a brand that Rich had never heard of before. They sell this brand at Walmart and discount tire warehouses. Rich thought it might not be an alignment problem but rather a bad tire. I appreciated that advice as I had a tire company in Portland all set to charge me for a front end alignment. What I also like about Rich DeGrandpre is the local and state political discussions that we engage in. As a Freeort Selectman, Rich is regularly dealing with important issues some of which impact me as a Pownal resident. The other day we were talking about Governor Baldacci's school consolidation plan where Freeport is talking to towns like Pownal and Durham. as possible merger candidates. Ask Rich about how he feels about Baldacci? You'll get an earful I guarantee.

Freeport Historical Society

2007-11-09T04:11:00.000-08:00

Does this picture look like a major shopping mecca in Maine? No it doesn't, but this is Main Street in Freeport and there are many major retail outlets surrounding these two handsome, historical buildings. So you can shop until you drop and then visit Freeport Historical Society for a lesson in local history. Freeport claims it is the birthplace of Maine. As a Realtor I have found Freeport Historical Society very helpful in researching older properties in town. As a member, I was given permission to use several old photographs in my marketing efforts to sell 1 - 2 Bartlett Court in South Freeport. The current exhibit is "Shipwrights, Shopkeepers & Privateers: The Enterprising Porter family of Freeport, ME"

A recent capsize in Freeport Harbor

2007-11-08T04:03:00.000-08:00

I am working on uncovering all the details about the recent capsize of a small sailboat in the Harraseeket river near Sandy Beach, a town owned small beach near Porter's Landing. I spoke with Jay Pinkham, the Freeport harbormaster, and he provided the following details. Three big guys were sailing in a 14' to 16' foot sailboat without a full centerboard one afternoon recently. There wasn't much wind that particular day. As so often happens out on the water, suddenly the wind kicked up and the three men found themselves in the freezing water somewhere off Sandy Beach. Fortunately, someone on shore heard the cry for help and called 911. The sailboat did have the required life preservers on board, however no one was wearing one. Apparently, one man wast taken to Maine Medical Center to be treated for minor hypothermia. Jay suggested I contact Freeport Fire and Rescue to obtain all the details. Last night I stopped by the fire station and spoke with officer Nathan Goodman of the Freeport police. He said he would have someone e-mail the log of this incident to me soon.

Summertime in South Freeport Harbor

2007-11-07T04:34:00.000-08:00

South Freeport harbor is an active port as you can see from this picture taken at the height of summer. What a study in contract between a mega-yacht which could be from overseas and a classy, traditional New England designed sailboat to the left. By now you can probably tell which boat I would prefer owning?

South Freeport Harbor - this boat would still be afloat!

2007-11-06T13:29:00.000-08:00

I feel for the owner of this boat. As I photographed this New England catboat, I was encouraged to see that the boat looked to be in pretty good shape. I think the 60 mph winds off Cape Elizabeth came closer to the Eastern Prom in Portland and severed the mooring of this classic New England styled boat. Now, if this boat had been in South Freeport harbor, it would probably still be on it's mooring. South Freeport harbor is extremely well protected from nor easters, which typically blow out of the north east. I spoke with a sailor from Cape Elizabeth last night who said his 23' sailboat takes a regular beating from the large boat traffic going in and out of Portland harbor. In fact, this Cape Elizabeth high school teacher said his mast broke when the back stay snapped after the boat was impacted by a huge swell from a ferry boat. He seemed sort of jealous that I keep my Cape Cod Bullseye in the protected waters of the Harraseeket river.

Arnold Family Forest - 67 acres of conserved land

2007-11-05T07:04:00.000-08:00

The Arnold Family donated 67 acres off Staples Point Road to the New England Forestry Foundation several years. I haven't had a chance to walk this property. However, I may hold off until hunting season is over. If you want to check out this property, take a right at the big Indian followed by a right at Staples Point Road. You will see the sign featured above about 3/4 a mile down on the right.

You will want to visit Freeport's Winslow Park

2007-11-04T17:02:00.000-08:00

Today the sun returned to Maine after high winds and heavy rains. The nor'easter knocked out power to 3,016 including the Drake residence in Pownal. Along the coast there was 60 mph winds that hit Cape Elizabeth which is just 30 minutes from Freeport. In the photo here, you can see a beautiful sunrise at Winslow Park. During the summer many visitors bring their campers here for an opportunity to have an ocean waterfront vacation. There is a beach which is more enjoyable at high tide than low. You can also launch a small sail or fishing boat.

Merriconeag Waldorf School Fall Fair

2007-11-03T10:19:00.001-07:00

Today is the Merriconeag Waldorf School Fall Fair. My 15 year old son performed with his classmates in a drumming exhibition. My 13 year old son and his classmates played their recorder flutes. Artisans and craftspeople sell dry goods and food and the proceeds help tuition assistance for those students needing financial support. This school is located on Desert Road in freeport and is for students attending Early childhood through 10th grade school. Rudolph Steiner founded this education philosophy in Europe nearly 100 years ago. The education involves the head, heart, and hands; not to be confused with Montessori schools. Waldorf Schools here in the states are sprouting up all over the country and I've heard that it is one of the fastest growing private days schools in the US.

You can get there from here!

2007-11-02T08:03:00.000-07:00

Just turn right on route 1 at the "Big Indian". Several years ago I had a listing off Park Street in South Freeport village. It was very easy to direct brokers or potential buyers to the listing because of "the Big Indian" landmark. According to a Portland Press Herald article I read last spring, this landmark dates back to the 1960's. Just before the summer of 2007, the "Big Indian" had a makeover; new paint and new supporting lines to keep him upright. Long live the Big Indian!