DAY 23 - THE MAINE STORY

JULY 23 ...

Eventually there has to be a day when nothing significant happens and we just get the stuff done we need to do and combine our days together into one big event.  This morning started out with housekeeping chores.

The MH was in dire need of a cleanup.  Billy is a voracious shedder exacerbated by my need to bury myself in his fur and give him a rub down from haunch to nose.  The fur collects behind things and it was building up.  A complete scrub down of the bathroom and vacuuming of the motor home took about ….. 20 minutes.  I love a simple life!

We had several things to get accomplished today and headed over to Claremont NH. 

First on our list was to find Java Cup where they sell whole-bean coffee from a coffee roaster in Brattleboro.  However, on our way over we stopped at “Tractor Supply” to see if they had any small gas grills.  They didn’t but they had lots of other stuff I’ve never thought about! 

The good news is … they sell Blue Buffalo at a good price so we don’t have to travel to Rutland PETCO to get Billy’s food.   Dave had a great time browsing around Tractor Supply but when he started to head out the side door to the yard that sells fencing, wires and tractors … I stopped him and told him there wasn’t anything out there we needed to bring home!  With dreams of farming in his head, we left by the front door exits! 

Heading downtown to Java Cup we passed Stone Arch Bakery.  I’ve seen their bread around town and ads so we made a quick left into the bakery.  Came out with some scrumptious multi-grain bread freshly baked. 

The merchants up here are so nice …. Every single one of them.  You’d think they were from the south!   

Found Java Cup around the corner and asked the owners what beans they carry.    They rattled off the different beans and then pointed to the wall, passing us cups and said to try them out and decide what we’d like!  We ended up with French Roasted Cameroon which is full bodied and smooth. 

From here we headed to Home Depot to find a small tabletop gas grill to replace ours.  I bought our little table top for $30 last year and used it all year … it lasted about 14 months.  Picked up a replacement for $30 which will probably last us another 14 months.   Not a bad deal!

Down the street was the Market Basket our grocery store of choice up here.  Their food is good, produce looks good and prices are reasonable.  It’s difficult to shop in a store where you don’t know the layout so it always takes me longer than usual.  I was plowing through the produce section looking for onions when the manager came on over the loudspeaker announcing specials in the fish department.   

One announcement stopped me in my tracks………live Maine lobsters $3.49/lbs averaging 1 ¼ lbs each.   

The last time I cooked live Maine lobsters was about 25 years ago.  A co-worker at GE had a friend in Maine so he would take orders from all of us (I’d order about 12-14 for the entire family) and the Maine friend would go to the docks in the morning and get the lobsters packed in seaweed.  He would then go to the airport and fly them into Daytona Beach.  Our offices were right across from the airport so someone would go over the pick up the crates and bring them back to the parking lot where we would all be waiting with our coolers to load up on squirmy live lobsters!!!  We did this for several years then the price of lobsters went through the roof.

The reason the  prices are down now is because of the mild winter this past year.  This winter’s warm weather allowed Canadian lobstermen to bring in large catches in the early spring due to  mild weather and the lobsters that are caught in Maine in the summer months, ones that can’t be shipped live due to their softer shells, arrived six weeks earlier than normal.  Big glut on the market.  So you need to be in the locale to get the lobsters and we are close to Canada and about 5 hours from Maine …. so we win!

 Unfortunately the lobstermen are not winning.  The prices are so low, some down below $2.10/lb that it does not cover the lobstermen’s costs.  They are taking “days off to enjoy the sunshine” hoping this will bring the prices of lobsters up.  You got to feel for these guys; I’m sure none are millionaire lobstermen. 

However, the sentiment did not deter me long……I quickly called Lucy and Mark to see if they wanted any. ….of course …. So for $19 we picked up four Maine lobsters to bring home and cook.  Mark is in charge of cooking.  We’ll be feasting tonight!!!

YES…….EAT……YOUR……HEART……OUT!!!!

THE ..DRAWN. BUTTER… .ALONE… WILL… PROBABLY… .DO… MY… HEART…IN!