Upriver

I had to (reluctantly) go to St. Stephen yesterday and, rather than wasting $50 and an extra 2 hours, I drove through Maine. This is the first time I’ve done that in over 2 years but I don’t know why it felt like a big deal. It did though. Fish got his first road-trip on the American mainland. He didn’t seem impressed.

There was almost no traffic, still the three trucks which wound up behind me did tailgate. I had forgotten how lonely the drivers are in that State. 🙂

The biggest difference I noticed (and this will only mean something to locals who are used to traveling on Coastal Route 1) was the quality of the road surface.

I’ve always said that you could blindfold me, take me on a trip, and I would know if I was on a highway in Maine. This time the road – from Whiting to just this side of downtown Calais – was immaculate. No potholes, or divots, or crumbling asphalt. I stayed on it and took the scenic route rather than the shortcut.

The only reason I went is that some money, which has always been deposited directly in my account before, arrived by cheque. Bastards!

Still it was an opportunity to buy a few things I can’t get here and didn’t want to try online. One of them is a set of plugins which emit an ultrasonic something supposed to repel mice. I’m told it’s not immediate – I can’t expect little furry things to start jumping out of windows.

I hope they work (don’t tell the cats). There is also the possibility that flies and mosquitoes and other random beasties will also no longer consider my home to be a welcome place. If so, it was worth the trip. 🙂