In a lot of ways, Casco, ME reminds me of Russell, NY -- the town where my Dad grew up as a child before tragedy hit the family. But Casco is a lot more vibrant (then again, I'm comparing mid-August southern Maine with early-November upper New York state). Casco bustles with a really nice small-town feel and has all the same quaint components as Russell: the band-stand in the center of town, the country store, the village church, the community center, the small library, shaded streams to fish, etc.

Slow down. Simplify. Savor. Settle in. Share.

But I'm getting "wow"-ed and "double-rainbowed" almost to the point of embarassment. Almost ...

Found out the sister of a good friend from a camp I worked at years ago (Streamside) lives just a few miles from my cabin and so I went to visit the farm she and her husband have. It's perched on a mountainside with an utterly astounding view of Maine's western mountains and I believe that's Mt. Washington in New Hampshire -- way off in the distance.

Got my USPS mail package matters settled with the Post Office today (I put all of the names of my extended family on the list as possible names for receiving mail at 43 LCPR should they need it in the future -- hope they don't mind). Redeemed my plastic bottles for a $.50 coupon at the quaint little AG grocery next door. Bought some deli hamburger, bacon and cheese by the pound. Drove by the Hancock Lumber Co. which reminds me of Dad's Dad's mill along the Grass River. Fascinated with their lumber mill on Route 11 a couple of miles out of town.

Casco has 15 sizeable bodies of water within its borders (lakes and ponds), as well as streams, brooks and a river or two ... or 3!

Last night I went out at 2:45 am to see if there were any meteors from that shower I'd heard about. Was not disappointed: saw 3 nice shooting stars. I also think I caught a faint glimpse of the Northern Lights which are supposed to be quite active with the solar flares of late. While watching the sky outside the cabin, a forlorn-sounding Maine loon (or maybe 2 of them?) sounded out 5 times out near Coffee Pond. "Double-rainbow." Went out the next night (around 3:45 am) and saw 5 shooting stars and heard the loon call once. Beautiful to see so many stars and the Milky Way (thought of Abram / Abraham) and lamented that while in the city, we don't really pay much attention to them. They're hard to see because of the city lights and there are so many other things going on at the horizontal level.

BTW: while I was watching for the stars and Lights, JaMaine pulled open the front door and slinked out, scurrying under under the cabin (which is pretty much just an open space). I quickly got a light and coaxed him back to me and whisked him inside -- but it was a scary 4 or 5 minutes. I'd like to think he's too much of an indoor cat to run away, but don't want to find out. Frankly, I think he was a bit of a scurredy-cat under there. The coolest thing: he goes after the occasional bug that tries to come through the cabin and the hunt is a hoot. Sheer entertainment.

One of my neighbors left some freshly-grown string beans, a zucchini and some reddish greens (beet thinnings) outside my cabin. It was Chip, who I met the day before, from whom I heard some unsettling things about a former resident in the area. Lots of animosity and legal proceedings that went on surrounding that person here in this small, close-knit community. When I got back from my successful hunt for the wild blueberry bushes Chip mentioned, the beans, zucchini and beet thinnings were arranged on a board by my front steps. "Double rainbow ... all the way." Posted a short video on Facebook. Stopped by to thank him and his wife and talked for a good while. As I left, they gave me a fresh-grown tomato. Wow. Walking back to my cabin along the darkened road, I looked up and saw the Big Dipper through the trees towards the west while a half moon adorned the southwest sky.

I looked out the cabin window early on August 17th (3:45 am) and saw the sky flashing. Got out of the sleeping bag and went out into the strangely warm night air. Sitting on the front steps, looking toward the northwest, the sky put on an extraordinary show -- somewhat muted but simultaneously amplified by the fog. Scores of crickets and frogs provided nice ambience, along with an occasional "thunk" from acorns falling in the forest. Mmmmmm ... Maine ...

Attended the Naples Grange #94 Lobster Bake on August 14, 2010:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aixuvMVa9qw