Wednesday, June 03, 2009

Portland


This might be the single strangest statue I have ever seen. And we saw it outside the Seadogs' stadium in Portland, Maine. Before I tell you how awesome Portland is, let me just draw your attention to exactly how bizarre this statue is. First, the mom. Her attire is completely inappropriate for a ball game. Her dress looks like how I might imagine a Mormon prostitute and she appears to be wearing bedroom slippers. And she clearly is not wearing a bra. Not to mention, the little girl hanging from her hip is wearing an identical outfit. And don't get me started on the scary calf muscles. But the dad is even stranger. He seems to have sewn a patch of the American flag onto his polo shirt. But the weird part: he appears to be scalping their tickets. He is holding them up suggestively while the poor son looks distraught and protesting. I suppose the cynic in me might say that this motley crew bears a strong resemblance to many dysfunctional families I've witnessed at a minor league ball game. But to make a sculpture of it? Can any Portlanders help me out on this one? Very odd.

Anyway, Portland, Maine was freaking awesome. THAT was how I pictured New England - fun shops, excellent food, fun, small, family-owned pubs and the friendliest people ever. The vibe reminded me of the area around my parents' lake home if it wasn't quite so remote and the people were more outgoing. We went to check out the minor league baseball team (because that's what we do) and we ended up having a half-serious discussion on whether or not we should just cut our losses and stay there for good. Have the kitties shipped up, of course. But in the end we compromised that we'd try to make it back once more this summer and if we ever decide to retire in a harsh environment, it'll be in Maine.

Next stop - DC/Maryland tomorrow for apartment hunting. And a Nationals game, of course.

6 comments:

fermicat said...

Hah, love your analysis of the statue. Portland is a cool place. I enjoyed driving up the Maine coast when I lived in MA - beautiful scenery, good food, microbrews, LL Bean, salt air. Nice.

Jeni said...

A Mormon prostitute, huh? Good one!
Good luck on the apartment hunting in the D.C./Md. region. What part of D.C. is your new job located? (NE, NW, SE etc.?) That could help to determine the distance you would have to travel from whatever areas are "good" areas in the D.C. orb. When I lived there, I lived in Prince George's county, just about 4 miles or so over the district line and at that time -36-42 years ago that was -that area was "reasonably" priced for rentals and was still a decent area in which to live too. I don't believe, from what I've heard, that it is any longer all that great an area though. Silver Spring used to be a good area, close to the district but it too has gone down a lot. But Columbia -which is between D.C. and Baltimore and is accessible via the trains now, is a nice area as is Anne Arundel County too. (Think Annapolis, ya know!) Anyway, here's hoping you find a place that isn't going to cost you an arm, leg and some other valued body part in the process.

Natalie said...

fermi,
Yes, plenty of LL Bean! Love the diners and the atmosphere.

jeni,
We are moving to a suburb of DC Northwest of the district just about where the metro ends. I think it is going to be a little pricey, but the apartments we are looking at are literally only a mile or so from the lab. And everyone I know who lives in the town loves it. I'll be sure to share my impressions when I return!

fermicat said...

If you get a chance, I used to love meeting friends at Henry's Diner on Western Ave in Allston, MA (Boston area).

Anonymous said...

Your hair is straight...can the blogger world see a pic of the new do? Good luck with the house hunting. Perhaps a little info on the artist for "Mormon Prositute" would shed light on the artistic meaning behind the sculputure. Catsfursure

Natalie said...

fermi,
We'll definitely have to check it out. I'll mapquest it and see what it's by that we might visit.

catsfursure,
The straight only lasted for a day, and then I had to wash it. :( I might do it again though. When I lived in Tampa, straightening was futile and I never thought to try it here until the hairdresser insisted on letting him do it. Hairdressers love to straighten my hair. And I love the feel of having my hair played with!