WHY I LOVE ME, 8
>> Thursday, January 8, 2009
Tenants Harbor, ME Photo: DebIt's that time once again! Can you believe it? I didn't think so. Anyway, welcome to another addition of Why I Love ME!
No man is an island, entire of itself...any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee." - John Donne...who ever he is.
No man is an island, entire of itself...any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee." - John Donne...who ever he is.
I didn't know the "no man is an island" quote was from the same "for whom the bell tolls" quote. Didn't Dolly Parton write about islands in a stream, which is weird 'cause streams are small, like the kind you sail leaf-boats with acorn caps for men down on, running along side of them to see how far they could go before flipping over. How could there be an island in the middle of that puny stream? Plus, I thought Quasimodo was responsible for that whole 'whom the bell tolls" thing. I know he had something to do with bells and a bad back.
Back (pun intended) to islands. Maine has more islands than you thought, not that you think about Maine islands very often. There are greater than 2,000 islands here, none of them are in puny streams and only one has a resident named Quasimodo - a three-legged dog. Yup. I checked.
Matinicus, or as The Terrorist calls it, "Meniscus" Island is the furthest inhabited island, 22 miles off the coast of Rockland, Maine. The residents of Meniscus have been known to shoot at "outsiders" that get too close. Think I'm kidding? Google it. The name "Matinicus" is an Abnaki Indian name meaning "Place of wild turkeys". Turkeys are the least of their problems.
Meniscus Island, population 51 (year 2000), 2 miles x 1 mile, is smack dab in the middle of one of, if not the richest lobster grounds in the world. Did you know 90% of US lobsters are caught off the coast of Maine? You do now. As a result, Meniscus lobstermen carry loaded guns aboard their boats. Lobstering is their livelihood, fishing territories are passed down from generation to generation, and you just don't mess with that.
Currently there is a lawsuit going on involving a lobsterman from another island pulling traps belonging to a Meniscus resident who was too ill to do it himself. Seems the other native Meniscus lobstermen didn't go for that because technically an "outsider" was pulling those traps and that is a very big no-no. Tempers flared, shots were allegedly fired while out at sea and lobster traps severed from buoys so as to send a message: Get out of Dodge!
Years ago, the Maine State Police were told to go to Meniscus only if absolutely necessary and only in daylight. The state gave up enforcing vehicle laws on Matinicus in the 1950s, so license plates and brakes are optional on the cars that traverse the dirt roads.
Don't let all this dissuade you from a summer vacation to Meniscus Island. They are a caring bunch, the first to head out to sea to help a mariner in trouble. So if you're drowning, they'll like you.
From a Meniscus vacation rental ad: The island is a working lobstering community, not a tourist island, although visitors are always welcome as long as they don't expect to be waited on. Translation: Bring Kevlar vest and a banjo.
From Matinicus Island dot com:
....visit an island that is remote, a bit rustic, and that requires a sense of adventure, tolerance, independence, and humor from its visitors. Translation: Bring Kevlar vest and a banjo.
...It is a working island with few tourists. Translation:..they didn't bring a Kevlar vest and a banjo.
On the up side, the other 2,000+ islands are a bit more tolerant of tourists, but you might want to throw a Kevlar vest in the carry-on.
References:
Matinicus Island.com
Matinicus-Island.com
History.com
Wikipedia
Humor-Blogs is way-ah ya can click me one of those Smileys, ayuh.
Check out the new and improved Humor Bloggers dot com!
Back (pun intended) to islands. Maine has more islands than you thought, not that you think about Maine islands very often. There are greater than 2,000 islands here, none of them are in puny streams and only one has a resident named Quasimodo - a three-legged dog. Yup. I checked.
Matinicus, or as The Terrorist calls it, "Meniscus" Island is the furthest inhabited island, 22 miles off the coast of Rockland, Maine. The residents of Meniscus have been known to shoot at "outsiders" that get too close. Think I'm kidding? Google it. The name "Matinicus" is an Abnaki Indian name meaning "Place of wild turkeys". Turkeys are the least of their problems.
Meniscus Island, population 51 (year 2000), 2 miles x 1 mile, is smack dab in the middle of one of, if not the richest lobster grounds in the world. Did you know 90% of US lobsters are caught off the coast of Maine? You do now. As a result, Meniscus lobstermen carry loaded guns aboard their boats. Lobstering is their livelihood, fishing territories are passed down from generation to generation, and you just don't mess with that.
Currently there is a lawsuit going on involving a lobsterman from another island pulling traps belonging to a Meniscus resident who was too ill to do it himself. Seems the other native Meniscus lobstermen didn't go for that because technically an "outsider" was pulling those traps and that is a very big no-no. Tempers flared, shots were allegedly fired while out at sea and lobster traps severed from buoys so as to send a message: Get out of Dodge!
Years ago, the Maine State Police were told to go to Meniscus only if absolutely necessary and only in daylight. The state gave up enforcing vehicle laws on Matinicus in the 1950s, so license plates and brakes are optional on the cars that traverse the dirt roads.
Don't let all this dissuade you from a summer vacation to Meniscus Island. They are a caring bunch, the first to head out to sea to help a mariner in trouble. So if you're drowning, they'll like you.
From a Meniscus vacation rental ad: The island is a working lobstering community, not a tourist island, although visitors are always welcome as long as they don't expect to be waited on. Translation: Bring Kevlar vest and a banjo.
From Matinicus Island dot com:
....visit an island that is remote, a bit rustic, and that requires a sense of adventure, tolerance, independence, and humor from its visitors. Translation: Bring Kevlar vest and a banjo.
...It is a working island with few tourists. Translation:..they didn't bring a Kevlar vest and a banjo.
On the up side, the other 2,000+ islands are a bit more tolerant of tourists, but you might want to throw a Kevlar vest in the carry-on.
References:
Matinicus Island.com
Matinicus-Island.com
History.com
Wikipedia
Humor-Blogs is way-ah ya can click me one of those Smileys, ayuh.
Check out the new and improved Humor Bloggers dot com!
Posts
19 comments:
I don't know about dolly parton, but for whom the bell tolls was beautifully done by Metallica once upon a time.
Orion: So THAT's who said that! I knew it wasn't that John Donne dude!
Back to them giant crawdads again, huh?
Sure you don't have a lobster fetish?
Quote John Donne on that island and see how they react. :)
I need to stop reading your blog. :) I want to come back and stay forever every time I read it. I have applied for jobs up there, but I don't think they take me seriously being so far away.
You can see what 'banjo boy' looks like grown up at www.Mancow.com.
I spent a few summers doing Outward Bound stuff on Hurricane Island off the coast of Rockland. I got to sail quite a bit around the islands and I can tell you, some of those folks are Maine-iacs!
I'm getting a little concerned that maybe Maine (or at least Meniscus) should secede from the U.S. Maybe Canada will take them or they can become their own country.
As for the islands in the stream, I'm sure she tried "ocean", "river", and "water" but none of them rolled off her and Kenny's tongues' quite as well as "stream".
Yeah, whatever Dolly.
;-)
Yes, Deb...
philanthropists and philosophers ain't got shit on heavy metal.
haha
True dat.
I also didn't know that was the entire quote. See? This blog is worth visiting...
And stop giving banjos a bad name! As for the island of Meniscus, if I were independently wealthy, I'd SERIOUSLY move there. Those sound like my kind of people. I wish the rest of the US population had a little more sedition in their system...
Girl....you are hilarious!!! Thanks.
Heavens above! I think I'll pass, if you don't mind. I don't eat lobster, and I can't remember where I left my Kevlar vest.
Wirecutter: Hard to talk about Maine and not mention those hideous crawdads!
Adullamite: No way I am even getting within shouting distance of that place!
Clay: NO! You need to stay! You can live vicariously in Maine through me! If you need money to survive, I'd ditch the effort on applying for a job here. Horrible rate of pay - unless you want to live in southern Maine, AKA Massachusetts North, and that part of Maine looks nothing like the part I live in. BTW - I have seen Banjo Boy - handsome devil!
Prefers: Those Maine-iacs are not exclusive to just the islands. You haven't met my neighbors.
Reforming: They should start their own country! Yeah, Dolly and Kenny have too much plastic in their systems to think of anything more appropriate than 'stream' when singing about islands.
Orion: You shock me with your profoundness for such a young man! Gotta agree on that philanthropist/philosopher statement!
LL: Educating you is my goal! Don't forget the Kevlar if you go.
Longrooffan: Aww! Thank you! Glad to see a new face!
Jay: Wuss! I don't eat lobster either. Never have. Just a big bug on a plate. Go nowhere near Meniscus without that vest!
OK I'd better tell the hubby that a visit to Mantinicus is out this year! He was (yeah I'm serious!) thinking about taking the Little Imp and Megawatt out there to see where the book Keep the Light Burning Abby (or something like that, it's required reading for Maine kidlets in school) is based.
Or something like that. (lol)
I think we'll just stick to Higgins Beach. Our only danger down there is of getting run over by Old Man Cramer on his wayward golf cart!
Auds: You are much safer taking your chances with Old Man Cramer than a trip out to Meniscus!
Damn it Deb. Now I have to reschedule my vacation. Are you sure they will yell at me? Are there no Bed and Breakfasts there? I was looking forward to the whole guided tour thing, complete with a slow sail aroung the Island.
John Donne was in Deliverance?
Ettarose: They only yell at you after they shoot at you. Oh, you can still go there, just not sure if you will come back. If you like to live life on the edge, it's the vacation for you!
Chris: Oh for heaven's sake. Didn't you see the movie? He was the one chasing Ned Beatty while reciting poetry referencing pigs. Geeze. Thought everyone knew that.
I prepared myself and visited Matinicus.
I had a Kevlar vest specially made to look like a fishing vest so that I could blend in.
(Smart.)
I didn't have a banjo. So I used a xylaphone that was specially made to look like a centipede that my granddaughter left after one of her visits.
(Not so smart.)
Joe: Do you know how lucky you are to have gone there then lived to tell about it? Wow! Can you play that banjo Deliverance theme song on your xylophone?
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