Community Info

Five Minutes For Memorial Day

Posted by Walter at 9:09 am

May 262010

When I drove out of town the other day I got to wave to a couple of friends who were installing our flags on the the electric poles along Main Street. The day the flags go up is a special day for me and I love coming home later in the day to see those flags flying. So thanks to Jeff and Gary for the work–and to the many others who made the flags possible with donations and support.

I have occasionally speculated that Memorial Day could just be considered a day of thanks. But I’m not going to lobby for that because I do think it should be about remembering–it’s the remembering that makes us thankful. Watching Jeff and Gary reminded me of ”helping” my Dad get ready for the day many years ago. There were trips to the cemetery to plant flowers and place flags… a special day then, too. I guess the rituals were enough for a five year old to understand something special because I don’t remember many words. The speeches after the parades are long gone. But I do remember a crisp uniform and a somewhat strange combination of pride, sadness, and happiness as we went about the day.

I’m glad I still experience that combination of feelings every year. Many things have changed but some have not. If you need some words to help with the memories, pride, and appreciation spend five minutes watching this video.

The Road Less Traveled?

Posted by Walter at 3:21 pm

Apr 092010

Moving to and living in the country can mean many things… a healthier lifestyle comes to mind. But when it comes to rural roads, that may not be the case. According to the Federal Highway Administration, more than half (56%) of traffic fatalities occur on rural roads. Yet only 23% of the U.S. Population lives in rural areas.

Extra caution is encouraged when traveling in rural areas — particularly unfamiliar ones. This is especially true for buyers out looking for and at property–don’t let your search distract you! Also, while it’s often not high on the list of purchase considerations, just how safe is the road your new home will be located on? Rural hazards are many including blind corners, hills, animals and livestock in the road and farm and logging machinery.

You might find a website developed by the Center for Excellence in Rural Safety at the University of Minnesota of particular interest. The site maps out every traffic fatility from 2004 until 2007 with basic information. There’s even a “heat map” feature that creates a sense of accident density. Visit the site at http://www.saferoadmaps.org/home/. But not while you’re driving!

Get Fresh Coffee…

Posted by Walter at 7:13 am

Dec 022009

Get some more coffee, I’m going to editorialize a bit. And I’m not even going to pretend this has anything to do with real estate. (Although anything that improves the area…)

As many of you know, I’m a card-carrying member of Valley Grange in Guilford. Among my favorite community service projects we do are the ones involving kids… Words For Thirds involves giving dictionaries to every Third Grader “from Monson to Milo.” Some of us are also “bookworms”–volunteers who visit school and listen to the kids read to us. I often go to recess with the kids when I “bookworm.” I do it mostly because I have fun, but also because it gives me a chance to talk to the kids and encourage them and hopefully help them. Yesterday it was pretty cold and I ended up helping what seemed like a lot of kids with broken zippers on their coats. It’s still pretty early in the season for coats to be tattered, torn, and zippers broken and you know some of these are hand-me-downs and thrift shop purchases. (You should see some of the creative “zipper fixes” kids come up with!)

This morning I looked at the Piscataquis Santa Website and I am heart sick. As of last Saturday, there were 574 kids throughout the county registered as needing help… and 155 have “sponsors” working on fulfilling their wishes… I wonder how many of the 424 that haven’t been adopted are kids I read with… and I play with… and fix zippers for… So I’m asking reader to finish reading this and then go to the site and read the list. You should be struck by the number of children whose list includes only coats and clothes—no toys. Folks, this just isn’t right.

The Santa Site makes it fairly easy to find and “adopt” a kid. If you need help figuring out how to do that, you can call Jim Macomber or Sheree Brown at the number listed on the site. If you can’t adopt a kid, do what you can… how fast can you knit some hats and mittens or make some toys? Send a small check or a big one (information on the site)! Let’s try to make sure “our” kids experience the spirit of Christmas, okay?

And thanks to my colleagues at Maine Choice Realty for their generous help with this… they’re out shopping for a three year old boy…

UPDATE: As of December 17th there were some 650 kids signed up and all but 65 have been “adopted” or sponsored, so it’s looking pretty good… still not too late to help, though! Let’s not take any chances that a child will get left out or forgotten!

FINAL UPDATE: A WABI-TV5 news story on December 22nd announced the Piscataquis Santa Program met its goal! Way to go, people! Over 65o kids had a happier Christmas because of this community effort.

Orange Isn’t Just For Pumpkins

Posted by Walter at 9:50 am

Oct 262009

The Irish have the wearing of the green; Maine has the wearing of the orange. When venturing into the woods some orange clothing is always a good idea, but it becomes a requirement during hunting season. In fact, for a few dollars you can pick up a vest, clip a compass to it and maybe carry a small survival kit in one of the pockets. You carry a spare tire in your car, right? Do you think more of your car than you do yourself?

Fall means shorter days, colder weather and a number of hunting seasons. Deer season is open the entire month of November and there will be a lot of hunters in the woods. Think orange! Be safe and be smart.

Maine Road Reports Online

Posted by Walter at 7:05 am

Aug 072009

If you’re headed out to look at property… or just having fun… You should know that the Maine Department of Transportation (DOT) has a website which provides information on the condition of roads and highways throughout the state. The site offers updates on closures, blockages, crashes, traffic, weather, roadwork, and other events which may affect travel. The site is available at www.511maine.com

The service is also accessible over the phone by dialing 511 within Maine or toll-free at 1-866-282-7578 from out of state.

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Please Note…

Walter is a licensed real estate broker, but not yours unless we agree to it! (In Maine, real estate law requires a written agreement.) Therefore, the content of this site is intended for informational and educational purposes and is not meant to serve as advice -- professional or otherwise. If you have property currently listed for sale or you are contracted with an agency for real estate services, this is not intended as a solicitation of those services.