It seems that around Labor Day, people from all over the country collect in their favorite spots to spend quality time together. In the last couple of weeks I have photographed five different family gatherings from Texas alone. Groups from Houston, Sugarland, Austin, Dallas and Abilene have all arranged their lives to visit Maine and coincidentally escape incredible temperatures that exceed 100 F on a daily basis. I'd want to come to Maine too!
It’s been fun. For some of the families, it was their first Maine visit. Others were veteran Maine visitors with intentions to return until they were incapacitated. And what great weather! Nice breezes, occasional rain (which apparently is rare in many Southwest regions right now), cool nights and the ocean!
The one thing that does seem to be lacking for some is regular cellular phone service, as is noted in the accompanying photo above. Some carriers are not so well represented in our area, which does irritate visitors from time to time. But you know something? Almost nobody in the groups I photographed gave a darn.
They were pleased to be untethered from their devices and knew that the place they rented would have Wi-Fi. Some of the younger visitors were a bit more anxious due to loss of instant contact with their friends, but they soon got over that during boat rides and sails and refreshing dips in the ocean!
It was kind of encouraging to see families having fun, visiting, eating, napping and just relaxing.
Maybe it comes with living in a part of the country where chasing around frantically is somewhat subdued by such hot weather. I was reminded of a job I had years ago in August in Galveston, Texas.
I was sure that my life was about to end. Every time I stepped outside to work I exploded in sweat. I'd run back into air conditioning, take a shower, dry off, clean up and explode again as soon as I stepped out into the street. Eventually, I gave up. It was impossible heat.
So, for all who visit Maine over the summer: have fun, relax, enjoy the lovely weather, and turn off your cell phones. Voice-mail works everywhere!