Fascinated with all things Maine... (Eastport: for sale, houses, to buy)

[LisainCalifornia]

I am coming out of lurkdom to say hello. I have been lurking on the Maine board for several months now--ever since I discovered the Sarah Graves mysteries. I started innocently enough by searching for info on Eastport, and that led to hours of lurking on old threads. I started to feel guilty for lurking so much without saying a proper hello.

So..hello. I am Lisa, and a native Californian. I have never been to Maine, but love looking at the pictures many of you have posted and reading your stories. We live in the East Bay Area in a very pretty small town, but whenever I read about Maine I feel like I have been there before. Maybe it is wishful thinking.

I have lurked on a few other boards here (besides California), and find that this Maine board is very special. That says something about you all and Maine itself, I think.

Anyway, I have read every Sarah Graves Home Repair Homicide book, and love the descriptions she gives of Eastport. Sometimes I listen to them as books on CD, and the narrator does this great Maine accent for the characters that I love. Being from California, I always think we don't have an accent, but many of you would probably argue otherwise.

One part of living in Maine that I would love is the weather. I know that is easy for me to say--being as I never have actually shoveled snow or done any of the work associated with it, but I love rain and know I would be very fond of snow as well. And I would just make my husband shovel it anyway!

To those who live in Eastport, feel free to indulge me with some information. I look forward to reading more from all of you.

Lisa

[Northern Maine Land Man]

Welcome to our little forum. I'm from way north of Eastport, but to experience what you imagine you need to come to Maine for at least a week.

[corgis]

We are in Eastport, it's a fine little city with lots of houses currently for sale. The economy here is depressed with little work but if income isn't important to you, it's a great place to live with fine folks here. There are several people from California that have moved here in the last couple of years. There's also a thriving arts culture here and in winter, a lot of snow.

[tapestry]

My husband and I just moved to Eastport about a month ago from Pennsylvania and I have to say that we're happier than we've ever thought possible living here...

Friendliness: I don't even know where to begin....for the most part, the people here are really friendly and don't seem so much in a hurry all the time like we're used to in the suburbs of PA.....it's so nice to have people waving hello to us who don't know us and cars on the street actually slowing down or stopping to let you walk by...this may sound silly to other Mainers on here that this is so unusual, but, at least where I come from, this is *definitely* not the norm!

Affordability: Although we can't actually see the ocean from our house, it's only about a 5-minute walk to get to it, however, you can get a house overlooking the ocean for somewhere around $200K plus or minus which, from what I understand, in any other coastal area of the country, you wouldn't get too close to the ocean for that price...

Beauty: Eastport is on an island and has some of the most *amazing* views I've ever seen from certain parts of the island....when my husband and I walk the dog, we can't help but smile to think we're so fortunate to be able to afford to live in such a place of beauty as this!

Relaxation: Like I mentioned, people don't always seem in a hurry here and will usually stop to talk with you and say hello....life is *definitely* a slower pace....some may find that boring, however, it is *exactly* what my husband and I were looking for....also, there's nothing quite so relaxing as falling asleep to the fog horns in the distance.....ahhhhhh....

In summary, I guess the only drawback to living in Eastport that I can see is that it is hard to get a job in this area unless you are in the medical profession and even then, it's not always easy to land one close to Eastport....however, if you have a portable job like my husband and I or if you're thinking of retiring, Eastport can't be beat!

Oh, another thing I thought of that could be a *definite* drawback to some is that there is not much in the way of shopping...there are no malls or movie theaters, no places to go bowling, no Starbucks, no Borders or Barnes and Nobles, etc., however, there are several "Cheers" type places (our favorite is the Rose Garden) where when you come in, everyone knows your name...to us, that's priceless.....

Oops! Forgot one last thing: from what I understand, there is lots of snow in the winter, so that may be a drawback to many people as well.....

Anyway, that's my 2 cents....all in all, as you can tell, we're very, very happy here!

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by LisainCalifornia

I am coming out of lurkdom to say hello.

Hi;

I am 'from' California too. Though I must say, while I have heard of lurkdom, but I have never visited there. Is it nice there?

... I have been lurking on the Maine board for several months now -- ever since I discovered the Sarah Graves mysteries. I started innocently enough by searching for info on Eastport, and that led to hours of lurking on old threads. I started to feel guilty for lurking so much without saying a proper hello.

Feeling guilty? You are forgiven my child. May God bless you and keep you.

... So..hello. I am Lisa, and a native Californian. I have never been to Maine, but love looking at the pictures many of you have posted and reading your stories. We live in the East Bay Area in a very pretty small town, but whenever I read about Maine I feel like I have been there before. Maybe it is wishful thinking.

I have cousins who live in Walnut Creek. That is a nice area [for being on the left coast]

... I have lurked on a few other boards here (besides California), and find that this Maine board is very special. That says something about you all and Maine itself, I think.

Thank you.

I consider myself to be very special.

Thanks for noticing. I think most of the posters here are special too!

... Anyway, I have read every Sarah Graves Home Repair Homicide book, and love the descriptions she gives of Eastport. Sometimes I listen to them as books on CD, and the narrator does this great Maine accent for the characters that I love. Being from California, I always think we don't have an accent, but many of you would probably argue otherwise.

One part of living in Maine that I would love is the weather. I know that is easy for me to say -- being as I never have actually shoveled snow or done any of the work associated with it, but I love rain and know I would be very fond of snow as well. And I would just make my husband shovel it anyway!

To those who live in Eastport, feel free to indulge me with some information. I look forward to reading more from all of you.

Lisa

You really need to come and visit Maine.

So many small towns with fun characters, when I was shopping for property to buy, I stopped in many of them. Ate in the diners and spoke with folks. It was fun.

It really served to completely convince me that Maine is where I wanted to live.



As for the snow, well. We go years when there is very little snow. Then we also have huge dumps of it at times. The roads get cleared very quickly, so driving is truly not an issue. But driveways are an issue. A common sight is an old unregistered pickup truck with a snow blade attached sitting next to many of the houses. It is a system that works for folks. We just got a tractor with a front bucket this past winter, and I found that it makes moving snow into a fun job.

[mensaguy]

Sarah Graves actually lives at an address mentioned in one of her books. She likes to walk and ride her bike in town. Like everyone in Eastport, she is friendly and speaks to everyone she meets. Other than all those murders, her books give a fairly realistic description of Eastport and Downeast Maine.

[cebdark]

Welcome to the forum Lisa.

[BoundtofindME]

Welcome to the Maine forum Lisa. Like you, I have read and enjoyed all of the Sarah Graves books. Was able to buy the entire autographed set at the local hardware store in Eastport...a friend and I split the cost of the set, which really was very affordable to begin with. We made a few trips there, always stopping at the WaCo Diner to eat. The spirit and vibe of the place attracted us, as we both do "art" and enjoyed visiting all the galleries and shops in the most happiest of settings in full view of the ocean. The air alone is invigorating and fills you with a sense of adventure that only a Sarah Graves novel could invoke. I hope you get to visit some day!

[tapestry]

Originally Posted by BoundtofindME

The spirit and vibe of the place attracted us, as we both do "art" and enjoyed visiting all the galleries and shops in the most happiest of settings in full view of the ocean. The air alone is invigorating and fills you with a sense of adventure that only a Sarah Graves novel could invoke.

You captured what I was trying to say in just 2 sentences! There really *is* something to the town having a "spirit and vibe" all its own that just makes you feel really good! We are "art" people, too, (my husband's an artist) and it's especially good for people who are artists and/or just really enjoy great art...

[CalieCat]

Hi LisainCalifornia!!! We lived in Tracy, Ca for a very short time. Missed the East Coast so we moved back. Mind you though, we only live in the South and NOT Maine