Ray Conrad

Chainsaw wielding Honey Badger driving a bulldozer. I brake for nothing. Except pets. And children, maybe.

  • Followed
  • Follows you

Edit biography

Done Cancel

What I Did On My Summer Vacation Ray Conrad 8/13 '19

After my sister Hope had a harrowing and nearly life-ending medical episode lasting from Christmas to March, she resolved that the whole family should get together.  She elected to hold this at York Beach, Maine.

Now, York Beach is your typical beach town. Lots of overpriced goods, expensive restaurants, family amusements and speed traps. (15 MPH over the limit, $230. I'm not bitter, really.) Other than being located in Maine and the water being hypothermia-inducingly cold, you could plop it down in any state from New Hampshire to Florida and the only way you would be able to tell would be the accent.

This is the coast north of Short Sands. The Union Bluff Hotel has been in business since 1868. Real estate along the Maine coast is just as crazy as anywhere else along the coast.  Every building there probably goes for over a million.


MORE
8/13 '19 22 Comments
I appreciate what you mean re: 'drop it anywhere along the coast' but I've gotta say that I love Maine. In fact, you were only about 1.25 hours from my Grandfather's place.

I mean, where else can you go to find mosquitoes that eat dogs whole? (I'm hoping they - and the horse flies) were less of an issue there on the coast.)

I'm being snarky, but I do love it. The nature of the rocky coast, the pines, and just the general mojo are pretty good in my mind.

Hoping your vacay wasn't exclusively 'haze' and rats with wings! (And sorry to hear about the reason for the get together in the first place.)
Matt Lichtenwalner
With the offshore breeze the blood buzzards weren't too bad until after nightfall. Sitting around the fire pit I got 'et alive. And since New England is having an outbreak of Easter Equine Encephalitis, it's a bit concerning. Horseflies weren't an issue.

The weather was amazing, highs near 80, lows in the high 50s. The day I left thunderstorms rolled in, but hey, that's a concern for the people who stayed.
Ray Conrad
Easter equine encephalitis

She makes me see

Easter equine encephalitis

She's so good to me
Thomas Boutell
EasterN, oops.
Ray Conrad
You can take comfort in the fact that all those "million dollar homes" will be worth bupkiss once the oceans rise a little more.
Anne Mollo
The ones on Nubble Point are about 40 feet above high tide, so, it's gonna take a while.
Ray Conrad
Here's a view of the Atlantic from Short Sands. This actually is east of northeast since short sands is on the north side of Nubble Point, a peninsula jutting out into the Atlantic.
Ray Conrad
Ray Conrad
IHNJH, IJLS "Nubble."
Jill "xtingu" Knapp
If you like 'Nubble', the name of the river separating Portsmouth, NH from Kittery, ME is 'Pisquataqua'.
Ray Conrad
...which just HAS to be said with the Beavis Voice.
Matt Lichtenwalner
Pis-qua-TA-qua.

Are you threatening me?
Ray Conrad
Short Sands looking east southeast toward Nubble Point. More million dollar houses.
Ray Conrad
Ray Conrad
An attempt to view the sunrise from Long Sands, south of Nubble Point. The back of my sister Ellen's head in the foreground. Our attempt was frustrated by "haze". I don't care what the National Weather Service says, that's fog.
Ray Conrad
Ray Conrad
Rats with wings, naval division.
Ray Conrad
Ray Conrad
A squadron of naval rats with wings. Short Sands again, looking east northeast at fog.
Ray Conrad
Ray Conrad
The Union Bluff Hotel and north coast in fog.
Ray Conrad
Ray Conrad