September's Song 

      Hello all. The song this month seemed almost like a no brainer for me, once I put some thought into it. The song is Stockton Springs. Stockton Springs is a small town on the Maine coast, pretty much where the Penobscot River meets the Penobscot Bay. Route 1 goes right by it, but you can't really see the town, as you drive by. It's also where Route 1 heads east towards the Penobscot Narrows Bridge, Bucksport, and Ellsworth, the gateway to Acadia National Park, and where Route 1A heads north towards Bangor. I think of Stockton Springs as being the last of the Midcoast towns before you truly get downeast. 
     As the school year gets going, my driving gets going again. I'm reminded of this song and when I was when I wrote it. That wasn't a typo. I think of it as when, not necessarily where. I spent years driving from the Bangor area down to the midcoast region to teach private lessons. I drove past Stockton Springs so many times but had never stopped to see it. I knew there was a lighthouse there, as well as a beach, but I'd never taken the time to explore it. I wrote this song with that in mind, as the opening line suggests. I think of this as a catalog song, a song that lists some of the places in Maine where I've spent time, a place or experience that has stuck with me. I haven't been way up north to Fort Kent yet, but someday I'll make it. 
     This song emodies a lot of what Maine is, or at least I think so. People frequently just think of Maine as lobsters, but it's so much more than that. Maine is a paradise, with beautiful mountains and the ocean right near by. You can hike a high peak one day and be deep sea fishing the next, or the same day if you get up early enough. Yes, it gets cold in the winter, but it's a dry cold and once you get used to it, skiing, snowshoeing, and ice fishing become like second nature. Also, you get used to it and then a 30 degree day comes along and you don't feel odd about taking off your coat. I think one of the things that has drawn me to live here is Maine's sense of community. I've lived elsewhere and never experienced the sense of community anywhere else. Certain parts of Seattle seemed to be trying but Maine has mastered it. Maybe we're drawn together so we can survive the long winters, or maybe it's something in the water. Whatever the reason, Maine is a unique place that has a heritage of valuing the place, and it's an attractive reason to come here.
     I've tried to get the Maine Tourist Board to listen to this song and try to use it but alas, no one has taken me up on the offer. If you like the song and you know someone who would like to use it, leave a comment here and I'll get in contact with them. If you don't know anyone, listen to the song and let it paint a picture of Maine for you. You're also welcome to come visit and I can show you some of my favorite parts.

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