[bar] chart

sometimes there's no better way to get to know a place than to go to where the locals hang out. the neighborhood bar.

it's also winter in maine so you have to find activities to keep you entertained...


wanting to discover and get to know the city of south portland a little better , as well as just get out of the house, some friends and i planned out a south portland bar crawl.  to keep it interesting, it was a mix of breweries, restaurants and dive bars which provided us a mix of craft beers, cheap drafts, appetizers and meals.  some of the places were warm and welcoming and will find us visiting again, others gave us the vibe that non regulars would be better off at applebee's.  shady looks aside it was a successful bar crawl which basically means memories were made and good times were had. 

not only do we know sopo just a tad bit better now, but it was great to get out of the house.


the route we took:

foulmouthed brewing
rj's pub
evelyn's tavern
spring point tavern
elesmere bbq

 

 

 

[barn] party

when the group wants to go out, but one of your friends has to work...

you dress up!

this summer, our friend ted, had to emcee the "owls head transportation museums barnstormers ball!"  though he had to work, our little group thought it would be the perfect event to go to as well!  with the theme being, "gin and jazz" we all got dressed up in our roaring 20's best and headed up the maine coast.  the night was spent eating amazing food, swing dancing to an actual big band orchestra and gallivanting with friends against the back drop of biplanes and studebaker's.  gatsby himself would have been impressed!

what can i say other than the entire evening was the bees knees! although we were supporting our friend ted during "working hours" its little events like this that seem to bring a group of friends even closer!

play it again [clam]

the difference between last summer and this summer?  last summer i was discovering events, this summer i'm looking forward to events.

one of those events is the yarmouth clam festival.  we had a blast last year and couldn't wait to attend this year as well.  it's not so much about the clams as it is about just being outside and enjoying the summer and maybe enjoy some lime rickeys!  to be honest i'm not exactly sure what it is, but i do know they taste great on a hot summer day.

summer is a sacred season in maine and the yarmouth clam festival seems to be one of the more sublime celebrations to attend.

 

  

  

 

the [shack] supper

when you're here...you're family.

after the wedding my family stayed in town for another week.  when my wife and i got back from our mini honeymoon, we were able to spend some quality time with them before they headed home.  one particular night, they all wanted to experience a true maine lobster shack.  as i've only been to one a quick google search pointed us in the right direction.  thirty minutes later we were all sitting in the rising tide restaurant, which ended up being a legit lobster shack.  we all ordered various seafood items from the menu, with a few people even going for a whole lobster.

between the cracking of lobster tails and the squirting of lemon slices, people told their favorite stories from the wedding reception.  i had to laugh, not only at some of the hilarity i apparently missed at my own wedding, but because i looked around and realized i was in the middle of something my family does extremely well, telling stories, laughing and enjoying great food.

though we aren't all directly related, this group of people is my family...

and i was so excited to have that group go up in population by one with the addition of my wife.

a [double] baste

traditions are important.

but they don't come easy...or do they?

you may remember last year when i wrote about bringing the tradition of the [june] bucket to maine.  well it was such a hit, people started asking about it in march.  not only were my fiancee and i happy to continue it, but friends who attended last year, and who have a much bigger yard, offered to host it.

just as in years past, it was an eclectic group of people many of whom didn't know each other before the night started.  however when you mix up a communal cocktail drink like the [june] buckets, and ask people tp drink it via turkey basters, strangers become acquaintances and acquaintances become friends.  that's the magic of the [june] bucket!  you never baste alone!

as i said before there were a lot of new faces this year, all of whom are now looking forward to next year, which makes me think that year three, when it officially becomes a maine tradition, will be a glorious celebration.

we're gonna need a bigger bucket.

party [local]

i've been living in portland maine over a year now and i realize that i've basically been living as a glorified tourist.  i've seen some sights, tried some restaurants and have gone to a few events but i haven't done anything more than a summer tourist could do. that was until the other weekend when i partied with some g.o.b's.

that's right, some "good ol boys." 

i was invited to a bonfire out in the woods by a friend of mine.  upon arriving and looking at the number of pickup trucks in the driveway i knew i was in for a treat.  we barbecued, told stories, drank beer and kept the fire roaring.  by roaring i of course mean that a few of the g.o.b's saw the fire getting low, went to their trucks and fired up chainsaws.  i of course, having left my chainsaw at home, was on the porch enjoying an amazing plate of baked beans.  heading back to get another scoop, i heard a large thud outside.  looking out the window i saw an entire tree down.  minutes later the trucks pulled up and delivered three full beds of the fallen tree to the bonfire.  a half an hour later the fire was much bigger and i was stuffed with baked beans.

as the night went on we found ourselves moving down from the deck and towards the flames.  the closer we got the better the stories.  we heard all about portland in the 60's and 70's and how great munjoy hill use to be, back when it was "filled with hookers and crack." their words, not mine.  we heard stories from bars long ago forgotten and other adventures around the area.  

i felt at home and homesick at the same time.  this was the kind of thing we use to do all the time growing up.  although the burnt smores of my childhood were replaced with cans of coors this night, hanging out in the country, around a bonfire, felt like old times.  

there's just some shit you can't do in the city...

although from the stories i heard that night, in the 70's you might have been able to.

there's no place like [gin]

as a kid, with lots of relatives in western kansas, i attended my share of weddings, all of which  incorporated volga german traditions; the wedding march, the singing of the brautlied (bride's song), the flying dutchman and many other polka's.  i enjoyed them because my grandfather loved them and i knew they were part of my heritage.

it took moving 1,800 miles away from my home to realize just why these traditions are so important.


with a touch of homesickness last month, my fiancee suggested that we throw a "june" bucket party. this was a party held by my friends back in kansas every june which included a large cocktail drink known as a gin bucket; a party i was going to miss this year.  however with her suggestion, i was immediately excited!  we invited all our new friends and started planning.  i was meticulous down to every detail, annoying my fiancee with discussions of correct bucket sizes and number of basters.  

the night of the party, all of our new found friends and neighbors came over. they were a little apprehensive about this gin concoction involving drinking communally from a large bucket with turkey basters, however after a few "bastes," everyone was on board.  the night ended up being a wonderful time and all our new friends became better friends that night.

i couldn't have been happier that night. i was like tevye dancing around the streets of anatevk shouting out "tradition!"  somewhere between joking about getting "basted" and eating "walking tacos" out of doritos bags, portland maine started to feel a little bit more like home.

a few days later my fiance and i did a little wedding planning.  still reeling in the happiness of the tradition of june bucket and thinking about our upcoming wedding i began to think about all the volga german traditions i'd like to include.  that's when it hit me.  these weren't just simple songs and dances you did at weddings just for the fun of it; theses were traditions brought over from my ancestors who had left their home.  songs and dances that reminded them of good times with friends and family they were now apart from.  traditions bought over that helped this new world they found themselves in seem a little less scary. familiar tunes and lyrics they could get lost in and feel like they were home again. a little piece of their old life that helped make their new life feel more like home.  these traditions were tiny seeds of a world they once knew that they could plant in a new place.  with time and love those seeds took root and became a whole new tradition, the wedding songs and dances i knew as a kid a hundred years after they were planted.

who knows if my great great grandchildren will be throwing june bucket parties in a hundred years, but there have been requests for a repeat in 2017.  

christmas eve eve [tradition]

well, it looks like "public's" christmas eve eve party is a full fledged tradition now, as they hosted it for the third year.  i may be partial, since it's my favorite bar, but to me it's the perfect holiday party. everyone is usually back in town, but still has the night off from any family obligations. allowing you to connect with out of town friends. nothing seems more like the holiday spirit than enjoying good drinks with good friends....and "christmas vacation" on the big screen.

austin city [limit]?

this was year [eight] for my annual pilgrimage to austin to attend the austin city limits festival. more importantly this was the eighth year to enjoy a weekend catching up with some amazing friends.

as always the weekend was filled with good music, great food and wonderful conversation.  some highlights of this year include a discovery of a great east austin bar, the yellow jacket social club, after typing in "hip bar" into the yelp app.  this year also found me meeting up with a great architect, who is more of a mentor than he probably realizes.  a guy who became a friend while i was a student on my architectural internship 10 years ago.  i also added yet another "decemberists" concert to my list, as well as a performance from leon bridges. an artist who evokes otis redding and sam cooke. a fantastic musician i hope to see again.  also tacos...lots and lots of tacos!

as good of a time as we always have, for the first time we discussed the possibility of trying something else out.  we all love the music, but at the root of the weekend is the fact it's three friends making a commitment to stay in touch.  we've done acl, maybe it's time to move on.  who knows if i'll be writing about acl in 2016, but i can guarantee, i will for sure be writing about a wonderful adventure between three friends. hopefully it will include music...and tacos.

it gets harder and harder to capture new and fresh images of the festival each year, but i hope you enjoy this years batch.