L.L. Bean Country

I flew up to Portland, Maine last week for the Maine Municipal League Annual Meeting. The trip went thru New York City and I flew over Ground Zero in early evening. It is a humbling site. It stands out among the skyscrapers in Manhattan and it is an strange feeling as the plane approaches LaGuardia Airport.

This was my first trip to Maine and it is a very nice place. The leaves were turning as we drove from Portland to Augusta. We did pass the exit for Freeport, the home of L.L. Bean. You can really tell it's the home to L.L. Bean. Almost everyone wears a fleece vest or coat.

The Maine League is a very solid league and they have an excellent Executive Director in Chris Lockwood. I have known him for several years and it is always nice to see the directors in their home territory. I visited the Maine League offices and they have a very nice building. Chris's office is much like his personality, very understated. You could tell he was proud of his work for the league.

My speech went well and I think that it was well received. I visited the exhibits and they do a good job of attracting lots of vendors. The incoming League President, Nick Malvadones drove me back and forth to Augusta. I really enjoyed getting to know him. We also had dinner with two of my good friends at NLC. Karen Geraghty and Jill Duson met us for dinner on Wednesday night in Portland. Karen is retiring from Portland's council this year and she will be missed.

I really enjoyed my first visit to Maine. I did get to have a bowl of Lobster soup and it lived up to it's reputation. They say it gets pretty cold in the Winter, but the weather was great during my visit.

I left for the airport in Portland around 5:45AM and it was not a minute too soon. The security line was wrapped around the entire building. They take a serious view of safety at the Portland Airport, since it was one that the 9-11 hijackers used.

Next up: Reno