M4M - NORTHPORT, MAINE

The Maine Yankee is not nearly so taciturn as a stranger might at first consider him, but it is a rule that words are not to be wasted.

— Maine, A Guide ‘Down East’ (WPA, 1937)

This is a short doc about one man trying to find love in the middle of nowhere Maine.  

Epilogue: Bob emailed me on Valentines Day to let me know he got a response on his Craig’s List add from a guy in Tennessee. The guy is coming up to Maine to visit Bob for a month in April. And he said he’s very excited to start a relationship. He has a date! And at the very end of the email he added, “So see maybe you changed my luck.”

* * *

Barton Girdwood is a peer educator and independent multimedia producer based in Bloomington, IN. Outside his studies, he helps direct American Student Radio, an online publication and educational resource for high school and college students. You can find him on Twitter, on Tumblr at americanstudentradio, and on SoundCloud.

This dispatch arrived care of THE AMERICAN GUIDE submission page. Be a guide yourself and send a post from your state: theamericanguide.org/submit.
DOWNEAST In January—the time when one year turns into the next—it always seems like a good time for reflection. A few days ago my wife and I were remembering exactly where we were one year ago. We had actually been worlds apart on opposite ends of I-95. She remembered she had just completed her second half-marathon down in Florida, while I remembered my decision to put some mental and physical distance between the old and the new. I was literally between jobs and hoping to clear from my head any clutter that might still exist from my previous employment so I decided to head Downeast to my favorite place… Maine. The term Downeast, or Down East, can refer very specifically to the coastal region of the state between Penobscot Bay and the Canadian border, however these days it’s used more generally to simply describe coastal Maine. The word has been around for some time, originating with sailors leaving Boston ports who observed southwesterly winds pushing their schooners “downwind” and towards the east, hence the term Downeast. So that’s the direction I chose to go to clear my head. I left my home in Connecticut and headed Downeast, back to my native state. Maine is a great place to be any time of year, but the dead of winter is one of my favorites because it seems more authentic than other seasons. All the tourists have left. All the folks “from away” left their summer homes when the weather showed signs of bitter. The region is literally more barren and you can see the bones of the state as the sea wind strips the land bare for all to see. After a quick stop in Portland I continued to follow the coastline and holed up in a small apartment above the Owls Head post office. Owls Head is a town so small and removed that the post office and the general store are the only public buildings in the town center. The renovated post office was originally an old 19th century barn from a nearby island. It was brought to mainland Owls Head and began its life as the town post office in 1931. If you’re looking for a slice of solitude, this is it: Downeast Maine in winter. While time slowed down to the pace of the occasional snowflake, I spent a few days driving and photographing, capturing that space between last year and the next one. Happy New Year. * * * Maine State Guide Brett Klein lives in Connecticut and works in New York, but prefers small town life and his homestate of Maine. Any chance to get rural is a mental vacation. Follow Klein on Tumblr at The Coast is Clear. His curatorial collection of Americana, rural life, other artists and ephemera can be seen on Tumblr at Tons of Land.
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DOWNEAST In January—the time when one year turns into the next—it always seems like a good time for reflection. A few days ago my wife and I were remembering exactly where we were one year ago. We had actually been worlds apart on opposite ends of I-95. She remembered she had just completed her second half-marathon down in Florida, while I remembered my decision to put some mental and physical distance between the old and the new. I was literally between jobs and hoping to clear from my head any clutter that might still exist from my previous employment so I decided to head Downeast to my favorite place… Maine. The term Downeast, or Down East, can refer very specifically to the coastal region of the state between Penobscot Bay and the Canadian border, however these days it’s used more generally to simply describe coastal Maine. The word has been around for some time, originating with sailors leaving Boston ports who observed southwesterly winds pushing their schooners “downwind” and towards the east, hence the term Downeast. So that’s the direction I chose to go to clear my head. I left my home in Connecticut and headed Downeast, back to my native state. Maine is a great place to be any time of year, but the dead of winter is one of my favorites because it seems more authentic than other seasons. All the tourists have left. All the folks “from away” left their summer homes when the weather showed signs of bitter. The region is literally more barren and you can see the bones of the state as the sea wind strips the land bare for all to see. After a quick stop in Portland I continued to follow the coastline and holed up in a small apartment above the Owls Head post office. Owls Head is a town so small and removed that the post office and the general store are the only public buildings in the town center. The renovated post office was originally an old 19th century barn from a nearby island. It was brought to mainland Owls Head and began its life as the town post office in 1931. If you’re looking for a slice of solitude, this is it: Downeast Maine in winter. While time slowed down to the pace of the occasional snowflake, I spent a few days driving and photographing, capturing that space between last year and the next one. Happy New Year. * * * Maine State Guide Brett Klein lives in Connecticut and works in New York, but prefers small town life and his homestate of Maine. Any chance to get rural is a mental vacation. Follow Klein on Tumblr at The Coast is Clear. His curatorial collection of Americana, rural life, other artists and ephemera can be seen on Tumblr at Tons of Land.
Zoom
DOWNEAST In January—the time when one year turns into the next—it always seems like a good time for reflection. A few days ago my wife and I were remembering exactly where we were one year ago. We had actually been worlds apart on opposite ends of I-95. She remembered she had just completed her second half-marathon down in Florida, while I remembered my decision to put some mental and physical distance between the old and the new. I was literally between jobs and hoping to clear from my head any clutter that might still exist from my previous employment so I decided to head Downeast to my favorite place… Maine. The term Downeast, or Down East, can refer very specifically to the coastal region of the state between Penobscot Bay and the Canadian border, however these days it’s used more generally to simply describe coastal Maine. The word has been around for some time, originating with sailors leaving Boston ports who observed southwesterly winds pushing their schooners “downwind” and towards the east, hence the term Downeast. So that’s the direction I chose to go to clear my head. I left my home in Connecticut and headed Downeast, back to my native state. Maine is a great place to be any time of year, but the dead of winter is one of my favorites because it seems more authentic than other seasons. All the tourists have left. All the folks “from away” left their summer homes when the weather showed signs of bitter. The region is literally more barren and you can see the bones of the state as the sea wind strips the land bare for all to see. After a quick stop in Portland I continued to follow the coastline and holed up in a small apartment above the Owls Head post office. Owls Head is a town so small and removed that the post office and the general store are the only public buildings in the town center. The renovated post office was originally an old 19th century barn from a nearby island. It was brought to mainland Owls Head and began its life as the town post office in 1931. If you’re looking for a slice of solitude, this is it: Downeast Maine in winter. While time slowed down to the pace of the occasional snowflake, I spent a few days driving and photographing, capturing that space between last year and the next one. Happy New Year. * * * Maine State Guide Brett Klein lives in Connecticut and works in New York, but prefers small town life and his homestate of Maine. Any chance to get rural is a mental vacation. Follow Klein on Tumblr at The Coast is Clear. His curatorial collection of Americana, rural life, other artists and ephemera can be seen on Tumblr at Tons of Land.
Zoom
DOWNEAST In January—the time when one year turns into the next—it always seems like a good time for reflection. A few days ago my wife and I were remembering exactly where we were one year ago. We had actually been worlds apart on opposite ends of I-95. She remembered she had just completed her second half-marathon down in Florida, while I remembered my decision to put some mental and physical distance between the old and the new. I was literally between jobs and hoping to clear from my head any clutter that might still exist from my previous employment so I decided to head Downeast to my favorite place… Maine. The term Downeast, or Down East, can refer very specifically to the coastal region of the state between Penobscot Bay and the Canadian border, however these days it’s used more generally to simply describe coastal Maine. The word has been around for some time, originating with sailors leaving Boston ports who observed southwesterly winds pushing their schooners “downwind” and towards the east, hence the term Downeast. So that’s the direction I chose to go to clear my head. I left my home in Connecticut and headed Downeast, back to my native state. Maine is a great place to be any time of year, but the dead of winter is one of my favorites because it seems more authentic than other seasons. All the tourists have left. All the folks “from away” left their summer homes when the weather showed signs of bitter. The region is literally more barren and you can see the bones of the state as the sea wind strips the land bare for all to see. After a quick stop in Portland I continued to follow the coastline and holed up in a small apartment above the Owls Head post office. Owls Head is a town so small and removed that the post office and the general store are the only public buildings in the town center. The renovated post office was originally an old 19th century barn from a nearby island. It was brought to mainland Owls Head and began its life as the town post office in 1931. If you’re looking for a slice of solitude, this is it: Downeast Maine in winter. While time slowed down to the pace of the occasional snowflake, I spent a few days driving and photographing, capturing that space between last year and the next one. Happy New Year. * * * Maine State Guide Brett Klein lives in Connecticut and works in New York, but prefers small town life and his homestate of Maine. Any chance to get rural is a mental vacation. Follow Klein on Tumblr at The Coast is Clear. His curatorial collection of Americana, rural life, other artists and ephemera can be seen on Tumblr at Tons of Land.
Zoom
DOWNEAST In January—the time when one year turns into the next—it always seems like a good time for reflection. A few days ago my wife and I were remembering exactly where we were one year ago. We had actually been worlds apart on opposite ends of I-95. She remembered she had just completed her second half-marathon down in Florida, while I remembered my decision to put some mental and physical distance between the old and the new. I was literally between jobs and hoping to clear from my head any clutter that might still exist from my previous employment so I decided to head Downeast to my favorite place… Maine. The term Downeast, or Down East, can refer very specifically to the coastal region of the state between Penobscot Bay and the Canadian border, however these days it’s used more generally to simply describe coastal Maine. The word has been around for some time, originating with sailors leaving Boston ports who observed southwesterly winds pushing their schooners “downwind” and towards the east, hence the term Downeast. So that’s the direction I chose to go to clear my head. I left my home in Connecticut and headed Downeast, back to my native state. Maine is a great place to be any time of year, but the dead of winter is one of my favorites because it seems more authentic than other seasons. All the tourists have left. All the folks “from away” left their summer homes when the weather showed signs of bitter. The region is literally more barren and you can see the bones of the state as the sea wind strips the land bare for all to see. After a quick stop in Portland I continued to follow the coastline and holed up in a small apartment above the Owls Head post office. Owls Head is a town so small and removed that the post office and the general store are the only public buildings in the town center. The renovated post office was originally an old 19th century barn from a nearby island. It was brought to mainland Owls Head and began its life as the town post office in 1931. If you’re looking for a slice of solitude, this is it: Downeast Maine in winter. While time slowed down to the pace of the occasional snowflake, I spent a few days driving and photographing, capturing that space between last year and the next one. Happy New Year. * * * Maine State Guide Brett Klein lives in Connecticut and works in New York, but prefers small town life and his homestate of Maine. Any chance to get rural is a mental vacation. Follow Klein on Tumblr at The Coast is Clear. His curatorial collection of Americana, rural life, other artists and ephemera can be seen on Tumblr at Tons of Land.
Zoom
DOWNEAST In January—the time when one year turns into the next—it always seems like a good time for reflection. A few days ago my wife and I were remembering exactly where we were one year ago. We had actually been worlds apart on opposite ends of I-95. She remembered she had just completed her second half-marathon down in Florida, while I remembered my decision to put some mental and physical distance between the old and the new. I was literally between jobs and hoping to clear from my head any clutter that might still exist from my previous employment so I decided to head Downeast to my favorite place… Maine. The term Downeast, or Down East, can refer very specifically to the coastal region of the state between Penobscot Bay and the Canadian border, however these days it’s used more generally to simply describe coastal Maine. The word has been around for some time, originating with sailors leaving Boston ports who observed southwesterly winds pushing their schooners “downwind” and towards the east, hence the term Downeast. So that’s the direction I chose to go to clear my head. I left my home in Connecticut and headed Downeast, back to my native state. Maine is a great place to be any time of year, but the dead of winter is one of my favorites because it seems more authentic than other seasons. All the tourists have left. All the folks “from away” left their summer homes when the weather showed signs of bitter. The region is literally more barren and you can see the bones of the state as the sea wind strips the land bare for all to see. After a quick stop in Portland I continued to follow the coastline and holed up in a small apartment above the Owls Head post office. Owls Head is a town so small and removed that the post office and the general store are the only public buildings in the town center. The renovated post office was originally an old 19th century barn from a nearby island. It was brought to mainland Owls Head and began its life as the town post office in 1931. If you’re looking for a slice of solitude, this is it: Downeast Maine in winter. While time slowed down to the pace of the occasional snowflake, I spent a few days driving and photographing, capturing that space between last year and the next one. Happy New Year. * * * Maine State Guide Brett Klein lives in Connecticut and works in New York, but prefers small town life and his homestate of Maine. Any chance to get rural is a mental vacation. Follow Klein on Tumblr at The Coast is Clear. His curatorial collection of Americana, rural life, other artists and ephemera can be seen on Tumblr at Tons of Land.
Zoom
DOWNEAST In January—the time when one year turns into the next—it always seems like a good time for reflection. A few days ago my wife and I were remembering exactly where we were one year ago. We had actually been worlds apart on opposite ends of I-95. She remembered she had just completed her second half-marathon down in Florida, while I remembered my decision to put some mental and physical distance between the old and the new. I was literally between jobs and hoping to clear from my head any clutter that might still exist from my previous employment so I decided to head Downeast to my favorite place… Maine. The term Downeast, or Down East, can refer very specifically to the coastal region of the state between Penobscot Bay and the Canadian border, however these days it’s used more generally to simply describe coastal Maine. The word has been around for some time, originating with sailors leaving Boston ports who observed southwesterly winds pushing their schooners “downwind” and towards the east, hence the term Downeast. So that’s the direction I chose to go to clear my head. I left my home in Connecticut and headed Downeast, back to my native state. Maine is a great place to be any time of year, but the dead of winter is one of my favorites because it seems more authentic than other seasons. All the tourists have left. All the folks “from away” left their summer homes when the weather showed signs of bitter. The region is literally more barren and you can see the bones of the state as the sea wind strips the land bare for all to see. After a quick stop in Portland I continued to follow the coastline and holed up in a small apartment above the Owls Head post office. Owls Head is a town so small and removed that the post office and the general store are the only public buildings in the town center. The renovated post office was originally an old 19th century barn from a nearby island. It was brought to mainland Owls Head and began its life as the town post office in 1931. If you’re looking for a slice of solitude, this is it: Downeast Maine in winter. While time slowed down to the pace of the occasional snowflake, I spent a few days driving and photographing, capturing that space between last year and the next one. Happy New Year. * * * Maine State Guide Brett Klein lives in Connecticut and works in New York, but prefers small town life and his homestate of Maine. Any chance to get rural is a mental vacation. Follow Klein on Tumblr at The Coast is Clear. His curatorial collection of Americana, rural life, other artists and ephemera can be seen on Tumblr at Tons of Land.
Zoom
DOWNEAST In January—the time when one year turns into the next—it always seems like a good time for reflection. A few days ago my wife and I were remembering exactly where we were one year ago. We had actually been worlds apart on opposite ends of I-95. She remembered she had just completed her second half-marathon down in Florida, while I remembered my decision to put some mental and physical distance between the old and the new. I was literally between jobs and hoping to clear from my head any clutter that might still exist from my previous employment so I decided to head Downeast to my favorite place… Maine. The term Downeast, or Down East, can refer very specifically to the coastal region of the state between Penobscot Bay and the Canadian border, however these days it’s used more generally to simply describe coastal Maine. The word has been around for some time, originating with sailors leaving Boston ports who observed southwesterly winds pushing their schooners “downwind” and towards the east, hence the term Downeast. So that’s the direction I chose to go to clear my head. I left my home in Connecticut and headed Downeast, back to my native state. Maine is a great place to be any time of year, but the dead of winter is one of my favorites because it seems more authentic than other seasons. All the tourists have left. All the folks “from away” left their summer homes when the weather showed signs of bitter. The region is literally more barren and you can see the bones of the state as the sea wind strips the land bare for all to see. After a quick stop in Portland I continued to follow the coastline and holed up in a small apartment above the Owls Head post office. Owls Head is a town so small and removed that the post office and the general store are the only public buildings in the town center. The renovated post office was originally an old 19th century barn from a nearby island. It was brought to mainland Owls Head and began its life as the town post office in 1931. If you’re looking for a slice of solitude, this is it: Downeast Maine in winter. While time slowed down to the pace of the occasional snowflake, I spent a few days driving and photographing, capturing that space between last year and the next one. Happy New Year. * * * Maine State Guide Brett Klein lives in Connecticut and works in New York, but prefers small town life and his homestate of Maine. Any chance to get rural is a mental vacation. Follow Klein on Tumblr at The Coast is Clear. His curatorial collection of Americana, rural life, other artists and ephemera can be seen on Tumblr at Tons of Land.
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DOWNEAST

In January—the time when one year turns into the next—it always seems like a good time for reflection. A few days ago my wife and I were remembering exactly where we were one year ago. We had actually been worlds apart on opposite ends of I-95. She remembered she had just completed her second half-marathon down in Florida, while I remembered my decision to put some mental and physical distance between the old and the new. I was literally between jobs and hoping to clear from my head any clutter that might still exist from my previous employment so I decided to head Downeast to my favorite place… Maine.

The term Downeast, or Down East, can refer very specifically to the coastal region of the state between Penobscot Bay and the Canadian border, however these days it’s used more generally to simply describe coastal Maine. The word has been around for some time, originating with sailors leaving Boston ports who observed southwesterly winds pushing their schooners “downwind” and towards the east, hence the term Downeast.

So that’s the direction I chose to go to clear my head. I left my home in Connecticut and headed Downeast, back to my native state. Maine is a great place to be any time of year, but the dead of winter is one of my favorites because it seems more authentic than other seasons. All the tourists have left. All the folks “from away” left their summer homes when the weather showed signs of bitter. The region is literally more barren and you can see the bones of the state as the sea wind strips the land bare for all to see.

After a quick stop in Portland I continued to follow the coastline and holed up in a small apartment above the Owls Head post office. Owls Head is a town so small and removed that the post office and the general store are the only public buildings in the town center. The renovated post office was originally an old 19th century barn from a nearby island. It was brought to mainland Owls Head and began its life as the town post office in 1931. If you’re looking for a slice of solitude, this is it: Downeast Maine in winter. While time slowed down to the pace of the occasional snowflake, I spent a few days driving and photographing, capturing that space between last year and the next one.

Happy New Year.

* * *

Maine State Guide Brett Klein lives in Connecticut and works in New York, but prefers small town life and his homestate of Maine. Any chance to get rural is a mental vacation. Follow Klein on Tumblr at The Coast is Clear. His curatorial collection of Americana, rural life, other artists and ephemera can be seen on Tumblr at Tons of Land.

Stephane Goin drives #AmericanGuideWeek around the country. He takes us to neon-lit, all-night diners, buys us cheap drinks and puts us up in motels that have seen better days. It’s the best road trip ever. Stephane says: i’m french tourist lost in north america. (i live in Paris) and twice a year i visit your country… Usually it’s a roadtrip Follow him on his fantastic Tumblrs, Mad(e) in USA  and 15000 Miles. 
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Stephane Goin drives #AmericanGuideWeek around the country. He takes us to neon-lit, all-night diners, buys us cheap drinks and puts us up in motels that have seen better days. It’s the best road trip ever. Stephane says: i’m french tourist lost in north america. (i live in Paris) and twice a year i visit your country… Usually it’s a roadtrip Follow him on his fantastic Tumblrs, Mad(e) in USA  and 15000 Miles. 
Zoom Info
Stephane Goin drives #AmericanGuideWeek around the country. He takes us to neon-lit, all-night diners, buys us cheap drinks and puts us up in motels that have seen better days. It’s the best road trip ever. Stephane says: i’m french tourist lost in north america. (i live in Paris) and twice a year i visit your country… Usually it’s a roadtrip Follow him on his fantastic Tumblrs, Mad(e) in USA  and 15000 Miles. 
Zoom Info
Stephane Goin drives #AmericanGuideWeek around the country. He takes us to neon-lit, all-night diners, buys us cheap drinks and puts us up in motels that have seen better days. It’s the best road trip ever. Stephane says: i’m french tourist lost in north america. (i live in Paris) and twice a year i visit your country… Usually it’s a roadtrip Follow him on his fantastic Tumblrs, Mad(e) in USA  and 15000 Miles. 
Zoom
Stephane Goin drives #AmericanGuideWeek around the country. He takes us to neon-lit, all-night diners, buys us cheap drinks and puts us up in motels that have seen better days. It’s the best road trip ever. Stephane says: i’m french tourist lost in north america. (i live in Paris) and twice a year i visit your country… Usually it’s a roadtrip Follow him on his fantastic Tumblrs, Mad(e) in USA  and 15000 Miles. 
Zoom
Stephane Goin drives #AmericanGuideWeek around the country. He takes us to neon-lit, all-night diners, buys us cheap drinks and puts us up in motels that have seen better days. It’s the best road trip ever. Stephane says: i’m french tourist lost in north america. (i live in Paris) and twice a year i visit your country… Usually it’s a roadtrip Follow him on his fantastic Tumblrs, Mad(e) in USA  and 15000 Miles. 
Zoom Info

Stephane Goin drives #AmericanGuideWeek around the country. He takes us to neon-lit, all-night diners, buys us cheap drinks and puts us up in motels that have seen better days. It’s the best road trip ever.

Stephane says:

i’m french tourist lost in north america. (i live in Paris) and twice a year i visit your country… Usually it’s a roadtrip

Follow him on his fantastic Tumblrs, Mad(e) in USA  and 15000 Miles.