Hello friend.

Are you tired of the “real” world?

Are you fed up with TV talking heads and radio idiots spouting whatever comes into their heads?

Are you tired of what passes as political discourse? Are you tired of political leaders who wrap themselves in the Good Book and ignore its teachings?

Are you fed up with electronic devices that capture your brain and won’t let go? Do you worry about wildfires, floods, heat waves, superstorms and rising seas that threaten some of our major cities?

Or, maybe, just maybe, you’re just tired of it all, and are looking for a place where you might relax?

Well, friend, welcome to Boothbay where the air is clear, the geography is spectacular, and the lobster is sweet.

You are in for a fun week. As a bonus, I promise you that you will never need a tie. For both sexes, jeans, sneakers, shorts and a polo shirt will do just fine. In the evening, you might need a sweater, just in case.

For those of us who live here year round, one of the most exciting features of this week is the end to the road construction project that brought us a roundabout. But, that is another story for another time.

It is Windjammer Days, and there are lots of things to do. Here are a few highlights.

This year’s hardworking Windjammer Days committee has rounded up a gaggle of sailing ships for a spectacular visit to the harbor on Wednesday afternoon.  Don’t miss it.

You will have a chance to view the world famous codfish race. (Don’t ask. You’ll love it.) A few hours later, attend a real, old-fashioned, small-town street parade.

After the parade, stop at one of our fab eateries and enjoy a nice meal.

Note, just for the record, if you are a bit reluctant to order lobster because you have no idea how to crack it open, ask your waiter or waitress. They will be glad to show you how to fish succulent morsels out of the bright red shell.

After dinner, wander around town, maybe grab an ice cream cone and find a place to sit and enjoy the fireworks.

Our friends at the Chamber of Commerce and other business owners are glad you came and encourage you to eat, shop and visit with them. They will be more than happy to help you dust off your “Gold Card.”

Don’t forget to buy a keepsake to remember your visit. May I suggest you check out the work of our local artists. A landscape art print is nice, but an original painting is the best way to bring back memories of your stay with us. 

By all means, stop down at the docks and sign up for a boat ride. A day on the water is worth your time. Have you ever seen a whale up close? How about a colony of seals sunning on a ledge? Ever view a lighthouse up close? When seen from the water, our coastal scenery is just magnificent.

If you are a fisherman, it might be worth your time to talk to the charter boat skippers. They might have a place for you on their next trip. While there are no guarantees, (after all, they call it fishing, not catching) your chances of coming home with slabs of fresh fillets are good.

For the city dwellers who want a chance to commune with Mother Nature, the Boothbay Region Land Trust has trails aplenty, and, best of all, the cost is affordable for the whole family – free.

Sunday morning is a great time to visit a church and eat breakfast on the waterside before you pack up the car and head home.

Lots to do. You pick your favorite. Isn’t that what a week in Boothbay is all about?

Do you hate ticks?

Here is a little trick that might help you avoid a visit from a bloodsucking tick.

My bride and I visited several hardware stores last week as she continued her annual quest for garden goodies. At a couple of them, I noticed they were selling something called “tick tubes.”

For something like $45, you can buy biodegradable tubes filled with cotton balls soaked in a tick-killing concoction called permethrin. The idea is to scatter them on your lawn where the field mice will take the cotton balls back to their nests, and murder the ticks that infest their burrows.

This sounds like an idea that might have some merit. But my bride tells me she made her own tick tubes.

She saves old toilet paper rolls and stuffs them with dryer lint. Squirt on some permethrin (you can get it at any hardware store) and you have your own deadly tick-killing weapon.