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© 2004 Robert F. Bukaty Introduction Essay for Maine 24/7 Staying Power By Bill Nemitz We call them people "from away." They often ask why we choose to live here in Maine, where the winters are too long, the summers too short, and the shopping centers so scarce that we actually named our largest one "The Maine Mall." They wonder how we can get by on so little, yet still hang signs at our borders that boast, "Welcome to Maine. The Way Life Should Be." Pretentious? We don't mean it that way. It's simply the truth. Life in this corner of the country is, now more than ever, not easy. The mills that once churned out shoes and textiles are long gone. Our proud fishing fleet struggles to stay afloat in a steadily rising tide of federal regulation. The brightest of our children leave for college and, much to our dismay, often never return. Yet we stay. And we adjust. And we persevere. We are small enough---only 1.2 million at last count--to know one another by name. We called our prior governor "Angus" and we call the new one "John." His family owns Mama Baldacci's restaurant in Bangor--you'd be surprised how many of us have slurped spaghetti there. We also have our disagreements. We recently voted down a proposal by two Maine Indian tribes to bring casino gambling here--but only after a bitter debate between the "Two Maines": One is south and along the coast, where many people have good jobs, new cars, and health insurance. The other is north and inland, where many people have none of the above. Still, for all our differences, in our hearts we are one. Stories still echo from the ice storm that encrusted Maine six winters ago, leaving thousands stranded for weeks without heat, water, or electricity. Day after day, our newspapers published lists detailing not just what many folks needed, but also what many more folks had to offer. In the end, for all its devastation, the Ice Storm became a thing of unexpected beauty. Which brings us to the true essence of Maine--and the reason we choose to stay. Maine, in a word, is beautiful. From the granite outcroppings at West Quoddy Head, where the sun first touches the nation each morning, to the majesty of Mount Katahdin, Maine is a place where people the world over come to look, to smell, to feel the simplicity of nature as it goes about its business. And from the lobsterman to the logger to the musician to the many other faces captured on these pages, it is a place whose people cherish nature's business as they go about their own. No, it isn't easy. And as long as we stay, with our ghost mills and wicked winters and our mall named after the whole gosh darn state, it likely won't get easier anytime soon. But if there is hardship in Maine, so is there pride. And if living here is a challenge, so is it a blessing. Welcome to a week in Maine. The way life should be. Browse    View All    Staying Power    Hearth & Home    Hard at Work    Maine at Play    Reason to Believe    Our Town Photos: 170 Photographers: 30 Towns: 81

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