It shouldn't "almost sound like an invitation." It should "sound like an invitation."
I'm 100% serious. If you need a formal invitation, consider this one. However, I don't stand on formality much.
Go to Rangeley, Maine. Now, here's where the directions break down. I don't actually have, like, a mailing address. Yeah, I'm that remote. I get my mail at a PO box in the village of Rangeley, Maine.
Take a right onto 16, as though you're headed towards Stratton/Eustis. I'm the 2nd mountain on the left. Don't worry, I'm the only one on it. Can't miss it. If you just go to the top, you're stuck. That's okay, walk back down about 500' in elevation and I'll come pull you out.
in fact, this is from the bottom of my driveway:
http://imgoat.com/uploads/fd0b37cd7d/113837.JPG
If you can see that, look up. It's the big house with the big garage and the large barn-looking thing. It's not actually a barn - but it looks like one. That's where I keep a modest collection of toys, ranging from a '73 Jeep Wagoneer to the above mentioned Honda Accord. There's a small collection of cars in there, but they're not the kind of cars one would expect to find in a collection. For example, I have three Saabs in there. I have two older M3 models. I have an '82 Volvo 245, but that's in one of the garage bays. The fanciest that I have is a 1982 Porsche 911 in Targa trim. I also have a '73 Dodge Dart.
The list goes on, but it's not a very big collection and it's not the kind of cars most folks would expect to see in a collection. They're all owned for a purpose! I don't own any trailer queens! They're all either restored or have been restored and then improved in some way. The beloved Volvo has a skid plate, advanced timing, and the front seats have been replaced. It does 0 to 60 in about 3 days - but once you get it there, it stays there. At that point, you can probably drive it straight through a mountain. Why do I own it? It's ass-heavy, rear-wheel drive, and just about the funniest thing to drive in a blizzard. You're in a Volvo, it's not like you're going to get hurt!
If you use Google Maps, you'll see why I own these cars. I pretty much live right smack dab in the middle of an unsanctioned racetrack. To make it even better, there are no cops and there's very little traffic. You're more likely to hit a moose than you are to hit a vehicle or a pedestrian.
Even better, they aren't trailer queens - which means I'll let you drive 'em. There's nothing there that can't be replaced and I have insurance. Two of the Saabs are street legal. They're both the 900S Turbo model (though one's a year older than the other). We can race them bitches around and I don't even care if you wreck it. That's what insurance is for. I won't even be mad.
For better or worse, I did well when I sold my company. (I'm pretty easy to dox.) If there's one thing I did, it was get toys. I've got all sorts of ways to entertain folks!
Which is one of the reasons why my time on Poal is getting less and less frequent. It's warmed up and I spend a lot more time outside. We actually have more than 10 minutes of daylight, so I tend to spend much of my time outside during the summer. I'm pretty much always off on some adventure.
So, you are indeed invited. It's a family-friendly type of place. I don't have many rules, but one is that you can't be an asshole. Wearing pants is also probably a good idea. If I have to wear pants, you have to wear pants. I'm also a wee bit anal about people who eat with their mouths open or talk with food in their mouth. Other than that, there's not much to it. If you're gonna get trashed, do so respectfully and keep hard drugs out of sight of the children. I don't care if folks do drugs - but kids don't need to see it.
As I mentioned, you'd not be the first one to visit! I've even had a goat visit more than once. (Initially, I met him and another goat down in Farmington. One was a bit strange and he went home shortly after we hit the second bar but the other one and I hit it off quite well. I'll let them choose to disclose who they are, if they want to.) I've had people from HN, Slashdot, Fark, and even GasBuddy.com visit my house. None of them have turned out to be ax murderers and I've never felt compelled to kick any of them out. I did have one guy from GasBuddy creep on a neighbor's daughter, but that wasn't really a problem because we didn't let it turn into a problem.
Damn am I wordy today. I need a damned secretary. Either way, I'm pretty legitimate about your being invited. I ain't scared. Wait until you hear about my firearms! (I pretty much spent like a drunken sailor when I retired. I really only look smart on paper!)
Well I appreciate the invitation and the family and I have been meaning to visit maine. I hear the seafood is great. Perhaps we could go camping out your way this summer and stop in for a visit. Figure a week off and I could actually come enjoy the state.
Note: I live a long, long ways from the coast.
Also note: Lobster is delicious - and you can get it at dirt cheap prices if you know the right people.
Sounds like you might know some right people. You are a hell of a lot closer to the coast than I am. Closet thing I’ve got water wise is the Great Lakes. Don’t get me wrong they are nice to swim in and boat in. I once took a large jet ski pretty far out in Lake Michigan. But no lobster or crab in those waters. So Maine was on the list of places to go once upon a time when we bought an rv and wanted to travel the country.
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