Return to Bar Harbor, Maine 2022/Carlos Pueblo

 Return to Bar Harbor, Maine 2022/Carlos Pueblo

Bar Harbor is a fishing port and a stop of the New England/Canada cruise route. Bar Harbor is located in the middle of the State of Maine coastal line not far away from the three Canadian Provinces, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island. Our cruise shall stop at Halifax and St Johns. There is a tender service to carry us to Bar Harbor from the ship. On the small boat, I ran into Ivy Pan, my old neighbor at my hometown Huwei, Taiwan almost half a century ago.

It was 1973 when I returned home from Lei-Yu Island of Ka-Moi, the frontier island of Chinese Fu-Chien Shore of Amoy Island after a two years Taiwanese Army Conscription. Our fathers both worked at Taiwan Sugar Corporation Huwei Factory and we lived on the same street with one house between our sector, we were number 20 and they were number 22. We both remember vividly our neighbors and elementary school years life. Of course, she is much younger age than me, she is about my younger sister Grace's era. Yet she remember that I am the second older brother to Grace. I was a high school teacher at that time for only one year. She knows well with Grace and her husband at young age. She lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

One of her friends from childhood was in her company. She is a daughter of a principal of Huwei Girls High, Mrs. Shi, Si means Stone in English. Mrs. Shi recommended me to Mr. Lee the principal of Huwei Boys High to hire me as a chemistry teacher. My adopted mother Dr. Pei was a closed friend to Principal Shi and that was why I remember such favor. I have had a fond memory of that teacher's year at Huwei before I came to the United States.

I volunteered to be their guide for the rest of the cruise. We turned pass the white Bar Harbor Inn and its lovely flowers garden before we were marching along the coastal line. On the sea surface we could see the floating balls of lobster traps while on the landside, we could enjoy the lovely villas of the township with garden facing the sea. Right at the fence of the famous Acadia National Park, we turned right toward the town center main street. On my repeated trip on the next week, I remembered that I forgot to point out the apple tree in the middle of the walking path. The house flowers garden at the corner is my favorite full of the Dahlia and Rose flowers.

I recommended them to a lobster restaurant on the main street. Miss Shi loves birds. I asked her about the red head crane on the trade mark of Japan Airline. She told me that she did visit Hokkaido, Japan one year in October to view such beautiful bird.

重返緬因州棒港2022／莊峻華

 重返緬因州棒港2022／莊峻華

緬因州之棒港位於加拿大邊界，是一美麗之小鎮，郵輪必停靠之站，並無大船碼頭，需要接駁艇，這是愛開迪亞國家公園所在地，我在接駁船上，巧遇舊日台灣虎鄰居，而且她又憶得寒舍家人，這位女鄰居住匹茲堡市，和童年好友同遊，我們有一精彩之回憶。這位女士周念華，家住民主二路24號，我們是20號，中間隔一郭家，郭太太是我們虎尾中學護士，郭先生是軟式網球健將，念華有很好之記憶，而且也認識小妹茜茜，她問我是否為莊二哥，因為我排行第二，上有長兄峻嚴，峻嚴在埔里讀國小，我們都是虎尾糖廠安慶國小前後期。

1973年，我從烈嶼解甲歸田，在母校虎尾高中任教，當年是經過念華同行閨蜜石姑娘令堂虎女石宛珠校長之輾轉推薦給虎中李世昆校長，始得聘書，中間經過義母裴玉梅大夫，當然石姑娘年幼，不知此事，我們談起舊日糖廠生活美憶，十分興奮。上岸後，我當導遊，經棒港旅店，這是一濱海豪華飯店，有一座迷人之花園，主要的是玫瑰花和大理花，我們沿濱海步徑，走過棒港之豪華別墅，海上可見漁人捕龍蝦之球型標誌，這次未遇後院糜鹿，而且我忘記介紹那株蘋果樹，走到愛開迪亞國家公園邊界鐵籬，即需右轉折入鎮中心，此時有一住宅，前有美麗花園，我就鼓勵拍照留念，這是我環遊世界僅見，也是玫瑰花和大理花，還有幾種艷麗花朵，我將上傳供讀者欣賞。

她們在前站波特蘭，未得品嘗龍蝦，於是我介紹她們到街上一家龍蝦餐廳，很有趣的是，翌週我又回棒港，該餐廳已經關閉，而且廣告招牌都撤除，顯然這週是季節之最後。

這位石姑娘喜愛鳥類，其夫婿幫她買件鳥像夾克，我請教她北海道之赤首鶴，她去參觀過，但需要特別時間，好像是年底時刻。

Repair the front yard/Carlos Pueblo

 Repair the front yard/Carlos Pueblo

Our front yard has a lot of damage throughout years of my negligence and finally, I must face it.  We have asked two landscape guys to give us offers to repair the dame in vain. I believe that is very difficult for guys to change their routine jobs to tackle with a different task. The number will be a shock to both of us. My last lawn repair was 11 years ago, the sod was one dollar a piece and now is $3.50 a piece. Most of the time it is out of supply. See, you have to grow the sod on a big piece of land with warm weather and plenty of water. Once the sod is ready, you must have a machine to harvest the product and cut it into pieces to be shipped to the garden supply store. $3.50 a piece is reasonable and I need about 100 pieces plus tax and shipping cost. Landscape bosses told me would cost $150 a day to hire a hand.

At the beginning, I slightly dug the damaged area with a shovel to soften the ground which didn't last very long because I was tired easily. I applied the sod on the damaged surface and believed that plenty of rain or water could make the difference. I see new grass leaves are coming out gradually. I find that there are more I need to repair on both of my front and back yard.

We do have neighbors who are keeping their yard in excellent shape like a small garden. I know that will take very much of effort and I admire it. I notice that I still need to remove all weeds out of our front and back yard. It is very difficult.

My west neighbor Mark and Forest's Mom Kathy both place seasonal flowers on their flowers beds and both of them receive the Yard of the month honor. It is a different kind of homeowner which I admire dearly. I always admire homeowner with a lovely front yard like a flower garden. I know that I must repair my front yard first and gradually make an improvement.

修葺前院／莊峻華

 修葺前院／莊峻華

前院聖奧古斯丁草坪有病蟲害，枯死一大片，我估計修葺工程巨大，剛好割草師傅和鋸樹師傅，都無興趣接此工作，於是我就開始土法煉鋼，自行動工，我年輕時有過這種經驗，草皮是可以移植，草坪可以維護改進，我曾經整理過租屋出售兩次，都是自己動工。

我先移植幾塊草皮，從後院到前院，能移植草皮太少，只好求助於大賣店，一大賣店草皮售罄，我到另一家購買25塊，此匹草皮已甚枯黃，未知能否順利，正好下雨兩日，草皮有些動靜，愛美從握爾瑪歸來曰，有大賣店草皮特價，於是趕去察看，大賣店新貨也售罄，僅剩一些，經理同意半價，於是我又買下15塊，這些是破碎草皮，但我覺無妨，只要我認真澆水，或者遇見梅雨，補上後，還是感覺不足，於是今日我再趕去大賣店，殘餘存貨草皮無幾，而且也無完整一塊可計算，所以經理就打一折賣出，我檢一堆回來，仔細的補上前院空隙，然後澆水，我等四日後下雨預告。

我估計約補上50平方呎，如果順利，幾年後可以長滿前院，當然我需要春夏秋冬勤澆水，春秋兩季定時施肥，注意病蟲害，莫等待到如今日之嚴重。

Re-visiting Portland, Maine 2022/Carlos Pueblo

 Re-visiting Portland, Maine 2022/Carlos Pueblo

Portland, Maine is a regular port for the New England and NE Canadian Provinces cruise route which I have taken regularly and also one of the main stop for the North Atlantic cruises. It is an old port for the European immigrants to be settled in the New World. I also am familiar with Portland, Oregon on the Pacific Coast that I like it very much. The New England cruises are my regular summer vacation to avoid the heat way in Houston, Texas. Usually I have made a back to back arrangement for such cruise trips to save some airfares.

The first stop was a cloudy day after a rainy day at New Port, Rhode Island. The port was quiet in compare to my previous experience. I got off the ship and walked into the harbor establishment. A lobster eatery on the harbor is familiar to me called the Porthole lobster restaurant. You can order a pair of small lobster and eat them outside on open seats by ships to enter the harbor. I have dined here twice even though I don't usually eat outside of the cruise ship. I walked into a familiar fish market to take some pictures of fish prices per pound. It is very nice to live here to have plenty of fish to eat. They are fresh and prices are reasonable.

I walked briefly into the city center in order to see if I can buy ear plug for my swimming on board. It was out of the summer season; therefore, I couldn't find it available. The city does have nice and classic buildings and looks rich and affluent. I can see that is a tourist city in New England.

Very soon, I returned back to the ship for lunch and programs in the afternoon. I get tired very easily nowadays. I went to swim anyway without ear plug and swimming goggles. It was not comfortable yet I did have some exercises.

重返緬因州波特蘭港2022／莊峻華

 重返緬因州波特蘭港2022／莊峻華

波特蘭港是新英格蘭老海港，和奧勒岡州波特蘭港，東西輝映，兩港各有特色，西岸波特蘭較新穎，東岸則是古舊，但仍具規模，我常郵輪旅行，橫跨北大西洋，新英格蘭和加國三省，都需經過緬因州波特蘭港，這次是來回倆次七日遊，因此是路過兩次。此日也是陰天，下船時街上，多半是郵輪乘客，我熟悉的摸上碼站龍蝦餐廳，此餐廳名曰港洞，1929年開業，我來過兩次，第二次帶愛美來，一份蝦餐有兩隻小龍蝦，可以在室外用餐，室外就是碼頭木板餐桌，小魚船靠岸卸貨處。

平常我不在船外用餐，況且龍蝦在休市東方超市，也有新鮮生猛龍蝦，價錢不比新英格蘭觀光碼頭餐廳貴，識者需要走出碼頭街道，尋覓當地人餐廳，或是華人餐廳，我搭之郵輪，早已取消提供龍蝦，節省成本，但是費用餐廳，仍舊提供鮮魚可口菜單。碼頭可以看到捕捉龍蝦鐵框，海面上常見浮球是標誌，為魚船收鐵框用，日本北海道火車經過，也可以看到這些浮球標，置放在村落民間庭院，我想魚船也可以網捕龍蝦，和網捕魚隻一般撈起。

我忘攜帶游泳用耳塞，想在市面購買，幾家店員均曰，並非季節，店無存貨。我喜愛郵輪旅行，郵輪生活熱鬧有趣，可以到處遊覽，食宿交通均包括，職員禮儀專業，女職員年輕，如花似玉。晚上我聽一節歌唱，然後結束一日。

Drive Amy to her jury duty/Carlos Pueblo

 Drive Amy to her jury duty/Carlos Pueblo

Amy received a jury duty summon yesterday and I waited until a night before to decide to drive her to the downtown. It is not that easy to go to downtown Houston and it is a fact. We got up early to prepare to make the arrival before 8 o'clock scheduled time. I learned to take an HOV lane to enter busy downtown streets.

We all have to answer the jury duty in the United States until age 70. It is a civic duty. Both Amy and our son Arthur are not familiar with the Houston downtown traffic; therefore, I volunteer to be their chauffeur to rid off their headache. 

In the afternoon, she found a time to call me what the procedure was. She was on the second run with a number of 11 of about 60 or 70 left. She also picked up a fellow jury prospect for a ride to get her home and I didn't mind at all. I managed to prepare a simple dinner for Arthur for his night shift work. At about a quarter to six p.m., she called for my picking up. I was at my last three dumplings at my dinner. 

There was a terrible traffic on I-10 toward the downtown. She calculated my time to reach our point of pick up was about 45 minutes. I found out the rider's home area and decided to take I-59 instead of I-10. I entered another HOV lane which was my first time to be aware of, to be out of Harris County. It was very lonely lane with a speed limit of 60 mph. I was not used to be alone on a single lane with a vehicle behind me. Finally, I exit to a park and ride area and the rider directed me for the rest of direction to her house. She said that she took the same route with an Uber Taxi in the morning.

I managed to make it home on a familiar street yet I was not sure of the north or the south bound. Amy explained to me what di happen at the jury room. She had to excuse herself out of the final selection with insufficient English ability. I read about the story and also recent continue civic education with Donald Trump's facing the law. I understand a little better with the U.S. legal systems.