[CottonBall]

ps. Do you have that cute Maine accent? Or is it only part of the state that has it? (I never got a Texas accent myself b/c it’s only the east part of the state that has it. Darn - I think accents are so neat. Well, any accent other than those the illegals all over here have. Come to think of it, and about half the legals - anchor babies. They don’t learn one word of English until our schools are forced to waste money teaching them the language. So they end up sounding like they never even lived here, much less were born here.)

[upcountry miss]

I, too, love lighthouses and have visited many in Maine and other states. Goat Island lighthouse is three miles from my home. It is an unmanned lighthouse now as are most of them now, but I remember a few years ago when it was manned year round. There is one on Swan's Island off the coast of Bar Harbor that I really enjoy. It has a buoy with a deep sounding bell off shore from the lighthouse. The wave action keeps the bell ringing and I love the sound. Another one, at Prospect Harbor is open to the public, as is Portland Head Light.

Yes, I have a horrible accent. It is not one bit cute and continually causes me great embarrassment. Before I retired, I had assignments in other states as part of my employment. One assignment was as a Customer Service Rep in Wash D.C. During many, many of my phones calls all over the country, I was asked, “and what part of Maine are you from?” and it was never meant as a compliment. It is a harsh, nasal sounding accent and much as I abhor it, after 77 years, I guess I'm stuck with it. In fact, many times, I am referred to as a male on the telephone. Embarrassing, indeed!