For some reason Amber and I have never managed to get ourselves to the huge Deering Oaks market on Saturdays. We’ve driven by a few times, and actually tried once but got there as things were closing up. Having one less than a mile down the road will give us less of an excuse. Of course, the Gorham market doesn’t run as long as Portland’s. Maybe we’ll find ourselves heading into town on Saturday mornings next year?

Check out Avery Yale Kamila’s piece for the full list of markets.

“In the past, I opposed gay marriage while supporting the idea of civil unions,” Governor Baldacci said. “I have come to believe that this is a question of fairness and of equal protection under the law, and that a civil union is not equal to civil marriage.”

“Article I in the Maine Constitution states that ‘no person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law, nor be denied the equal protection of the laws, nor be denied the enjoyment of that person’s civil rights or be discriminated against.’”

“This new law does not force any religion to recognize a marriage that falls outside of its beliefs. It does not require the church to perform any ceremony with which it disagrees. Instead, it reaffirms the separation of Church and State,” Governor Baldacci said.

“It guarantees that Maine citizens will be treated equally under Maine’s civil marriage laws, and that is the responsibility of government.”

It will be interesting to watch the reaction to this decision. Maine joins Massachusetts, Connecticut and Iowa as the only states that currently allow same-sex marriages (though Vermont recently passed a law that will allow them as of September), but I’m fairly sure this is not the end of this debate. While I agree with Baldacci’s interpretation of Article I of the state Constitution, I am personally undecided on the issue; I have no doubt that there will be a call for a Constitutional amendment or referendum to ban same-sex marriages. I wonder if it will actually make it to a popular vote…

Update: some poor fact checking on my part lead me to misstate that Maine currently allows same-sex marriage as a result of this legislation. That is not quite correct. Like Vermont, this new law does not take effect until September, 90 days after the adjournment of this legistlative session.

After checking out Elizabeth’s awesome collection of daily 5″ paintings, we headed across the street to Hilltop Coffee Shop for some of the least expensive, yet best, coffee available in Portland. Two small lattes and a bottled drink (our friend Jen was with us) for $6 is pretty rare these days. They had a few small nibbles laid out as well, and the girls gave these very positive reviews. The atmosphere was a cozy local coffee house. We would have stayed and hung out if there weren’t more walking to be done.

Wandering down Congress St., we stopped into a few shops and studios, and made our way into Home Grown Herbs and Tea, also on Congress Street. Unfortunately, we still had our Hilltop cups half full, so we did not order any of the array of herbal teas she had on offer. we did try some of the appetizers that were laid out. The grape leaves, stuffed with something we couldn’t quite figure out (I say there was some fennel in it, but that was definitely not all) were quite tasty. We’ll have to head back to this one next time we fancy some tea.

Finally, we turned down India St. on our way to Rabelais. First, however, we came upon Duckfat. Being a little peckish by then, we simply had to stop for some Belgian fries. Though I’ve read wonderful reviews of Duckfat’s potato delights, Amber and I had not yet found ourselves in that area at meal time. Sad, given that we’ve lived here nearly two years now. We remedied the situation with a large order of fries to go and a couple of dipping sauces for the side. The curry mayo was the favorite. We will, without a doubt, be going back to see what comes off the panini press at this delightful little sandwich and fry shop. And yes, the fries were worth every single calorie. I will gladly spin an extra few miles on my bike this weekend to burn them off. Jen assured us that their milkshakes are equally fabulous. More research is needed…and I’ll be the first to volunteer.

We’re already looking forward to June 5 for the next Art Walk. The Monument Square area is not without its own delightful eateries, and I’m sure I’ll have some more food notes to share the next day. I’m just sorry we waited so long to check out First Friday. Portland is a great little city, and if you’ve only ever explored the Old Port area, the Art Walk may be the perfect excuse for you to branch out a little and see what else she has to offer. You won’t be disappointed.

is to open the doors of Portland’s visual arts community by joining together and introducing a wider audience to the unique vitality of the artists and venues of Portland. Promoting interest with non-exclusivity and easy access, thereby strengthening the arts and community through diversity and celebration.

Sadly, though we’ve talked about doing it, we have yet to actually do a Walk. Provided the forecast thunderstorm holds off, I think we might change that tonight. Amber has an appointment downtown at 4:30, and I’m planning to head down with her for some Belgian bier at Novare Res. I figure that provides us with the perfect opportunity to stay downtown and see what’s around. We might even pick up a piece or two, as the house will need something on the walls. There’s a ridiculously long list of things to see tonight, so it should be fun.

Well, this time I have a good excuse. You see, our lease on our apartment is expiring in a couple months, Uncle Sam is offering a nice pile of cash to buy a new home, and Amber and I really like it up here. All of this adds up to a good time to buy a house, and that’s exactly what we’ve done. Well, almost. We’re under contract. We won’t have officially bought the house until our closing in June, but we’re close. The house inspection is done and went well. We’re waiting on the appraisal, and subsequent mortgage approval. After that, it’s just a matter of trying to occupy the next month and a half with more packing than furniture shopping. The process of getting from talking about it to under contract has consumed just about all of our free time for the last 6 weeks; thus, no posts on here.

At the suggestion of my realtor and several other friends and advisors, I’m not going to reveal much in the way of details about the house we hope to call our home by late June. I will, however, be putting the finishing touches on a series of posts I’ve been writing about the home buying process up here in Maine. In the next couple weeks I will be sharing some details about the first-time homebuyer course we took, our search for a realtor and mortage lender, and the house hunt itself. Stay tuned…

So I surfed over to PortlandSeaDogs.com to check it out. There, in a nice big red and blue banner, was the count down to the opener. 35 days until Hadlock Field hosts a ball game. It may flirt with 50° this weekend, but it only just got up to the freezing point today. It seems rather wishful thinking that it’ll be baseball weather in five short weeks. I sort of doubt Amber and I will be taking in the opening day festivities, but for those who are undeterred by wearing a parka to the park, ticket packages are on sale now. Maybe we’ll see you there. Just not until May…

• Premium veal, ham and pork samplings
• Artisan cheeses and breads
• Fresh fish from Browne Trading Company
• Winter Point oysters, raw and roasted
• House-made ravioli filled with organic vegetables from Laughing Stock Farm
• Arugula pesto and mushroom soup “shots”
• Seasonal vegetables from Farm Fresh Connection

And, to quench your thirst:

• Handcrafted beers from Allagash Brewing Company
• Wines provided by Aurora Provisions, Mariner Beverage, & Wicked Wines
• French Press Coffee tasting by Starbucks Coffee

If you’ve not yet experienced Chef Lee Skawinski’s fare at Cinque Terre, this event offers a reasonably economical (tickets are $35 each) way to see what all the buzz is about, and it’s tax deductible. Oh, and it benefits a great cause, too! Check out ecoappetito.com for more information and to order your tickets.

Konbit Sante is different from many other organizations in that we do not send teams of doctors and nurses to provide hands-on care. Instead, our staff and volunteers work with Haitian colleagues to develop health care programs, to teach doctors and nurses, to make infrastructure improvements, and to collect and deliver much-needed equipment and supplies.

The most valuable asset you can give is your time. Not a doctor or nurse? They have many needs that can be filled by those without medical training, including infrastructure improvements, working with things like the computer and electrical systems, and collection and distribution of medical supplies and equipment. 

Konbit Sante is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit corporation organized in the State of Maine. They can be contacted as P.O. Box 11281, Portland, ME  04104. You can call 207-347-6733 or email info@konbitsante.org for more information.