A Living Magazine - Grounded in Maine - Day 34 - Hungry Day in Scottie

The sleep spot turned out to be quite nice. It was level and the pine needles made a fairly soft pad. Over the next few evenings I would improve it a bit but not a lot. Since McDonald's was only about 500 feet away, and I'd saved a couple of dollars for coffee, I headed there.

About an hour into my work, I heard someone say, "Is that Green Bean?" (referring to my backpack). I turned around to see an old high school friend, Peter. It was his wife who I had breakfast with back in Freeport. Peter was also the one who used to send me ads for land in Maine before I left the state two years ago...

Peter and Alex.

We had a good talk, having not seen each other for over 30 years. He was on his way further up the coast to do some work. So, we said goodbye and he took off. I was being surprised by old friends here in the Pine Tree State. Apparently, I'm recognizable. Not sure what I think about that. Ha! Still, these were great folks and catching up seemed to be part of the pattern for this Journey.

I worked for a few more hours, then left to go back to the library which had been closed the day before but was open on this day...

A laughing gull. I don't remember ever seeing one. He really stood out among

the other gulls because of his black head. And he seemed more bold,

just hanging out at a table right next to a family eating outside McDonald's.

The tablet was low on power and McDonald's had no outlets. It was only a mile (20 minutes) to the downtown area. The Skidompha Library was nice. There were a few places to work. I chose the little café area. Unfortunately, the Wi-Fi was spotty at best. Over the next few hours I became pretty frustrated with it. A library should have a first rate internet service. I think this was the worst out of the hundred or so libraries I've been to around the nation. Yet, I was able to charge the tablet and was thankful for that.

Eventually I moved down a couple doors to a small sidewalk table outside the Ampersand Café, piggybacking on their comparatively fast and reliable Wi-Fi signal. It was sad to see these two signs on a power pole... 

A stolen cat... Seriously?

On the other hand it was nice to see this sticker--a sign of things shortly to come...

As much as I tried to ignore it, my hunger was getting bad again. I decided that I needed to forage for whatever I could. Damariscotta has a different assortment of wild plants, not as many wild edibles as Boothbay had. I walked down to the waterfront and sat on a bench there. It was a nice day and there were other people on the adjacent benches lining the shore.

I'd hoped to get some bladderwrack seaweed, but the tide was high--of course. The other problem was that there was no bladderwrack, only the tasteless rockweed (Ascophyllum nodosum), which is hardly edible in the food sense, and pretty fibrous. It is typically sold as a garden fertilizer and livestock feed...

Nevertheless, I was feeling desperate and wanted something in my stomach. When I felt I could grab some without being stared at I stepped down onto the rocks and did my thing...

It was like eating rubberized hay. I filled my empty soda bottle halfway with seawater and sipped a bit as I chewed, and chewed, and chewed... This made it a bit more like a soup and at least gave a salty flavor. Eating all that you see in the photo above, maybe a quarter pound, I did feel temporarily full. I know how all of this sounds to folks who would never lower themselves to such behavior.

Try to bear in mind... I'm experimenting with wild food and accumulating quite a list of items. I'm not just a crazy guy whose standards are sinking. Yes, I may be "that guy," but not just that guy. Nor do I seek to be a 21st Century Yule Gibbons (although I have eaten pine flesh--the soft inner bark of a pine tree and spruce buds). I feel that this testing is important. Other people have researched and exploited these wild alternatives, but few of them have done so out of necessity. I truly want to know what I can eat when I have no money to buy conventional food. I want to be able to survive without money if necessary. Nay, I need to be able to survive without money. The Modern Nomad must utilize every option. Perhaps someday such activities will not be so frowned upon by polite society?

After eating my "meal" I left to get back to the sleep spot. There was really nothing more I could do on this day..

I watched the sun go down from my sleep spot and being a bit bored left my symbol on a small beech tree...

Hoping the next day might bring in a donation, I went to sleep early.