Sea Star

These early spring days, a stroll along most beaches around here still finds many cottages and rooming houses boarded up, not yet ready for the hustle and bustle of warm July afternoons. This is, and always has been, my favorite time to get to the water. The buildings always look so lonely and 'wanting' in early morning sun. While living on Stevens, my mother's aunt Francis spent her summers with us in Portland and daily took the bus to OOB, for her summer job. She worked at various rooming houses as a maid and just loved her job. Like most in our family, she had , as Mom would say, the 'gift of gab', and I'm sure loved sharing her stories and tall tales to guests and co-workers. Aunt Francis was a great storyteller, and evenings would regale us kids with wonderful stories of her exploits of the day. I still remember her coming and waking me up nights, anytime there was a thunderstorm brewing. "You awake?" She'd say. Well, "I am now." I'd return. Haha! Great memories. We all loved her summer visits. Oh, I almost forgot. She was the one who first introduced me to salt water taffy. She'd bring bags of it back to the house for us. I still think of her, anytime I'm enjoying a piece of striped, peppermint candy. Mmmm!