Okay, maybe you also live in Portland. How am I supposed to know?

Okay, technically I live in South Portland. Close enough.

Try to stay focused. I’m making a point here. Over the holiday weekend, I was reminded how lucky I am to live where I do. A few weeks ago, I blogged about a misadventure earlier in the summer. Eight of my closest friends and I went on a booze cruise around Casco Bay, and I got stuck on their wheelchair lift for a good part of the trip. Click here for that post.

As compensation, Casco Bay Lines refunded the fee for all nine of us and gave Kim and me four complementary tickets for another cruise around Casco Bay, but this time on a ship with a modern elevator.

It’s called the mail run, because this ship spends about three hours dropping off and picking up mail and other cargo from a number of inhabited islands just off the shore from Portland, Maine, in what we call Casco Bay. The deal with the mail run is this. You bring your own food. You bring your own drinks, alcoholic if you so desire. Then, you sit back and Enjoy the Ride, something I’m fairly adept at.

Andy and Karen joined Kim and me as we boarded the ship mid-afternoon. I took the elevator to the top deck, and we positioned ourselves in the front row. It was a coolish afternoon, so once we got out on the water I donned my cape, and assumed my superhero persona.

For the next three hours, we sampled gourmet toppings spread on fancy crackers, sipped wine and soft drinks, marveled at the scenery, and enjoyed one another’s company. Sure, I’ve been aware of the existence of these islands in Casco Bay, but for the 18 years we’ve lived in the greater Portland area, I’ve largely ignored them. We had a memorable day, and I expanded my horizons. Beginning next summer, I plan to explore these islands more extensively, at least from wheelchair accessible boats but maybe, on occasion, by venturing onto the islands themselves.

I smell a blog post or two next summer.