Yesterday was grocery day…YUK!!  I don’t like shopping at all and I especially don’t like grocery shopping (although I sure do love to eat ). We have a very nice small grocery store in Corinth but a couple of times a month, I head for the big city of  Bangor. Bangor may not be all that big to most of you but it is Maine’s third largest city with a population of around 31,500 people.

Bangor is pronounced “Ban-gore” — not “Bang-er” like you hear some radio announcers and out of state folks saying it. I decided to make grocery day a bit more fun this week and took my camera with me. The temperature outside when I woke up was -2° but it quickly warmed up  to a balmy 32°. There are lots of interesting things that I could have photographed but time was short so I settled on the following two to share with you.

Bangor claims that they are the birthplace of the lumber industry and of course, also the birthplace of the mythical Paul Bunyan. In American folklore, Paul Bunyan was a character of great size and enormous strength. He traveled  with Babe, his giant blue ox. The 35 foot statue can be found on Main St. It was donated to the city of  Bangor in 1959 on its 125th birthday.  According to the Chamber of Commerce website, “The statue has an exterior of fiberglass covering a metal frame and 8 inch pipe “legs”. It was designed to withstand 110 MPH winds and has the proportions of a 5 foot – seven inch man.  His epitaph: “Here lies Paul, And That’s All.“  A copper time capsule was placed in the base and will be opened when the city celebrates its 250th Anniversary in 2084.

Maine author and part-time Bangor native Stephen King brought the statue to life in his 1986 novel “It”.

This giant statue  can be found at 519 Main St,  just across from the newly built Hollywood Slots and hotel building.

I headed through downtown Bangor and took the photo to the left from my windshield. My windshield was covered with spots. Note the car in front of me. Looks like we just both head for the car wash!

My next stop was one of Stephen King’s summer homes to take a few photo’s to share with you. Just for the record, I am a voracious reader but horror is not a genre that I enjoy. It just isn’t for me but judging the immense popularity of Mr. Kings books, there are plenty of folks out there that love to be scared to death.

The house is located on West Broadway in Bangor and  known locally as the William Arnold House. It was built in 1858 for the princely sum of $7,000.  The Kings winter in Florida and it appeared that no one was around. The home is quite large with a cylindrical tower on one side. It looks pretty much like any of the other older, majestic  homes in the area until you notice the famed ornate wrought iron fence with it spider web and bats.

I have read that Tabitha King has her office on the first floor of the cylindrical tower of the home and that King himself does his work in the rear, above the swimming pool dressing rooms. Rumor has it that there is a ghost that haunts the living room of the Stephen King House.

Well, that is it for today. I hope that you enjoy the post and the photo’s. My grocery store trip yesterday was much more enjoyable for me by taking some time to view some of the things around me I usually find pretty mundane. Enjoy each day!