Pictures of My World

Day 1,662, 15:52 • Published in USA USA • by MaryamQ

Hello, eFriends,

Recently, I have seen a number of articles with pictures of the beautiful places other players live in RL. Having spent a large part of my eLife in close contact with RL Europeans, I realize that a lot of you have no idea what it is like where I live, although you can talk at length and with enthusiasm about one anothers’ homes. So, in order to clear up a few misconceptions – for instance, no I don’t feel any need to carry a weapon when I leave my house – I decided to take some pictures to show you just what it is like here.

First, a few facts and figures to put this in perspective:

I live in the state of Maine, which has a land area of 35,385 sq. mi. (91,646 km2), and a population of 1,328, 188 (estimated 2011), making a population density of 43.01/sq. mi. (16.6/km2. It would take me approximately 7 hours to drive from the southernmost point to the northernmost, mostly on interstate highways. In comparison, Belgium has an area of 11,787 sq. mi. (30,528 km2), with an estimated population of 11, 007, 020 (2011), giving a population density of 918.6/sq. mi. (354.7/km2).

The largest city, Portland, has a population of 66,194. Augusta, the state capital, where I live, has a population of 19, 136 (345.4/sq. mi or 133.4/km2). The pictures I have taken also include the nearby towns of Winthrop and Hallowell.

When I was looking for places to take pictures, I realized that even in the heart of the city, the landscape is dominated by water and trees. Many of the pictures include the Kennebec River, which is one of the three principal rivers in the state. The Winthrop area has several lakes, as well. All three towns included here were formerly mill towns, principally textiles and some paper, but those industries are gone now, and the waterways have been cleaned up for recreational use.


Lake Maranacook in Winthrop


West bank of the Kennebec River from Hallowell, looking toward Augusta[/]


This is the Kennebec Rail Trail, which runs from downtown Augusta, through Hallowell, and into Gardiner. I parked by this trail and walked to take all of the following pictures except the last.


From the Rail Trail, looking east across the Kennebec toward my neighborhood (which you can’t see because of hills and trees)


Downtown Augusta about 18:20 on a week night – not much going on


The Old Federal Building on Water Street, downtown in Augusta. This is just to make my European friends feel at home.


Looking downstream on the Kennebec, just off Water Street.


Looking upstream from approximately the same spot. To the right of the bridge is Old Fort Western, a colonial fort that is used for living history/educational purposes.


I was actually trying to catch a rainbow in this picture, but it does show one of the older neighborhoods in Augusta, traditionally a French-speaking part of town.

I hope you enjoy this glimpse into my part of the world. At a later time, I hope to post pictures of more of the state.

MaryamQ