By Mira Bartolino
May 20, 2021
Portsmouth, Maine
April vacation has sadly passed, and although I miss it, I am writing this during MCAS week. Sleeping until 9:30 is absolutely brilliant! I feel like a changed person. So, while I am actively savoring these moments, in the recent past I have done some traveling to new places.
During our glorious break, I went to Maine for about three days. Surprisingly, I had never been there. Portsmouth was the first stop. It was quite nice, something like an underwhelming Boston, a little more desolate. The weather was nice, and I remember seeing a lot of people enjoying the walking routes and nature in general.
The next stop after Portsmouth was Gorham, which is just as exciting as its name suggests. One thing I did was visit Stephen King's house, as he lived in Gorham. I pondered why he would want to live in Gorham, but eventually figured it was only one of his houses (he definitely makes a lot of dough off that movie franchise). It was very large and had this kind of blood-red color, and had black gates with gargoyles on the ends of them. It was honestly kind of cool, there were surrealist art statues in his front yard, and it did in some ways feel like a really clean haunted house. In retrospect, I only saw the house for two minutes, because I felt like a weirdo standing outside of his house taking pictures, because that’s still an uncomfortable thing to do, even if they’re a celebrity.
Overall, I did have a pretty good time in Maine. I’m sure it’s a lot more scenic in the summer and probably a lot busier, too. It was a nice change from the constant sameness of being at home, and it was definitely better than being in my house every single day (although I wouldn’t have really minded). It was just the relaxation I needed to prepare myself for the weeks ahead (ugh.) Hopefully, I will travel more soon and have something more interesting to write about. Until then, farewell!
Meet the Writer!
Mira Bartolino, class of 2022, is a columnist for the Dedham Mirror. She enjoys playing soccer, writing, and learning about politics and philosophy. In her spare time, she likes to hang out with friends and go to the movies.