The lady’s name is Suzanne and her house is glorious. With its rounded tower capped with a steep, pointed turret, the house rises out of an Auburn field dominated by wildflowers, tall grass and giant trees that crowd in as if to guard it from the annoyances of the world beyond. It is a Queen […]
Mark LaFlamme
Posted inbPlus, Mark LaFlamme
Mark LaFlamme: From the dust returned
A medicine for melancholy One night last week in Lewiston, a dude was reported to have stolen sugar, coffee, creamer and a box of Hot Pockets from 7-Eleven before racing out the door, fleeing off into the darkness. If the fellow had taken the time to steal a banana or something, he might have swiped […]
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Posted inLewiston-Auburn, Mark LaFlamme, News
Street Talk: The kiss heard ’round Facebook
Photographer Russ Dillingham originally didn’t intend to publish the kiss photo. I encouraged him to do so and I regret nothing. The photo, of a handcuffed lass kissing a bearded man while a pair of police officers patiently wait, is a perfect snapshot of hardscrabble life in downtown Lewiston. She’s a woman in love who […]
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Mark LaFlamme: If you’re looking for a sign, slow down
Encouraging I’ve noticed a lot of those “Your Speed” signs on streets in both Lewiston and Auburn lately. You drive by and if you’re going one MPH or more over the limit, a message will flash: “Slow down!” I’ve been by several of these and I’ve experimented. I’ve noticed that if you’re going the speed […]
Posted inbPlus, Mark LaFlamme
Mark LaFlamme: After a few fake storms, guess who’s ready for an intervention
The great storm bluff What’s with all the thunderstorm fake-outs lately, anyway? It drives me mad. The skies grow dark with fat, black clouds. A cool wind begins to stir, riling the trees, making trash dance across the streets and promising that the world is about to be introduced to the great destructive force of […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, Mark LaFlamme, News
Mark LaFlamme: You cannot outrun the news
All I wanted was a humble can of WD-40 with which to oil my chain. I was at the tail end of a weeklong vacation and trying like hell to stay in a vacation state of mind. I refused to read Sun Journal news or even scan the headlines. I refused to even glance at […]
Posted inbPlus, Mark LaFlamme
Mark LaFlamme: Ticks, poltergeists and subterranean cannibals
Dragonflies dance in New Gloucester This was the headline on a very nice photo from Russ Dillingham in Tuesday’s Sun Journal. Dancing dragonflies are fun and all, but don’t expect it to last. There’s a group of crusty old people in New Gloucester who despise this kind of dancing and they won’t hesitate to institute […]
Posted inbPlus, Lewiston-Auburn, Mark LaFlamme
Mark LaFlamme: The skunk, the pothole and the voluntary wedgie
They say there was a secret chord On Nichols Street in Lewiston, near the Sabattus Street end, is a funky pothole in the shape of a guitar. If you hit it at appreciable speed, the tragic clank of your shocks blowing apart sounds a bit like the opening of Jimi Hendrix’s “Are You Experienced.” Ask […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, Mark LaFlamme
Street Talk: Runaways and missing persons
All over the land, people are running away. Many of the missing are teens and preteens. They pack their bags and slip off in the night to protest abuse or what they deem injustice in their home lives. Or perhaps they have fallen in love and the lure of young romance on the road is […]
Posted inbPlus, Mark LaFlamme
Mark LaFlamme: Onion rings, tutus and togas
Bird brained While I was riding my motorcycle up Walnut Street in Lewiston the other day, a pigeon swooped right down at me totally unprovoked. For a horrifying second or two, there were flapping pigeon wings and two beady little eyes right in my face. I wasn’t injured in the attack but the pigeon said […]