Unity sits conveniently halfway between the Augusta campus and the main campus at Orono and thus was a good place for the Web Team to meet, which we did over brunch at the Heron. Another good place would have been the truck stop at exit 35 which makes a good breakfast and has data ports in the booths along the windows. Thursday the 21st will be my last day at UMaine. I'll enjoy exactly one day of unemployment and the start of Commonground Fair on Friday, and start my new job on Monday. I'll take a few days off in October when the Matenses come up for a week and dear friends Anita and Malissa come up for about 10 days.  My university email address (jbourg@maine.edu) will stay active for several months, and in a few weeks I'll email folks with a new address.
The most difficult part of the job change is giving up automatic high-speed internet access. Very addictive to be online all the time at T1 speeds. The other difficult part, of course, is moving my stuff from one cubicle into another one 80 miles away. In the silicon valleys and alleys of the world, Cubicle Stuff Relocation is probably a purchaseable service. They come, take a picture of your cubicle, copy everything off your hard drive, move all your shit to your digs, and you walk in the first day ready to go.
Fall weather is delightful. I've spent the last two Saturdays in the woods doing trail building. Yesterday was Unity Day of Service, a day when the Unity College Students and town organizations work together on improvement projects. I'm chair of a Trails Committee for Unity Barn Raisers; it's work that gets me outside. All fall visitors can anticipate a mandatory hike on the trails.
 Gardens are finishing their work, the tomatoes are finally red, and pumpkins are ready. In Melissa's family the gardening gene is dominant. Her brother Peter has a big garden in the fields at Shirley's house; he waters it by pumping right from the Kennebec.  Melissa's mom Shirley always dresses to match the flowers she's gathering. Shirley and her gardening club cohorts are going to meet with people in Unity next month to help get a gardening club started here. That, like everything else, has to wait until after Commonground, the big organic growers fair that takes over Unity next weekend. Our pal Jinx Vidrine will be up visiting during that time. She'll get to see us in total mobilization.
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