I spent my time in Maine at a rural country home in Amish territory. Since I had several stories from Nova Scotia, I took the time to rest and write. It was a true country escape.

My Air B&B landlords were an intriguing couple. They have run a farm for 17 years, about 5 miles from the Air B&B home. Both academics with PhDs, they decided to move off the grid to a quiet existence growing food, raising animals, and being ecologically progressive. He was from Sheffield, England, and had his PhD in anthropology. She was a marine biologist from Pittsburgh. They gave me a terrific tour of their farming operations.

I actually did get to see one Amish family driving a horse-drawn carriage with several group members sitting on the wagon.

However, my project had one significant development just before arriving in the United States after 38 nights in Canada. Having corresponded earlier with Dr. William Randall of St. Thomas University in Fredericton, New Brunswick, I decided to cut my Maine trip short by one day to meet him. He is a Professor of Gerontology with a concentration in the narrative of aging. In fact, he is a pioneer in the field and drives conferences in the broader narrative field. When I interviewed him about his life, he was about one month removed from meeting Dr. Dan McAdams of Northwestern University in Illinois. His contributions to the field inspired my interview process. Small world.

Dr. Randall gave me many insights and even had some contacts to pursue. One was a publicist and agent who could help me find a book deal and more. Knowing Dr. Randall, she is familiar with the field and is based in my hometown of Chicago. Really small world!

In short, all very exciting developments.