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

My Air B&B landlords were an interesting 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 members of the group sitting on the wagon.

However, just prior to arriving in the United States after 38 nights in Canada, there was one major development in my project. 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. It turns out that 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 having met Dr. Dan McAdams of Northwestern University in Illinois whose contributions to the field are the inspiration behind my interview process. Small world.

Dr. Randall provided me with many insights and even had some contacts for me. One was a publicist and agent who might be able to help me in finding a book deal and more. In 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.