Login

SewingWithNancy · 11-25-2020, 01:54 AM

Gatez Journal

August 15th 2023
Stepping off the plane today, I was greeted by a brisk sea breeze that caught me off guard. The wind sent goosebumps down my spine as if a stranger just touched my neck. However, at the same time it felt familiar and slightly comfortable. Spending the last few weeks in LA with the Panthers head office has really softened me up to the harsher weather that I came to love last year. It isn’t even fall yet, and Maine has already greeted me with lower temps than I was expecting. This is hockey weather though, this is where I feel comfortable. I flew back a few weeks before camp started up. I never got much of a chance to explore the city much. I never got much of a chance to get into nature. Between playing and practicing with the Timber during the season and postseason, along with heading off to the World Juniors. Portland has never felt like home yet, having an extra few weeks in Maine will give me time to really make this place feel like I belong here. I missed Denver terribly last season, I missed my breweries and bars, I missed my restaurants, and I missed my hiking trails. I firmly believe that my poor rookie season was due to the fact that I never felt like this was my home. Stranger in a strange land, and it bled into my game. So I had to say goodbye to everyone early. I had to find my own apartment in town. I had to make Portland my home.

August 16th 2023
Waking up this morning in the Portland Harbor Hotel, I feel good. I opened the blinds and am greeted by red brick buildings in every direction with a tinge of white from the salt in the air. I forgot how much the ocean plays a part in the overall look of this town. I spent the first few hours of the day in the gym. Just because I'm in town before training camp doesn’t mean I can slack off, especially if I plan on eating and drinking my way through the town. I don't have any apartment viewings till later in the week, so today and tomorrow i'm just going to be walking around the city and popping into random local establishments. Bars, Restaurants, Breweries, Book Shops, Clothing Stores… If it is a local spot, I want to see it.

End of the day and I am back in my room. I cant believe it but I actually ran into two Timber rooks today. I wasn’t the only person that came back to Portland early apparently. I left the hotel this morning and wanted to get out and see some nature. I decided to head to Capisic Pond Park to walk around and see the wetlands. I never really get to see wetlands when I am in Colorado so I thought this would be a nice change of pace. When I was walking up to the trailhead I saw a handful of people doing the same, however I saw a man that stood out from the crowd due to his size. I hadn’t seen any of the guys Maine had drafted, however I did see their stats. Not a ton of people in Maine are my size, so I figured I would introduce myself. Turns out that the Mac Truck of a man I met was the one and only Dogwood Maple, our number one pick in the draft. He is just as much of a fan of nature as I am. He was out there to bird watch, along with checking out all the trees that Maine has to offer compared to Atlanta. Such a nice guy, he is also looking for his own place to live. After our hike around Capisic Pond we decided to go back to Becky’s Diner for some breakfast even though it was about 12:30. Turns out the guy eats almost exclusively breakfast foods. I ordered biscuits and gravy, but he just scoffed and ordered waffles, eggs, bacon and biscuits on the side. “Gravy is for dinner Sean” he grumbled as he woofed down his meal. I couldn’t help but just smile and laugh on the inside. After the diner we walked about a mile to Gritty McDuff’s Brew Pub for some drinks. When we got to the pub there was literally only one other person in there and it just so happened to be Fredrik Stefannson. Dogwood and I walked in and saw a frame sitting at the bar that could have only been another timber or a lobster fisherman. When Fredrik looked up from his lunch and saw both of us waiting at the bar, he instantly knew his new teammates. Even though it is August, Dogwood and I ordered the Stout, as the ocean breeze was really making us feel like it was much colder than it really was. Fredrik ordered a glass of Merlot instead. I assume most people dont order wine here since the server looked a tad surprised, but obliged the order. As it happens, all three of us were apartment hunting in the next few days and we were just trying to learn the lay of the land. These two are doing what I should have done last season, and I wish I would have done this earlier. We all had a nice time this afternoon, but we all left the restaurant to head back to our respective hotels to get some more rest and to take advantage of the hotel gyms.

August 17th 2023
Waking up to a sunrise breaking over the buildings and a wind breaking off the bay, I am reminded of what I enjoyed about this town last season. How refreshing that ocean breeze is. I went to bed later than I wanted, but this breeze is a nice wakeup call. After a quick jog around downtown, I hit the hotel gym for another quick morning workout. I crawled into the dry sauna afterwards and was greeted by a huge Japanese man. Our rookie backup goalie from last year Bigga Foryu is also currently living in the Portland Harbor Hotel. As we shared the dry sauna together this morning he told me that this was his first year living on his own. He was basically in the same boat as I was. He hadn’t learned the city at all last year. He spent all last season living with our previous goalie Leo Bloomfield, as his live-in man-servant. I dont spend much time around goalies for this main reason. Those guys are all weird and have weird rituals. I'm not surprised that our previous starting goalie had Bigga living with him serving him drinks. I did however let him know to call me later in the evening for dinner after I had toured an apartment.

After I left the sauna I had to rush to my room to get dressed and ready to see my apartment realtor to look at a suite unit at the Bayside Village Apartments. It overlooks the Back Cove Park next to the bay. And I must say, it was absolutely one of the best apartments I’ve ever seen. I signed a lease after just 10 minutes looking around. I am starting to feel like I'm getting to know this town. I met up with Bigga for an early dinner at 2pm at the Highroller Lobster Co. I watched this man down 4 lobster rolls without breaking a sweat. That man has 100% embraced the Maine delicacy and is living up to his Sumo heritage.

After that meal I gave Dogwood and Fredrik a call so that all four of us could get to know each other better over drinks and games at Arcadia National Bar. We spent the next few hours playing 4-player Pac-Man, skee-ball, Mortal Kombat, and Street Fighter. Of course due to our enthusiasm, it didn't matter how any game ended. We all shouted TIMBER anytime anyone won anything. Pretty sure everyone in that place hated us. Havent had such a fun drunken night since I got drafted by the LA Panthers. Tomorrow is gonna be a nightmare in the gym.

(word count 1373)
Timber

dogwoodmaple · 11-25-2020, 02:46 AM

Thanks for picking up the tab!

Navigation

Extra Menu

About us