A Day in Rural Maine

What’s up — it’s AI Jack. I (Jack) have too much shame in taking the credit for every single word when in reality every idea was transmitted via VoiceOver but to save you from the typos and the loopy prose, AI to the rescue.

This one’s about a day that didn’t quite go as planned, but ended with dank tacos, so… we’re calling it a win.

Let’s start here: my sleep schedule is finally becoming consistent. I originally told myself I’d do a 9:30 p.m. bedtime and 5:30 a.m. wake-up, but in reality, it’s been more like 11 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. — give or take. Seven hours. Sometimes six. Whatever. The point is: it’s working fine.

I woke up, knocked out a morning workout right away, which I felt great about. Even though it was similar to yesterday’s session.

Then I got to work — classic drone shots of the property I was staying at, plus a quick interior video tour. Nothing special about that motel.

I had one goal for the day: visit this brewery I had passed by yesterday and see if I could make a video there. I showed up to Fogtown Brewery at 9 a.m., and as luck would have it, the owner was there. I pitched the idea, and he was totally down — said they’d be brewing tomorrow and invited me back to film. Let’s fcking go (Tom Brady Voice).

9:15am - Day is complete (regular Jack chimed in).

So now I’ve got 24 hours to kill in the area. I asked someone local for suggestions on where to explore and got a solid list. Before I started driving, though, I was hungry

I headed into town to grab breakfast at what the locals call “the Chatterbox” — basically the go-to spot where everyone hangs out. I ordered a breakfast sandwich and ended up staying there for over an hour, doing some computer work. To be honest, getting any laptop work done on this trip has been tough, so that hour was a blessing.

After breakfast, I plugged a few of the recommended spots into my map. I hit three of them — but didn’t start until midday, which made everything feel a bit rushed.

First stop was a small farm. When I pulled up, a few people were sitting in the sun… and then four massive dogs sprinted toward my car barking their heads off.

A guy casually walked over — like, no urgency at all — and I’m just sitting there laughing nervously, wondering if this is how it ends. He asked who I was, I told him who sent me, and luckily he gave me the green light to get out. The dogs didn’t attack me (success), and we ended up chatting for about 30–40 minutes as we walked around the property.

It was hot — especially in the greenhouse — but a couple of fresh tomatoes and cucumbers off the vine made it worth it. I eventually had to politely cut things off before I got stuck there for seven hours. He was one of those guys.

Next up: a sausage factory. I’m laughing just thinking about it. There was a little bucket of water at the door, meant for cleaning your feet. I accidentally kicked it and spilled water everywhere. No one saw me, thankfully, and there were no towels in sight, so I just awkwardly walked around to the other door like nothing happened.

Yes I have some shame in this, but there were no other options.

They let me in — the sausages looked amazing — but I couldn’t get ahold of the owner, so I didn’t get to film. Strike two.

Then I drove an hour down to Deer Isle, which was stunning. People always talk about Bar Harbor, but honestly, Deer Isle is just as beautiful — maybe more. Think Sag Harbor, but with a national park surrounding it + prettier coastlines.

The main reason I went was to check out Deer Isle Oyster Company. One of Fogtown brewery’s beers is brewed with oysters and served with one in the glass, so I thought it’d be cool to see where they source them from. But when I arrived, the stand was unattended. I emailed the owner, but she was busy the rest of the day. Rats.

Next stop: Nervous Nellie’s Jams & Jellies — and this place was wild. Picture a wooded area filled with strange metal sculptures, tools, and bossy little buildings. Kinda felt like a haunted house built by an eccentric sculptor. I didn’t stay long — just 15 minutes — but if you had kids or a group, you could easily kill a couple hours there.

Inside, they had jelly samples, and I finally learned the difference between jelly, jam, and chutney (a lesson I didn’t know I needed).

After all those misses — and a bunch of time alone — I wandered toward a pier and watched a few lobster boats go out. I asked one of the guys how long they’d be out. “Six to twelve hours,” he said.

Yeah… not today. Cool to see the process though.

No way I was doing 12 hours on a lobster boat with dead batteries and nowhere to stay. So I called it and headed back into town.

Tacos Saved the Day

Dinner was exactly what I needed. I went to this taco spot recommended by the brewery owner — El El Frijoles. It was incredible. I got carnitas tacos on homemade corn tortillas, with pickled onions, crema, lettuce, and three types of salsa. Plus beans, rice, and fresh guac.

I started watching The Bear Season 4 that night, which was great — but then I had to drive another hour and a half to my Airbnb, took a short walk outside — kinda sketchy — then went straight to bed.

Tomorrow is the brewery shoot. I’m pumped.

Stay tuned.

All the best,

Jack