Last weekend I was fortunate to attend this conference on the middle east. Senator William Cohen was a keynote speaker and there were many other interesting topics and breakout sessions including a delightful evening at the Embassy of Tunisia. We were hosted by the ambassador himself. It is possible he will come to Maine this June to speak at the World Affairs council of Maine in Portland. As Vice-President of the World Affairs Council of Maine, I felt that it was important to attend this year. We also attended workshops that allowed for sharing tips from other WACA organizations about fund-raising and Board dynamics. I was surprised at how many of my fellow attendees at the conference were interested in Maine and retiring in Maine and interested in buying real estate in Maine. Portland, Maine is now in the national spotlight as a trendy new desirable city that is culturally rich with a diversity of offerings. Several weeks ago Portland was written up in USA Today and this generated even more interest.
When we boarded our flight home to Portland, we saw Susan Collins and I was reminded how hard our delegation in Congress works for us.As we flew over Peaks island, my breath was taken away about how beautiful it was with its white snowy edges contrasting to the brilliant blue sea. Home again at last!