Mother's Day in Portland

With the weather this past weekend being absolutely gorgeous (FINALLY!), I decided to give Mom (and my Aunt, who is also my Godmother) a bit of a Maine experience on Saturday for their Mother's Day gift with an afternoon out in Portland. They still hadn't seen the station before Saturday, so we popped into One City Center so I could show them around, then we walked around Monument Square and the Old Port a bit before snagging a bite at J's Oyster.

Mom's mess up with the Maine Turnpike

Which is what makes her mistake with the Maine Turnpike on Saturday while we were headed up to Portland hilarious.

Ever since I've been house hunting around Cumberland County and York County for a house or condo to live closer to the station and ditch my current 90-minute commute from Southeastern New Hampshire all the way up to Portland every day, my Mom has been embracing the stereotypical sayings about Maine. If I got paid for every single time she referenced Maine as 'Vacationland' or especially said 'You can't get there from here' or made reference to Bob Marley, I'd be able to retire already and buy a house with straight up cash. Which is what makes her mistake with the Maine Turnpike on Saturday while we were headed up to Portland hilarious.

I forget exactly where on the Turnpike we were at, but we saw a sign for 295 as we were cruising along and, adorably thinking she knows Maine as well as New Hampshire where she's grown up her entire life, busts this gem out:

"Oh, look at that. We're coming up to the Turnpike!"

 

Google Maps
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After I pointed out that we'd actually been on the Turnpike for the last 30-40 miles or so and pointed out that 95 is the Turnpike and 295 is, well, 295, I decided to give 295 an alternative name -- The Chelvo Turnpike.

What is a Chelvo?

A Chelvo isn't an actual thing, but instead a nickname for my Mom (whose name is Cheryl) that has stuck around since back in the days when I was touring colleges. Somehow, for whatever reason, when I went to an Open House at Roger Williams University in Rhode Island, they had printed a name tag for her that read "Chelvo" instead of "Cheryl" -- which, how do you mess up the name Cheryl? Regardless, the nickname Chelvo has stuck ever since.

So, next time you hit Exit 44 on the Maine Turnpike and bare right, just know that not only are you transitioning onto 295, but you're now transitioning onto what will forever by known as The Chelvo Turnpike.

Safe driving!

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