Provenance: 48 Hours in Bethel/Hanover/Newry *Rotter Edition*

Many years ago, my partner and I came up with an idea we called “Rotter”—a hypothetical app that would allow people to complain about businesses, restaurants, towns, architecture, sidewalks, etc. Some of the complaints may have had proactive solutions embedded within them, constructive criticisms. It was not Yelp, promise. It was basically one of us complaining out loud and then the other one yelling, “Rotter!”*

This is the Rotter Edition of my newsletter because we were supposed to go on a trip to visit beloved family in another state but alas, said family came down with Covid (Covid stinks but they are okay) and thus we scrambled to find a last-minute vacation situation, hence us visiting mineral-rich western Maine for 48 hours (one of our kids has a newfound obsession with minerals). It was a grumpy vacation (with bright spots!) because of the weather and because apparently I am not good at turning frowns upside down and preferred to “rot” (complain) as a way of getting through it. Apologies to my family. I blame the lack of sleep.1

*Note: it’s “rotter” with a British—not an American—accent (my mom is from England, I am allowed). As in “dirty rotter.”