Outside magazine showed up in my mailbox yesterday.

And there we were, good old Portland Maine, featured on page 100 as one of America's Dream Towns.

Portland was recognized for its brewpubs (really?), extensive paths and greenways, high percentage of restaurants per capita, high number of kayaks observed strapped to the top of cars, and our primo access to a wide spectrum of recreational activities.

It's all true, and I feel damn fortunate to live here with so many of life's good things at our fingertips.

I gotta ask, though. Do you realtors get a cut from this?

But the kudos for Portland don't end there.

National Geographic Adventure magazine--my favorite mag in the world--also arrived yesterday.

And who do you think the editors named "Adventure Town" this month?

You guessed it... Portland!

For its many opportunities for biking, hiking, sailing and paddling. No question.

And, of course, lighthouses, blueberries, music and lobster rolls. Ain't that quaint.

In fact, the magazine recommends to potential visitors to "wrap up your day's coastal adventures like a true-blue Mainer: Eat seafood from a plastic basket at a picnic table right on the rocky shore."

Really?

OK, you do that dee-yah. Ayuh!

Meanwhile I'll be down at Gritty's with my pint of pale ale...