I'm taking a break from the Duke of URL blog for awhile. I have other projects that need my attention. This blog will suffer from neglect.

Thank you for keeping up with my rants and musings. I appreciate your feedback.

During the summer, Elaine ran into a friend of ours at the gas station. During the conversation our friend said, "I read you got your roll."

"Read?"

Oh. I forgot to tell her that I blogged about our rolling practice. I'm not sure why that surprised her. You would think she would be ardently reading my stuff everyday. But we're kayaking in Maine - not Las Vegas. What happens on the water doesn't necessarily stay on the water. (Don't worry Dave. What happens on Jewell Island still stays on Jewell Island.)

During the summer, a friend told me a very funny story involving a kayak and night-time bathroom break. As he was summarizing, he asked "Why do I feel like I'm going to be reading about this on MaineToday.com?"

If I was a better blogger, he would have.

These days your secrets are safe. My blog entries are few and far between. But when I'm in the writing mood....

It's sort of an occupational hazard for bloggers. More accurately, a hazard for friends and families of bloggers. Their trials and tribulations become content for the blog. Wendy Almeida's husband has learned to ask, "This is going in the blog isn't it?"

Scott Andrews promises people who go tripping with him that their pictures will appear in his blog. I don't know if that works for him or against him.

Generally my kayaking trips are safe for those in the witness protection program. Since I don't carry a digital camera on the water, photos are rarer than my blog entries.

I don't know what kind of policy our Singled Out blogger has for her dating activities. Talk about pressure. Not only do you have to impress her but her following as well.

Speaking of dating, a co-worker told me about a date he or she (Genders are being obscured to protect the innocent.) had this week with someone new. My first question was, "Does he or she know there is the possibility of being the subject of a blog entry?"

When you are in a relationship with someone, you're in a relationship with their friends and their family too. But when you date a blogger, sooner or later you're going to be in a relationship with their audience. Maybe we need disclaimer forms. Or buttons that read, "I'm blogging about you."

It could get worse. I got a Twitter account. I keep threatening to use it to publish Shannon's ramblings. I mean the stuff that doesn't make it into her blog. Just imagine all the one-liners, jokes and dry observations floating around MaineToday.com's world headquarters leaking out into the Internet. Don't worry. I'll spare you.

Writing is an incredibly exhibitionist pursuit. Writers are supposed to bare their souls. Do that on the Internet and you factor immediacy and scale into the equation. If you're interested in being a blogger, you're probably willing to open up your life to the world. But is your significant other ready?

You know it's fall in Maine when the state declares that foliage season will be especially colorful this year.

When was the last time they said the whole leaf-changing thing would be disappointing? That would be like telling all those leaf peepers from states apparently without any trees to not get on those buses bound for Maine's scenic byways. Might as well pass out L.L. Bean catalogs at the toll booths and tell the tourists to go back home. They could sit in their backyard while leafing through the pages and get better views.

But that's not the case. The Department of Conservation says it's going to be a colorful season. And they wouldn't lie.

No matter. I'm sure it will be spectacular. And I will witness it. I hope to climb a few mountains to gain some great views. And paddling along tree-lined shores won't be too shabby either.

But I always wondered about those tourists who come by the bus load to see our trees. Don't leaves die and decay before their very eyes in whatever town they call home? Yes, I agree that the views from many of our roads our nice. But is that really enough to make you come here?

Maybe it's the side trip to Freeport. Or the lobster.

Put down the angry e-mails. I love this state. And I enjoy the fall greatly. It's a great season for adventure. The crisp feel to the air invigorates me. And it gets me in the mood for winter. And I know I should be happy that there are tourists spending money in Maine. All that money spent on fleece and chowder helps subsidize my fun.

I guess I don't have to understand it. But help me anyway. Why do you come to Maine?