Weirdness in Portland, ME

Three items encountered on a recent trip to Maine,

I recently returned from a trip to Portland, Maine. While there, I encountered a disproportionately large degree of weirdness, leading me to suspect that the city is due for a thorough inspection by the Sleepers. All three of these items are real.

I observed several youths, dressed in mismatched vaguely formal wear (stove-top hats, suits), protesting the demotion of Pluto and demanding its reinstatement. Perhaps astrologers upset at having to redo their star charts?

In a city square, I found a pile of several dozen small rocks, each two to three inches wide. On each rock had been written the word "peace."

And, finally, I saw a young man, bearded, wearing a red cape and a silvery mask vaguely resembling a bird's head, running through the arts festival being held that weekend. He was accompanied by the sound of music-I cannot identify the tune, but it was one of those songs with lots of bird calls and other wildish noises. He seemed to be conducting a sort of bizarre dance involving a lot of flourishes with his cape.

I managed to get photos of the last two items. If the pictures come out, I can provide them if anyone is interested.