Working Waterfront

A kinder, gentler visit to Maine

Vacationland: A Novel By Meg Mitchell Moore (2022) Dear readers, a true confession: I’m late to this party, reading what are known as “beach books,” “escapist novels,” or “summer fiction.” These books have romance in them, but the focus seems as much on managing complex relationships with friends and family… SEE MORE

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Anatomy of a failure: Who killed Quoddy?

Moondoggle: Franklin Roosevelt and the Fight for Tidal-electric Power at Passamaquoddy Bay By Mark C. Borton, Downeast Books (2023) A rival to the Hoover Dam in Eastport? That could have been the Quoddy project to generate electricity from one of the highest tides in the world. For Mainers, the ghost… SEE MORE

Stan Beal’s "Wharf, Beals, Maine,” (2022) collage, 18-inches by 24-inches. IMAGE: COURTESY LITTLEFIELD GALLERY

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Mary Prince: On Stan Beal’s wharf

While attending St. Andrews Presbyterian College in Laurinburg, N.C. in the late 1960s, Mary Prince drove through Maine on a trip to St. Andrews, New Brunswick. “I felt immediately that Washington County was the place where I wanted to live,” she recalls. And live there she did: In 1983, the… SEE MORE

Visitors enjoy Popham Beach in Phippsburg in 1886. PHOTO: MAINE MARITIME MUSEUM

Working Waterfront

Beach recreation is relatively new

The practice of beachgoing is more modern than one might expect. In fact, it wasn’t until the turn of the 19th century that a cultural appreciation for beachgoing gained solid footing in European society. Popular medical texts touted the benefits of ocean air and dips in frigid waters. At the… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

In our spare time…

All the recent noise about AI, artificial intelligence, has left me wondering what we are going to do with all our spare time. AI apparently can learn, solve problems, and plan for the future, which leads me to suspect that considering the state of the world, there was an awful… SEE MORE

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Wisdom from my mother-in-law

This month’s deadline at the end of April has me staring at my 70th birthday arriving in May. I admit to having mixed feelings about it, but so far the only birthday that really bothered me was my 40th. I remember having tea with my mother-in-law, Anna, and her friend,… SEE MORE

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A supreme encounter on Vinalhaven

A few years ago, the chief justice of the United States administered the oath of office to president-elect Barack Obama. Perhaps he was all the while recalling his visit to Vinalhaven the previous summer and comparing this lofty and prestigious Washington moment with that less auspicious occasion on the island.… SEE MORE

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Uphill and downhill—walking off feelings

One day in April, I became very sad and took a long walk. I was sad because one of our cats died suddenly, about which I will only say that he was old, had a wonderful life, and was spared any long illness or infirmity. I took my long walk… SEE MORE

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Feds learn about community, in-person

Kathleen Billings, Stonington’s longtime town manager, articulated some deep truths to representatives of the Northern Border Regional Commission (NRBC) during a recent visit. “This is our home,” she said. “Once you are on an island, there’s a different culture to it. You have to be self-sufficient. You have to figure… SEE MORE

Kelp harvest underway. PHOTO: JACK SULLIVAN

Working Waterfront

Aquaculture: A bigger picture

Aquaculture is the fastest growing food production sector in the world. The United Nation’s sustainable development goals identify aquaculture as playing a key role in development that safeguards “food security, livelihoods, human dignity, and natural resources.” As we find ourselves needing to produce more food to support a growing population,… SEE MORE