Capt. Joe Litchfield joins the old salts at the Port Hole restaurant in Portland. PHOTO: KATIANA HOEFLE

Working Waterfront

Peaks Island mariner joins Amelia Earhart search

The ship’s operation manager heard Capt. Joe Litchfield before he even reached the wheelhouse. It was midnight. The space smelled of cigarettes and coffee. Amadeus Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nachtmusik began its crescendo, creating the soundtrack of the Amelia Earhart expedition. Spencer King traced Litchfield’s features in the black, lit only… SEE MORE

From left, Casco Baykeeper Ivy Frignoca, Executive Director Will Everitt, President of the Board of Directors of Friends of Casco Bay Andrew Marsters, standing on the deck of Friends' research vessel, R/V Joseph E. Payne.

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Friends of Casco Bay names new director

Will Everitt has been hired as the executive director of Friends of Casco Bay after serving as the organization’s communications and development director for 15 years. Everitt, who was the unanimous choice of the organization’s board of directors, has led the marine advocacy organization’s development and fundraising since 2008 and… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Friends of Acadia names new leader

With a shortage of affordable housing impacting the ability of Acadia National Park to hire enough seasonal workers, Friends of Acadia is making the issue a top priority. “If we recognize that Acadia National Park is one of our national gems, doesn’t it deserve the most talented workforce in the… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Human encounters are different here

Is it possible to write this column, titled “Reflections,” about the idea of reflection itself? Who knows. What I can say is that throughout my time as an Island Fellow in Washington County, one of the biggest components of my experience has been just that—reflection. Much of my day-to-day work… SEE MORE

Russ Tamblyn and Diane Varsi in a publicity still from Peyton Place.

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Imagining coastal Maine, from ‘Peyton Place’ to ‘Murder She Wrote’

When I moved to Portland in 1988, I did not come alone: hundreds, perhaps thousands of images tagged along providing me with a vivid mental map of this place where place still matters. Rocky coasts, lighthouses, and lobster rolls, of course, but also quaint downtowns of white clapboard houses, shade… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

‘On the road’ to a life in music

Among my favorite summer activities is sitting by a campfire in my yard. My firepit backs up against several acres of woods and offers views over the house of the Big Dipper, North Star, and even the edge of the Milky Way on dark nights. I usually have music accompanying… SEE MORE

Joy Sprague in the golf cart she uses to pick up mail. PHOTO: COURTESY BARBARA FERNALD

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Sprague doesn’t mail in the ‘Joy’ of her job

Her given name is Florence, but having arrived in the world five days before Christmas, her parents had the seasonal spirit when they gave her the middle name Joy. [caption id="attachment_32079" align="alignleft" width="500"] Joy Sprague in front of the Islesford Post Office. PHOTO: COURTESY BARBARA FERNALD[/caption] In a phone conversation,… SEE MORE

“Studio Still Life Tremont Avenue Bronx, NY” (1962) 35 x 48 inches, gift of the Ashley Bryan Center.

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Ashley Bryan’s ‘Beauty in Return’ at Farnsworth

[caption id="attachment_32028" align="alignleft" width="400"] “Family Gathering, Tremont Avenue, Bronx, NY” (1962) 48-inches by 48-inches, gift of the Ashley Bryan Center.[/caption] The exhibition “Ashley Bryan: Beauty in Return” is now on display in the Farnsworth Art Museum’s Rothschild Gallery in Rockland through Dec. 31. The show recognizes the work… SEE MORE

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A dog life remembered

I was born ready, ready to love without condition. So simple were my needs that to be adopted 13 years ago by a human family represented complete fulfillment. Over the years I found a real home on this island. This is a real Dog Town. From the beginning I went… SEE MORE

Eben Salvatore, left, and Jeff Young, who are introducing the electric vehicles to Acadia and Bar Harbor. PHOTO: LAURIE SCHREIBER

Working Waterfront

Electric vehicles an option for Acadia visitors

A new rental fleet of small electric vehicles is winding its way around the streets of Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park—and it’s an option being pitched as having great advantages over gas-guzzler cars and taxis. “Instead of driving their Suburban from their hotel to the park, they can drive… SEE MORE