Working Waterfront

Remembering that first kiss

Some people wait for the mail ritually, gathering at the post office after the mail van arrives. They are in no hurry and talk about the weather and about the folks that come and go as soon as the door closes and they’ve come and went. One day I walked… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Girls running club built connection, confidence

During the pandemic, I missed working with kids, so this spring, I registered as a volunteer coach for Girls on the Run (GOTR). An afterschool program for girls in grades 3-5, GOTR “inspires girls to be joyful, healthy, and confident.” Throughout the season, girls meet twice weekly, growing social-emotional skills… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Adventures with a colonoscopy

“Have you had a colonoscopy?” asked Owen, one of our health center’s physician assistants. I was in for a mild gastric complaint. I probably rolled my eyes. I explained how I was very skeptical of the need for such a procedure. Having heard that so many of my peers were… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Rituals with fire and water

So I turned 40. This was inevitable, and quite predictable—having been born in 1981, I would certainly turn 40 in 2021. But it’s still strange to say: I am now a 40-year-old woman. I remember when turning 40 was an occasion for doom and gloom. My father’s surprise 40th birthday… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Capt. Spear joins ferry fleet

[caption id="attachment_26421" align="alignright" width="450"] The view from the catwalk.[/caption] PHOTOS BY MICHELE STAPLETON The Capt. Richard G. Spear, the Maine State Ferry Service’s newest vessel, was launched April 9 at the Washburn & Doughty yard in East Boothbay where it was built. The ferry, 154-feet-long and 38-foot-wide and able to… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

The weight of Memorial Day settles on island

How interesting that Memorial Day should occur in spring. North Haven observes the day with a somber procession through the village, from the American Legion Hall to the ferry ramp. Community veterans, some in and some out of uniform, oversee the presentation of cedar-and-poppy wreaths in memory of North Haven’s… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Island high school grads back in gear

Three islanders graduating from high school this month are moving forward into more education and experience, undeterred by the pandemic: [caption id="attachment_26379" align="alignleft" width="350"] Cameron Todd[/caption] Cameron Todd of Chebeague Island graduated from Yarmouth High School and will study cybersecurity at Thomas College this fall. During the past two… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Robert Indiana’s Maine misadventures

The Isolation Artist: Scandal, Deception, and the Last Days of Robert Indiana By Bob Keyes Born Robert Earl Clark in Newcastle, Indiana, in 1928, the famed “Love” artist changed his name in 1958 not long after moving to New York City—a way to pay homage to his home state, but… SEE MORE

The former pilot boat before being refitted.

Working Waterfront

Island freight business finds its Northern Star

Even before the pandemic, online ordering made getting goods shipped to Swan’s Island and Frenchboro increasingly attractive—often more so than heading off for a trip to mainland stores. The past year of sheltering in place accelerated that trend. Who handles all that freight? Brian and Kathy Krafjack, who own The… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Doctor recounts 30 years of island practice

Go By Boat: Stories of a Maine Island Doctor By Chuck Radis (Down East Books, 2021) Dr. Chuck Radis provides a front row seat to what life is like for a practicing doctor living on Peaks Island. Although he now practices rheumatology in Portland, he and his wife have lived… SEE MORE