Working Waterfront

A season for readying

I think of late October and early November as the “readying season.” We learn to adjust our timing and be flexible with changing arrangements. The mailboat, on its winter schedule, runs three boats a day between Northeast Harbor and the islands. Road construction has picked up on the mainland and… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Why serve baked beans in summer?

Some people doubted anyone would want to eat baked beans in the middle of summer. On Islesboro the Masons do a ham-and-beans supper on the fourth Tuesdays of September through May. There’s mac and cheese, coleslaw, tossed salad, rolls, sometimes hot dogs, desserts including cupcakes, cookies and sometimes chocolate or… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Stars in the sky, stars in the sea

As an EMT, I have found myself on a boat in the middle of the night more frequently than the average person. The medevac trip to Rockland is occupied by patient care, but the way back can be a peaceful, quiet time. Weather and temperature permitting, I've spent some pleasant… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

When we’re really loved

When my daughter was about 10, she came home from school, having attended something called “pre-pooh class,” a precursor to puberty class. She was somber and circumspect. “Sweetie,” I said, “why don’t you tell me what you learned today. Start at the beginning.” “OK. When a man and a woman… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Changes below—Can wild kelp survive?

“Change is the only constant.” That’s one of the memorable sayings of my graduate school advisor, Dr. Bob Steneck. I started my career in Steneck’s lab, researching how the abundance and composition of seaweeds on Caribbean coral reefs can make or break the start of life for baby corals. As… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Finding home within home rule

At a recent Damariscotta Select Board meeting, the public heard a proposal for a joint public works department between Damariscotta and neighboring Newcastle. Both towns have been working together to visualize... SEE MORE

A view of Stonington Harbor, looking east. FILE PHOTO: TOM GROENING

Working Waterfront

The serendipity of island life brings joy

I couldn’t have predicted that I’d soon be gripping the gunwale of a lobster boat, cheering and shouting alongside a lobstering family… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Lobster fishery uncertainty—stay engaged

With chaos at the federal level these days, it is more important than ever to pay attention and stay engaged on topics we care about and support. For many of us on the Maine coast, that includes the lobster fishery. There is a lot happening—climate change, a new stock assessment,… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Remembering a friend and island helper

Bill was unusually gendered, and as a child and young adult on the island he struggled with the predictable torment—predictable at the time, but now, thankfully, fading. While his was a very difficult identity for us to quantify or for him to acknowledge and deal with when he was an… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Food advice: It’s always something

Remember when we thought eggs were bad for us, high in cholesterol, eat one a week, think of them as a food equivalent of a hand grenade? Remember Egg Beaters? Eggs are now OK again. Remember the Fear of Fat era, when a package of watercress I bought had the… SEE MORE