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

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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

‘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

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Biblical echoes in Maine community life

Speak to the Winds By Ruth Moore, Islandport Press edition, 2022, first published 1956 Review by Tina Cohen Ruth Moore (1903-1989) was born on Gotts Island off Mount Desert Island. Growing up there, she witnessed the transition of that small fishing village into more of a summer colony with its… SEE MORE

Christina Vincent poses on one of her benches. PHOTO: TOM GROENING

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Fine furniture born from island life

Near the end of my visit with Christina Vincent on North Haven she casually observes that her story could only come through island living. It’s not a dramatic story, but it is impressive. And it’s hard to see it any other way. Vincent and her husband built their own house—an… 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

A Kosti Ruohomaa photo from the Penobscot Marine Museum’s collection shows a herring fisherman.

Working Waterfront

An outsider’s sharp eye on Maine

[caption id="attachment_32007" align="alignleft" width="350"] A Kosti Ruohomaa photo from the Penobscot Marine Museum’s collection shows a herring fisherman.[/caption] A herring fisherman or “herringer” of Hugo Lehtinen’s crew pulls on a line from a purse seine while standing in a wooden skiff in Penobscot Bay in the photo featured in this… SEE MORE