Working Waterfront

We’re ready for pandemic 2.0

Surely by now we have figured out that 2021 isn’t going to be all that different from 2020. On New Year’s Eve, lots of us bid a joyous farewell to 2020, hopefully cheering at the prospect of a new year. Six days later, we learned we were breaking nearly daily… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Putting down retail roots on Islesboro

Sky and Marianne Purdy met while hiking the Appalachian Trail in 2007, and for six seasons, both worked at a lodge in Denali National Park in Alaska at the end of the park’s single road, nestled in a six-million-acre wilderness. So the couple knows something about the long haul. And… SEE MORE

A recent photo of Thomas and Jackson. PHOTO: COURTESY YVONNE THOMAS

Working Waterfront

My personal race story

Twenty-five years ago, I made a conscious choice to avoid the issue of race. And because I am a white woman, living in a majority white community, I had the privilege of making such a choice. I had just earned my master’s degree in counseling, and had done my student… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Keeping islanders busy through COVID and winter

I am a sucker for a pretty view. If you were to scroll through the pictures on my phone, you would see an abundance of sunsets over beaches, waves crashing against boats in the bay, evergreen trees swaying in the wind, the lamplight breaking through the thick fog on the… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

A 50-year journey through the mind

On October 9, 2009, although not despondent, I stood on the Dyer Island Bridge, staring into the modest abyss below and torn between stepping off or returning home. After a while I did; I stepped off. Vinalhaven is the largest island in Maine’s Penobscot Bay, surrounded by bits of ledge… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Maine Maritime student honored by peers

Dylan Bunker explains his course of study at Maine Maritime Academy in much the way Goldilocks explained her taste in porridge. There are three tracks for the marine engineering degree, the 22-year-old senior says. One is very much a hands-on discipline, one is rooted in the theoretical, and one has… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

The Maine coast and islands will continue to lead

Eighteen years ago, I sat for the first time on the rugged granite backside of Frenchboro, marveling at the power of the tides and the open water extending to the horizon. I appreciated then, as I do now, that I was there because of the relationships that preceded me and… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

‘Digital equity’ opens internet for seniors

Les Stanwood is 80 years old and lives in Addison. Although he’s retired, he remains active in his community, serving on the board of a local health agency. The National Digital Equity Center is Machias may be contacted by calling 207-259-5010. Like many people confronted by the pandemic early on,… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Explaining and bridging Maine’s digital divide

The things people can do from home would be unfathomable to someone 30 years ago. Those with access to broadband can further their education, utilize telehealth, engage in remote work, and connect with anyone (who also has broadband access) around the world. “It is necessary for our civic and cultural… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

A serving of nostalgia for the holidays

When we hang our stockings this year, I’ll fill them with nostalgia. Is it because I am older now that some of my childhood memories seem in sharper focus? (I’ve heard that while oldsters can’t recall where they put their car keys, some details of earlier times come more clearly… SEE MORE