I do enjoy thorough directions and settle comfortably into a task so well defined that the absence of even a passing familiarity is no obstacle. I turned on Public Radio, filled the kettle and set it on the stove, and turned the oven to “bake” at 350. I discovered by myself that the turkey was
Journal of an Island Kitchen: Fresh Bread
Bread can simply be flour, water, salt, yeast and time. It was an amazing moment when I discovered that all through history, humankind has made bread with nothing more than that – and that so could I. I learned to set a sponge by stirring a teaspoon or less of dried yeast into two cups
The Judge, the Fish and the Stars
All three Maine delegates to the New England Council voted with the majority to punt on the groundfish plan — placing the onus for a decision on federal fisheries managers in distant Washington, D.C. Then these same delegates were among the chorus protesting the federal court decision that in effect puts a judge in Washington,
Casco BayKeeper addresses a region’s pollution, one problem at a time
The woman’s story is an indicator that the health of the bay has improved, says Payne, but he’s quick to add that he can give more objective evidence as well. “Ten years ago, 49 percent of the bay’s clam flats were closed due to pollution,” he says. “Now, that number is in the teens, a
A Change of Course: New ruling could alter groundfish management
This latest indictment of fisheries management could indicate that the current regulatory plan and structure are effectively unable to deal with the issues, and potentially opens the door to alternative management directions. On Dec. 28 the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) had failed to
Jericho Bay Boatyard suffers second fire
How such a tragedy could have happened twice in a matter of months was on everybody’s mind. Insurance investigators, Deer Isle fire chief Brent Morey and state fire marshal John Morse had examined the site, but as of mid-January the cause of the fire had not been determined. Deer Isle fire chief Brent Morey, asked
In the ice: Modelmaker depicts a historic schooner, frozen in
Both Chase, the subject of John McPhee’s Looking For a Ship, and the BOWDOIN are at the Maine Maritime Academy, in Castine, where Gardner’s family has lived since the eighteenth century. It was natural that the three should come together. Chase and his four-year-old daughter, Lilly, stood in Gardner’s studio overlooking the Penobscot River on
It was the turkey’s fault
Twenty years ago, vegetarianism was relatively less common than today, and our habit disconcerted friends and family. Jamie’s mom would say, “I don’t know what you fellas eat,” even though we said, anything but meat: carrots, rice, spinach. My mother opted to make macaroni and cheese every time we visited. A couple of months after
At last, December
Truly yours, Poetaster Ed Myers
Optimism
The events of Sept. 11 proved two things, among many others: that we are all linked inextricably, and that in this country at least, optimistic thinking will assert itself, even in the face of disaster. The linkages were immediately evident, of course, from the moment disaster struck — grounded airplanes meant a halt in air