Articles
Robert McCloskey, 1914-2003
Last fall, I stopped by an assisted living center in Blue Hill to see Robert McCloskey. He wouldn’t see me, although 40 years ago I visited the McCloskeys on their East Blue Hill Bay island. I was a boy on a family sailboat, a boy who knew and loved One Morning in Maine and the
Gated beach case lands in court
A sign on Route 131, on the St. George peninsula, has proclaimed “Welcome to Martinsville; Come Again” for as long as anyone can remember. And for all that time, the public has used Martinsville Beach. But then it was gated off. Now, a citizens group in St. George has filed a complaint in court claiming
Lack of insurance can stall a real estate deal
Insurance companies’ refusal to write new policies for island property could put the brakes on real estate deals. George Wheelwright, of Jaret & Cohn real estate in Camden, said denial of insurance isn’t just occurring on islands, but the remoteness of offshore properties exacerbates the problem. A broker for 22 years, Wheelwright said he is
Insurers claim island properties are too risky
Need a new insurance policy for your island home? Forget it. You’re just too risky, out there in the bay. Both islanders and insurance agents say if you’ve got a policy already, it may be escape being canceled. But if you’re starting fresh, the industry won’t touch you. Maine island life hasn’t suddenly gotten more
Southport Island artist savors life at 98
You may have eaten off her art in the form of a restaurant placemat. You might have seen her maps in tourist shops. They are artistic and informative, maps with points of interest highlighted by line drawings of boats, houses, forts, fish, even a sea serpent. These maps are not for navigation, but they could
Living aboard: Damariscove harbor was a family’s home for 16 years
John and Robin Hammond lived aboard their wooden 1936 Casey Cutter, at Damariscove Island for 16 years. There, beside a barren island known for centuries to fishermen, they raised their son, Tomas. They fished, tended a hidden garden, and got by using their wits. When they finally moved ashore last year, nobody wanted to buy
Salmon farm plan withdrawn
A proposal to set up salmon farms in east Penobscot Bay has been withdrawn, leaving opponents of the project jubilant. Norway-based Jorn Vad has decided – for now at least – not to pursue his proposal for an aquaculture lease for salmon pens near Pickering and Scott islands, off Little Deer Isle. The Maine Department
Friendship Village Hardware lives up to its name
You feel the worn board floor underfoot, catch a whiff of woodsmoke. “Good morning,” someone says. Your eyes adjust to the shadowy light, among old shelves lined with marine supplies and other wares. It could be 1953 instead of 2003, even if the Flexible Flyer sleds and P.F. Flyer sneakers are long gone This is
Water one could walk on
Rockland Harbor froze all the way out to the breakwater at Jameson Point during February’s frigid weather, and lobstermen could walk to their boats. Most boats stayed on their moorings, but the island ferries plowed through the ice-bound harbor, and a Coast Guard icebreaker also cleared channels. Local historian Bert Snow, who comes from a
Self-propelled rail cars could come to Rockland
Passenger rail service between Brunswick and Rockland, with a ferry connection, could be chugging along by summer. State officials are eying purchase of three, self-propelled Budd cars. At least one of these could be operating along the Rockland Branch on an excursion basis, said Tracy Perez, policy specialist at the Maine Department of Transportation. Eventually,