Articles
Settled in the Wild: Notes from the Edge of Town
Mormons came to visit me on Vinalhaven recently. Me and the graveyard across from my house where settlers from Massachusetts, whose home in the late 18th century had the same location as mine, are buried-the Pierce family. I had just finished Shetterly’s book that day, and one effect was to intensify even more my pleasure
Beach: A Book of Treasure
Hardcover, 144 pages, $24.95 You may already have a collection of sea glass, including precious pieces of lavender, turquoise and cobalt blue. Or how about beach stones in egg or heart shapes? Or maybe glass shards bearing some partial words. What about intact sea urchins and sand dollars? Your home may be a museum to
Summers in Maine lead to romance, 70 years later
Every Sunday, the New York Times features “Vows,” an article offering backstory on a couple recently married, with their nuptials described in detail. Something special in the relationship and the event gives the story poignancy that a wider audience, beyond those personally knowing the couple, would appreciate. I’ve read them over the years. Sometimes the
The Ghost Trap
Leapfrog Press, 2009 280 pages, $15.95 A timely novel In lobstering lingo, a “ghost trap” results from the cutting off of a trap, accidental or otherwise. What should work well—a functioning trap lowered in the water that catches and holds lobsters until hauled-goes missing in action when cut off, its line severed, no longer connected
Down at the Docks
Pantheon, 2009 Hardcover, 304 pages, $24.95 Faded treasure The cover photograph says a lot. Wooden piles show above the water’s surface, marking where a dock once stood. The dock is gone, the piling a relic of the past. Rory Nugent’s new book, Down at the Docks, suggests that going down to the docks in many
Food advocate from Maine helps persuade Obamas to plant White House garden
Because I was impatient for winter to end and the growing season to begin, I recently sought vicarious pleasure by reading others’ accounts of gardening. First was Barbara Kingsolver’s book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, describing how her family made a commitment to grow as much food as possible, or obtain it locally near their home in
A Passion for Sea Glass
Down East Books, 2008 Hardcover, 160 pages, 200 photos, $30 A happy obsession with sea glass Books showcasing the treasures found along the seacoast have been popular lately. Primarily, the format is photographs illustrating objects like beach stones, sea glass, or shells. The text itself may be sparse, means to evoking feelings. I like those
The School on Heart’s Content Road
Atlantic Monthly Press, New York, 2008 Hardcover, 352 pages, $24 A passionate, but bloated, critique of status quo I had an epiphany while reading The School on Heart’s Content Road, Carolyn Chute’s newest novel, which is set in a hardscrabble part of Maine, the same fictional location in some earlier work (most famously her first
School design can help spark student curiosity
It isn’t just for the sake of doing business that architect Steve Blatt wishes there were lots of island schools off the coast of Maine. After designing the North Haven Community School, which opened this fall, he is now planning the renovations and new construction for the Islesboro Central School. That experience is making him
Vinalhaven residents air concerns, ideas for ferry service
Stories about the Maine State Ferry Service (MSFS) have gone high-profile recently, with rate hikes, parking policies, and service coming up for review in a number of local venues. As was the case with some of the other communities using the ferries (Swans, Frenchboro, North Haven), Vinalhaven residents recently had the opportunity to talk with