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

Continue reading...


Beware the Clubbed Tunicate!

The creature is officially known as the Clubbed Tunicate, and the official DFO advisory reads as follows: “A large population increase of a marine animal known as a ‘Clubbed Tunicate’ has been detected in the southeastern portion of Prince Edward Island. These organisms present no health or other dangers to the public but rather the

Continue reading...


Government approves grant to disease-pressed salmon farmers

The grant will be administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal Plant Health Inspection Service. Announcement of the initial approval was made jointly by Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins. “Approval of strong salmon indemnification funding by the Bush Administration demonstrates that infectious salmon anemia poses a tremendous challenge, and that the Administration takes

Continue reading...


Grand Manan has market worries, too

“It just wasn’t the same this year,” Sonnenberg says. “There wasn’t the enthusiasm that there’s been in past seasons. Usually, they’re really pumped; this year it was pretty subdued.” On that same day, the Bangor Daily News published a photo of a Peaks Island lobsterman stacking his traps even though his season isn’t over yet.

Continue reading...


Swan’s, the musical island

“Music teacher wanted for island off the coast of Maine,” said the job listing, adding just enough additional detail to prompt Dunham and her husband, Ben, to respond, arrange an interview, accept the job, pack their lives and their two children into a couple of old cars, leave central Ohio and head out for something

Continue reading...


GoMOOS system in action

I check the NWS marine weather web site to see if the forecast has changed overnight. Nope. Winds backing through NE to a NW gale by evening. I check the GoMOOS buoy off Owl’s Head and see the wind is still ESE so it’s got some time before it shifts to NW and then some

Continue reading...