NORTH HAVEN — For 27-year-old April Brown, the key to making a life on North Haven is finding ways to use her brain. After graduating from University of Maine Farmington in 2008 with a degree in rehabilitation services and a minor in psychology, Brown moved back to North Haven. “I thought that I would take
There’s joy in mingling at the dock
It’s official. I have become one of those people. I look at my watch (well, cell phone, let’s be real here) and notice it’s about 4pm; the mailboat is coming in. Even when I don’t have a reason to do so, I rush down to the dock. At first, it happened to coincide with when
The summer of squid, a new island and crab cannibalism
It’s been the summer of squid in New England, the Salem News reports: “Local fishermen and boaters are seeing a marked increase in long fin squid, a species normally more common south of Cape Cod.” Actually, it’s the second summer of squid, according to Michael Armstrong of the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries. “Their abundance
‘Catatonk Blues’ now filming on Monhegan
MONHEGAN — Politics, lobstering and love drive the story being filmed on the island this fall. “Catatonk Blues” is an independent production of a script written by Bob Mrazek, a summer resident since 1984, and directed by Mrazek and Jared Martin, also a long-time summer resident. The film features actors Treat Williams (“Hair,” “Once Upon
Tales of Rocky and Nutkin
Ever wake up in the middle of the night from an anxiety dream worried that squirrels have gotten loose in your attic, and are gnawing so loudly you think they are inside your cranium? Welcome to Rodentia-land! Our summer began with the annual installation of not one, but two, birdfeeders—the traditional one in the backyard
A late summer Saturday on Vinalhaven
It was cloudy on the mainland, but by mid-morning, the sun ruled the day on the island. The sky periodically had that dark, dramatic, brooding look, with slate-gray clouds sliding along the horizon, only to disappear out to sea. By midday, temperatures climbed over 70 degrees, but there was no denying it—summer’s days are numbered.
The Forts of Maine–Silent Sentinels of the Pine Tree State
After lobster (and maybe L.L. Bean), the icon most associated with the coast of Maine is the lighthouse. There have been scores and scores of books, paintings, photographs and trinkets devoted to these towers that dot the coast, rising up above the low-slung Cape Cod houses that characterize the man-made landscape. Lighthouses speak to our
America’s first ship is reimagined, recreated
BATH — Each day, volunteers recreating the pinnace Virginia walk in the shoes of the settlers, but they dream of the day they will sail in their wake. Along the Kennebec River, the 51-foot ship is taking shape, as 23 rib-like frames soar toward the roof of the boat shed. Volunteers look like Jonah inside
What happens when land conservation meets community economy
Along this coast, each rock and tree leans defiantly into wind and waves that threaten change. Reflecting on this process, a good friend once poetically noted that Maine’s coast and islands resemble “a natural embattlement, protecting the coast from the ravages of development.” We agreed that change was a more deliberate, rooted process here, and
Birdland and the bird man of the Bronx
We relate to birds on a deeply instinctual level because, like us, birds communicate vocally and visually mostly during daylight hours, unless you are a nightingale. Other mammals mainly communicate through their sense of smell, usually at night. Imagine leaving your calling card on a bush from one of your scent glands as a