Jillian Herrigel, “Harbor Hues,” 2024, acrylic and oil stick, 22 x 28 inches.

Working Waterfront

At home with harbors and oysters

Their oyster farm on New Meadows River inspired a series of lively watercolor-and-ink studies which were shown at the Maine Oyster Company’s raw bar in Portland in 2019. Herrigel captures the action—harvesting, sorting, shucking—via color washes and dashing outlines. SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Islesford, a birder’s paradise

On Little Cranberry Island, the ever-present birds are one of the biggest reasons I love my life here. The company of my fluffy little friends keeps me entertained throughout the year. Our two bird feeders attract all the year-round faithful and quite a few summer visitors. One of the feeders… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Bike lanes and a bumpy transition

The driver had strayed too close to the curb and caught her wheel on the sharp edge, it seemed. Not terribly surprising, as the street had recently been narrowed to make way for what’s quickly becoming the third rail of local politics in my area—bike lanes. SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Reflections on divides, as island summer wanes

The birds in our front yard take turns at the two feeders—a yellow finch, a chick-a-dee, a cardinal, sometimes a blue bird. I watch the elegant dance of two whirling hummingbirds who return each day to suck the sugar water hanging off a feeder on the front porch column. We… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Powering the pine tree state

High costs are driven by factors like aging infrastructure, a growing electrical demand, and an energy mix heavily reliant on natural gas—a fuel prone to sharp price swings. SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Reflecting on a ‘great business’ and job

I met Bob Woodward in 2012. Colby College gave him the Elijah Parish Lovejoy award for his life’s work in journalism and I was covering it for the Bangor Daily News that weekend. When I think of who inspired my career choice, George Reeve and Bob Woodward come to mind. SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

A lesson in island living

Everything is harder when you live in a remote, rural town. Especially on an island. Especially in summer. When George Gershwin wrote about the easy livin’ of summertime, he wasn’t on a Maine island. Your houseguest’s forgotten prescription? The missing ingredient in the recipe you are making? (It was on… SEE MORE

Boats gather off Frenchboro to memorialize and remember the late David Lunt. PHOTO: PETER RALSTON

Working Waterfront

An island patriarch is laid to rest

Dean Lunt, David’s youngest son, presided over the solemn event, with spiritual comfort provided by the Maine Seacoast Mission pastor who arrived on the Sunbeam. Following the committal in the small cemetery that the Lunt family had donated to the town, guests boarded a solemn procession of lobster boats... SEE MORE

Colby Adolphsen with “Harbor Town” PHOTO: COURTESY COLBY ADOLPHSEN

Working Waterfront

Colby Adolphsen’s LEGO harbor town

The detail is astounding, from a wall of hardware store tools and a diner grill to a lobster boat in drydock. Fishermen work on the wharf, a girl walks a dog, a boy fishes off the bridge. Vintage dollhouse stickers provided the aesthetic Adolphsen wanted for the signage: “Town Talk Bread,” “Burdan’s Ice Cream,” “Princes Lobster,” etc. SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Talking scallops with Sam Belknap

NAME: Sam Belknap TITLE: Director of Island Institute’s Center for Marine Economy FOCUS I direct work aimed at protecting and sustaining Maine’s working waterfronts, as well as advancing the use of electric outboards for our commercial fleet, and expanding aquaculture businesses. IN THIS PHOTO: Seen at far right, I’m moderating a… SEE MORE