Working Waterfront

My space to be creative

I look around as I sit at a freshly decluttered desk in my studio to write for the first time in 2026. This 8-foot by 10-foot room has been the work area for countless projects and creations for over 40 years. I used to design and make jewelry here until… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

A season for readying

I think of late October and early November as the “readying season.” We learn to adjust our timing and be flexible with changing arrangements. The mailboat, on its winter schedule, runs three boats a day between Northeast Harbor and the islands. Road construction has picked up on the mainland and… 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

Thanks for the gift of island life

My cousin Gail, the eldest of five of us, spoke at my grandmother’s funeral in 1992. What I recall most vividly is her saying, “Without Nanny, we wouldn’t have Islesford.” I’ve had the privilege of spending summers on little Cranberry Island, also known as Islesford, my whole life, as did… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Island provides an antidote for anxiety

Man, oh, man, am I glad to see the end of April. It’s my least favorite month on the island, but this time around the fourth month really kicked me hard in my spirit. What a challenge. It was rainy and cold and just plain dreary. It seems we never… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

A letter from an island in winter

Dear friend—How was your winter? It wasn’t too bad staying here on the island, but February was kind of rough. Days and days of temperatures below 20 degrees and a lot of wind. Ferries seemed to be canceled one or two days every week. That was hard on everyone; both… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Winter’s highs and lows

“What is winter like on the island?” We’re back at that time of year that summer visitors ask about the most. My standard answer is, “Pretty quiet. We often get rain when the mainland is getting snow. It can get pretty windy, causing boat cancelations and power outages.” I don’t… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Fernalds’ fall firewood ritual

The islands are pretty active in October as most of us get ready for winter. This year, summer lingered beyond September and we’re off to a gorgeous beginning of a chore-filled month. The weather is so beautiful that there is no hardship in being outdoors to do the fall jobs.… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

That end of summer feeling

COVID caught up with a lot of people I know during the summer. Some of them for the first time. At the beginning of August, when an abundant summer was hitting its peak, I came down with a sore throat and headache. Two days later I tested positive for the… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Raspberry bounty leads to recipe

Seven or eight years ago I asked my neighbor Mary, who was off island at Surry Gardens to buy some plants, if she would pick up three small raspberry bushes for me. It has always been my dream to have a raspberry patch in my own yard, one that would… SEE MORE