Working Waterfront

Considering the birds is a balm for troubled mind

One of the things I love about October and November in the Cranberry Isles is the increase in bird stories. It is migrating season and most people out here keep an eye on the birds with many a good story to tell. This fall, especially, my mind has craved the… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Fall’s harvest on the islands is self-serve

Two of the things I really appreciate about the island this year are the plentitude of apples everywhere and the fact that my own garden still has a few things to offer. My cherry tomatoes are ripening on cue and my larger tomato plants still show some promise. There are plenty… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Sharing sourdough a way to spread island flavor

I recently participated in the Island Institute’s summer lecture series in Rockland, in fine company with fellow columnists Sandra Oliver and Courtney Naliboff. We answered questions about what it was like to be women writers living on Maine islands. One question that is often asked is: “How do you come… SEE MORE

Sitting on Great Cranberry Island's back shore

Working Waterfront

Savoring summer evokes childhood memories

On one of the last days of June, I met up with my friend and neighbor, Cindy Thomas, at the Sand Beach on Islesford. We get together all year long for a brief monthly dip from this beach, but on this particular day we were gathering for a more seasonal… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Waiting for the warmth prompts grateful thoughts

As people start to reappear in the Cranberry Isles, looking forward to a fresh summer season, no one seems to be asking, “How was your spring?” Most everyone in the Northeast has experienced a colder, wetter month of May than usual. When people arrive to see tulips barely starting to… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Help on the way from island caretakers

As May began with limited sunshine and two weeks of showers in the forecast, I said to Bruce, “Remember that one year when we had 23 days of rain in May?” He reminded me it was the year we built our house. “We were so lucky to get the whole… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Dancing with the woodcock as a rite of spring

In the cold damp beginning of April, I walked out to check my garden, looking for any signs of life. Where were the snowdrops I planted last fall? I thought they would be up by now. Still, I know spring is on its way by the activity of the early… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Winter on the islands is unpredictable, and not so quiet

“Predictably unpredictable.” That’s my new answer for people who ask, in the summer, what it is like living on an island in the winter. I used to say “quiet,” which is accurate for much of the time, but it’s not so quiet when the wind is howling. It’s not even quiet… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Dish migrations dictate: put a name on it

I was having a cup of tea with my neighbor, Mary Schuch, last week as she recalled what it was like, three years ago, to move into my nephew Malcolm’s house. The house was occupied by several summer employees. She noticed that some of the dishes in the kitchen had… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Mom was a strong woman, ahead of her time

What an intriguing deadline for the Cranberry Report—the day before the presidential election! Even on a little island the political ads have been constant and inescapable. I will be glad to have a break from it, but then again, what a fascinating time in history. When I got my absentee ballot,… SEE MORE