Working Waterfront

The ‘mostly’ universal allure of water

By Phil Crossman My mother was possessed of a resolute conviction that people were good. Certainly, in spite of mounting evidence to the contrary, she felt my three younger brothers and I were clear examples, obedient youngsters whose first concern was to behave ourselves and do nothing that would meet with… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Everything is someone’s lunch

By Sandy Oliver Everything is someone’s lunch. I wander in the garden looking for spinach to eat as Eggs Florentine and notice that a section of seedlings has been wiped out. I dig around with my fingers and eventually turn up a fat, gray-brown curl of cutworm which, when squished,… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Swan’s Island Lighthouse gets TLC

By Jennifer Helman Photos by Dale Joyce After withstanding coastal Maine weather for almost 150 years, the Swan’s Island Lighthouse is getting a much-needed facelift. The rehabilitation project consists of three phases: bricks, mortar and metal; foundation and drainage; and catwalk restoration. Tito’s Masonry of Portland is doing the first… SEE MORE

Jeri D.W. Spurling at her Islesford home.

Working Waterfront

Big hearts build tiny house for veteran

By Jacqueline Weaver “Housing is absolutely essential to human flourishing. Without stable shelter, it all falls apart.” —Harvard sociologist Matthew Desmond Architect Jeri D. W. Spurling has dedicated her professional life to serving those in need. In fact, the motto of Spurling Design, based in her home on Islesford in… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Island life still holds capacity for surprise

Reflections is written by Island Fellows, recent college grads who do community service work on Maine islands and in coastal communities through the Island Institute, publisher of The Working Waterfront. By Maria Keeler Seated in my office in early June, I am surrounded by layers of evidence that I both work… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Beaches are soft frontline in the climate change war

By Tom Groening The sunny, vacation-vibe we associate with beaches was doused like a pelting thunderstorm at the 12th Beaches Conference in Kittery on June14. Instead of swimming and sunbathing, the gathering addressed the dire realities of sea level rise, unprecedentedly big storms, and dying marshes. “Why invest in Main Street… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Who says there’s nothing to do?

By Courtney Naliboff I’m writing this from a point in time two weeks before the end of the school year, one day before the spring concert, and just over a week before my daughter’s preschool graduation. I’m doubled up on meetings more days than not, staring down the barrel of… SEE MORE

he first Model T to arrive on Monhegan was documented by Edward Knowlton.

Working Waterfront

Getting to know the Knowltons

By Carl Little Painter Maud Briggs Knowlton (1870-1956) and her husband, photographer Edward Knowlton (1860-1964), first set foot on Monhegan Island sometime in the 1890s. Traveling from their home in industrial Manchester, N.H., the couple was smitten by this remote, quiet, and picturesque island. Returning every summer thereafter for… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Islanders and the shame of baggage

By Barbara Fernald It starts at the grocery store on the mainland. I hand my cooler and canvas bags to the cashier, who passes them to the bagger, and I start to unload a full grocery cart. I have an itching need to get the cart unloaded quickly so I… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Casco Bay Lines responds to booming bay, city

By Tom Groening Portland’s waterfront is booming—new hotels, restaurants, pubs, a marina—so it’s no wonder the ferry serving Casco Bay’s islands is responding to that activity, says Hank Berg. Casco Bay Lines (CBL), for which Berg is general manager, has a lengthy history on the city’s waterfront, though recently, it’s… SEE MORE