Working Waterfront

Saving our safe passage sentinels

It took an act of Congress and some well-placed support from then Sen. George Mitchell to seal the deal, resulting in the transfer of 27 lighthouses into caring hands. SEE MORE

A summer scene on Swan's Island. FILE PHOTO: TOM GROENING

Working Waterfront

It’s the people part of island life

History is made and told by people. It’s happening as you read this newspaper. SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Remembering Gramp—role model and patriot

The Fourth of July reminds me each year of a memorable Independence Day Celebration in 1984, when my grandfather, Edwin (Ted) Maddox, a highly regarded islander, selectman, and staunch Republican state legislator representing Vinalhaven and North Haven and the rest of Knox County, was leading the Vinalhaven parade, as he… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Package delivery across the water

Comments overheard at the town dock on either of the Cranberry Isles on almost any given summer day: “The shed is too full!” “These boxes are a mess!” “Did you see a package in there for me?” “Darn. I got an email that said it was delivered, but I don’t… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Loving beets… or not

One of the best modern ways I’ve discovered for serving beets is to boil them, cut them into thick slices, and then drench them in butter into which you crumble lots of blue cheese. SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Sweat, tears, the sea (and rain)

The name of my column, Salt Water Cure, comes from an Isak Dinesen (real name, Karen Blixen) quote: “The cure for anything is saltwater—sweat, tears, or the sea.” I am stuck in a bit of an eddy of medical tests and waiting. Hopefully it will all be fine, but so… SEE MORE

On of the affordable housing projects underway on North Haven.

Working Waterfront

North Haven’s affordable housing in high gear

Historically, turnover of the organization’s housing is rare because there have been no other year-round options for people who want to remain on the island. If an apartment turns over in the future, it would be offered to the first eligible applicants on the waiting list... SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Islanders pull off delightful ‘Mathilda’

Over the years I've reviewed books and plays and while I’ve certainly liked some more than others, I have always enjoyed the process. Last week I watched a rendition of Roahl Dahl’s Matilda at Waterman’s Community Center in North Haven. Dahl passed away 34 years before what would seem fair,… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

The comforting sounds of the season

I love the quiet I experience from living on Little Cranberry Island. I remember a visit from Dutch friends when their mouths dropped open upon reaching our house. I asked what stunned them and they replied, “The quiet! There is so little noise!” That’s what I like. I also appreciate… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

The baggage of being a vegetarian

By the summer of 1979, like many human beings around the globe and in times past, I ate relatively little meat. It wasn’t a matter of principle. I ate vegetables and grains largely for economic reasons, employed at a job qualifying me for food stamps for which I never applied.… SEE MORE