Working Waterfront

Blue Butterfield’s paean to Maine

Maine, A Love Story Self-published, hardback, 192 pages Standing in line at a community lunch at the Neighborhood House in Northeast Harbor back in February, I overheard two neighbors talking excitedly about Blue Butterfield’s book Maine, A Love Story. They spoke of the personal quality of the narrative and the… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

In hot water, in a good way

Hot Springs: Photos and Stories of How the World Soaks, Swims, and Slows Down By Greta Rybus (Ten Speed Press, 2024) Greta Rybus, photographer and author of the new book Hot Springs, introduces readers to some stunning places that are dedicated to allowing people to enjoy the benefits of immersion… SEE MORE

“Clarence Hilyard” by David Estey, 1988 oil on canvas, 10” x 8.”

Working Waterfront

James Fitzgerald at Katahdin

One of Clarence’s predecessors, William Wingate Sewall, took on a sickly young Teddy Roosevelt at the camps and built him up to be a vigorous young man... SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Remembering an island icon

Delly—whose full name was Dallas Levi Anthony—was a pianist, a wonderful baritone, a terrific cook and baker, precipitously mischievous, and a help to all. A friend recalls that Delly let him and his brother, nine- and ten-year-olds, tag along up into the bell tower of the Union Church to take… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Those who served at back of the boat

I’m reposting an abridged version of a column from May 2012. I smile thinking of all the different people Bruce and I recalled and what fun we had doing it. On Little Cranberry Island sternmen stories abound! Most of the lobster fishermen in our area take an extra person or… SEE MORE

Boats off Stonington. FILE PHOTO: TOM GROENING

Working Waterfront

Stark reminder of need to support children

Some of the kids in our program don’t have a stable home life or the certainty of knowing where their next meal is coming from. SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Hope: A framework for climate action

Hope is a framework for action. There is a great distinction between hoping (which is all about action) and wishing (which is passive, having a desire but believing there is nothing we can do). SEE MORE

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These are the rules

I didn’t make the rules, but the rules require that as soon as you think to yourself “It’s hot out here,” you have to get to a beach as quickly as you can, shed your winter plumage, and run into the sea. SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Bad habits revived again and again

The change of seasons—spring being what’s on my mind—can call out old habits. Mine have to do with boats and the preparations they require at this time of year. The habits of others will be different, of course, depending on circumstances, priorities, and whose habits we’re talking about. While my… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

The importance of measuring greenhouse gases

Greenhouse gas assessments provide measurable evidence to show consumers environmentally friendly practices. SEE MORE