Working Waterfront

‘Drops,’ the freewill offering of apple trees

In my childhood Octobers, my dad and mom tossed my sister and me plus several bushel baskets into the back of the Studebaker station and we drove to an apple orchard that let its customers pick up apples—drops—that had fallen to the ground. It was a great outing, and the… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

From seed to fruit, islands good hosts to apples

Fall has been a season of superlatives in the Cranberry Isles. Along with a November that might turn out to be the warmest on record, in Maine, the foliage has been the brightest we’ve seen in years. A simple walk or trip to the mainland begs one to pull out… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

John Denver: No longer a guilty pleasure

Back in October, I took my dad to see the Portland Symphony's tribute to John Denver. We were celebrating his birthday a little bit early before he went back to California, where I grew up, for the winter. Thanks to my dad, I have been a lifelong John Denver fan,… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

North Haven nurse brings urban experience to island

North Haven's newest health care practitioner will be able to compare the urban version of medicine with the isolated, rural version. Nurse practitioner and educator Lorraine Reiser is bringing her decades of experience to North Haven to the island medical clinic. Although she commutes between Pittsburgh, her longtime home, and… SEE MORE

Sen. Angus King speaks at the Island Institute's energy conference in South Portland on Nov. 6.

Working Waterfront

Islands lead in ‘energy revolution,’ says Sen. King

It was one of those occasions, Sen. Angus King admitted, in which he was speaking to people who knew more about the topic at hand than he did. But at the Island Institute's annual island energy conference on Nov. 6 in South Portland, King showed he had more than a… SEE MORE

Ray Bowden enjoys the autumn sunshine on board the Bagheera.

Working Waterfront

On board for autumn colors

Fall foliage and boats don't seem to go in hand in hand, but in Portland, the best way to see the season's colors is to cruise around Casco Bay's islands. SEE SLIDESHOW The Portland Schooner Company, based on the Maine State Pier, offers four daily two-hour sails throughout spring, summer… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Swan’s Island, Islesford elementary schools blessed with support, says principal

The obstacles and challenges that come with being the principal of two island elementary schools are many. But those jobs also come with something educators like Heather Webster long for—deep community support. Webster, 42, lives in Bar Harbor with her husband and two children, but commutes to Swan's Island Elementary… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Island home helps me grieve great loss

I keep my cell phone in one corner of the kitchen, touching a window, where it receives a one- to two-bar signal frequently enough that the battery will go for a few days before it needs to be recharged. The signal might not be strong enough or steady enough to maintain… SEE MORE

Ashley Bryan holds a copy of Beautiful Blackbird

Working Waterfront

Ashley Bryan reminds us: ‘Beautiful are the souls of my people’

The award-winning children’s book author and illustrator Ashley Bryan from Islesford (Little Cranberry Island) often concludes his storytelling performances with a remarkable recitation of Langston Hughes’s poem “My People,” asking his audience to repeat the lines after him. Everyone goes away with the last line echoing in their heads: “Beautiful,… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Island family is balm for grief

Editor's note: Reflections is a monthly column written by Island Fellows, recent college grads who do community service work on Maine islands through the Island Institute, publisher of The Working Waterfront. Sidra Nasir works with Chebeague Island's fire and rescue department and with the island council to network island-based non-profits.… SEE MORE