Working Waterfront

The richness of found fruit

When I was young, I had the privilege of growing up on 13 acres of secondary-growth forest in central Maine, between Farmington and Augusta. Our land had a stream and frog pond, a field full of wild strawberries, a thicket of blackberries, an apple tree whose fruit was always harder… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

The tenuousness of wild places

I'm writing this month's column poolside, a very unusual place for me to be. After not leaving the state for 18 months, Bill, Penrose, and I masked up, braved a transcontinental plane ride, and landed in San Diego in late June. After a few days of Mexican food, record shopping,… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Rituals with fire and water

So I turned 40. This was inevitable, and quite predictable—having been born in 1981, I would certainly turn 40 in 2021. But it’s still strange to say: I am now a 40-year-old woman. I remember when turning 40 was an occasion for doom and gloom. My father’s surprise 40th birthday… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

The weight of Memorial Day settles on island

How interesting that Memorial Day should occur in spring. North Haven observes the day with a somber procession through the village, from the American Legion Hall to the ferry ramp. Community veterans, some in and some out of uniform, oversee the presentation of cedar-and-poppy wreaths in memory of North Haven’s… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

‘Lost and found’ a metaphor for this year

I pulled out my laptop to write just now and asked my six-year-old what this month’s column should be about. I had some vague ideas around maybe the virtual one-acts festival my students participated in back in March, or an ode to my greenhouse, which currently has the first tiny… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Food is an anchor of normalcy

It’s very close to the one-year anniversary of “quarantimes” as I write this column. On March 13, 2020, our students had their last day of in-person school for the year, although we didn’t know it at the time. We shut everything down—for two weeks, then for a month, then for… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Cold water is the tonic for suspended life

It’s winter. This time of year usually feels like an extended denouement following the climax of Labor Day weekend, Indigenous People’s Day, and “the holidays,” meaning the blur of Thanksgiving, Chanukah, Christmas, and New Year’s. But this year, it’s more of the same. We’ve been quietly isolated for months, especially… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Getting outside is critical, and never easier

As I write this, COVID 19 has arrived on North Haven. Today, the town office announced that we had 11 positive cases, and that testing and contact-tracing continues. The store is closed for in-store shopping, we’re remote schooling at least through the end of November, and emotions are high as… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

A new way to be alive, and live

A few months ago, my column focused on doing things differently, and having them still be good. Take out instead of dine in. Picnics instead of cocktail parties. Online events instead of in-person. I got some good mileage out of that attitude, but by the end of August, I was… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

A very long swim, a new view of my island

I was one of those kids who always managed to find her way into the water. At Sea World, I leaned so far into a dogfish petting tank that I got soaked head to toe, resulting in the purchase of a very expensive souvenir sweatshirt. Wading in the shallows of… SEE MORE