Cape Farewell, South Greenland — It is the fifth day of a voyage to southern Greenland, aboard Gary Comer’s 150-foot exploration vessel, TURMOIL. Ever since we arrived, we have been under the influence of a benign high-pressure dome of air with daily temperatures soaring into the mid 70s in cloudless blue marble skies. The barometer
In memory of Peg Hook
Peg Hook, a volunteer at the Island Institute since July1988, died July 5, 2005. She worked in the Membership Department on a wide variety of projects including letters to over 4,000 members, filing, and verifying address information. “Every Friday afternoon that Peg was in town, we could depend on her arriving in rain, snow or
Getting to the Bottom of the Story
The book with buzz this summer on Vinalhaven is not the latest Tom Wolfe novel. It is, rather, Away Happens, a collection of humorous essays about life on a small Maine island (namely, Vinalhaven). Phil Crossman is the local author. The book has a catchy cover, with a photograph revealing a gentleman waving somewhat wistfully
Seeing Differently: Ecology school aims to stamp out environmental illiteracy
Drew Dumsch, Director of Ferry Beach Ecology School (FBES) in Saco, says he would hate to see a student spend time at the school, then go home and announce, “Well, it was great being at the beach,” and never apply any of the lessons learned about ecology and sustainable living to his or her own
The Keeper: How seemingly random events become a career
“Even I am surprised when I meet people at a cocktail party at some occasion where I’m trying to explain myself, I usually say, `Did you ever hear of the National Register?’ And nine times out of ten, they’ll say, `Well, of course,’ said William J. Murtagh, Ph. D., this country’s first Keeper of the
Fellowship brightens Long Island’s wet spring
On any given Saturday afternoon this spring, if you had walked by the parsonage of the Evergreen United Methodist Church on Long Island, you might have heard talk and laughter. You might also have heard the clicking of knitting needles. And if you had ventured inside, you would have smelled coffee, and then been warmly
Painting Maine: The Borrowed Views of Connie Hayes
Borrowed View Press, Rockland, ME 2004 A Room of Her Own Connie Hayes paints scenes from the coast of Maine familiar to many of us; quilted-together backyards of fishing villages, working waterfronts with their spill of gear, weathered houses, islands positioned like sentinels in coves. A native of Maine, she has been painting here for
Codes to Art: Signal Flags inspire a Damariscotta artist
“I started using nautical signal flags as part of a bicentennial flag,” said Damariscotta artist Franciska Needham. “I wanted something to symbolize 1976, so I did the numerals 1976 in fabric signal flags embroidered in a satin stitch.” International Signal flags are codes for the alphabet and numbers. That bicentennial flag led Needham to make
Fund offers affordable housing grants
The Islands Challenge Fund, a collaborative effort of the Genesis Community Loan Fund, the Island Institute, Maine Community Foundation, the Maine Seacoast Mission and several island residents, will make challenge and matching grants from $5,000 to $25,000 for affordable housing and community facility projects. Chebeague island resident Pommy Hatfield, member of its advisory committee, commented
Land Trust plans historic boat festival
The Boothbay Region Land Trust will host the 2005 Boat Builders Festival on Sunday, August 7, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults, free for children under 12. Working Waterfront columnist Roger Duncan, an East Boothbay resident, described last year’s version of this show this way, in part: “The 2004 First