The Dry Dock Bar in Portland was a bit more crowded than usual on July 6. In addition to the typical blend of tourists, fishermen and islanders enjoying a drink along the waterfront, the bar was full of people hugging copies of a new hardcover book. Maine author and fisherman Linda Greenlaw was holding a
Oyster farming thrives on the Damariscotta River
In the past five years, the number of people raising oysters in Maine has more than doubled, and the industry is still growing. This never could have happened, say several growers who have had oyster farms in the Damariscotta River since the early 1980s, without Dr. Herbert Hidu and the tenacity of the people who
Zero-emission wind energy planned for Grand Manan
The island of Grand Manan is close to becoming a site for a wind-powered electrical generating facility, according to Paul Woodhouse, president of Eastern Wind Power Inc. based in Quispamsis, New Brunswick. Responding to reports by the CBC and other media announcing the project, Woodhouse said, “Actually, publicity on this is a little premature. We’re
Literary Evening
Historian-turned-novelist Charles B. McLane read from his new book, Red Right Returning, at the Island Insti-tute recently. Set on a fictitious Penobscot Bay island populated with familiar characters, Red Right Returning brings together year-rounders and summer people in a story of island life, lobster politics and personal tragedy. The Island Institute published the book this
Penobscot Marine Museum celebrates “Lobstah” and the maritime past
This summer, the Penobscot Marine Museum, located in Searsport, celebrates the “LOBSTAH.” Exhibits conceived by curator Ben Fuller, who came to the museum a year and a half ago after working many years as head curator at the Mystic Seaport Museum, include artwork with a thematic connection to lobsters and lobster fishing, lobsterboat racing, the
The Big House: A Century in the Life of an American Summer Home
New York: Scribners, 2003. Heartfelt memoir of a Cape Cod summer home It’s no surprise this book was nominated for the National Book Award for nonfiction in 2003 – it’s a gem of a well-told and heartfelt story. George Colt’s nostalgic memoir of his family’s Cape Cod summer home is as much a portrayal of
For the Beauty of the Earth: Birding, Opera and other Journeys
Shoemaker and Hoard, 2004 $26.00 Nature, Through a Civilized Lens Thomas Urquhart must be an inveterate journal-keeper. Part memoir, part essay on the environment and some of the ways human beings connect with it, For the Beauty of the Earth is really Urquhart’s meditation on his own life, from his unusual transatlantic childhood through a
The Long View: Sea Change
Twenty years gives one the opportunity for reflection, so here I go. More than anything else that the Island Institute has accomplished is something that hardly fits in a single, neat, bulleted statement, but is as real as it is intangible. Twenty years ago – or even ten – when we headed off to places
Alone in the Land of the Red Socks
Warning: This essay is intended for serious baseball fans only. If you cannot identify something odd about the title of this article, do not, I repeat, DO NOT continue reading. Supporters of the Red Sox and Phillies have a lot in common. Both are longtime sufferers who share feelings of helplessness, inadequacy, and, in my
Safety conference set for Oct. 11
The 47th international meeting and safety conference of the International Association for Safety and Survival Training (IASST) is scheduled for Oct. 11 at Maine Maritime Academy, Castine. The conference is expected to include world leaders in the field of maritime safety training. Speakers will present papers on topics such as Fishing Vessel Safety, Search and