“Remember: red, right, return,” my Dad reminds me, as he lets me shakily steer his lobster boat. I have to stand on my tiptoes to see out the window, my eyes glancing nervously from the Fathometer to the large red buoy that bobs to my right. I make sure to keep it there when entering
Comfort in the cold — an island round-up
The coldest day in a very long time—11 below zero and wind blowing, snow in the air, both freshly falling and drifted sorts, as Mother Nature rearranges her flakes, eddying them around the corner of the house and piling lots up by the doorstep. This is one of those days when I make a circuit
It’s OK to depend on the kindness of neighbors
Even as a young kid, I was skeptical of Disney movies. Sure, I loved dressing up in princess costumes with my cousins. I was sure that one day I would have a library as magnificent as the one in Beauty and the Beast. I had no problem believing that animals could talk or that my toys
Hancock County through Eastern Eye
MOUNT DESERT — An exhibit featuring postcard images from the Eastern Illustrating & Publishing collection opens Thursday, Jan. 9. The images, which have never been displayed in public, include captions researched by more than 20 historical societies, libraries and individuals. The exhibit was created by the Penobscot Marine Museum in Searsport and hosted by the Mount Desert Island Historical Society
Environmental year in review: ‘The future doesn’t vote’
The poet T.S. Eliot described our desire to squeeze the universe into a ball and roll it toward some overwhelming question. And though Eliot was writing about love and not year-end thoughts, many of us are tempted to try to squeeze the universe into a ball as the calendar turns. So let us pause to
Shipping containers used in floating house
BROOKLIN — The mantra for the 21st century is to do more with less, and many building pioneers are exploring how to repurpose material to construct homes. A new example can be seen at a marina in Belfast, where Brooklin boatbuilder Steve White has parked his new houseboat, constructed from shipping containers. But if you
Surviving winter on island not so different than mainland
There are a handful of questions people always ask when they find out I live and work on Isle au Haut. I’m so used to answering the same things over and over that I can usually preempt people’s questions with what I know they want to hear: There are four boys in our one-room schoolhouse,
The sun rises on a new year
We here at The Working Waterfront, published by the Island Institute, thank you for your interest in and support of our work in 2013. And we look forward to this new year, a year in which we hope to grow and improve. We have lots of ideas and plans to upgrade our news gathering for and
New marine patrol officer in Casco Bay area
AUGUSTA — James Mayotte of Boothbay Harbor was sworn in as the newest member of the Maine Marine Patrol after a Dec. 20 graduation ceremony at the Maine Criminal Justice Academy. Mayotte will begin patrolling in Casco Bay, which is located in Marine Patrol Division I, Section 2, after the new year. Officer Mayotte’s direct
Northern Shrimp: first casualty of New England warming water?
On Dec. 3, regulators from the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission met to review the latest stock assessment for Northern Shrimp (Pandalus borealis) and determine what the fishing season would look like for Maine fishermen. Everyone in the room was prepared for bad news after the small “do no harm” fishery of 2013. That resulted in