CHEBEAGUE ISLAND — Large yellow, blue and pink playground equipment now towers over the one-story Chebeague Island School. The elaborate new play area, part of what planners hope will eventually be a larger recreational “campus” for islanders of all ages, was dedicated July 4 in memory of Susan Hudson-Wilson. Hudson-Wilson died unexpectedly in October 2012
Some people are just born to live on islands
As someone who just sort of accidentally ended up on an island (give or take a few job interviews), I’m always fascinated by the processes that led to other people ending up on one. Even more interesting forces are at play when they decide to stay there. Bernita Joyce took the shortcut of being raised
When rock was a star on Swan’s Island
There’s an interesting phenomenon whereby places named “The _______” develop characters that overshadow whatever “______” originally stood for. Sometimes the practical use remains constant, such as when “The Dump” is where you put your trash. The fun part happens when the place or function changes and the name doesn’t. In my own childhood this place
The Working Waterfront is 20 years old
ROCKLAND — The more things change, the more the news stays the same. In the first issue of The Working Waterfront, published in April 1993, the cover story examined the possibility of an oil spill along Maine’s coast. On July 6 of this year, crude oil in railroad tank cars ignited, causing a horrific explosion
When nature inspires crankiness
My wife likes bird feeders. Because she has also been a cat lover her whole life, I used to call them cat feeders. But now that the long sythe of time has thinned out our felines one by one and they lie preternaturally under special commemorative beach stones in the garden, the birds have lost
Great Whites hold key place in ecosystem
MAINE — They’re here. Lobstermen off Boothbay Harbor on July 30 watched and filmed what they believe was a Great White Shark feeding on a minke whale carcass. Later in the week, a visitor to Wells Beach reported seeing a shark near the shore of the popular swimming area. Whether it’s the warmer waters or
Retiree volunteers support and enjoy national parks
ACADIA NATIONAL PARK — Visitors pour into the Sieur de Monts Spring nature center, looking for maps and tips on trails and sights at this scenic spot in the national park. One of the people there to help them is Frank Richardson, who is volunteering at the park with his wife, Sharon, for three months. At
Outposts in the fight for the ecosystem
I have spent some very pleasant days during the past month as the guest of a number of island field research stations and am again overwhelmed by the number of dedicated eyes and inquiring minds monitoring the birds, beasts, fish and crustaceans which inhabit the waters and islands of the coast of Maine and the
‘Fine art’ of medical diagnosis to be discussed on Swan’s Island
SWAN’S ISLAND — At 7 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 2 at the Odd Fellows Hall, Hermann Haller, M.D., physician, professor and director of the department of nephrology at the Hannover Medical School in Germany and adjunct professor at the Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory (MDIBL) will look at classic works of art like the Mona Lisa with a diagnostician’s
From Three Mile Island to Chebeague Island
CHEBEAGUE ISLAND — On a hot summer day, the view from the lawn in front of Susan Stranahan’s converted early 20th century cottage is idyllic. Low-lying rocky islands seem to rise from the still water just beyond the lush greenery that lines the shore. But from another part of this Casco Bay island, there’s a