BAR HARBOR — On Oct. 10, Allied Whale entered the image of the 8,000th humpback whale into its photographic database. It’s a milestone for the marine mammal research organization, which created the North Atlantic Humpback Whale Catalogue in 1977 with only 120 photographs. It’s also a good sign the endangered species has been rebounding since
Thinking of deer meat on Thanksgiving eve
The only meat that we know for certain was served at the so-called First Thanksgiving in 1622 was deer meat. It was accompanied by “fowl,” which in the New England autumn can encompass quite a number of feathered creatures. Most of us assume that included turkey because like to have turkey on our Thanksgiving. Some
The walking meditation of stacking wood
The potential column fodder is rich this month—candidates and the election, Kaci Hickox and Ebola. But when those stories fade, what remains relevant is the wood stove, and even more importantly, the wood pile. I grew up in central Maine, a little no-man’s-land between Farmington and Augusta. My father, a Jewish guy from Southern California,
Love that duff
Yesterday, I stopped in to see my mother-in-law, to check on how she was doing on the fourth day of the power outage after last weekend’s storm. I also wanted a recipe for this column. Anna Fernald is a “people person” and her home, in the center of the island, is a magnet for visitors. Chances were
Fish or go to college? For some islanders, both
Calm waters carried me to Frenchboro at the end of October. A Nor’easter had just blown through, leaving behind trees bereft of leaves, and a pent up demand among island fishermen to get out and haul through their gear. I made a point of spending some time catching up with Cody on the way to
Blind lust and other unsavory scenarios
This is a delicate subject, but one I need to touch on. I like baseball and now and then enjoy watching the Red Sox. When the occasional seasonal opportunity to do so presents itself, my wife and I settle in on the couch, perhaps with an easily portable dinner and a beer or two to
Shrimp the ‘canary in the coal mine’ of Gulf of Maine
On Nov. 5, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Northern Shrimp Section met in Portland and, after a scientific presentation, voted unanimously to close the shrimp fishery for another year. The handful of fishermen and processors in the room pleaded for a short season—anything to keep boats on the water. However, the results of the
Problem to solve? Put the old(er) folks on it
Readers of The Working Waterfront who live in Knox and Waldo counties probably know the story of the WindowDressers organization. It’s a story that illustrates something of the state’s problems, but also something of a solution, and so bears repeating—with apologies to those who have heard it before. The story begins with a couple of
Nineteenth century island gold and the rush that wasn’t
SWAN’S ISLAND — Earlier this year, Ted Turner gets a call from his aunt on Deer Isle. Ted and his brother Galen Turner (who passed away in 2011) founded the Swan’s Island Lobster and Marine Museum, which holds all kinds of antique fishing and boatbuilding equipment. So he’s received a lot of calls about potential
Thanksgiving is a time for reflection on the meaning of ‘home’
In the lull between Halloween and Thanksgiving, I find myself getting especially excited for Turkey Day this year. It will be the first time in three years I have been home for the holiday, and I can already smell the cornbread dressing and sweet potato casserole. Everyone has their own holiday traditions. I had a