Most of us can recite Maine’s four seasons by heart: almost winter, winter, still winter and mud season. Our seasonal travails may not make us the most joyful people on the planet, but they do teach us patience and a Buddhist like understanding of the essential nature of the human condition. This winter came early
Linda Greenlaw’s ‘accidental parenting’ adventure a hard look at islands, teens
There’s nothing as satisfying as settling into a new Linda Greenlaw memoir and feeling like one is “on island” or at sea with her. But Lifesaving Lessons is very different and a bit shocking. Greenlaw tells how she becomes an accidental mother to a 15-year-old girl who had moved to Isle au Haut with an
Growing demand for Maine lobster is a wise investment
The old adage, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade” is too simplistic advice for what ails the Maine lobster industry. But it does hold a kernel of truth. Making the lemonade wouldn’t be enough for that hypothetical lemon windfall. You’d have to build a lemonade stand. You’d have to set it up on a
Islands, it turns out, are ‘character’ magnets
As a kid, I wanted to be normal. Anything that kept me away from this ideal—namely, my parents—was a threat. Middle school can be rough, and the closer I was to everybody else, the easier life would be. It took me a while to appreciate “characters,” which as far as I could tell was a
Chebeague’s ‘Renaissance’ woman turns 90
CHEBEAGUE — When Martha Komlosy Hamilton walked into the Chebeague Island Hall on March 2, an enthusiastic crowd of more than 150 family and friends greeted her with best wishes for her 90th birthday. Hamilton has earned the respect and admiration of generations of Chebeaguers. The phrase “professional volunteer” is an apt description for this
Searsport tank opponents file notice of intent to sue Army Corps
SEARSPORT — Two groups opposing the development of a liquefied propane gas tank and terminal at the Mack Point port facility have announced their intent to sue the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to force the agency to complete an environmental impact statement. The Islesboro Islands Trust and the Searsport-based Thanks But No Tank groups
Why Penobscot Bay is worried about LPG
The discovery portion of the Searsport Planning Board’s review of a proposed LPG facility, including 11 nights of hearings that began in November, thousands of pages of evidence, with stress and fault lines between parties clearly evident, ended ignominiously Feb. 25. Although the schedule allows submission of written material and briefs by interested parties during
We of the north
Winter does not become us. We of the North become winter—in our whitened faces, and buttoned up visages, and in our calculations of who deserves to be rewarded. Garrison Keillor, who hails from the austere Lutheran fastness of northern Minnesota, has made a career as a humorist suggesting that we of the north believe that
Nova Scotia rejects proposals for reviving Maine ferry service
YARMOUTH, Nova Scotia — Nova Scotia officials have rejected two new proposals for operating a ferry service between Yarmouth, Nova Scotia and Maine. Proposals were submitted by Quest Navigation Inc. of Eliot, which planned to begin service this summer, and Maritime Applied Physics Corp. of Baltimore. Both were rejected, according to the provincial government, because they failed to meet
The Gulf of Maine at the end of the carbon age
The generation of previously young people in America who grew up protesting the state world they were about to inherit from their parents are now in the uncomfortable position of considering the state the world they are about to leave their children. So let’s take a moment to consider the leading economic and ecological indicators