Articles
Oil pants optional for lobster promotion
My husband Bruce and I combined a recent trip to Portland with a celebration of my 60th birthday on May 4 and a meeting of lobster fishermen and buyers on May 5. No trip to Portland is complete, for me, without a stop to stock up at Trader Joe’s. Consequently, that’s where I spent my
How I spent my winter vacation
Thanks to the thoughtful planners in town and the skillful inoculations from Sharon Daley of the Seacoast Mission, a record number of people received painless flu shots in November in the Cranberry Isles. It’s a darn good thing too, since those of us who came down with the two-week worst-cold-virus-ever in December and January could
The Light Through Ashley’s Windows
Ashley Bryan might be the most welcoming person I’ve ever met. He is generous with his time in a way most of us could only dream of being. (Or would never dream of being!) When unexpected company calls, Ashley takes it in stride as part of his day, saying he gets energy from his visitors.
Happy Anniversary!
We like to remember the big “firsts” in our lives, whether they are date-specific like birthdays and wedding anniversaries, or age-specific like taking first steps, losing the first tooth, or buying a first car. When the month of October arrives on Little Cranberry Island, a small group of women celebrate another year of membership in
Ready or Not
Ready or not, it’s over. One of the things I did right this summer was create a work schedule that allowed me to spend some time with friends at the Islesford Sand Beach when I was on the island and the weather cooperated. I managed to get a lot of my studio work done in
Have You Had A Lobster Today?
It has been a strange summer for Maine lobstermen. The unusually early appearance of shedders (hungry new-shell lobsters that are coming out of hiding to find something to eat), the abundant spring fishing season in Canada, and large hauls in local waters are contributing factors to a record-low price paid to lobstermen for their catch.
Hello Goodbye!
It’s the height of summer in the Cranberry Isles, with people constantly coming and going. Every week we say hello to someone who has just arrived and goodbye to someone else whose vacation time is over. No bridge connects our islands to the mainland or to each other, so arrivals and departures cross the water,
“I Don’t Want to Scrub Any More Buoys!”
Many lobstermen around the Cranberry Isles take an extra person with them on their boats, and some captains even take two. The sternman keeps busy with a range of jobs that helps the captain haul traps in a timely manner. On the way to the first string of traps, the sternman will stuff herring into
The XYZs of an Island Spring
Anyone who lives year-round on an island has likely been asked the question, “What do you do/what is it like there in the winter?” A few years ago, on a winter mailboat ride, some friends helped me come up with an alphabet of responses. We wanted people to know we are not all that different
My Life on a Small Island
March is a transitional month for those of us with seasonal employment. We start to get back into the swing of things. The palpable changes and surges of energy are not limited to small towns, but they are quite visible on a little island with a diminished winter population. By the houses and shops of