Articles
A year after fire, new Matinicus Island Post Office opens
The postal customer crosses the tiny lawn past the blue steel mailbox (which would be out on the sidewalk if we had sidewalks) and the carved wooden sign reading “Matinicus, Maine 04851” and enters a traditional white clapboard house. A small bouquet of lilacs sits on the mantelpiece in what looks like an old-fashioned front
Essay
“Mud season” has long been part of the Maine folklore. It’s spring-but-not-really-spring, or a less-than-welcome winter thaw, or a stretch of cold-weather rain that nearly results in the animals lining up two by two. When, as they say, the frost comes out of the ground, there is still a frozen layer beneath. This rock-hard subsurface
For an island power company, dealing with outages is a community effort
Electricity customers on Matinicus Island say, “We’re not off the grid, we are the grid.” The ratepayers, and the diesel generators, on Matinicus Island, are among the few Mainers who are not part of the New England power grid system by which most electricity users and generators are interconnected. The Matinicus power company (its legal
For an island power company, dealing with outages is a community effort
Electricity customers on Matinicus Island say, “We’re not off the grid, we are the grid.” The ratepayers, and the diesel generators, on Matinicus Island, are among the few Mainers who are not part of the New England power grid system by which most electricity users and generators are interconnected. The Matinicus power company (its legal
It could have been any of us: The search for missing Matinicus lobstermen
This is not an easy story to tell. Sometime on Monday, October 27, 2008 a young lobsterman went missing in the waters near Matinicus Island. Christopher Whitaker, 24, of Matinicus was last seen hauling from his open boat that day to the northeast of the island. Later the same day, floating objects such as a
Having the right stuff is not enough: Some thoughts on sustainability
What does sustainable island living mean? Is “sustainable” just a trendy buzz-word meaning “green?” Does “sustainability” really just refer to organic vegetables, bio-diesel and photovoltaics? I believe the answer is “no.” Don’t get me wrong-these particular subjects are worth discussing. At the moment, we are considering a wind-powered generator (although I’m not sure where we’ll
Matinicus Post Office finds new home in part of parsonage
Matinicus Island has been without a physical post office since the accidental fire that destroyed the existing historic structure in April 2008. Over the summer, mail has been picked up and delivered by island postal service staff. Since last spring, numerous ideas have been suggested for a post office location, and a couple of island
Writers ‘discover’ Matinicus Island again, and again, and again…
“Go out and get me another ‘covered bridge’.” One of my summer bakery customers, a vacationing editor, told me once that this expression is (or was) common parlance in the offices of at least one major east-coast newspaper. If a high-ranking member of the editorial staff realized that column space looked plentiful in a middle
Ice cream (and groceries) return to Matinicus
Going for an ice cream on Matinicus Island is no longer just a bit of wishful thinking. On July 9 at 11 a.m. a line had already formed outside the door of the new Matinicus Island Store located, as it says on the signs, “at Aunt Belle’s.” Islanders who have been waiting for many months
After the fire: Matinicus Island gets to work healing
By time this goes to press, most will have heard or read about the fire that on April 28 destroyed the newly renovated Matinicus Island post office, as well as a young man’s home and all he owned, the long-awaited new store almost ready for its Grand Opening celebration, and some of the property of