When we first started birding in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the sight of a merlin was a special treat. These small, dark falcons had just begun to bounce back…
Columns
Joe's Journal
Once upon a time, in May 1932, thousands of Americans who were out of work, out of money, and out of sorts, went to Washington for help. They were veterans seeking compensation for their service…
The next public supper will beWednesday, Sept. 3, for our annual lobster roll dinner…
Most of us appreciate when we can talk to a real person about an issue or concern with a company, and what better way to find customer service than to search for it…
Our daughters attended Sheepscot Valley Children’s House on Federal St. in Wiscasset in the early 1990s. That’s where we met (Miss) Ethel Stansfield. Recently we returned to the school, along with…
Joe's Journal
I answered the phone the other day and snarled at the robo caller. At least I thought it was a robocall. It was not.
Oops. It was Ms. Pigette herself, calling from her post as she held up a…
A Bird's Tale
As we slide into August, the bird soundscape here in Maine undergoes a major change compared to May and June when the morning chorus of bird songs can seem deafening.…
Community of Hope
Domestic abuse, sometimes called Intimate Partner Violence (IPV), goes hand in hand with food insecurity. People are considered food insecure whenever they have limited…
Joe's Journal
The other day, the online news feed mentioned a story from the U.K. suggesting a pair of royals got in a scuffle over something.
In case you’re wondering, I couldn't care less if Prince…
The next public supper will be Wednesday, Aug. 20. The meal will consist of watermelon gazpacho, salad, rolls, BBQ chicken, corn on the cob, potato salad, and chocolate chip zucchini cake.
…
Cryptocurrency kiosks, also known as crypto ATMs or virtual currency kiosks, are used to convert dollars into digital currency. These machines may look like regular ATMs, but criminals can also…
Boothbay Region YMCA: Community Catalyst for Good
Thirty-two years ago, Susan Quinby had a vision to support the Boothbay Region YMCA’s aquatics program. With her father being the namesake of the Y’s Emery Pool, Susan…
A Bird's Tale
What do Baffin Island, South Florida, and Downeast Maine have in common?
One thing they have in common, as we write this column, are two birds of different…
Joe's Journal
Have you cruised the channels on your TV set recently? It is hard not to watch, almost like racing fans glued to roaring machines in anticipation of a crash. We know something is going on in…
WHERE IT'S AT
Tom Rush. A true folk/blues icon. Yeah, “icon” is used a bit too liberally these days. But, in Tom’s case, it’s fact. Others I, and most likely many music lovers consider icons of this genre are…
The next public supper will be Aug. 7. The menu will consist of fish chowder, cheesy zucchini biscuits, mango barley salad, quiche Lorraine (with bacon), and cottage pudding with lemon…
You get a call from a panicked grandchild or other family member. They say they're in a time-sensitive crisis—hospitalized after a car accident or jailed for example—and beg for immediate…
Where It’s At
Jack Silverio. This Rhode Island School of Design grad has been an architect for 40 years designing homes and in Boothay Harbor, Jack designed St. Columba's Episcopal Church. For the last 12 years…
A Bird's Tale
As we wrote last week, one of the five best things about summer birding in Maine is the interesting…
Joe's Journal
Last Saturday afternoon, as I was watching the TV coverage of the British Open golf championship and folding my laundry, my phone rang. I decided to ignore it. I figured talking to an unknown…
The next public supper will be Wednesday, Aug. 6. The meal will consist of Tuscan sausage soup, salad, cheesy zucchini biscuits, baked stuffed zucchini, corn, tomato and basil salad, and lemon…
Where It's At
In his youth, Jerry Farnham wanted to be a novelist. Storylines came to him while he was out lobstering. That desire was realized with the publication of “Red At Night” in 2022 that became the…
The summer heat is here, and so are scammers posing as the utility company. You might get a call or email from…
A Bird's Tale
Some people think midsummer birding is boring.
Wow, are they wrong.
As we can personally attest, here's five reasons why you should go birding in July.…
Joe's Journal
I ran into a series of interesting items last week that I thought I would share with you.
Top of my list was a piece in The Atlantic magazine that claims our national prison population is…
Where It's At
During the July 4 First Friday I decided to stop by two more new participants this year – both in Boothbay.
In addition to First Fridays, another “something new” for Rick Dickinson is…
The next public supper will be Wednesday, Aug. 6. The meal will consist of Tuscan sausage soup, salad, cheesy zucchini biscuits, baked stuffed zucchini, corn, tomato and basil…
If you’re looking to squeeze in one more summer trip, be cautious—while great travel deals exist online, so do scammers eager to cash in on your vacation plans.
Criminals set up look-alike…
Column
This week at the BHYC it was all about the Battle of the Bays. No fewer than 80 boats and 114 young sailors from clubs between York and Northeast Harbor gathered in…
Cemetery Chronicles
The Boothbay Town Report of 1940 noted that Cemetery District Trustees authorized the execution of contracts for perpetual care of cemetery lots at .75 cents per square…
A Bird's Tale
The first time you clearly hear the long, drawn-out whistled “weet-woo” of an upland sandpiper drifting into your ears across an open grassland or blueberry barren,…
Joe's Journal
Well, the windjammers sailed into and back out of the harbor and the fireworks signaled the 249th birthday of the good old USA. I guess that means it is now summer in Boothbay Harbor and its…
The next public supper will be Wednesday, July 16. The meal will consist of turkey soup, salad, garlic bread, cheese ravioli with meatballs, and ricotta cake. The cost is…
According to the Federal Trade Commission, theft through fraud may have been as high as $158.3 billion in 2023 alone. To put this into perspective, if fraud was a US company, it would be in the…
A Bird's Tale
Walking our little black chug through the leafy streets of our neighborhood several times a day for years continues to give us an appreciation of the small things that…
Joe's Journal
The big anniversary is next year, and the powers that be, big and small, are already planning for the big super All-American 250th Birthday shindig.
This weekend, in our little corner of…
The next public supper will be Wednesday, July 16. The meal will consist of turkey soup, salad, garlic bread, cheese ravioli with meatballs and ricotta cake. The cost is $…
Travel scams are heating up just in time for summer, from bogus deals to fake booking sites and other schemes. Here is how to spot some of the most popular vacation scams.
…
A Bird's Tale
Most songbird species only form flocks in the non-breeding season. Think of American robins, red-winged blackbirds, or chipping sparrows as a few examples. In…
