I met Rhonda Selvin in 1977 when we both worked at the Tugboat Inn.  Rhonda was part of a talented restaurant waitstaff and I was the night janitor. Back then the the food service area occupied the entire length of the building with seating for a ton of people. Also, back then, Tugboat Inn was owned by George McEvoy, Dan Derepentigny and Clem Brewer, an interestingly diverse  trio. 

Eventually we both left Tugboat for other pastures. Rhonda became a bartender at the Thistle Inn with Bobby Rice and the well known and often celebrated dynamic Leonie Greenwood-Adams! I moved on to some lightweight carpentry jobs and the beginnings of my photography business. We crossed paths infrequently until the early-ish days of Bigelow Labs at the old location on McKown Point in West Boothbay Harbor. Rhonda had grown to become successfully involved at the lab with Dr. Clarice Yentsch who was working on a Red Tide project and then spent some time at Woods Hole Oceanographic facility. That was the beginning of Rhonda’s new role as curator of the Provasoli-Guillard National Center for Culture of Marine Phytoplankton. Rhonda worked at Bigelow for 13 years. 

For years, on my way in and out of the Harbor, I would drive by Rhonda’s house at the corner of Lakeview Road and wonder how and what she was doing, at the same time noticing the deterioration of a lovely old barn at the rear of her home. Then, on one trip to the Harbor, I noticed the barn was gone and the back of the property being renovated. Little did I know that this transformation would ultimately lead to a wonderful gathering of colleagues from Bigelow and friends from around the country. Rhonda’s Big Barn Bash began to take shape. 

The new 24-foot x 36-foot post and beam barn was created by Heritage Timber Wrights of Appleton, Maine with Rhonda’s husband John Rasanen’s completing beautiful finishing touches. 

It’s a magnificent structure, perfect for a gathering, not to mention a special collection of friends from historic early Bigelow and local friends (see attached photo). Organized by Clarice Yentsch, Jill Tupper and Sandy Barry, all were serenaded by a Great Barney Balch (also a renowned Bigelow alum) trio. Friends from Spain, California, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire Oregon, Florida, Pennsylvania and Washington D.C. It was an historic gathering with some 40 guests. The Bigelow group of friends represented careers with over 200 years of early Bigelow time and some 800 years of career time -- aheartfelt gift from many of the original Bigelow community! 

And Rhonda could not quit smiling. There was so much love cradled in those new beams. In the words of  Rhonda fan Clarice Yentsch, “Dear friend Rhonda is a supreme caregiver whether her focus is microscopic phytoplankton, humans with physical and/or mental health needs, or her family and lush gardens.”  

Great day Rhonda! Honored too be with you after all these years!