Having a Vision

Community spirit might be battered and bruised in many places; there are some where that spirit of place is on life support. Then, there are those towns where the locals recognize that the solution won’t be coming from anywhere else but from within.

I was in Rangeley Wednesday night for a Community Visioning hosted by Rangeley Health and Wellness. On a very quiet night in the middle of the region’s sleepiest month, more than 100 townspeople turned out to say what were the most important things their community needs to consider. Continue reading

The Other Maine

Mountains don't care about words.

Mountains don’t care about words.

Issues often get framed in a narrow manner. Apparently it’s easier that way. Words and simple solutions to complex problems are becoming our undoing.

The United States. Drugs. Education. There are other ways to slice the pie.

The State of Maine, and the state of Maine. Context and geography is everything, especially how place affects the people living there. Continue reading

Driving Down East

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Friday night, we were headed north on Route 1, our destination Down East and Machias. Miss Mary said she wanted to spend the weekend walking beaches she remembered from days past, gathering rocks, and spending a few days away. I love an impromptu road trip and being mobile as much as anyone, so I needed little persuasion when it was mentioned two weeks ago. Continue reading