Is it time to have the talk with your child? And we don’t mean the one about where babies come from. We mean the talk about computer safety.

The start of a new school year is as good a…

Before I dive into legislative matters, I would like to start by saying that I hope you are all enjoying your summers and making the most of what Vacationland has to offer. Although this has been…

Monhegan Island is definitely where it’s at. Every visit is an experience that touches your soul. The beauty, the serenity, the salt-laced air … the quieting of the mind and the feelings of…

About ten years ago I was asked by the McWhan family (longtime summer residents) of Pratts Island Road on Southport, if I would be willing to do some family photos with them at…

Before I sat down to write this missive, I opened my notebook and found a few items left over from last week’s trip to Washington, D.C.

I thought I would share them with you.

On a…

We often describe singing as a behavior that is done to establish and hold a territory against other individuals of the same species and/or to attract a mate and maintain the bond with that mate.…

Yes, we know. The phrase “dog days of summer” came from the ancient Greeks noticing that the Dog Star rose just before the sun from July through early August. They considered that period one of…

Last weekend, John Druce drew a line through one of the big items on his “bucket list.”

Like with a lot of super seniors, memories of his younger days seem to elbow into his dreams.

This is one of the more prominent conversations that I have with people every day of every week and there are many variables that play into the answer. The most common variable as to why a…

My one and only trip out west, in February of 1995 to Utah (the Tuscon/Bisbee/Phoenix areas of Arizona were also part of the trip), introduced me to some awe-inspiring rock formations at…

Come and join us for our next senior community supper on Wednesday, Aug. 15 for barbecued chicken, soup, salad, corn, bread, desert and beverage. Reservations can be made by calling 882-8230 on or…

There are few birds so well named as the two species of long-legged sandpipers called the “yellowlegs.” Their bright yellow legs are indeed a feature that is particularly noticeable given their…

Last week was a tough one.

No, it had nothing to do with the national news, although those political events were bad or confusing, depending on your point of view.

The week began…

“But I never saw a tick” and “I never got a bullseye rash” are two very common comments I get when I talk to people who tested positive for a tick-borne disease.

So why is that?

…

The gridlock in Augusta, unfortunately, shows no sign of breaking, and I’m sorry to report that the legislature has still not wrapped up its work that was supposed to conclude back in April due to…

This past weekend we stopped at one of four avorite old familiar birding haunts in central Maine, a place known locally as “the Waugon” in Monmouth. We have been visiting the site for at least 30…

When I was a kid, my sisters and folks and I would visit our grandparents (Mother's parents) in Springville, New York, in the western part of the state, a little village south of…

Did you stop over at Oak Point on Saturday?

It was the official opening day for the latest preserve to come under the wing of the Boothbay Region Land Trust. If you were there, you would…

Unfortunately, it is time for another warning about children and identity theft.

Javelin Research recently published the results of a survey of 5,000 people that was conducted online…

On Tuesday, July 10, Bonnie Wilder, a 10-year member of DAR and the Koussinoc Chapter in Maine, presented a wonderful program on the Constitution of The United States. She inspired a lot of…

It’s a weekend to make you weak in the knees. Thank god and goddess you’ll be seated! Blues fans from far and wide will be setting up their chairs to hear their favorite music…

We have written before about the decline of swallows and other…

My image volume of many film photography years has dwindled considerably with the introduction of intelligent cameras, photo phones and the internet. But recently I got a nice burst of retro…

As the summer visitors (and locals, too) learned how to use the Route 27 roundabout without getting into a swivet, I thought it might be time to stop for a chat with Ms. Pigette.

You know…

Summertime is meant for fun, rest and relaxation and enjoying the company of friends and family with all that Maine has to offer. When you go to the beach, you bring sunscreen. You have a plan.…

The belted kingfisher is a distinctive bird: large head topped with a shaggy crest; thick black bill; comparatively short tail. Now add in the fact that it often sits conspicuously on a wide open…

If laughter is the best medicine I just got enough to open a pharmacy!

These two fellas tell some of the funniest stories I have ever heard. And to think that the reason for my visit was…

Last week, a man armed with a grudge and a shotgun waltzed into the newsroom of a Maryland newspaper and opened fire on us all.

He murdered, that is right, murdered five staffers and…

Note your calendars and plan to attend a baked haddock supper on Wednesday, July 11 at 5 p.m. July birthdays will be celebrated after dinner. Make reservations for this supper by noon on Monday,…

With Lyme, Anaplasmosis and Babesia on the rise here in Maine and three past reported cases of Powassan in the Midcoast region, how are we to know and understand what tick-borne diseases we have (…

A few weeks ago an elder from the Lutsel K’e Dene First Nation in the Northwest Territories of Canada arrived in Maine after two days of traveling. To get here, Florence had to fly on a small…

My first Windjammer Days Festival was in July of 1989. We, my then husband Joe and our not quite 2 1/2 year old daughter Kassia, had moved here over Labor Day weekend in 1988. I have to say we had…

Hello friend.

Are you tired of the “real” world?

Are you fed up with TV talking heads and radio idiots spouting whatever comes into their heads?

Are you tired of what…

This is the number one question that I get on a regular basis, via phone call, email and in person. People who have had a tick encounter struggle to find the next step.  It’s easy to become…

We were taking a walk in our neighborhood recently just as dusk was approaching. At the beginning of the walk we heard a chipping sparrow trill; a northern cardinal gave its repeated whistled…

Last Thursday, the folks at Washburn & Doughty Shipyard invited the public to their East Boothbay facility to watch the launching of a 93-foot-long tug named Judy Moran.

But,…

During the Cold War, the U.S. Navy set up an underwater network of microphones to listen to the sounds in the sea around the coasts of the U.S. with the goal of being able to detect any Soviet…

My father liked trains.

Where we lived in central Pennsylvania, trains were the life blood of our economy, pumping mountains of freight and moving thousands of people. The coal industry…

While reading my favorite newspaper last week, the bottom six lines of a public notice caught my eye. It was the June 20 agenda for the Boothbay Planning Board.

Here is what it said: “…

Keep the date for the next community supper on Wednesday, June 20 featuring mac and cheese with ham slices. Reservations for this meal must be made by noon on Monday, June 18 by calling the…

The Maine Senate reconvened on Thursday, May 31 to vote on the confirmation of a number of appointments made by Governor LePage. After receiving unanimous approval from the committees of…

For the life of me I cannot remember when my love affair with oysters began. But begin, it did.

I’ve always been a bit of a purist when it comes to shellfish; without spices, butter, wine…

May 28, 2018 will be a day that will go down in birding history. It was the day that the largest sheer number of warblers was ever seen at one location in one day. Even a non-birder should be…

Last week, master artist Brenda Bettinson invited me to Barters Island to see her latest work. Of course, I went.

As the soft-spoken woman and her gallery owner Cordula Mathias described…

Okay, this is it. My last column in the Boothbay Register. Kind of a good thing, kind of a sad thing.

I titled it The Last Supper, not for any deep, dark reasons – merely because my first…

Do you order onion rings in restaurants? I don’t, unless I’ve seen some there, and I know they’re freshly made, and prepared and cooked right.

There have been too many times I’ve asked if…

With the general election six months away, May seems a little early for political attacks. Nonetheless, my opponents are already at it, publicly distorting my voting record on education and other…

As we near the end of the spring migration period, we are still waiting for and hoping for one big night migration experience. It’s possible, even likely, that there was such a night here in Maine…

Musical theater. For some people it’s always been where it’s at. Some people actually prefer it to “straight theater” – you know the plays/shows in which no one sings. And, until…

Erik Carlson doesn’t get out of the woods very often. He works in the woods. He lives in the woods, and he “woodn’t” have it any other way.

In a rare moment of adventure, I ran into Erik…