“They’re here!” is a famous movie line announcing the arrival of ghostly phenomenon and is what I first thought of while reading Everybody’s Fool by Richard Russo. It certainly wasn’t for the ghosts, there are none; it was because I found all those wonderful characters from the first book are still here. Lets face it, […]
“It all comes down to that fumbling around to find someone. It seems we’re all born with this longing; we’re made to think that someone exists for each of us. So we knock around, dodging various obstacles like bad families and wars and accidents and illnesses, searching and hoping.” With these words, Jim Nichols pieces […]
As a young child, I was enamored with tall trees and I guess today I still am. Whether one tree stands by itself or is one of thousands, trees are special, because as I breathe, they do too. The ocean also mesmerizes me. The waves roll in and out and depending on the mood of […]
A lone man rows a skiff out into a fog wrapped harbor. Rowing to his boat, a boat he has fished from for many years, a boat that has served him and his sons well. He is then in the water, at night, drifting out with the tide. Jon Keller’s debut novel, Of Sea and […]
It has been said that people can make the place, or the place can make the person. The book, The Eastern: The Early Years captures the impact that place and person have on each other. The storied chapters exquisitely follow the path of a town’s development and its people living along the Eastern River in […]
As I was driving back from a trip into town the other day, there was something missing. I could not put my finger on it at first, but as I drove down the road toward our house, there was a definite absence from the roadside. Then it finally dawned on me, what was missing from […]
This is a bit of a break from my normal Life Downeast writing. Because on days such as these, when the snow is falling and the wind is blowing, so too, are the childhood memories rushing back to me in a syncopation of wonder, beauty and warmth. Sometimes we deserve the time to take a […]
Prisons are not glamorous. The general public’s attitude towards them is almost always negative and rarely do they receive public support. But an interesting thing is taking place here Downeast with one particular facility. A rallying cry from a community in support of a prison is gaining traction and is reminiscent of a community benefit […]
It is a New Year, and a time to reflect on days past while looking forward to days that sit around the corner waiting for us to arrive. It is a time for new beginnings and also a time to remember those that came not so very long ago. Many of our friends ask: What […]
The holidays are fast approaching, and this year the days have come even more quickly than in the past. Families will begin preparations for gatherings and gift giving, and traditions will be celebrated from household to household. Festive decorations will come out of musty basements and attics and be displayed for all to see in […]
Having arrived here from Pennsylvania over a year ago, there has been plenty to learn and even more to observe. This place is different, but I mean that in a good way. Born and raised in Pennsylvania, I am a college graduate with a teaching degree, a business founder and seller, and a father of two children with my wife Stephanie; life has been full and somewhat adventurous, but finding Maine remains a high watermark in my life.
