Columns

I spent a couple of days in September on a friend's boat. My goal was to take pictures for the Orr's Island Library's 2025 Harpswell calendar, which will be entitled "Harpswell from the Water." It was during day two when he remarked, "I can't believe we get to live here."

Thanks to stunning achievements in chemistry and biology, we now have numerous health products derived from natural sources. There is too much hype and quackery in some sectors, but there are dozens of proven lifesaving products.

When most people think about October, they think about the leaves changing color and cooler temperatures. But did you know that October is National Seafood Month?

My wife and I are in a dressing room at Macy's. I am wearing a mint green shirt covered with paddleboards. "You think I can wear this to work?" "Paddleboards are cool," Ally says. "And you can wear this untucked with a navy blue T-shirt underneath."

Did a coven of nutritionists invent bobbing for apples? Only powerful witchcraft could convince people to dunk their heads in a bucket of water swirling with the oily lip balm, sweat, saliva and snot of every stranger who already bobbed — all to come up with an apple. An apple!

The subject of art is an interesting thing. What to one person is an inspired demonstration of the mixing of vision, movement, emotion, perspective, imagination, color palette, and freedom from objectivity is to another person a 6-year-old's prized finger painting.

Question: What's going to happen with the closed Estes (Lobster House) restaurant property? A new restaurant? Condos? Public dock? Commercial fishing? Any information is appreciated.

On Aug. 27, I was one of the speakers at Foods of Harpswell. My colleague Janice Thompson organizes this event to thank Anchor donors and sponsors. For me, it was an opportunity to reflect on how far the Anchor has come in little more than two years.

September at Cundy's Harbor Library. As we enter autumn, I am looking back on all we have accomplished since our last annual meeting. The library hosts its annual meeting each October.

My Lab Echo and I have just set out for our daily walk down Cundy's Harbor Road when a red car pulls up alongside me. The driver is a man in his late 60s, and is wearing two or three days of gray stubble around his face.