Considering the messes of late, i.e., fires, storms, floods, COVID, etc., I thought it might be nice to share something a little less troubling.

We, as a family, are not over the top incredible gardeners. We manage and do our best with some nice successes. During the long siege of last year, when everyone in our family came home, we took on projects that otherwise would remain on a rather lengthy “to-do” list. Building some raised garden beds bubbled to the top. With everyone home, we had many hands which made lighter work.

I missed the Rear Admiral portion of David Stinson's life. Back in the 1980s, he was mostly the Reverend Joseph David Stinson and good friend, even though we were not members of his flock at the Boothbay Harbor Congregational Church.

David and wife Cindy landed in Boothbay Harbor in 1982. During that period of my career, I photographed many weddings with David and attended more than a couple funerals conducted under his watch. Boothbay Harbor was a fair piece from his hometown of Bonham in East Texas and an interesting transition from Yale where he attended divinity school. Somehow he managed!

Jenny and Josh got married last weekend. It was not the wedding they had planned. COVID-19 intervened as it has for many. But, this event, though smaller than hoped for, was lovely. A gathering of family and a few friends, mostly from New Hampshire, put together a very special day that will long be remembered for its intimacy and delicate perfection. Recovering from a year of uncertainty has forced many of us to adjust plans, cancel travel and just plain explore new options.

Our earliest memories of Gabe Tonon came all rushing back during the Opera House “Cattle Call” show last week. Gabe has been “on stage,” in one way or another, for a long time. His performances are well documented – early years at local talent gigs and as a train agent at Boothbay's Railway Village. Once focused on something, it’s Katie bar the door – Gabe's on it! Besides music and trains, he can rebuild pickups and build houses. Even drive an oil delivery truck in the dead of winter. All these skills have accumulated and informed, directly and indirectly, a talent of substantial note, no pun intended.

It's kind of remarkable to me how experience around boats has informed Devyn Campbell. Since a very early age, Devyn has been curious about boats. His curiosity has led to many experiences nearby in the harbor, and somewhat less close by on draggers likeAlexis Martina, a 96-foot steel stern dragger out of Point Judith, Rhode Island.

We always look forward to the return of the monarchs. Over the years, though their numbers seemed to have diminished, we encourage the growth of milkweed and brightly colored flowers to attract them. But that's only one reason we like to see them. We are convinced that each year one of these little floaters is our good buddy Prunish from Galveston, Texas.

Guess where I am? Let's make this a multiple choice quiz.

Choice number one would be Barters Island Road on either side of the new bridge.

Choice number two is Route 27 South, weekdays between 6:30 and 7 a.m. at or near Dunkin Donuts.

In 1971 I bought my first new car! It was a VW Super Beetle with Pirelli tires, bigger engine, tighter shifter, fatter steering wheel, and fake leather seats. Bright yellow with black pinstripes. She was a hot number. Cost: around $2,000. I think my first year teaching job paid about $7,600. I had to ask my grade level administrator, Mr. Al Weissbach, to co-sign because I had no credit history. Or, at least none that I cared to share!

This time of year creates some memory challenges for me. Not that this time of year is required for easy confusion, it’s just that something in my brain gets stuck on an odd variety of items. Take this week's photo of a day lily plant that has popped up next to the ramped entrance to our house.

Donna Piselli Murray grew up with 10 sisters and two brothers. What better training for a successful career in retail! Donna is the oldest in the family and all her sisters and brothers are still living, mostly in Maine. The family lived in Auburn and Augusta through much of Donna's childhood. Her father was a chef, well known in the Augusta area for preparing great food. He also was well known for his ice sculptures!

OK, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it is time for some shameless self promotion. Not one of my strong suits. It’s genetic. I come from a long line of “not about me” people. But there comes a time when, if nobody else is “putting it out there,” may as well give it the old college try.

My earliest contact, that I can recall, with a sailing vessel, occurred in East Boothbay when I first arrived in Maine.

Phyllis Washington and I taught together at Montclair High School in Montclair, New Jersey. On our last day of school, while putting things away for the next year, Phyllis arrived at my classroom door and said, “Hi Mitch, are you doing anything this summer?” Phyllis and I, though in the same science department, didn't often cross paths. We had differing approaches to teaching.

In all my years on the planet I have never known anyone with the name Isabel. Through 12 years of public school, four years of college, some graduate school and five years of teaching, no one has raised their hand. Bobs, on the other hand, had to fight for space on the cutting room floor. We are a common lot. Maybe that's why many prefer to call me Mitchell, among other things ... but never late for dinner. Ha.

May's last weekend was a bit dreary, chilly and damp. The end of May can be like that.

But, nonetheless, people turned out to pay their respects on Memorial Day. During the gatherings for Newagen and Southport I had a brief visit with Rear Admiral Howard who led veteran marches throughout the region. Admiral Howard flew in from California to participate in the day's events. Come to find out, Admiral Howard is no stranger to the area. He has been coming to Maine since he was 6 months old and supports the view that Maine is “The center of the Universe.” This coming from someone who has had many visits to many places. It is not an uncommon feeling among people I have met here over the years, who, given the opportunity, could live anywhere in the world. Maine is coming home.

I suspect there are manuals for everything. If I were to resume my interest in the rebuilding of motorcycle engines, it would be pretty easy to find, online or otherwise, lots of guidance for “How to do it.” Almost anything one wants to accomplish is well documented. We are an information-rich world now. No excuse not to know.

The yellow-flowered “Magnolia Elizabeth” (pictured above) was planted by Welles and Molly Moore 21 years ago. The tree, the result of a breeding program to create a yellow-flowered variety, at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, began in 1953. The garden center from which they purchased the tree in New Hampshire did not want to sell it to them because it was to be planted in Maine. It was felt that the environment here would not support this hybrid, which apparently is a bit fussy about where it will grow. Not to be deterred, Welles and Molly prevailed and, as you can see, the tree has done very well. “All Brits are gardeners,” Molly says.

This time of year daylight creeps into places around the region which stay shadowed for a large part of the year, especially in the evening. Parts of the Harbor become visible, so to speak, as we head toward our longer days.

For anyone who visits the YMCA regularly, Pat Fraker is no stranger. During my visit with her at the Y, people of all ages checked in for various uses of the facilities – the pool, track, exercise rooms, etc. This was in addition to answering frequent phone calls: “Good morning, YMCA, Pat speaking. May I help you?” And during these most recent and trying times, “Which pool please?” It's been so long since I visited the Y, I didn't realize that folks sign up for a specific time, day and lane to swim – during COVID. It’s a system that appears to work as demonstrated by Pat's notes for scheduling.

I've dug for a clam.

I was a curious soul upon my second arrival in Maine. It was me and Betty Ford, my 1967 Twin I-beam Ford pick up. We were ready and I was determined to blend in. After all, Maine wasn't so different. Just more water.

I met the nicest lady from Rockland on Saturday. It was a spectacular spring day and we met on the Department of Marine Resources lawn. This was our vantage point from which we could view the high school sailboat racing. I was told about the race by friends and they suggested the viewing location. I didn't have a boat, neither did she, at least not one here in the harbor. I suspect she may have a boat in Rockland. She knew a lot about sailing and could tell from my dumb questions that I did not. I was grateful for her answers to my questions.