Bye bye Deb! Thank you for many years of mail delivery and friendship. We will miss you.

After about 16 years of service, Deb Safford will retire from her mail delivery route here on the peninsula. As Deb says, “A bittersweet decision.”

We have had the great good fortune of entrusting her with all variety of deliveries, some made in person to the front door!

It is impossible for me to list all the projects Master Shipwright David Short undertook in his 40-plus year career. In a brief chat with Linda Short, David’s wife, at his memorial gathering tribute at Bristol Marine in the Harbor, she mentioned too many projects to recall. David started his professional career at the tender age of 19. At the time of his passing, he was 62 and thinking about retiring.

If you've ever driven by, around about, or visited the Boothbay Farmers Market, you may have noticed one of the vendor vehicles -- a purple, 1958 Jeep Forward Control 170! It's hard to miss. And, gearhead that I am, I wanted to know more about where the heck that critter came from.

During the recent "Shipyard Cup" races organized in Boothbay Harbor, I had the great good fortune of yet another adventure with Captain Mark Stover aboard his 32' Luhrs _Redhook_. It's always a special treat to cruise the region's waters with Captain Mark.

If you look very closely you will not see any portion of today's photo that resembles a blue moon!

There was a choice. Go to see a "Barbie" movie. Stay home with "Killer" the wonder dog, or find a blue moon.

Every year, our family tries to gather for a week on Monhegan, but the last couple years we hit a dry spell during the height of COVID-19 and when the lovely space we had rented in the past became unavailable. Monhegan is a popular place, especially during late August when we all are able to carve out a week from busy schedules. But this year, we did it! Yay us!

One of the most special and enjoyable benefits of my line of work, which brings constant warmth to my heart, is the opportunity to revisit so many wonderful people who live in or who return to Maine over the years. It has been a terrific experience to photograph with so many interesting people.

What a wonderful treat we enjoyed at our island jewel, the Hendricks Hill Museum of Natural History (as I call it). No fancy hors-d’oeuvres, dancing ponies, dinosaur bones or door prizes, just plain and simple, worthy of YouTube video presentation, and arranged by the museum staff, led by the indomitable Bruce Joule, present captain of the ship.

Bruce John Riddell’s magnum opus has been published!

“LANDART, From Acadia to Zen” took 10 years to produce from over 35 years of work. His book is now available at Sherman’s Bookstores and Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. It is an astonishing 260 pages of photographs, text, sketches and technical information illustrating the vast experience of Riddell’s incredible career.

Barna Beal Norton was a legendary resident of Jonesport, Maine, who, for all of his adult life, battled with the Canadian government over ownership of Machias Seal Island, a small 15-acre island off the coast. Barna felt that the island was given to him and that he owned it. The Canadian government did not agree.

Once upon a time, many years ago, in the far off land of “Sarah’s Scoops,” I had a chance encounter with Aurelien Recoing at a small picnic table. I was sneaking a nice blueberry something-or-other on a cone, just on my way home from an out of town job.

Over the years it has been my great good fortune to watch and photograph boat construction projects here in the Boothbay region and beyond. What a terrific learning experience for someone who never stepped into or onto a boat until probably age 20!

When we first landed on Southport Island (massive move from Boothbay Harbor) I had big dreams for a large garden. With a bit of a wreck Ford “9N” tractor and a rescued two bottom plow, I set out to cultivate a garden of heavenly delights – veggies galore, corn, maters, greens! The works.

Once again, Captain Mark Stover gave us a wonderful tour of what became quite a unique day.

Every year Mark gives me a call inviting me and anyone I wanted to come along with him on his Redhook sea cruiser. This year our daughter Mae was home from New York City just long enough for her return flight to be cancelled, and just in time for a boat ride with Captain Mark. Even mother Susan was able to join us, which is generally not possible. We had a lovely fun ride accompanied by Sabrina and her little cousin Rose, and a young lady named Suzanne who had lost her way to being on board the Virginia from Bath which was captained by her boyfriend. Mark told her that we were going for a toot around the harbor and she would be welcomed aboard. Mae and Suzanne accompanied Captain Mark at the helm.

One of my old baseball coaches used to say, “You win some. You lose some. And some are rained out. But you gotta dress for ’em all.”

Over the years and with hundreds of photographed weddings, the final say is always Mother Nature. No one particularly looks forward to an over ambitious day of rain, wind, or snow for their special day. But my experience with well-weathered events has been far from dismal. In fact, I dare say, weather has often created a more intimate interaction with parties involved.

Over their growing up years with oodles of summer and after school jobs, one experience always seemed to impress our daughters. Both girls worked with Lindy Bragg at “Calypso” in Boothbay Harbor. Frequently we would hear, “Mom (or Dad) I met the coolest people today at work. Lindy has some really neat stuff and many of her customers visit every year they come to the Harbor. They look forward to stopping by.”

It’s evenings like this that help sooth the soul.

I have often spoken of the mystery of surprise and the gift of wonder with my “work.” And this week’s photo is a brief confirmation. What a lovely evening in early June when the light is happy and just right for discovery.

We were sorting through some old family letters at home last week and came across mail from John Endicott, my wife’s uncle, dated June 18, 1937. The letter included instructions from Donald B. MacMillan as follows:

Alice Hodgdon Thompson, Hugh’s mother, was a bright and shining light when I photographed at the Hodgdon Yachts yard on Murray Hill Road in East Boothbay. She would always alert the crew when she joined them at break time, “Watch the language.” For the most part everyone obeyed with an occasional slip up Alice seemed to manage quite well in the shipbuilding environment, partly, and probably because she had grown up around boats and the workers who built them. Famous for building many significant vessels, Alice’s father Norman Hodgdon had a shop on the east side of the Harbor adjacent to what once was Cap’n Fish’s motel, now the home of the newly created waterfront park.

Spring is springing little by little. Here on Southport Island things are moving along at a snail’s pace.

Wiscasset is in full bloom along the Route One corridor. We know this because in the last week we have driven through Wiscasset Village six times – somewhat of a record for us!