It was late 1952, and my father was returning home after spending two years on the battlefields of Korea. He found himself in an unfamiliar city, waiting for the bus that would bring him even closer to his wife, his family, and northern Maine.
It was mid-April with the usual hints of Spring; streams of meandering snow, lukewarm sun, muted blue sky, and deceitful shimmers of ice that barely skimmed the pavement. My Goldendoodle, Barney, was 4 months old and we were on our way to my office in Presque Isle for his first visit.
Economic development. It’s a term that those elected to municipal offices like to use, particularly during an election, to help drum up support for their candidacy. But what does it really mean?
For the past three years, since I have been covering town politics for Houlton, every candidate running for the town council has expressed the importance of bringing new businesses into the town. New businesses are the key to long-term sustainability, but where will those businesses come from?
We live in interesting times! Rocks exploding in the Russian sky … A comet cascading along the local, happy horizon. The East Coast recently dazzled by a mighty meteor … occasional “sun dogs” girding the sides of the Sun … blessed halos circling the lesser light of the Moon. Surely, “the times, they are a changin’.” But I pose to you folks the American challenge: in what manner are you changed?
As I grow older, I am continuing to benefit from the life lessons along the way, and my list is growing! Here is my Life Lesson number 58.
In the course of the past two weeks, I have attended three funerals and I refuse to continue fearing death.
I recently had the joy of meeting Glen Campbell, an iconic figure in country and popular music known for such hits as “Rhinestone Cowboy,” “Gentle on My Mind” and “By the Time I Get to Phoenix.” While Glen did bring his guitar with him to Capitol Hill, his primary purpose was not to perform. He instead came with his family to advocate on behalf of the growing number of Americans and families who are suffering from Alzheimer’s
A sure sign that the long cold winter is finally over is the annual opening of the Houlton Farms Dairy Bar on Military Street, followed by the Mill Pond Dairy Bar in Hodgdon usually a day later.
Trips to the dairy bar are fond memories for many in this part of The County. Many can recall wonderful trips to Drakes Dairy Bar, located on top of Drakes Hill, for an evening of ice cream and round of miniature golf. The more avid golfers could drop a dollar for a bucket of golf balls and whack away on the driving range.
The convertible was a soft, creamy lemon in color with a jet black top, neatly rolled back under a dry Maine sky. The owner stood before us, two satiny kerchiefs in her hands and a golden one tied delicately under her chin. “Climb in, ladies! It is the perfect afternoon for your first ride in my new buggy.”
Sometime during the sixteenth century, a gentleman by the name of John Donne said, “No man is an island.” I interpret the meaning to be simply that no one desires to be isolated, solitary, or alone; at least not forever. The majority of us crave companionship; someone to talk to, eat with, walk with, cry with, laugh with, and die with.
Before Dale and I got married, I promised him he would never, ever find our life together boring. Because we both love the White Mountains of New Hampshire, we decided it would be the perfect location for our honeymoon.
