Lake Living Maine

FREE summer 2022 • vol. 25, no. 1

Growing Up plus

scribner’s mill a fascination for fungi summer bookshelf main street shopping salted

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editor’s note

If you had told me when I published the first issue of Lake Living that I would still be at it twenty-five years later, I probably would have told you it was highly unlikely. The one constant I kept from the beginning was that I didn’t want Lake Living to follow a cookie cutter approach, I wanted it to always be fresh and original, which meant I would surely run out of things to write about, right?

Not so. The most frequent feedback I get from readers is suggestions for articles.

Everything from left-handed luthiers, to longboards made from trick water skis, to an illustrated guide to knot tying came from interactions with readers. I have learned so much because of them.

Many other ideas for articles came from often hilarious brainstorming sessions with Leigh Macmillen Hayes, who is a huge part of this twenty-five year journey. Without her enthusiasm, dedication, and ruthless red pen, I never would have made it.

Dianne Lewis is the other reason.

When I asked her nearly twenty years ago if she would consider taking on the editorial design and she said yes, the magazine leapt to a new level. And somewhere along the way I discovered she’s a crackerjack editor as well. She also has the best laugh.

So many others, including Perri, Ethan, Marguerite, Pam and Justin, have contributed to a publication to which I’m proud to attach my name. It’s been my baby. I hope in conceiving it and caring for it that I’ve brought something of value to the place we call home.

Happy birthday, Lake Living! Love always, Laurie LaMountain Editor & Publisher Laurie LaMountain Staff Writer Leigh Macmillen Hayes Photographers Leigh Macmillen Hayes, Pam Ward, Shannon Surette Graphic Designer Dianne Lewis Proofreader/Copy Editor Leigh Macmillen Hayes Lake Living is published quarterly by Almanac Graphics, Inc., 625 Rocky Knoll Rd, Denmark, ME 04022 207-452-8005. lakelivingmaine.com e-mail: lakeliving@fairpoint.net ©2022. All rights reserved. Contents of this magazine may not be reproduced in any manner without written consent from the publisher.

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summer 2022 • vol. 25, no. 1

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growing up

by laurie lamountain

12 scribner’s mill &

homestead

by leigh macmillen hayes

15 docks that stay sturdy by sam merriam

16 a fascination for fungi

18 summer living

by leigh macmillen hayes

20 summer bookshelf

reviews from bridgton books

23 click-free shopping by leigh macmillen hayes

26 salted

by laurie lamountain

by laurie lamountain

cover “moose pond reflections” by wendy newcomb • oil on panel • 10” x 10” • part of the “freshwater perspectives” show at hole in the wall studioworks aug 13- oct 2.

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former can be achieved through thoughtful and progressive zoning regulations that bring economic growth and vitality to the community, while preserving and protecting the innate character of the town. With no plan in place, the latter is a distinct possibility. n November of 2019, just a few months before the pandemic hit, Bridgton hired a new Community Development Director. Linda LaCroix, who holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Vermont, a master’s in business from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, a master’s in environmental law and policy from Vermont Law School, and a Ph.D. in philosophy and mathematics from M.I.T., was at a crossroads moment in her life when she saw the position advertised and immediately applied for it. She fell in love with Bridgton during childhood summers spent with her family at the former Stone’s Camps on Highland Lake. The education and experience she’s gained since then allows her to be of service to a town she holds dear.

Central to her contribution is the town’s comprehensive plan, which is currently being amended and updated for the next ten years. Part of her process is recognizing where the gaps are and filling them.

Workforce development, broadband, and mental health services are among those gaps. Zoning is another big issue. Bridgton adopted a new land use plan in 2019 and did a major consolidation of all land use-related ordinances that got rid of contradictions and duplications, but it’s an ongoing process. With so many community development components to consider, it’s essential to have an allencompassing paradigm to guide your process.

“My three pillars are sustainability, resilience, and equity. Equity being the kingpin because if you have a sustainable trajectory and then you create the capacity for a resilient response to all these interruptions that happen to you, like COVID, then equity can be achieved. And we really need equity here,” says LaCroix.

Infrastructure, services, and community engagement all require multi-dimensional analysis. LaCroix feels strongly that infrastructure should be looked at as the foundational level of what supports a community, but what she’s really after—community well being—is at the top. She sees the restructuring of the comprehensive plan as a good opportunity to define things that really weren’t well defined before, like the character of Bridgton. She also sees opportunity where others might see stagnation or even degradation and eschews the tendency to define things as either negative or positive—because things are not always what they seem. For example, we think of debt as a negative, but when it comes to economic development, it’s actually a positive impact; you have to spend money to make money.

Consequently, she prefers to view things through the lens of whether or not they are an impact that creatively supports community well being, which is defined by equity.

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GROWING UP by laurie lamountain

“If we want things to stay as they are, things will have to change.”

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giuseppe tomasi di lampedusa

fter I graduated from high school and before I left for college, I took a summer job at Allen’s Pharmacy in Bridgton. It was located in the March Block on Main where Bridgton Books is now. Eventually LaVerdiere’s, which became Rite Aid, which became Walgreens, took its place elsewhere in town, but in the meantime, Allen’s Pharmacy, with its out-of-square angles and creaky floors, was where you went if you needed a prescription, box of bandaids, greeting card, or alarm clock. The owner, Leonard Harvie, stocked a little bit of everything.

My memories of that summer are poignant, no doubt because it was on the eve of my leaving, but I think a lot of it was down to Bridgton itself. It was at that time both imperfect and comfortable, kind of like an old shoe. Adams Bakery was on one end of town and Allen’s was an easy walk away. Main Street, Bridgton, was about as Main Street as it gets and yet it was uniquely its own. A lot of what made it so was the fact that almost every business in town was independently owned and operated. While franchises and chain stores may have infiltrated other towns in America, Bridgton had remained fairly local. Technically, Allen’s Pharmacy was a Rexall drug store, but the difference is that Len was in the store most every day.

If you look at a photo of Main Street, Bridgton, from 1980 and compare it with Bridgton now, you would see many of the same buildings. Either by the grace of God or economic stagnation, Bridgton has managed to avoid the franchise fate of nearby towns like Windham and North Conway, New Hampshire. Neither has it lost its inherent character to gentrification, for as Abraham Schechter wisely posited in a recent article on Portland, Maine, “How do you un-gentrify a city? I don’t think it can be done.”

The pandemic provided an opportunity to better see what is functional and what is not with so many things. As was the case in most towns and cities, small businesses were hardest hit, and Bridgton is made up almost entirely of small businesses, most of which are in the service sector.

At what we hope is nearly the end of the pandemic, Bridgton stands at a vertical crossroad; it can either go up or down. The

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“If you’re looking at things in a silo, then you’ll miss those opportunities. This is a decision-making process and we need to get to the point where the character of Bridgton is defined in such a way that you can make a decision based on [that definition]. It’s not something that gives you the opportunity to say, ‘does this support or not support the character of Bridgton?’ because there’s no decision-making tool to define what that is.”

Community engagement is the vehicle through which LaCroix believes that definition can be found. The plan she supports will actively engage citizens—along with the support of town officials—to have a say in their town’s future. She shares an observation made by a colleague: If you do all the groundwork, the decision is obvious. And if the decision isn’t obvious, you haven’t done enough groundwork.

The comprehensive plan is critical to the community development process because it addresses future land use. According to LaCroix, land use should be a light touch; should follow the organic growth of the town; and in this stage of climate change should create connectivity. The $30 million wastewater and streetscape project, funded by grants and loans from USDA Rural Development Department of Environmental Protection and Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), gives Bridgton a distinct advantage. As a result of the Streetscape projects, newly upgraded sidewalks all the way from Kansas Road to Highland Beach create walkability. Concurrently, the wastewater project to upgrade the town’s thirty-year-old sewer system is being completed. LaCroix also points to Jumpstart Bridgton Business, a program planned for small business owners that when enacted will allow them to improve their businesses with the incentive of grants and no-interest or low-interest loans. She cites Depot Street as a great example of what can happen when public and private funds are invested in community. The Community Development Committee has also formed a Conservancy Research Group (CRG) that is exploring the possibility of morphing the Pondicherry Stewardship program into a town-wide conservation commission. A youth leadership and intern program will assist in the research process.

When asked what is the key driver in Bridgton’s upward growth, LaCroix allows that she can give me the one everyone likes to hear: more services.

“Or I can give you the one that I believe is key. When you uplift the disadvantaged through opportunities for jobs, opportunities for health care, opportunities for affordable living, everybody gets rich!

When you ignore that, nobody goes anywhere. That’s just the plain truth of it. Do you focus only on that? No. There are so many aspects and everybody wants their particular aspect done now, but that’s not how it’s done. Coming together and being supportive of each other—business-wise, personally—we’ll always have different political views, but we all love this town and that’s what we can surround ourselves with.

I think what you’re seeing here in Bridgton has a lot to do with the recent infrastructure improvements that have attracted new businesses and residents alike. We have this opportunity to make a lot of hay out of this gorgeous thing that just happened to us. And I think there is a tenor and a tone on the part of the majority of people in this town to do just that—including the leadership.”

LaCroix is invested in Bridgton on a personal level as well. Last year she bought the green and yellow buildings on Main Street from Judith Evergreen. Asked what she plans to do with them, her answer is “very little.” The colors will stay the same and the only plan she 8

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has is for a fine art gallery on the main level of the green building.

Sometimes it’s simply a matter of knowing what needs to change and what should stay the same. ick Early, a realtor with The Lakes Real Estate in Bridgton, formerly ReMax At the Lakes, sees a lot of positive change taking place in Bridgton.

“When I first started getting to know Bridgton in 2001, it struck me as an interesting but somewhat sleepy, older mill town,” says Early, who grew up in Dublin, Ireland. “The old Magic Lantern was still there, Renys had yet to be expanded and there wasn’t much going on on Depot Street. By the time I decided to practice real estate here, I could tell that things were changing for the better in Bridgton. Hannaford had opened, the Magic Lantern was rebuilt, and several new retail and dining options were creating a buzz. Through both my personal and professional perspective, I could sense that the demographic was also changing. People were seeing it as an attractive year-round—rather than vacation-only—destination.”

Now, despite two years of economic challenge from the pandemic, Early senses that the atmosphere of Bridgton is changing still; that there’s a new confidence driven by eagerness to invest in an established-but-evolving community. The recent purchase of Shawnee Peak is a great example of that.

Early points to the revitalization of Depot Street as another example of investor confidence that has seriously changed how people view downtown Bridgton. The Streetscape project has improved the physical look of the town and the upgraded wastewater system has made it possible for businesses to both open and expand. Dining options have vastly improved, with everything from sushi to woodfired pizza to gastropub offerings. Events like Ladies’ Weekend Out and Art in the Park have brought attention to Bridgton as a shopping destination. The Bridgton Farmers’ Market and recent addition of Music on Main feed the community in more ways than one.

While growth is usually a good thing, Early cautions that it can be a double-edged sword. “In order to maintain the rural character of Bridgton, we have to make sure its charm isn’t lost to big box stores and franchise outlets. If Bridgton allows itself to become North Conway or Windham, it will no longer be viewed as such an attractive option.”

While the pandemic has definitely challenged many businesses in the service sector, it has ironically created a real estate boom.

Deemed an essential service by the state, the real estate industry not only continued to operate with some restrictions in place throughout the pandemic, but experienced an almost unprecedented uptick.

People from metropolitan areas who knew Maine as a vacation area suddenly saw it as a place to live permanently. The shift to working remotely has had a lot to do with this.

This last point addresses one of the gaps that Bridgton needs to fill if it wants to continue to grow, and it’s one to which Early often has to answer.

“One of the first questions potential homebuyers invariably ask me is, ‘How is the Internet service?’ I tell them quite honestly that in certain areas it’s less than adequate but that it is getting better. If Bridgton is to develop economically, we need reliable internet service.

We need broadband.”

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nother person who has a serious stake in Bridgton’s future is Justin McIver, owner of Main Eco Homes. McIver’s early stamp on Bridgton was made with four commercial buildings in the downtown area and the clubhouse at Bridgton Highlands Country Club. He has since completed two office suites on Portland Road near the junction of Sandy Creek and is beginning another ambitious project at the junction of Routes 302 and 117 on a lot that was formerly home to Macdonald Motors. He recently received full legal approval for the construction of an in-town hotel on the Saunders Mill site and two adjacent parcels at the corner of Bacon and Kennard Streets.

On the residential front, McIver has been the developer for the Cottages at Willett Brook located off South High, Lakewood Apartments located off Portland Road on Lakewood Drive, and many custom homes in the area.

Whether or not you agree with McIver’s impact on Bridgton, there is no question of his investment in the town’s future. I say “whether or not” because there has been a lot of pushback to the hotel he finally got approval to build. A number of people feel the 66-room hotel is not in keeping with the character of Bridgton and that the impact on the Kennard Street neighborhood and nearby Highland Beach and ecologically-sensitive surroundings will be detrimental. After a prolonged, two-year process that concluded in Maine Supreme Court, McIver was granted full approval for the project in January of this year.

McIver is quick to assert that he’s not in the hotel business, but that as a builder and member of the Bridgton Economic Development and Community Development Committees, he was constantly being asked when he was going to build one. From his interest in Bridgton’s history he knew there were at one time three hotels in town, including the four-story Cumberland Hotel, which stood on the corner of Main Street and Bacon, a stone’s throw away from the Saunders Mill site. He feels that current-day Bridgton is missing out by not having more ways to keep people from just passing through; that an in-town hotel is central to its growth. He points out that it’s a loss for the local economy that nearby wedding venues have had to bus their overflow guests to accommodations in North Conway.

“We’re in a tourist community and we don’t even have an upscale hotel that leaves a really good impression on our guests and serves as an educational gateway to the town’s history. That was the vision for this project,” says McIver.

Ironically, McIver is very grateful for the opposing voices for a couple of reasons. He credits them with raising objections that have resulted in revised and even scaled-back plans for the hotel. In the end, he feels their input has contributed to an infinitely better project. He also points out that if the project had gone uncontested, the hotel would have opened on the eve of the pandemic, which would not have been good for him or the town.

“I am so glad there was opposition or at least people of concern.

Hopefully eventually they’ll understand the vision, but not everybody will and that’s OK. I learned through that process. It would never have been the project that it is today if I didn’t go through it. [The hotel] is much better than when I first started planning it. Design-wise, the fit—it took it to another level of fitting better in the area,” says McIver.

After listening and learning during the two years of contention,

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he removed the convention center, downsized the hotel and changed its aesthetic. He purposely did not include a restaurant that would take business away from other restaurants in town. He worked with the Bridgton Historical Society. And he consulted with Christopher Closs, Preservation Services Advisor at Maine Preservation, who assured him that the hotel was exactly what and where it should be; that replacing a derelict industrial site from a bygone era with a hospitality venue for today’s tourism economy squarely downtown would put it within walking distance to shops and restaurants— something that locating it out of town along Route 302 would not.

“I don’t picture myself as a developer necessarily. I picture myself as a leader in the community trying to improve and sustain the region.

I’m going all in because I believe so much in the people here and the community and I think we have something special here. But we have to be able to create opportunities and be able to move forward.”

Paying his twenty-two employees three hours each to clean up Bridgton on Earth Day and spearheading “Music on Main” with his wife, Bernadette McIver, is further testament to his commitment to community.

“I could never do anything I do without great people around me, especially my wife.”

McIver’s latest project, The Gateway, at the junction of 302 and 117 is a brewpub/restaurant that will offer rooftop hospitality overlooking Stevens Brook. He contends that the brook has been unfairly obscured and ignored by the many vacant buildings that stand between it and the road, and this project will pay it some overdue attention. More importantly, it’s an opportunity to revitalize what was once a vibrant gateway to the downtown.

“For the history of Bridgton you have to go back to see what it really was. It’s not what it’s been the past thirty to forty years. That’s not the true Bridgton. It was way more abundant and vibrant back in the day,” says McIver.

Just as the passenger rail redeemed Bridgton in 1883, McIver believes it can be redeemed today.

“It’s all about elevating the community. The way you change the world is town by town.”

After talking with LaCroix, Early, and McIver, I’m optimistic about Bridgton’s future. It seems eminently possible to make creative, and even necessary, changes that improve the town without sacrificing its inherent character. Through a reciprocal exchange between residents, business owners, realtors, developers, town planners and officials, there is the possibility to keep what is uniquely and essentially Bridgton, while letting go of that which no longer serves it. To love Bridgton, always, and even more. R

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Scribner’s Mill & Homestead: A Living History Museum by leigh macmillen hayes

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n 1974, while John and Marilyn Hatch were vacationing in Maine’s Lake Region, he began making measured drawings of the mill he had found on the Crooked River.

Ed Scribner, fourth generation owner of this historic site, had seen John’s van return to the site repeatedly and one day said, “I’ve seen you over here every day this week and I’m wondering what you are doing.”

John, an Industrial Arts teacher in Rhinebeck, New York, replied, “Oh, it’s such a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Scribner. This mill needs to be saved and I’ve been here doing measured drawings so there’s a record of it and what was in it.”

Ed said, “Well, you need to talk to my son, Bourdon.”

When John returned the next day, he met Bourdon and Ed, and the two younger men hit it off right away. As she related this story to me, John’s widow, Marilyn, said, “They had sorta the same kind of mind.”

John encouraged Bourdon to save the building, stating that it was an important and rare piece of history.

That winter, Bourdon and a small group worked to form a not-for-profit organization and by the time the Hatches returned in 1975, Scribner’s Mill Preservation, Inc. had been created with 501(c)3 status.

The organization consists of four officers and six directors who have overseen the restoration of the mill since then. In 2021, the Scribner Homestead was deeded to the Preservation, keeping in tack a story that dates back 175 years to 1846.

A few years prior to construction, Worthy Columbus Barrows, who owned a tannery business and leather store in Bolsters Mills, had purchased lot #144, which included Carsley Falls on Crooked River in Harrison to fulfill his vision of creating a sawmill.

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A blacksmith shop was one of the first buildings to be constructed as the men needed to constantly sharpen rock drills since they were using granite from ledges on the Otisfield side of the river to build a dam and sluice. The dam was necessary to create a mill pond where logs could be stored prior to milling.

The original 25’ x 60’ sawmill was raised in 1847 with hemlock hewn on site.

In 1849, Worthy had the homestead constructed to house his sawyer, Elijah Scribner, Elijah’s wife Dorothy, and their seven children. Thanks to diaries Worthy’s brother, Horace kept of his daily transactions, Marilyn learned that by 1850 Worthy wasn’t too happy about this new mill.

Said Marilyn recently, “I think he expected to have a big business here. Lumber was needed and they thought they could sail it right down Crooked River to Westbrook, but there were lots of other mills in the Westbrook area producing wood products so it wasn’t as profitable as he’d hoped.”

Elijah and his oldest son Cyrus, age 26, were happy to purchase the house and mill in 1851. While Elijah paid for one quarter of the mill, plus $150 for the homestead, Cyrus bought the other three quarters, making a down payment with money he’d earned while working for a railroad company in Massachusetts.

According to the 1860 census, Elijah Scribner and Son operated one up-anddown sash saw, and one shingle machine with two circular saws. They made almost everything that could be used to build a house including dimension lumber, roof shingles, clapboards and lath. Shingles were the staple of the mill, and they would be cut and bundled, then hauled to the long shed to dry before being sold.

It was in 1882 that Cyrus developed an infection that laid him low for a time. In November of 1884, while at work in the mill and with no one else nearby, Cyrus got caught in machinery and yelled and screamed as he dangled upside down inches from the water. With machinery whirring, no one at the homestead heard him. Fortunately, someone came along the road and spotted Cyrus hanging under the mill. The passerby ran to the homestead to alert Cyrus’s sons, and the three of them were able to extricate him, bruised but with no serious injuries.

That was a turning point for the mill.

Cyrus decided that he could no longer do the job and so at age 60 in 1884, he turned the mill operations over to his sons, Bourdon,

age 16, and Jesse, age 14. The boys had been brought up at the mill so they knew and understood the process from log to finished product. Cyrus kept the business ledger and did barn chores until about 1895. He died in 1902 at age 77, having deeded the mill to his sons two days earlier.

Upon taking over the mill responsibilities, the younger Scribners wanted to update it since technology had changed. They immediately purchased a Chase Turbine and a circular saw manufactured in Harrison to replace the up-and-down sash saw. With these changes, Marilyn said, “Their ability to produce lumber was ten-fold. They were entrepreneurs and bought a portable saw that they could take all over the area. They also were buying up lots and buying up mills. They weren’t afraid to take a risk.”

One of the mill sites the brothers purchased was in Hiram, which Bourdon managed while Jesse remained in Harrison. The Scribner Bros, as their business was known in both locations, transported lumber and products to markets in other states via steamboats and later the railroad.

The mills also supplied local people with building materials and other wooden

necessities. One such product was barrel production.The apple industry had taken off in the Harrison/Otisfield area because farmers discovered they could grow Baldwins and sell them to foreign markets, such as London, England. By the time the apples arrived at their destination, they had ripened to just the right taste.

At the mill, they created barrel staves, while hoops were formed at two cooperage shops up on the hill. This was a lucrative business for a time, and Jesse’s ledger indicates that one year he had 170 orders to fill, which equalled 10,124 barrels that sold for $.35 each and he made a profit of $305. That all ended in 1938, when record low temperatures in the winter weakened the trees and a fall Nor’easter toppled them.

In 1941, while posting a letter, Bourdon was accidentally struck by a vehicle driven by his wife’s nephew and died instantly. A couple of years later, Jesse received a quit claim from Bourdon’s widow and he sold the Hiram mill, thus making him the sole owner of Scribner’s Mill. At its height, the mill employed nine or ten men.

With the advent of World War II, Jesse had the flume, sluices, and shaft with its

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impact wheel replaced so he could produce shook (box parts) for the war effort. Canned goods, ammunition, and equipment were shipped overseas in these.

In 1950, Jesse’s grandson, Bourdon P., purchased a Diesel engine to run the saws, thus allowing for more board feet to be cut than by water power. While this increased profit margins, Jesse apparently wasn’t thrilled because it also created high fuel costs. To counter this, he would switch back to water power whenever it was feasible.

Weather events took a toll on the business, especially when the ice broke up in the spring. Sometimes logs floated downriver during spring floods and had to be retrieved from the area known as Intervale. Other times, it was the dam that was breached or a section of the bridge or mill that collapsed due to high water. Any time thunder was heard, Jesse purportedly said, “Sounds like a little storm up in Waterford.” He wanted to keep his men working.

Eventually, Jesse got out of the retail business and began to do custom jobs. After working for 78 years, he retired in 1962.

Jesse was 99 years and 8 months old when he died in 1970.

All of this and more is on display at the mill and homestead. Some of the equipment at the mill is original to the site, including a trimmer for the barrels that Jesse’s grandson Daniel told John Hatch he could find in the woods behind the barn.

The family needed to sell the homestead in 1983 when Ed entered a nursing home, after four generations had owned it. Marilyn and John Hatch stepped in to purchase the house and have worked since to restore it to its 1924 appearance.

The original house was a three bay, two story structure with a central entrance. A barn, woodshed, hen house, and ice house were eventually added, plus an ell. Water for the house was lugged from a spring near the blacksmith shop until 1916, when Ed

convinced his father to install a generator.

Secretly, Ed wanted the generator to power the butter churn because it was his job to do this manually and it took hours.

Upon entering recently, I knew I was stepping back into a different era as represented by the wallpaper in the foyer, and raccoon coat on display. Apparently, Jesse donned a raccoon coat and he hung his hat and coat on a hook in the hallway when he returned home. In the sitting room, you can also see a chair of the same style he used to sit in to read Life and National Geographic.

It’s beside the wood stove, where the chrome was worn off in one corner because he rested his feet there.

There have been some alterations since the Hatches acquired the property, but they’ve worked hard to recapture its essence with furniture, some original to the house. A china cabinet still stands against a dining room wall that was built for Jesse’s wife Birdena (Birdie). The cabinet housed her Blue Willow china. It also features shelves below where she stored milk tins as she waited for the fat to rise that would be skimmed off and churned into butter.

A 1915 DC motor made by the Akron Electrical Company of Akron, Ohio, used to churn the butter when electrical power was generated at the mill sits in a back room. Central Maine Power didn’t install electricity to the site until 1953, providing an AC system to the area. Marilyn chuckled as she read a note she’d posted by the motor: “The DC motor is not compatible with AC so DO NOT try to operate it.” John Hatch’s tool collection is also on display because as Marilyn said, “He was so much a part of this restoration.”

There are more stories about the family and business than I can share here, so I strongly encourage you to visit Scribner’s Mill and Homestead. Marilyn had the distinct honor of learning not just from diaries and ledgers and newspaper articles about the Scribner family history, but also from memories shared by Ed’s children, which she’s recorded in a comprehensive book entitled Scribner’s Mill: early beginnings, the families, the homestead, and those who worked in the mill.

Tours are offered on the first and third weekend of the month from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Or . . . if you see the door of the mill open, stop in. You might be greeted

by Marilyn, who is a walking encyclopedia of this living history museum. R FMI: https://www.scribnersmill.org

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Docks That Stay Sturdy by sam merriam author of building your own dock and owner of great northern docks, inc.

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ooring boats at the shore is likely the first purpose that comes to mind when we think of a dock.

For many of us, however, the dock is more like an extension of our living space. This is especially true where water frontage, in its natural form, is not conducive to hosting recreation at the shore, such as a steep approach that’s riddled with boulders.

Whether your dock is only used for tying up or it is the linchpin to all your lakefront leisure, my guess is that you’ve categorized it as a vital accessory. Therefore, dock sturdiness and stability are paramount to peace of mind and full enjoyment.

When lake docks, long ago, were made to be permanent with materials like concrete, crib, and rock, they seemed immovable by any force, and instilled complete confidence in the minds of all who relied on them. Now that environmental codes require new docks to be made temporary for seasonal usage, most often a much lighter weight option is sought. This condition challenges all of us who want it both ways, easily portable, but with the sensation of permanent.

For pre-manufactured stationary docks that stand on legs, it helps to start with a quality made product. It is difficult to correct a problem that is the result of a low budget, inferior design. The dock should be an improvement to your lakefront home and seen as an investment in your family’s leisure time.

Instability in a stationary dock is the result of one, or a combination of causes, e.g. broken or loose-fitting parts, or legs not firmly seated into the lakebed. When shop-

ping among dock options, pay attention to the type of leg that fits with each brand, as it can make real differences to the end result. For example, the greater the girth and wall thickness, the more rigid it will be.

If the dock takes legs made of round pipe, aluminum will be lighter, but the steel pipe is stronger and endures being driven into the lakebed and offers tremendous stability for its occupants and mooring strength for boats.

The greatest cause of instability is often a lack of bracing or bracing that is in disrepair.

In shallow waters under three feet deep, the dock is much lower to the lakebed or the ground, so added bracing is often not needed.

In deeper areas, added bracing should be tightly connected to every leg. Any brace that is not firmly fastened will barely count as a brace. The reliable method of bracing is a crisscross or “transverse” between adjacent legs. If the dock’s floor plan has a right angle turn to make an L or T shape, the addition of corner braces or “longitudinal” should be applied. Braces should be made of a rigid material that does not flex, and their length should be proportionate with the height of the leg they are bracing.

Docks that have legs driven into the lakebed usually provide the best mooring capacity, especially for larger or heavier powered boats. Some pre-manufactured docks set on metal feet whereby the legs are not meant to be driven into the lakebed.

This is usually suitable for smaller boats in waters sheltered from wind. Otherwise, a larger boat alongside a dock that is on feet may be secured in a temporary boat lift

system, thus using the dock only for access to the boat, not for mooring purposes.

Shock absorption lines will prevent jarring while the boat tugs on the dock. These are ropes with strands woven around a stretchable rubber cord, available at most marine supply stores. Be careful not to tie up too snug with the dock. The line’s length between the boat and dock should be greater than the maximum wave height that is expected to pass by. These measures will prevent the loosening of joints, fasteners and ultimately the ricketiness of an unstable dock.

If you have a choice, keep the boat on the leeward side from the predominant wind direction. This will prevent the boat, pushed by the wind and waves, from continually pounding into the dock. The boat will ride even better with the dock if the bow is kept in a windward direction. This, of course, is only possible if there is enough depth near the shore for the boat’s stern.

Finally, when it comes to sturdiness, always remove a temporary dock from the lake before winter ice sets in, even on smaller ponds, coves and shallows that drain dry.

Although docks that have not been removed may appear unscathed after spring thaw, mainly because the exposure to expanding ice is less than in larger water bodies, damage from ice expansion on the legs, welds and frame accumulates in less noticeable, smaller increments, winter by winter. Removing your dock before each winter removes one more cause for unwanted instability.

If you are unsatisfied with the stability of your dock or have doubts about the performance of a new dock, keep in mind, the challenge to achieve sturdiness and stability in light-weight temporary docks is not uncharted. If you start with a quality engineered product that can be maintained with care and the simple tips I’ve shared with you here, you will experience the enduring enjoyment a sturdy dock provides. R lakelivingmaine .com 15

A Fascination for Fungi by laurie lamountain

I

In the Shadows/American Yellow Fly Agaric

Fungi Family/Reddish Brown Bitter Boletes 16 lakelivingmaine .com

f you spent any time in the woods last summer and fall, you no doubt noticed an inordinate amount of mushrooms in varying shapes, sizes and colors. Artist Wendy Newcomb not only noticed them but was compelled to capture them on canvas.

As a self-described representational painter, Wendy primarily and prolifically renders the many landscapes of Maine.

What strikes me most about her paintings is her uncanny ability to capture light, whether it’s bouncing off snow in a sunlit forest or reflecting on the clapboards of an old yellow cape or swirling in a river eddy. Her allegorical paintings depict many of the same landscapes with the addition of often humorous and sometimes sobering surrealistic effects. Her mushroom paintings, however, are a distinct departure from both genres.

The combination of subject matter, color, and perspective (close-up) comprise a series of paintings that border on the abstract.

It’s not the first time Wendy has gotten up-close-and-personal with her subject matter. Pond lilies, barnacles, ice dams, and dead leaves have all received her undivided attention on canvas, but there’s something about her mushroom paintings that sets them apart. They have an arresting and almost animate quality that is, no doubt, what attracted her to them in the first place.

The interesting thing is that before last summer, Wendy had very little interest or knowledge of mushrooms and wouldn’t have known a Bolete (mostly edible) from an Amanita (often poisonous).

“I walk a lot and anywhere I happened to go it was like, ‘wow, look at that mushroom! I didn’t see that yesterday.’ I kept seeing more and more of them and it was pretty exciting, especially since they’re so quick to come up—and then they disappear! Then I watched that movie Fantastic Fungi and got even more interested,” Wendy recalls. “So I collected a lot of imagery over the summer. Every chance I got I was on the ground taking pictures of mushrooms and I just decided I was going to do this whole series [of paintings] on mushrooms.”

For a painter who loves light, when Wendy sat down to review her mushroom photographs in preparation for painting them, she was faced with the sudden realization that she had overlooked the obvious: mushrooms grow in shade and shadow.

She briefly questioned whether or not her idea was worth pursuing, but ultimately the mushrooms challenged her to find light in different ways. They became studies in contrasts for her. She was also afraid there was going to be no color and again she was challenged to find it in other ways. In many ways, the mushrooms made her think outside the box. Making all thirteen paintings roughly the same size (8x8”) also challenged her sense of composition.

“I wanted to make them small enough so that they would be more of an intimate painting. Part of the adventure was getting to know the mushrooms visually. I knew nothing about whether they were edible or poisonous. It’s just visually I was so excited about the colors and the gills and how they would emerge through the dead leaves.

And because I was doing them small, it did present a design issue of how to put them on the page.”

Wendy’s painting practice is to start with a pencil sketch and then do a gouache study before she commits to oil on canvas. The sketch and study serve as stepping stones that allow her to figure out if a painting is going to work or not.

“They’re never exactly the same as that final painting but it’s a way to get me there.

It’s a way to figure out the color, the light, to see can I make this? I don’t want to invest a lot of time into something that I don’t know where I’m going. Inevitably I’m open to changing it as I go on; it’s not like I have to stay with the sketch.”

In order to title the paintings, Wendy needed to identify the mushrooms, so she reached out to a local forager/identifier who requested she email images and kindly provided her both Latin and common names.

It’s clear in talking with Wendy that mushrooms have ignited her artistically. She feels painting them has been a more intimate experience than painting landscapes. Their shape and texture naturally inclined her to a more abstract and painterly expression of them, rather than an illustrative, almost textbook interpretation. As a result, all the mystery and excitement she experienced in discovering them comes through. There’s metaphor to be found in a heartshaped mushroom called Deceiver, humor in a

Jubilee/Black Trumpets

Heartfelt/The Deceivers cluster of Bitter Boletes titled “Fungi Family,” intimacy in a pair of Heath Waxcaps named “Tête à Tête,” and tenderness in two Goldstocks titled “Offspring.”

Beyond a sense of connection, she has a sense of communication. She feels there’s a reason all these mushrooms are suddenly emerging. It’s as if the Earth is really speaking to us right now and mushrooms are among the many messengers imploring us to “pay attention.”

“There is a message there. It’s like they were there all along but I never saw them.

Or I saw them but not really? It’s like I’ve made new friends,” says Wendy. R A selection of Wendy’s mushroom paintings will be on display in June at Hole in the Wall Studioworks in Raymond. Her work will also be on view at “Fresh Perspectives,” a four-woman show at HITW that runs from August 13 to October 2.

lakelivingmaine .com 17

summer living performing arts

Please note that events are subject to change.

Brick Church for the Performing Arts: Theatre, music, and storytelling will take place in this historic and acoustically perfect setting.

FMI: lovellbrickchurch.org, 207.925.1500 Deertrees Theatre: June through August performances mark the 86th season at this enchanting Adirondack-style theater nestled in the pines of Harrison.

FMI: www.deertrees-theatre.org, 207.583.6747 Denmark Arts Center: Once serving as the Odd Fellows Hall, this community gathering space will offer a season of surprises in 2022. FMI: denmarkarts.org, 207.452.2412 Dragonfly Barn: Historically a dairy farm owned by the Sanborn family of Bridgton, the renovated barn provides event space and the 2022 season is in the works. FMI: www.hayloftatdragonfly.com Ossipee Valley Music Festival: String Camp, July 24 - 28; Music Festival, July 28 - 31. Featuring an omnivorous blend of genredefying sound. FMI: ossipeevalley. com, 207.625.8656 Oxford Hills Music and Performing Arts Association: Staging productions highlighting local talent. June performance: Circle Mirror Transformation; November performance: The 25th Annual Putman County Spelling Bee. Both at Norway Grange.

FMI: ohmpaa.com Schoolhouse Arts Center: Appealing to audiences of all ages, a variety of shows will be performed in Standish throughout the summer months.

FMI: schoolhousearts.org, 207.642.3743 Sebago-Long Lake Music Festival: Celebrating their 50th season with Chamber music from various periods at Deertrees Theatre in Harrison.

FMI: sebagomusicfestival.org

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Stone Mountain Arts Center and The Queen Post Cafe: Nestled in the foothills of the White Mountains, the two barns on the property highlight national acts and delicious food Thursdays through Saturdays.

FMI: stonemountainartscenter. com, 207.935.7292

museums & history

Bridgton Historical Society: Plan a visit to the BHS Museum on Gibbs Avenue, housed in the old firehouse, where town artifacts are on display. FMI: bridgtonhistory.org, 207.647.3699 Clarence Mulford Room: Fryeburg Public Library is home to a room dedicated to Mulford’s fictional character, Hopalong Cassidy, and includes a collection of books, research notes and other memorabilia.

FMI: fryeburgpubliclibrary.org, 207.935.2731 Col. Samuel Osgood House and Ham Research Library: Tour Fryeburg Historical Society’s restored historic home and/or conduct genealogical research on site. FMI: fryeburghistorical.org, 207.256.3001 Hazel & Owen Currier Doll Museum: One of the few museums in New England dedicated exclusively to dolls is owned by Fryeburg Historical Society.

FMI: currierdollmuseum.org, Whitaker9244@roadrunner.com Kimball-Stanford House: The first floor of the main house owned by the Lovell Historical Society serves as a museum while the ell houses the Research Center.

FMI: lovellhistoricalsociety.org, 207.925.3234 Maine Mineral & Gem Museum: Nineteen interactive galleries explain the history of pegmatite mining in western Maine, topped off with Space Rocks: The Stifler Meteorite Collection.

The museum store is also open.

FMI: mainemineralmuseum.org, 207.824.3036 Museums of the Bethel Historical Society: Exhibit galleries and period rooms are displayed in both the 1813 Dr. Moses Mason House and 1821 O’Neil Robinson House during the summer FMI: bethelhistorical.org, 207.824.2908

Naples Classic Boat Parade: sponsored by the Mountainview Woodies Classics Boat Club: August 13, 9:00am - 2:00pm.

The parade will pass by Naples Causeway and continue up to Harrison.

FMI: mountainviewwoodies.org Rufus Porter Museum: Learn about the 19th century artist, inventor and founder of Scientific American magazine.

Museum and gift shop open Wednesday-Saturday, June 11 to October 8, 10:00am - 4:00pm.

FMI: rufusportermuseum.org, 207.647.2828 Scribners Mill Educational Tours: Visit the 19th century sawmill and homestead in Harrison on the 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month from Memorial Day through Labor Day, 1:00 - 4:00pm.

FMI: scribnersmill.org, 207.583.6544

the outdoors

Greater Lovell Land Trust: Informative evening talks, engaging morning, afternoon or evening walks, a few paddles, and a storybook trail, are among GLLT’s offerings this summer.

Registration required online.

FMI: gllt.org, 207.925.1056 Inland Woods and Trails: Connecting communities through the development, maintenance, and promotion of a multi-use recreational trail network for human-powered activities for all ages and abilities. FMI: woodsandtrails.org, 207.200.8240 Lakes Environmental Association: Besides conducting valuable research on Maine lakes, LEA offers a Lake Symposium, native and invasive plant identification workshop and more.

FMI: mainelakes.org, 207.647.8580 Loon Echo Land Trust: LELT provides a variety of outdoor experiences including walks, paddles, and more at their properties located in various towns in the lake region.

FMI: loonecholandtrust.org, 207.647.4352 Mahoosuc Land Trust: From the Androscoggin River to mountain summits, MLT offers birding events and a monarch festival.

FMI: mahoosuc.org, 207.824.3806

Upper Saco Valley Land Trust: USVLT strives to connect community members with the protected lands that surround them. FMI: usvlt.org, 603.356.9683 Western Foothills Land Trust: WFLT offers hikes, walks, races, and paddles that explore the natural history of the Oxford Hills Region, and especially the land trust’s properties and easements.

FMI: wfltmaine.org, 207.739.2124

fairs & festivals

Windham SummerFest: June 18. Celebrate the beginning of summer.

FMI: windhamsummerfest.com, 207.892.1905 Ossipee Valley Fair: July 7 - 10, A country fair with oodles of livestock events, competitions, demonstrations, and exhibits, 291 South Hiram Road, South Hiram.

FMI: ossipeevalleyfair.com Waterford World’s Fair: July 16 - 18, Celebration of rural and historical culture includes a Day Full of Fiddling, 36 Irving Green Road, North Waterford.

FMI: waterfordworldsfair.org, 207.595.1601 Founder’s Day and Classic Car Exhibit: July 16, 9:00am - 5:00pm, Music, vendors, crafts, and car show to benefit Hamlin Memorial Library and Museum, Paris Hill.

FMI: hamlin.lib.me.us Paris Hill Music Festival: August 5 - 6, Bring chairs and blankets to enjoy some music under the stars for these benefit concerts. Paris Hill Country Club, South Paris.

FMI: parishillmusicfestival.com Gray Blueberry Festival: August 13, A family-friendly event featuring food, music, and crafts.

24 Main Street, Gray.

Lovell Arts & Artisans Fair: August 20, 10:00am - 3:00pm, 47th Annual Fair at New Suncook School will benefit the Charlotte Hobbs Memorial Library, Route 5, Lovell. FMI: hobbslibrary.org, 207.925.3177 Oxford County Fair: September 14 -17, Traditional county fair featuring livestock, exhibits, competitions, shows, vendors, and a midway, Oxford County Fairgrounds, Oxford.

FMI: oxfordcountyfair.com, 207.739.2204

old home days

Lovell Old Home Days: July 16, Road race begins at 8:45am followed by a parade. FMI: Find us on Facebook Casco Days: July 28 - 30, Fireworks, road race, children’s parade, Grand Parade, and midway. Casco Days Park, Route 121, Casco. FMI: cascodays.com Brownfield Old Home Day: August 13, Parade, kiddieland, pie-eating contest, cow chip bingo, community tug-of-war, vendors, crafts, and food.

FMI: brownfieldmaine.org

plein air music

River Rock Music Festival: July 1 - 2, Christian music in an outdoor setting, Sunday River, 97 Summit Drive, Bethel.

FMI: riverrockfestival.com Loon Echo Land Trust’s Acoustic Sunset Concert: July 20, 6:00pm, Vocals and guitar work by nationally renowned musician Bruce Marshall at Bridgton Historical Society’s Narramissic Historic Farm.

FMI: loonecholandtrust.org, 207.647.4352

farmers’ markets

local foods and products Bridgton Depot Street In front of Bridgton Community Center Saturdays, 8:00am - 12:00pm Gray Village 19 Portland Road Sundays, 9:00am - 1:00pm Waterford Flat On the Common Mondays, 2:00 - 5:00pm Casco 940 Meadow Road (Rt. 121), Casco Village Green Thursdays, 9:00am - 2:00pm Harrison Route 117 Between Depot St. & Tolman Rd. Fridays, 2:00 - 5:00pm Poland 1457 Maine Street Fridays, 2:00 - 6:00pm Norway 26 Whitman Street Fridays, 5:00 - 8:00pm

Portland Deering Oaks Park Saturdays, 7:00am - 1:00pm Windham 4 Turning Leaf Drive Intersection of River Road, Roosevelt Trail and Turning Leaf Drive Saturdays, 8:30am - 12:30pm Bethel 1 Parkway Ave Behind Norway Savings Bank Saturdays, 9:00am - 1:00pm Steep Falls 1 Main Street Village Park Gazebo Saturdays, 9:00am - 2:00pm

races

The Longest Day 5K: June 21, Celebrate the longest day of 2022 with a 5K trail run at Libby Hill Forest, Gray. FMI: libbyhill.org LEA Paddle Battle: June 25, Paddle Board and Kayak Races at Tarry-A-While Resort on Highland Lake, Bridgton.

FMI: mainelakes.org Four on the Fourth: July 4, 8:00am, Road race starts at Lower Main Street and follows traditional route, Bridgton.

FMI: fouronthefourth.com Norway Triathlon: July 9, 8:00am, Described as an exciting and fun sprint, the Norway Triathlon is a USAT sanctioned event. FMI: norwaytri.com.

Nomad Trail Race Series: From May through October, adults compete in a 5-mile race on a wooded trail at Shepard’s Farm Preserve and kids enjoy a 2-mile loop. FMI: www.wfltmaine.org Tough Mountain Challenge: July 23, Adventure obstacle 5K race with challenging alpine terrain, plus natural and man-made hurdles. Sunday River Resort, Newry. FMI: toughmountain.com Casco Days Country Run: July 30, 9:30am, Four-mile road race, Casco Community Center.

FMI: cascodays.com Trek for the Trails: 2022: September 1 - 30, Run, walk, hike, bike, skip or drive—all on your own time and to support Loon Echo Land Trust’s trails.

Choose from three Trek options: trek anywhere, trail passport ‑challenge, or the Pleasant Mountain trail run.

FMI www.lelt.org/trek

lakelivingmaine .com 19

summer bookshelf BOOK REVIEWS FROM THE OWNERS & STAFF OF BRIDGTON BOOKS

justin’s list

When it came out in 2013, I wrote about a brilliant, but tragic debut novel set in Chechnya during the Russian Occupation entitled A Constellation of Vital Phenomena. Nearly ten years and one forgettable short story collection later, Anthony Marra has returned in force with an epic novel entitled Mercury Pictures Presents. In the 1940s, Maria Lagana and her mother leave Mussolini’s Italy to live with her three comical aunties in Los Angeles where eighteen-year-old Maria gets a job as a typist at Mercury Pictures, a B-list movie studio.

She soon proves her worth to her boss Artie, a man with a toupee collection and a soft heart for recent emigres. Maria’s boyfriend Eddie, a Shakespearean actor, is forever cast as the Japanese villain due to his ChineseAmerican heritage. Don’t miss this homage to the Golden Age of Hollywood when it’s released in July.

Crime stories from the criminal or excon’s point of view can work well if the author instills enough empathy for the characters. In Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby, Beauregard “Bug” Montage has escaped the life of crime, and is married and running a legitimate auto repair business. Money troubles loom, however, pressuring him to take one final job which goes totally awry. Now Bug will need all his old skills and talents just to stay alive. Cosby’s gritty descriptions and streetwise knowledge are reminiscent of James Lee Burke at his early best, and Razorblade Tears, Cosby’s second novel, is just as good. In this story, two ex-cons team up to find their sons’ killers after the murders appear to be dismissed by local law enforcement. Also check out Colson Whitehead’s Harlem Shuffle if you like this genre.

Blood and Treasure: Daniel Boone and the Fight for America’s First Frontier, by Bob Drury and Tom Clavin, separates fact from fable in this true saga of the life and times of the legendary woodsman. In the 1700s, pushing the outer limits of the frontier was not for the faint of heart, and Daniel Boone and his family were always at the forefront of this movement. The authors do a great job connecting Boone’s story against the backdrop of the geopolitical struggles of The French and Indian War and The American Revolution. They neither sugar 20 lakelivingmaine .com

coat nor demonize the atrocities committed by the settlers and indigenous tribes. It was what it was; a part of our shared history, making it a captivating read.

Sometimes a good historical novel can serve to illuminate a previously forgotten event or injustice, for example Lisa Wingate’s Before We Were Yours, which exposed the corrupt Tennessee Children’s Home Society. The Foundling by Ann Leary reveals another dark blemish of our past. In the early 1900s, young Mary Engle is hired as the secretary to the superintendent at The Nettleton State Village for Feeble Minded Women of Childbearing Age. It is only when she recognizes one of the residents of the Village as a childhood companion, who is not in the least bit feebleminded, that she begins to question the role of the Village. Asylums like the one in the story were founded in the U.S. when the Eugenics movement was prevalent in our society, and women were often involuntarily committed by their husbands or other male members of the family for “Moral Feeblemindedness.”

See Sue’s review of The Woman They Could Not Silence for a real life account of what happened to one woman.

Travel writer Colin Thubron knows Asia well, and his latest foray takes him (and the reader) down The Amur River, also the title of his book. The river is the tenth longest in the world, beginning in Mongolia and emptying into the northern Pacific Ocean 1800 miles later. Over 1000 miles of the river constitute the boundary line between Russia and China. The contrast between the two countries is striking, with the Chinese side bustling with energy and commerce, and the Russian side dying a slow death of decay; a shell of its former self. Thubron goes by horseback, bus, cab, train and boat,

and is guided by interesting people with their own back stories.

The last two wonderful stories are paired together because each requires the reader to take a leap of faith. The beauty and creativity of the novel Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel invoked in me a sense of wonder and inflection I’ve seldom felt. Beginning in the Canadian Woods of 1912, to the present day, and then three centuries later on the moon’s second colony, a similar event occurs which questions the fabric of reality in this novel of time travel.

In Crossings by Alex Landragen, natives of a small island in the South Pacific have evolved and learned how to cross over to another person’s body. When the first European trading ship arrives in the 1700s, an islander sees an opportunity to escape and see the world, setting an epic, multigenerational tale in motion. This clever, unique novel can be read two ways; either cover to cover, or in the “Baroness Sequence” suggested by the author in the prologue.

sue’s selections

The Personal Librarian, by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray, is an outstanding novel about the woman who was instrumental in making the Pierpont Morgan Library a repository for the most important collections of rare books and manuscripts in the U.S. Belle de Costa Greene, hired as the first librarian of Morgan’s private library, was a savvy business person who gained the admiration and respect of many in her field, most importantly, J. P. Morgan.

To retain the job she cherished, however, she had to keep a very important secret about her background. This novel is rich with history and facts about Belle and her accomplishments and is a delight to read.

Kate Moore, author of The Radium Girls, does it again with a powerful historical account of one woman who refused to let her husband control her destiny. In The Woman They Could Not Silence, the author delves into the era when it was easy for a husband to declare his wife insane and commit her to an asylum. In 1860, Elizabeth Packard was forced into an asylum, yet by 1865 she was free and politically advocating for the legal rights of married women and mental health patients, which resulted in significant legislative changes. Elizabeth Packard wasn’t insane, she was extremely intelligent! Personally, I think her husband was the insane one. Grab a copy of the book and decide for yourself.

perri’s preferences

There is so much going on these days and very little of it is good. War, disease, divisive politics, disastrous weather—when it all becomes overwhelming, I find comfort in something good and simple, like food. The annual Best American Food Writing series collects intriguing short pieces on all aspects of the culinary world from the history of particular foods and the lives of foodie celebrities to the influence food can have on language and the effects of food on politics and policies. The books are full of enlightening, quick reads to fill a few spare minutes.

The 2020 edition, edited by Chef J. Kenji Lopes-Alt, is particularly interesting with articles on the beauty of an expert chef producing a simple omelet, the disturbing peculiarity of saying a baby is “so cute I want to eat her up,” and, my favorite, “A Real Hot Mess: How Grits Got Weaponized Against Cheating Men.” The 2018 edition, the first in the series and edited by Ruth Reichl, is also a great collection. I somehow managed to miss the 2019 volume but it is on my list of books to pick up for the summer.

Also on the subject of food, awardwinning actor, writer, film director and producer Stanley Tucci’s memoir, Taste, My Life Through Food, is a delicious and entertaining read. Tucci is obsessed with food and loves to cook. He is perhaps best known for his foodie film, Big Night, and his travel documentary series Searching for Italy. His memoir, complete with recipes, is the humorous and loving story of growing up in an Italian-American family centered around food, Old World cultural traditions, and time-tested family recipes. He covers his

years as a struggling actor in New York City, his travels around the world, the sometimes dubious pleasures of dining on movie sets, and the joys of life with his children and wife, as well as his struggle with a frightening medical diagnosis. All of this is told with gentle, wry humor and affection, the way he would serve a well-prepared meal.

I read Will Smith’s memoir, Will, before the “slap heard round the world,” and I enjoyed it. I always liked Will Smith, especially in Men in Black and some of his more serious films, but I knew nothing about his family background or his groundbreaking career as a rapper. A creative, oddball kid who lived in his imagination and loved to entertain, he nonetheless often felt like a coward. His parents supported him despite their rocky relationship, and his grandmother held everything together. The book reads like it was dictated to co-author Mark Manson, following Will’s rise to fame in the music world and his launch to stardom through The Fresh Prince of Bel Air TV show. But all was not champagne and roses—family relationships were strained and obstacles had to be overcome during his meteoric rise to become the most bankable actor in Hollywood. But, still, nothing explains the slap!

China Room, a novel by Sunjeev Sahota, author of Booker Prize shortlisted Year of the Runaways, is the tale of two Indias. In 1929 rural Punjab, young bride Mehar lives with her two sisters-in-law in their motherin-law’s house but none of them know which of the three brothers is each woman’s husband. The men only visit the women in the dark of night but Mehar sets out to discover which man is hers. Fifty years later, a young man from England arrives at his uncle’s house in Punjab, aiming to break an

addiction and return to his life and university. Mehar is oppressed by the traditional expectations of women in the time before Indian independence, and the young man has suffered from racism, violence, and alienation in England. Partly based on the author’s family history, the relationship between Mehar and the young man is gradually revealed as the story progresses and the characters face their unfolding destinies.

Asako Serizawa’s Inheritors is a complex series of intertwined stories spanning five generations of a Japanese family splintered

by World War II. Touching on the horror of incendiary bombs, secret medical experiments, anti-Imperialist activists, the oppression of Koreans, and the difficulties living in post-war occupied Japan, Serizawa eloquently explores the nature of identity, morality, belonging, and the destiny of a family dispersed on both sides of the Pacific.

I always turn to poetry when I begin to feel overwhelmed. It is usually short, requiring a limited time commitment, and I find thoughtful juxtapositions of words soothing. I recently acquired What Rough Beasts, a beautiful little volume of verse and elegant block prints by Maine poet and printmaker Leslie Moore. Many of the poems are about birds but bears, woodchucks, spiders, and other fauna also appear accompanied by Moore’s delicate, Japanese-inspired prints.

A perfect book for anyone who likes Maine wildlife and appreciates fine art.

Finally, The New York Times Book Review: 125 Years of Literary History is the ultimate tome for book lovers. Filled with wonderful photographs, reviews, and articles on more than a century of influential books and authors, this is an essential volume for a literary coffee table or bookshelf.

lakelivingmaine .com 21

summer bookshelf BOOK REVIEWS FROM THE OWNERS & STAFF OF BRIDGTON BOOKS

pam’s picks for kids & young adults

Being a Dog: A Tail of Mindfulness

By Maria Gianferrari Ages 2+ How many times do you look at a dog and admire its simple life full of naps, fun and treats and wish you could be one for a day?

Practicing basic mindfulness starts early and dog lovers will adore the way Maria transforms one child’s day into an experience of letting go and living in a dog’s moment.

Treemendous: Diary of a Not Yet Mighty Oak

By Bridget Heos Ages 5+ This book is treemendously ingenious! I love how the smallest acorn narrates the story. Baby acorn takes readers on a journey where they learn about the anatomical changes the nut goes through to become a mighty oak. Colorful, playful illustrations help guide kids through some big subjects such as photosynthesis, the role forest animals play, and give a nod to climate change.

Ivy Lost and Found

By Cynthia Lord Ages 6+ Anne and her doll Ivy were inseparable. Days were spent digging in the garden, making doll clothes and reading fairy tales. As time passed, Ivy felt more alone until one day she was placed in a box and stored in a dark attic.

Grown up Anne takes the dusty box with Ivy to the library and places her with a group of Book Buddies, a collection of stuffed animals and dolls that children check out like a library book. Scared of the unknown, Ivy tries to hide behind the other stuffed animals, but is quickly discovered by Fern.

Willodeen

By Katherine Applegate Ages 8+ Tragedy struck Willodeen and her village of Perchance. Wildfires, illness and drought plagued the town. Poor attendance at Perchance’s annual fair was starting to hurt the local economy since the town’s treasured Hummingbears were mysteriously disappearing; and they were the main attraction.

Willodeen is a very observant girl who spends time outside studying nature with her new friend Connor. While the adults in town are fed up with the Screecher population because they smell offensive, Willodeen does her best to protect them. Her observations fall on deaf ears as the adults refuse to Bridgton Farmers’ Market listen to an uneducated child.

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Better With Butter

By Victoria Piontek Ages 9+ Butter is not a stick of fatty substance, but a therapy goat to Marvel, a twelve-yearold girl with an anxiety disorder. Marvel’s anxiety is real and prevents her from participating in everyday activities. When walking home, she avoids the open field filled with kids, making the journey a bit longer. After school one day, she sees a goat in distress surrounded by bullies and without thinking about the consequences, Marvel rescues the goat and brings it home.

Discover the power of a therapy animal and one girl’s determination to re-engage in life.

The Ogress and the Orphans

By Kelly Barnhill Ages 11+ This powerful story is about an Ogress, Orphans, a Mayor, and a once very lovely town named Stone-in-the Glen. Folks can’t say for sure when things started to change, it is a bit foggy, but after the library burned down and the new Mayor arrived promising grand revelations, people became suspicious, greedy and violent. Cruelty and lack of empathy resonated throughout the neighborhood as the mayor proclaimed his greatness until one day a drop of kindness came from an unexpected place and things started to shift.

The Nature of Witches

By Rachel Giffin Ages 14+ Mother Nature bows to the seasonal witches that have the magical ability to thwart off tornados, tame hurricanes and fend off climate change. Most witches harness their power in one season, however, Clara is an Everwitch and her magic is tied to all four seasons. Weather is becoming more unpredictable and fierce so the seasonal witches

are pleading with muggles to conserve and protect the Earth since their powers aren’t strong enough to stop the new forces. Pressure mounts as Clara is the only one capable of controlling these new storms, but she questions her ability and desire to take on the responsibility of being an Everwitch.

Punching the Air

By Ibi Zoboi & Yusef Salaam Ages 15+ Amal, a 17-year-old black boy, sits stunned, surrounded by concrete blocks and bars caging him like a trapped animal. Wrongly convicted by a biased system and a society that defines his existence by the color of his skin, his new reality is just trying to survive.

Treatment in prison is inhumane, but Amal finds inner strength and reaches deep within himself to awaken the creative artist and person he was meant to be.

Written in verse, this book is about so much more than injustice and racism.

In the Wild Light

By Jeff Zentner Ages 15+ Beautifully written with characters that make you feel like family, I felt I was sitting on a porch in this small town of Sawyer, Tennessee, experiencing all the highs and lows of this struggling American family.

Cash lost his mother to opioids, and his chronically-ill Pawpa and hard-working Mawma are raising him. Content with spending time playing in the rivers, mountains and helping his grandparents, Cash discovers that his best friend, Delaney, has other plans for him. When Delaney is awarded a scholarship to a private boarding school in Connecticut, she convinces the administrators to admit Cash too. Family keeps Cash rooted, but this once-in-a lifetime offer may be hard to pass up.

Main Street Shopping: The Click-Free Alternative by leigh macmillen hayes

I

t’s no secret that the global pandemic has changed us and how we go about life, including our shopping experiences.

Supply chain issues and other limitations imposed by COVID 19 closed some small shops and forced others to develop creative solutions to keep their doors open.

Two years and what some days seems like a lifetime later, I asked a couple of local retailers how they’ve weathered the battle against e-commerce as so many consumers turned to the internet to fulfill their shopping needs.

At Full Circle Artisans’ Gallery, 12 Main Street in Cornish, owner Shannon Surette features the works of 85+ artisans so she had not only herself and employees to consider, but those craftspeople as well. At the beginning of the shutdown, Shannon went to the shop for a few hours several days a week to photograph merchandise to share via social media. She also improved her website. But that wasn’t the same as seeing customers in person or customers eyeing and touching the merchandise.

Jessica Jones, owner of Firefly Boutique, a women’s clothing, jewelry, and gift shop at 103 Main Street in Bridgton, says, “Since opening our doors twelve years ago, web sales have never been a big part of our sales, due to the tactile nature of the boutique business. During the shutdown we had time to improve and update the site, which provides a gateway to many unique offerings, but we have seen no significant increase or decrease on internet sales or traffic due to the pandemic. Most of our business is due to walk-in traffic.”

What both retailers learned is that it’s the small towns we live in and people’s needs after being socially isolated for so long that has helped their businesses survive. Interacting with other people and the products themselves is key.

The combination of people vacationing closer to home and the fact that many more people moved into the area also helped increase business for these shops.

“Interestingly enough,” says Jessica Jones, “we had one of our worst years and then one of our best during COVID. At first people were still uncomfortable getting out and negotiating stores, but they had simply reached their limit being cooped up inside

and were feeling more confident with vaccinations so they decided to don their masks and take a risk. Some said ours was the first shop they had been in after a year and others waited two years before venturing out.”

“Business has kept its pace through the pandemic. At the beginning,” Shannon Surette says, “when we had to limit the number of people in the store even though it’s a wide-open space, that made it difficult.” She placed a sign on the sidewalk to let potential customers know they needed to wait to enter and sometimes she noticed they walked away and never returned.

People watching is something Shannon enjoys doing and she noticed that customers naturally follow the same route through the gallery so she didn’t need to use directional arrows to help them navigate.

“My store gives each customer a wonderful experience,” says Shannon. “Many say they get a great feeling when they walk in.”

Jessica agrees and comments, “There is an emotional component to buying that online transactions can’t satisfy. Often people come into the shop with a family member or friend and are sharing an experience that makes lasting memories. Whether it’s ‘Oh, I’d never wear that,’ or ‘I love this,’ customers are having fun interacting with the products and each other.”

One modification Jessica made came from the realization that because people weren’t going to the office, traveling or attending events like weddings, they no longer needed special occasion clothing, and so she began to offer more casual wear.

The availability of products and shipping delays has also been a challenge, but these two shops in particular have managed to deal with that hurdle.

Firefly Boutique continues to focus on carrying mainly American-made products.

“When some shops were having difficulty getting products to fill their shops because they were made overseas,” Jessica says, “we noticed a pretty steady stream of availability within the small U.S. companies and cloth-

ing manufacturers we work with.”

Shannon notes that she acquired some artists from other galleries who, unfortunately, had no choice but to shut down.

And perhaps because of the pandemic, she continued on page 27 lakelivingmaine .com 23

“. . . well seasoned Cornish is salted with architectural gems and peppered with antiques and crafts shops.”

—Hilary Nangle Maine Travel Maven

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Featuring locally crafted wares from 85+ artisans 12 Main Street Unit B Cornish 207-625-7725 See us on FaceBook 24 lakelivingmaine .com

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Antiques & Eclectic Collections 6 Main Street Cornish, Maine 207-625-8916 2 Main Street • Cornish village, Maine 207-625-3600

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Downtown Cornish, Maine

The Power of Aum 12 Main Street Unit A Cornish • 207-747-7293 Crystals, Dream Catchers, Incense & local artists.

WabiSabi Aesthetics & Polarity Therapy Facials, Waxing, Bodywork, Reflexology

Offering bulk herbs, spices, tea blends and herbal body products. Private herbal consultations available.

18 Main Street Cornish 207-625-2366

20 Main Street • amoletteherbals.com 207-625-9230

Terry’s Uniques Painted Ornaments Hand Dipped Candles & much more!

Route 25 • Cornish Village, Maine • 207-625-6030 Steven P. Smith Buying & Selling Antiques & Collectibles

26 Main Street terrysuniquesgiftshop. com 207-625-7032

28 Main Street, Downtown Cornish 207-625-3322 www.atonceallagog.com

Jug Hill Gallery Fine Art Colorful, eclectic, non-traditional pastels, oils and watercolor 30A Main Street Cornish 207-625-8965

Open Year Round 30 Main Street Cornish 207-710-3639 See us on FaceBook

Wonderful hidden gem with an eclectic menu.

Bring the whole family.

Serving breakfast, lunch & dinner ALL DAY.

Cornish Trading Co. Antiques 19 Main Street Cornish, ME 207-625-8387 cornishtrading.com Derek & Lindsey McIntosh Owners

Hickory Dickory Doc Clock Shop

A Center for Healing the Mind, Body + Soul We provide holistic healing therapies, classes and workshops so you can be your best self ever.

172 Main Street, Cornish • www.thesacredselfme.com

Fine Antique Furniture, Porcelain, Lamps & Art Thurs. - Sun. 10 - 4 p.m.

Repair & Service Clocks & Watches Mark Beever Cornish, ME 04020 207-625-7403 hickorydickorydocclocks.com

104 Maple Street Cornish 207-604-9308

Gear to get you outdoors!

Bicycles & Outdoor Sporting Goods thelocalgear.com 74 Maple St Unit A Cornish 207- 625-9400

The Bay Haven Lobster Pound Restaurant Seafood, Steak, Pasta & Full Bar 101 Maple Street Cornish 207-625-7303 Find us on Facebook

An historic 16-room inn and restaurant, offering creative breakfast and lunch menus and cocktails 7 days/week at Lindsay’s at the Inn 2 High Road, Cornish, Maine www.cornishinn.com

lakelivingmaine .com 25

sea salted sunday brunch warm spinach salad

Serves: 8 Fresh baby spinach is tossed with diced pears, dried cherries, goat cheese and salt and pepper, then tastefully finished with a warm bacon and sherry vinaigrette.

1 lb baby spinach 8 oz fresh goat cheese 2 pears, diced 1/2 c dried cherries 6 slices high quality bacon, cooked, cut in small pieces (reserve excess fat) 8 sprigs fresh thyme 1 large shallot, minced 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1/3 c sherry vinegar 1 tsp sea salt (fine or coarse) 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper, or to taste

Salted by laurie lamountain

“Two peanuts were walking down the street.

And one was assaulted.”

S

alt is perhaps the most controversial of seasonings. While too much of it in your diet can be harmful, so can too little. Also known as sodium chloride (NaCl), salt is made up of roughly 40% sodium and 60% chloride—two minerals that play an important role in health. Sodium is essential for several body functions, including fluid balance, nutrient absorption, nerve health and muscle function. But while your body needs some salt to function properly, too much of it can pose health risks, especially for people with hypertension (high blood pressure).

Conversely, it’s possible for those with normal blood pressure to experience hypotension (low blood pressure) with too little salt.

First introduced to the human diet when our ancestors discovered that high concentrations of salt prevented food, mainly meat, from spoiling, it has since become an inevitable ingredient in nearly all processed foods. In truth, if you want to control your salt intake, the best way to do it is to prepare your own food and include lots of naturally low-salt foods like fruits, vegetables and whole grains in your diet.

Table salt usually contains added iodine, an essential trace mineral not made by the body, but my go-to salt is sea salt. I keep a small clay pot of fine sea salt beside the stove and endeavor to use the least amount possible to bump up the flavors of what I’m 26 lakelivingmaine .com

cooking. When it comes to roasting, I prefer coarse sea salt. Oven baked fries are great with porcini or black truffle salt and baked fish is delicious with a dusting of coarse sea salt infused with lemon peel, rosemary and garlic. If you are following a recipe, it’s important to never substitute one type of salt for another directly. Coarse or kosher salt has larger granules than fine salt, so if a recipe calls for it, stick to it or use much less fine salt. Tasteful Things, a specialty food store with shops in Bridgton and Naples, carries a nice selection of fine, coarse and infused Maine sea salts from Gryffon Ridge Spice Merchants, as well as an impressive choice of cold pressed olive oils.

While cooking lets you determine how much salt there is in your diet, with so many choices it’s easy to get carried away. There’s a fine line between salted and assaulted and, despite claims that you can add a few pieces of raw potato to soak up the excess salt, or mask it by adding lemon juice or vinegar, I’m not convinced. The best way to avoid a culinary disaster is judiciousness. Taste as you go and remember that under salting is an easy fix. I’ve often found that all it takes is a few grains to make the flavors in a dish bloom. It’s for this reason that you won’t find a salt shaker at my table, because the surest way to offend the cook in me is to salt the food I’ve served you before tasting it. Just ask my husband. R

Place spinach, pears, dried cherries and goat cheese in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Cut bacon in 1” pieces and cook until almost crispy. Remove from pan and reserve rendered fat. Add EVOO and sauté shallots and thyme for one minute. Add the sherry vinegar and remove from heat.

Combine hot dressing with salad and toss well. Adjust seasoning and serve immediately.

mushroom and roasted cherry tomato strata

Serves: 4-6 Strata makes a perfect brunch dish because it’s even better if you prepare it the night before—affording you more time to sleep in on Sunday morning. Think of it as a savory bread pudding baked with eggs, cream, cheese and whatever vegetables are in season.

3 Tbsp olive oil 2 c sliced baby portobella mushrooms 1 pint cherry tomatoes 10 eggs 3 c milk 1 1/2 c grated cheddar 1 c grated fontina 1 c grated Parmesan 1 1/2 tsp fine sea salt 1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg 1/4 tsp cayenne 1 c baby spinach 16-oz loaf of crusty bread, cut into 1” cubes

Warm a large skillet over medium heat, add mushrooms, stirring occasionally, until they release almost all of their liquid. Add olive oil and continue to sauté the mushrooms until nicely browned, about 6-8 minutes.

Set mushrooms aside. Add cherry tomatoes to the pan and sauté until they are lightly blistered, about 5 minutes.

Whisk eggs in a large bowl. Add milk, cheese, and seasonings. Whisk to combine.

Layer a greased 9x13” baking dish with cubed bread, sautéed mushrooms, tomatoes and spinach. Pour the egg mixture over everything. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Remove the strata from the refrigerator the following morning and preheat oven to 350˚. Bake 40 to 50 minutes, until the strata is set on the bottom and the top is golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

sea salt roasted sweet potatoes

2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1” cubes 1/2 tsp coarse sea salt, plus more for finishing 2 Tbsp olive oil 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper 1/4 c Maine maple syrup 1/4 c pecan pieces

Preheat oven to 425˚ (400˚ for convection) and lightly coat a 9x13” baking pan with cooking spray. Mix all the ingredients, except the pecans, in a large bowl and transfer to the pan. Roast for 25-30 minutes, stirring halfway through. Finish with lightly toasted pecans and a sprinkle of coarse salt.

americano cocktail

Sea salt nicely tempers the bitterness of Campari and coffee in this surprisingly smooth caffeinated cocktail. Simply multiply the ingredients to make more than one cocktail.

1 oz Campari 1 oz sweet vermouth 1 oz strong, cold brew coffee 1 blood orange, cut into rounds 1 c crushed ice dash of sea salt

caramel pecan tart Serves 10-12

Crust: 1 1/4 c flour 1/2 tsp fine sea salt 1 stick unsalted butter, cubed 2 Tbsp ice water

Filling: 2 cups pecans, toasted and chopped 1/4 c sugar 1/3 c corn syrup 1/3 c heavy cream 1 vanilla bean, scraped, or 2 tsp pure vanilla extract 2 Tbsp bourbon 1 1/2 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped 2 Tbsp unsalted butter 1/2 tsp fine sea salt 1 tsp coarse sea salt for garnish

For the crust: place flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment and pulse to combine.

Add butter and pulse until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. With the processor running, slowly add ice water until the mixture comes together and begins to form a ball. Flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Preheat oven to 350˚. Roll the crust out on a lightly floured surface to 1/4” thick and press into a 10” tart pan with removable bottom. Use a fork to poke holes in the crust. Line with parchment paper and dried beans or pie weights, and bake for 15 minutes. Remove weights and bake for an additional 15 minutes, until golden brown.

For the filling: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add sugar and corn syrup. Cook until the color of a dark copper penny. Remove from heat and stir in cream, vanilla bean and bourbon. Add chocolate, butter and half teaspoon salt and whisk until smooth. Stir in pecans and pour the mixture into the baked tart shell.

Sprinkle with coarse sea salt. Rest at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours before serving.

Sea Salted Sunday Brunch recipes are adapted from the Morton Sea Salt Recipe Collection at mortonsalt.com/recipe-book/ sea-salt-recipes/

contnued from page 23 has seen an influx of new artists who have discovered their previously hidden talents.

Both women acknowledge that it’s the local people who really saved or made their stores. Jessica says, “Customers were well aware of all the businesses that had to close during the pandemic and I think a lot of people in our community made a point of coming in and supporting the shop because they didn’t want to see that happen to us. A lot of customers seemed genuinely concerned about our survival.” She believes that support is the real reason Firefly has had such a successful year.

Shannon completes the story as she tells me that she opens the store a little bit early for some elderly customers who want to shop when no one else is around. She also personally delivers to one housebound gentleman.

It seems obvious that Main Street takes the click out of shopping because it’s a place where we feel safe and welcome. We can also feel better because we’re supporting the local economy and our planet by not adding more packing material to the waste stream.

There’s hope that we’ll continue to move away from easy one-click buys and same-day delivery and that these and other vibrant small shops will continue to thrive.

What a welcome legacy from this pandemic that would be. R

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