Letter From The Editor

6' Curved Marble Bar

and Fine An Gallery

Featuring: • 19th Century Paintings • 18th-19th century Furnishings • Architectural

Iron Gates • Columns • Marble

Sculpture • Mantles • etc • Oriental

Japanese Block Prints • Porcelain

China • Ivory Netsuke • Jewelry • Paintings by Maine Artists

John Dehlinger • Terry Wolf &: Pam &vis

Open 10 AM- 8 PM 7 Days 37 Wharf Street, Portland, Maine 879-0789, or for an appointment 799-6011

I-

A Magic Bench

very time Iget ready to give up on Congress Street Irealize I can't, because others aren't. Take, for example, our park bench in front of our office.

Whynot? Three other night pe~ pie have.

Readers, Ithink, are a11-daynight people. That's right, we've lost three benches out in front of our editorial offices on 578 Congress, in spite of their being chained to the building.

Eachyear we chain a new one up and toss it out there likea lobster trap, out into the ocean that splashes up against the doorways from Munjoy Hill to Longfellow Square.

Once one disappeared in midafternoon, chain and all, sulking likea teenager. The other two disappeared at night, beneath the flashing yellow lights slung across streets to ease the souls of nightowldrivers.

But stillwe throw it out, this lobster trap, and this year, something wonderful has happened.

We've caught a wonderful O. Henry story out here! Afewmonths ago, someone stole a single board from the seat.

Angry, Idreamed up uses for a single slat-hoped that the thief needed it to shore up his or her cello.

This is the arts district, isn't it?

Anyway, I decided to leave it bare for a while and watch its remains tum white as a skeleton.

A week passed. I had other things to do (although Steve Roberts at the Press Herald once asked me what I do the other 29 days).

Andthen Icame to work and saw a new slat there. It was a little rough, and made ofplywood,but it meant someone cared.

Then a bolt felloff,disappeared, and came on again. Like magic, likethe endlessly refillingboxes of ice cream, gold, and candy in the children's story "Crow Talk," the bench has begun fixingitself.

Ashiny new bolt, stronger than tomorrow morning, stronger than before. Now this is better than BlowingCave. We invite you allto visit our magic bench. We hope that you soon.,/,", will / come /' and see us;;t-: here •

~ (' ---",)"'}oJ ; C.I!~..~th.((/ .

Individually built furniture for the select and perceptive few.

Catalog $5. Visit the shop & showroom. Please call ahead. C. BECKSVOORT

BOX 12, NEW GLOUCESTER, ME 04260 207-926-4608

MICHAEL WATERMAN

"Waterman's paintings are not for the faint-hearted and shallow-minded. sometimes disturbing, always challenging. with continuously new Interpretations even after years of dally exposure like all important pictures. they are more the sum of their parts and reward the perceptive viewer With Insights into what it means to be human" Represented by: