Ageless Maine

Ageless MAINE

MARCH 2018

THE INAUGURAL ISSUE Building compassionate communities

Caregivers find support Apps to keep you active

+

Barb, Michelle, Caroline

We are HG

College of Education Dean, Holistic Nurse, Clinical Social Worker, Singers in a Rock Band, HG Community Garden Master Gardeners, Highland Green Residents Highland Green is the Northeast’s premier 55+ Active Adult Community and has attracted hundreds of interesting people from 31 different U.S. states and counting.

Come explore and meet many remarkable individuals enjoying unique resident-driven dynamic living, unmatched sense of community, and custom homes like nowhere else.

7 Evergreen Circle, Topsham, Maine | 866-854-1200 / 207-725-4549 | HighlandGreenLifestyle.com

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FOOD INSECURTIY AFFECTS OVER 200,000 PEOPLE IN MAINE. Your Maine Honda dealers believe that when you see a friend or neighbor in need, you lend a helping hand. That's why we have partnered with News Centers Feed Maine program. Our goal is to raise enough money for one million meals for people in Maine.

Visit Mainehondadealers.com

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Charlie’s Honda

Augusta, ME (207) 622-4776

Lee Honda

Auburn, ME (207) 784-5441

Griffeth Honda

Presque Isle, ME (207) 769-2761

Berlin City Honda of Portland S. Portland, ME (207) 774-1429

Prime Honda Saco

Saco, ME (207) 282-0900

Darlings Honda Bangor Bangor, ME (207) 941-1460

CONTENTS Fuel for Thought 028

How much wood can these Woodchucks chuck? Enough to keep their neighbors warm all winter.

By Susan Axelrod | Photography by Ted Axelrod

Much in Common 038 Maine is emerging as a national leader in the Age-Friendly Communities initiative.

By Clare Morin | Photography by Sean Thomas

The Hardest Job They’ve Ever Loved 050 Mainers find challenge and reward in caring for loved ones.

By Debra Spark | Photography by Nicole Wolf

Tightly Knit 060 A decade in, a Belfast cohousing community is going—and growing—strong.

By Katy Kelleher | Photography by Erin Little

Ten Over 50 084 Ten Mainers making a difference

on the cover Avid cyclist Julie Houck rides on Sligo Road in Yarmouth. Houck tracks her workouts with technology.

Photography by Matt Cosby on this page The 10-year-old Belfast CoHousing and EcoVillage is home to 60 Mainers of all ages.

Photography by Erin Little

New + Noteworthy

017 What’s happening around the state

48 HOURS

018 Stonington and Deer Isle

by Chris Kast

Wellness 022 Fit Tech

by Dr. Lisa Belisle Photography by Matt Cosby

Food + Cooking 074 Breakfast Beyond the Ordinary

by Karen Watterson Photography by Sean Thomas

A-List

098 Accessible Trails

by Brittany Cost

44.0029° n, 69.6656° w

www .clarks point ho mes . co m

70 n ew m i d coas t m a i n e h o mes starti n g at $309, 000

tennis & basketball court

spring fed swimming pond with picnic areas clarks point communit y ‘harvest house’

walking trails

Nestled in the woods on a hilltop just outside the “Prettiest Little Village in Maine” lies Clark’s Point.

This nearly 200 acre subdivision offers

a community neighborhood with beautiful scenic wooded and waterfront vistas.

“THIS EXCITING PROJECT WILL BE ONE OF MID COAST MAINE’S PREMIERE DEVELOPMENTS, OFFERING A VARIETY OF HOMES STYLES AND AMAZING AMENTITIES.”

Close to the waters edge, sits a gorgeous post & beam style community building called the “Harvest House” constructed from materials harvested from the site with a large stone fireplace and pizza oven for entertaining and events.

Clark’s Point is centrally located, 15 miles from Brunswick, 20 miles from Augusta, 45 miles from Portland, 35 miles from Camden, and within 20 miles of 3 state park beaches.

For more info visit www.ClarksPointHomes.com

Amenities Include: • Deep Water Common Dock • Post & Beam Community Building • Tennis/Basketball Court • Spring Fed Swimming Pond with Picnic Areas • Community Gardens • Boat Moorings Available • Walking Trails • Waterfront Kayak Shed • Picnic Areas • Abuts Conservation Land

Sherri Dunbar, Realtor sherri@dunhamrealty.com (207) 380-7931

Built for living.

Toll-Free: (877) 209-8414 (207) 539-9600 schiavicustombuilders.com

NOTE FROM AARP MAINE Photography by Japhet Els

I

t is an honor for AARP Maine to collaborate with Maine magazine on the inaugural issue of Ageless Maine, a new publication designed for readers 50 and older. There could not be a better time for this magazine to hit the newsstands in our beloved state. Maine is the oldest state in the nation with a median age of 43, placing us at the forefront of a nationwide demographic shift.

While some focus on the downsides of an older Maine, at AARP we embrace the opportunities these demographics present. We believe in the idea that remarkable, positive opportunities can present themselves later in life. Our founder, a retired school teacher named Ethel Percy Andrus, established AARP 60 years ago when she was 73 years old. A true pioneer and advocate, Dr. Andrus did not put an age limit on her goals or her dreams. She founded our organization because she believed that older people have a higher purpose in society, and that their voices should be heard. She urged retirees to be as active as possible — to pursue new passions, to see the Lori Parham State Director AARP Maine

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AGELESS M A IN E

world, and, most of all, to use their vast skills and experience to serve their communities. “To Serve, Not to Be Served” is the motto she coined for AARP, and this remains the mission we embrace to this day.

Dr. Andrus’s vision—to reimagine the idea of aging in America—is finding a new and exciting voice in Maine.

Each day, Mainers over 50 make a positive impact at the state and local level through entrepreneurship and employment, civic engagement and volunteerism, conservation, arts and music, and more. They confront challenges by offering insights and solutions that further the interests of Mainers of all generations and backgrounds. We have much to learn from individuals who are defying stereotypes and demonstrating every day how they “disrupt aging.” You will see their stories in this issue and in issues to come.

At AARP we believe that no individual’s possibilities should be limited by their age. This is the vision for a truly inclusive and, indeed, Ageless Maine.

Ageless MAINE PUBLISHER & CEO Andrea King CFO Jack Leonardi EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Rebecca Falzano MANAGING EDITOR Susan Axelrod ART DIRECTOR Heidi Kirn

CREATE BIGGER

BRAND

DIRECTOR OF SALES Jeffrey D’Amico ADVERTISING ACCOUNT MANAGERS Karen Bowe, Ryan Hammond, Peter Heinz, Kerry Rasor, Tom Urban, Emily Wedick PRODUCTION MANAGER Nichole Heady DIRECTOR OF EVENTS & EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING Reven Oliver DIRECTOR OF CORPORATE GIVING & VISIBILITY Shelbi Wassick EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Brittany Cost COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Casey Lovejoy OFFICE MANAGER Cyndi Alden CREDIT MANAGER Melissa Olander COPY EDITOR | PROOFREADER Leah Whalen STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Sean Thomas VIDEO PRODUCER Lamia Lazrak WELLNESS EDITOR Dr. Lisa Belisle WRITERS Katy Kelleher, Claire Morin, Debra Spark, Karen Watterson PHOTOGRAPHERS Ted Axelrod, Matt Cosby, Erin Little, Nicole Wolf ART COLLECTOR MAINE Jack Leonardi, Taylor McCafferty, Kendra McDonald, Emma Wilson CIRCULATION MANAGER Sarah Lynn THE BRAND COMPANY Taylor Adams, Chris Kast, Maureen Littlefield LOVE MAINE RADIO WITH DR. LISA BELISLE Spencer Albee, Dr. Lisa Belisle, Brittany Cost, Casey Lovejoy, Shelbi Wassick

BRAND DEVELOPMENT ADVERTISING PRINT + WEB DESIGN SEARCH ENGINE MARKETING SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY MEDIA PLANNING

MAINE MAGAZINE Paul Koenig, Joel Kuschke MAINE HOME+DESIGN Rebecca Falzano, Heidi Kirn OLD PORT MAGAZINE Susan Axelrod, Joel Kuschke MOXIE MAINE MAGAZINE Brittany Cost, Heidi Kirn

Ageless Maine is published six times each year by Maine Media Collective LLC. Editorial and subscription information: phone 207.772.3373 | fax 888.836.6715 16 Middle Street | Suite 501 | Portland | Maine | 04101 Opinions expressed in articles or advertisements, unless otherwise noted, do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the publisher, staff, or advisory board. Every effort has been made to ensure that all information presented in this issue is accurate, and neither Ageless Maine nor any of its staff is responsible for omissions or information that has been misrepresented to the magazine.

Copyright © 2018, Maine Media Collective LLC. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission, in writing, from the publisher. Printed in the U.S.A. themainemag.com

It’s about a new direction. thebrandcompany.me 207.772.3373

EDITOR’S NOTE Photography by Ted Axelrod

O

f the many, many things I love about living in Maine, near the top of the list is that being over 50 does not mean being out of the loop. Maine may have the oldest population in the country, but the older Mainers I know are active and engaged. They are running companies and marathons, leading nonprofits and wilderness treks, creating legislation and art. They may like to knit and read, but they also like to visit breweries and discover new bike routes. Instead of “they,” I should say “we”—I’ll be 57 in May, and still feel like anything and everything is possible.

As a proud member of the over-50 club, I’m especially pleased to have had a hand in creating the inaugural issue of Ageless Maine, and the opportunity to collaborate with the Susan Axelrod Managing Editor

dedicated team at AARP Maine.

Right from our initial brainstorming session, they have been enthusiastic partners, committed to meaningful storytelling and providing yet another example of our company’s favorite hashtag, #relationshipsmatter.

Relationships are at the heart of several stories in this issue.

In providing wood to heat their neighbors’ homes, the Woodchucks of Boothbay have developed lasting friendships (Fuel for Thought, page 28). Residents of the Belfast Cohousing and EcoVillage choose to live in close proximity with others of all ages for both environmental and social reasons. Ten years in, the village “is beginning to feel more and more like a family,” says elder Bill Smith (Tightly Knit, page 60).

“Social participation” is one of

the eight “domains of livability” of Age-Friendly Communities, a global initiative administered in the United States by the AARP. It’s a testament to AARP Maine that our state leads the nation in the number of these communities, which include major cities and small towns like Hallowell (Much in Common, page 38). And while caring for a loved one can be a challenge, Maine caregivers say it can also enrich family relationships, especially when they have a support network (The Hardest Job They’ve Ever Loved, page 50).

I sincerely hope that you find this first issue of Ageless Maine engaging, informative, and inspiring, and that it will leave you eager for more. I’d love to hear your thoughts about what being ageless means to you; email me at saxelrod@themainemag.com.

Ageless MAINE WE LOVE MAINE. We fill our work days creating Maine-centric media products— publishing magazines and guides, producing radio shows, managing social media sites, developing websites, filming videos, producing events—because of this simple tenet. Our staff have stayed here, come back here, or moved here because we love Maine’s rich history, its unique character, and the people who live here, and most important, because we believe in Maine’s potential. We simultaneously love the Maine we grew up in and fully embrace the reality that things change and evolve. And we bear witness to that happening here. We are cheerleaders for Maine as a place for people to live, stay, and thrive—a place for people from away to move to, a place for second homeowners to buy into, a place to raise children, a place to start and operate a business—as well as a place to visit and explore, a place to escape and heal. And, a place to be inspired.

We cover Maine in a positive light. We intentionally leave the negativity and snark to other media outlets. There is a place for everything, and we honor that. But that place is not here.

So if you love Maine, please turn to us with your reading eyes, your listening ears, your follows and your likes, your attendance, and your advertising and sponsorships. Explore what we believe is the best Maine has to offer, on the pages of our magazines and guides, through the airwaves, at events, and via social media.

THIS IS SO MAINE.

Auburn | Augusta | Bailey Island | Bangor | Bar Harbor | Bass Harbor | Bath | Beaver Creek | Belfast | Bethel | Biddeford | Biddeford Pool | Blue Hill | Boothbay | Boothbay Harbor | Brewer | Bridgton | Bristol | Brooklin | Brownfield | Brunswick | Buxton | Camden | Cape Elizabeth | Cape Neddick | Cape Porpoise | Caribou | Carrabassett Valley | Castine | Chebeague Island | Chesterville | Cliff Island | Cornish | Cousins Island | Cumberland | Cushing | Damariscotta | Dayton | Dixfield | Eagle Lake | Eastport | Edgecomb | Ellsworth | Eustis | Fairfield | Falmouth | Fort Kent | Frankfurt | Freedom | Freeport | Frenchboro | Frenchville | Fryeburg | Gardiner | Gray | Great Cranberry Island | Greenville | Hallowell | Harpswell | Harrison | Hermit Island | Hope | Hurricane Island | Isle au Haut | Islesboro | Jewell Island | Kennebunk | Kennebunkport | Kezar Lake | Kingfield | Kittery | Lewiston | Liberty | Limerick | Lincoln | Lincolnville | Lovell | Lubec | Madawaska | Mars Hill | Matinicus Island | Millinocket | Monhegan Island | Monson | Moosehead Lake Region | Mount Desert Island | Newcastle | New Gloucester | Newry | North Haven | Northport | North Yarmouth | Norway | Oakland | Ogunquit | Old Orchard Beach | Oquossoc | Orland | Orono | Otter Creek | Owls Head | Oxford | Peaks Island | Phippsburg | Poland | Port Clyde | Porter | Portland | Pownal | Presque Isle | Prospect | Prospect Harbor | Rangeley | Rockland | Rockport | Rockwood | Rome | Roque Bluffs | Rumford | Saco | Scarborough | Seal Harbor | Searsport | Sebec | Sedgwick | Sinclair | Skowhegan | South Casco | South Freeport | South Portland | Southport | Southwest Harbor | Squirrel Island | St. George | Stockton Springs | Stonington | Stratton | Temple | Tenants Harbor | The Forks | Thomaston | Thorndike | Union | Unity | Veazie | Vinalhaven | Waterville | Wells | Westbrook | Westport Island | Wilton | Windsor | Winterport | Wiscasset | Woolwich | Yarmouth | York

Subscribe | themainemag.com

Ageless Maine is published six times each year by Maine Media Collective LLC

Editorial and subscription information: phone 207.772.3373 | fax 888.836.6715 16 Middle Street | Suite 501 | Portland | Maine | 04101 Opinions expressed in articles or advertisements, unless otherwise noted, do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the publisher, staff, or advisory board. Every effort has been made to ensure that all information presented in this issue is accurate, and neither Ageless Maine nor any of its staff is responsible for omissions or information that has been misrepresented to the magazine. Copyright © 2018, Maine Media Collective LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission, in writing, from the publisher. Printed in the U.S.A. themainemag.com

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WE DELIVER. Subscribe 207 772 3373 themainemag.com/subscribe

Photo by Nicole Wolf

Photo by Heidi Kirn

TALENT

TED AXELROD An editorial and commercial photographer, Ted Axelrod’s favorite assignments are those that tell a story, and getting to know the Woodchucks of Boothbay is a perfect example. Ted has photographed nine cookbooks in various locations around the country, but his favorite kitchen is in the old Yarmouth farmhouse where he lives with his wife, Susan, and their two crazy dogs. (Fuel for Thought, page 28)

DEBRA SPARK Debra Spark is a novelist, professor at Colby College, and instructor in the MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College. For the past eight years, she has been lucky enough to travel the state, writing about homes for Maine Home+Design and Old Port.

She lives in North Yarmouth with her son, Aidan, and her husband, the painter Garry Mitchell. (The Hardest Job They’ve Ever Loved, page 50)

CLARE MORIN Clare Morin is a writer and editor based in the woods north of Portland. She was born in Lancashire, England, raised in Hong Kong, and has lived in Maine since 2009. She knows she will never really be a Mainer, a Hongkonger, or a Lancastrian—but as a Buddhist meditator, she is happy in that space of transience. (Much in Common, page 38)

CHRIS KAST A brand strategist for The Brand Co., Chris Kast and his husband Byron Bartlett had a blast exploring Stonington and Deer Isle for this issue’s 48HRS feature (page 18). After spending almost 58 years on this planet—30 of them right here in Maine—Chris still feels (and sometimes acts) like a teenager, and loves to learn and explore. “Isn’t that what being ageless is all about?” he says.

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AGELESS M A IN E

Ageless MAINE WE GIVE BACK. At Maine Media Collective our mission is to make a substantial and unique contribution to supporting Maine’s nonprofit community statewide, regionally, and at the town level. We believe that the work Maine’s nonprofit organizations do, individually and collectively, makes our lives better and Maine a better place to live. With limited budgets, Maine’s nonprofits need help boosting awareness of their specific causes and raising the funds they need. We have established long-term relationships with over 120 nonprofits and community-based organizations. We give to these organizations by providing, free of charge, services ranging from advertising to graphic design, brand development, marketing advice, online announcements, and social media engagement. We often include nonprofit organizations in our editorial coverage through feature articles and/or recaps of their events.

You’ll find the latter in our “There + Then,” “Turnout,” and “Gather” sections.

Over the past year, MMC has made cash and in-kind donations and services of more than:

WANT TO KNOW WHERE TO EAT AROUND MAINE? KEEP UP WITH EAT MAINE. (YES IT’S THAT EASY.)

themainemag.com + @eatmaine

$1,930,463 WE ARE PROUD OF OUR AFFILIATION WITH THE FOLLOWING ORGANIZATIONS: 317 Main Community Music Center | American Diabetes Association | AIA Maine | Alfond Youth Center of Waterville | American Lung Association | Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital | Bayside Bowl | Bicycle Coalition of Maine | Biddeford Ball | Biddeford/Saco Rotary Club | Boothbay Harbor Fest | Boothbay Region Chamber of Commerce | Boothbay Region Land Trus | Boys & Girls Club of Southern Maine | Bowdoin International Music Festival | Camden Garden Club | Camden International Film Festiva | Camden Opera House | Camp Sunshine | Camp Susan Curtis | Cape Elizabeth Education Foundation | Cape Elizabeth Land Trust | Casco Bay Islands SwimRun | Castine Arts Association | CEI | Center for Furniture Craftsmanship | Center for Grieving Children | Colby Museum of Art | Cross Insurance Center | Dempsey Challenge | Easter Seals Maine | Elias Cup | Environmental Health Strategy Center | Faily Hope | Farnsworth Art Museum | Fort Williams Park Foundation | Frannie Peabody Center | Friends of Casco Bay | Friends of Windjammer Days | Full Plates Full Potential | Georges River Land Trust | Gulf of Maine Research Institute | Good Shepherd Food Bank | Goodwill of Northern New England | Greater Portland Land Marks | GrowSmart Maine | Harbor House | Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project | Institute for Family Owned Business | Junior Achievement of Maine | Junior League of Portland | Kennebunk Free Library | Kennebunkport Conservation Trust | Kennebunks Tour de Cure | Kittery Block Party | L/A Arts | Life Flight of Maine | Lift360 | Maine Academy of Modern Music | Maine Audubon | Maine Cancer Foundation | Maine Center for Creativity | Maine Children’s Cancer Program | Maine College of Art | Maine Crafts Association | Maine Development Foundation | Maine Discovery Museum | Maine Flower Shower | Maine Interior Design Association | Maine Island Trail Association | Maine Jewish Film Festival | Maine Lobster Festival | Maine Preservation | Maine Restaurant Association | Maine Science Festival | Maine Start Up and Create Week | Maine State Ballet | Make-A-Wish Foundation of Maine | March of Dimes | Mercy/ Gary's House | MEREDA | Mitchell Institute | Museums of Old York | MyPlace Teen Center |Natural Resources Council of Maine | New England Craft Brew Summit | North Atlantic Blues festival | Ogunquit Museum of American Art | Ogunquit Playhouse | Osher Map Library | Passivhaus Maine | Portland Downtown | Portland Museum of Art | Portland Ovations | Portland Symphony Orchestra | Portland Trails | PORTopera | Portland Stage Education Programming | Ronald McDonald House Charities | Royal River Land Trust | SailMaine | Salt Bay Chamberfest | Scarborough Education Foundation | Share Our Strength | sheJAMS | Strive | Talking Art in Maine | TEDxDirigo/Treehouse | Teens to Trails | Travis Mills Foundation | The Strand Theatre | The Telling Room | United Way of Greater Portland | University of Maine Gardens | Viles Arboretum | Vinegar Hill Music Theater | Wayfinder Schools | Wells Reserve at Laudholm | Wendell Gilley Museum | WinterKids | Wolfe's Neck Farm | Woodlawn Museum | Yarmouth History Center

Subscribe | themainemag.com Ageless Maine is published six times each year by Maine Media Collective LLC Editorial and subscription information: phone 207.772.3373 | fax 888.836.6715 16 Middle Street | Suite 501 | Portland | Maine | 04101 Opinions expressed in articles or advertisements, unless otherwise noted, do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the publisher, staff, or advisory board. Every effort has been made to ensure that all information presented in this issue is accurate, and neither Ageless Maine nor any of its staff is responsible for omissions or information that has been misrepresented to the magazine. Copyright © 2018, Maine Media Collective LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission, in writing, from the publisher. Printed in the U.S.A. themainemag.com

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PORTLAND

Woodford F&B

For every Age, For every Shape, For every Body.

92 Exchange Street

|

207-842-6000

|

Aristelle.com Š Christy Beltrami-Yager

NOTABLE HAPPENINGS

AARP Maine sponsors monthly gatherings at breweries, cafes, and other locations around Maine.

AUGUSTA COFFEE KLATSCH 3.21 & 4.18 | 8–10 a.m. | Lisa’s Restaurant & Catering Third Wednesday of every month BREWER ON-TAP 3.8 & 4.12 | 4:30–6:30 p.m. | Tasting Room at Geaghan Pub & Craft Brewery Second Thursday of every month

www.falmouthsea.com After a hospital stay, we know your goal is to return home and it is our job to get you there. Our highly qualified Skilled/Rehab Team will work together to get you back home, doing the things you enjoy as soon as possible.

DOVER-FOXCROFT COFFEE 3.27 & 4.24 | 10–11:30 a.m. | The Mill Café Last Tuesday of every month

5 Star Deficiency Free Facility Over 40 Years of Experience Newly Renovated Accommodations

LEWISTON ON-TAP 3.29 & 4.26 |4:30–6:30 p.m. | Baxter Brewing Co. Fourth Thursday of every month PORTLAND COFFEE 3.2 & 4.6 | 8:30–10 a.m. | AARP Maine State Office First Friday of every month TUESDAYS AT THE STATE HOUSE Through April 17, the AARP is encouraging members to get involved in local politics by organizing Tuesday visits to the State House 3.6–4.17 | 9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. | Cross Building at the State House | Augusta FREE SHREDDING AND MEDICATION DISPOSAL In April, AARP Maine is offering free document shredding and medication disposal in Bangor, Portland, and Augusta

www.foresideharbor.com If you are in need of additional support with housekeeping, personal assistance, medication management, and want to maintain some independence, consider us your new home.

4.27 | 7 a.m.–2 p.m. | Bangor Airport Mall | Bangor 4.28 |10 a.m.–2 p.m. | Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office | Augusta 4.28 | 10 a.m.–2 p.m. | Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office | Portland

28 Private Assisted Living Apts.

Spectacular Ocean View 2 Hours of Personal Care Included

For additional events and information, visit aarp.org/me.

Call: 207-781-4714 ext 229 for more information and to schedule a tour 191 Foreside Road Falmouth, Maine 04105

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48HRS

Stonington and Deer Isle in 48 Hours

By Chris Kast, Brand Strategist, The Brand Co. WHERE WE STAYED The Inn on the Harbor

WHERE WE ATE

The Inn on the Harbor Stonecutters Kitchen Harbor Café

WHAT WE DID

Explored the town Shopped the Dry Dock Visited Nervous Nellie’s Jams and Jellies Explored Haystack Mountain School of Crafts Hiked Barred Island Preserve

FOR OUR NEXT TRIP LODGING IDEAS Boyce’s Motel Goose Cove Resort

Next month I will turn 58—as my kids like to say, I have one shoulder on the door of 60. It’s really hard for me to get my head around the fact that I’ve become a man of a “certain age,” when inside, I still feel young, vital, and full of adventure. So I was quite honored when I was asked to do the first 48 Hours trip for Ageless Maine because quite honestly, I do feel ageless. The years I have under my belt are just numbers on paper because I still have a well-developed sense of adventure and discovery, and I look forward to many more years of both.

F R I DAY AFTERNOON The journey begins We point our car north on a typical November afternoon, looking forward to exploring a part of Maine where we’ve never spent much time. These two coastal towns are bustling hubs in the summer but when the colder months begin to settle in, they get back to their slower, steadier Maine pace.

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AGELESS M A IN E

DINING IDEAS

Aragosta 44 North Café The Cockatoo Portuguese Restaurant Whale’s Rib Tavern

PLACES TO VISIT & ACTIVITIES Stonington Opera House Old Quarry Ocean Adventures Owl Furniture Devta Doolan Studio Kingman Gallery The Turtle Gallery Christine York Gallery Jill Hoy Gallery J McVeigh Jewelry

We cross the Deer Isle–Sedgwick Bridge from the Blue Hill peninsula and arrive on Deer Isle, where we make it a point to stop at John Wilkinson’s studio on Church Street. He greets us warmly and takes us on a tour of his studio, which is filled with a breathtaking array of sculpture he creates from stone, concrete, epoxy, paint, and found objects. It’s hard to describe the breadth of his body of work other than to say it is nothing short of incredible.

After leaving John’s studio, we make a quick stop at the Coldwater Seafood Market where we have a chat with

smokehouse manager Debbie Field and pick up some smoked mussels marinated in garlic and olive oil—these will go quite well with the martinis we have planned for later.

Pulling into Stonington, the first thing we notice is how calm and quiet the streets are. We walk into the Inn on the Harbor and are immediately enveloped by the incredible aroma coming from the kitchen. Dana Durst, who runs the Inn with her husband Jay Brown, is making a batch of granola; she greets us with a smile and shows us to our room. Oh, and what a room it is: king-sized bed; picture

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1. A sunny day on the water in Stonington. 2. An incredible burger from Stonecutters Kitchen. 3. Welcome to Stonington.

windows looking right out on the harbor where we can watch the lobster boats coming and going; comfortable lounge chairs; and, yes, a working fireplace.

Here Byron and I tuck into what has to be the freshest fried seafood platter we’ve ever had. We leave happy, looking forward to a great night’s sleep and weekend of adventure.

EVENING Part of the community

SAT U R DAY

We get some ice, make the aforementioned martinis, nibble our smoked mussels, and watch the sun slowly set as the boats unload their day’s catch.

MORNING Starting the day right

Since it’s closing in on dinnertime, Byron and I wander over to the Harborview Store and Stonecutters Kitchen to see about dinner. The place is buzzing; it’s as if everyone in town has turned out for a fundraiser where lobster traps by the Friendship Trap Company are the prizes for the day. We feel that we’ve stepped into the heart of the community.

But since the place is so packed, we decide to head elsewhere for dinner and take a short walk to the Harbor Café.

We hit the Inn’s very cozy dining area early. Dana greets us with espresso and we eat our way through the buffet she’s laid out—deviled eggs, breakfast bruschetta, French toast casserole, and her incredible granola. Since many of the area businesses are seasonal, we know that this will be a weekend of outdoor exploring and walking so we need our sustenance.

After breakfast, we stroll Main Street and wander the docks to watch the lobster boats get ready for a day on the water. It’s quite a sight to see, giving me

pause as I consider the rugged jobs these people have, and feeling gratitude for being able to see it firsthand.

We stop in to poke around the Dry Dock, owned by Jan Cook, a store full of fashion and whimsy. We spend a good 15 minutes laughing at the selection of greeting cards on display and pick up a few to add to our collection.

It’s a short drive back to Deer Isle to the much-talked-about Nervous Nellie’s Jams and Jellies. Owned and operated by found object sculptor Peter Beerits and his wife Anne, the property is so much more than home to a jam company.

Over the years Peter has built a Westernstyle town complete with a juke joint, a blacksmith shop, garage, and a church.

Each structure is “occupied” by life-sized sculptures of people dressed in clothes of the era. At the back of the sprawling property, Peter is working on a Grail Castle sculpture based on King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.

We spend a good two hours chatting

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with him, wandering the property, and marveling at the work that has gone into creating such a magical place.

Our next stop is at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts. While it is closed for the season, we walk the grounds and have our breath taken away by the beauty of the campus and the views from this shoreline center—arguably one of the country’s most notable artists’ retreats. When Haystack is open for visitors during the season, if you go, it’s important to stay on the visitor paths and not disturb the artists. They are there for the solitude that fuels their creativity.

AFTERNOON Exploring on foot Back on Main Street in Stonington, we stop for lunch at the Stonecutters Kitchen while we plan our afternoon hike.

We get directions and follow them to the Barred Island Preserve, after stopping at a nearby Quick Stop to pick up blaze orange hats and vests. It is hunting season and we have been warned to not hike in the woods without orange. Sage advice.

When we get to the trailhead we find ourselves in luck: not only is there parking, but it’s getting to be low tide, which bodes well for what we are about

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to experience. The hike—which is more of a rigorous two-mile walk—winds through the woods and puts you on a sand bar that, at low tide, allows you to walk over to Barred Island. It’s an amazing spot to gaze out into the ocean; it makes us feel fortunate to be able to enjoy such an incredible place in Maine.

The walk is truly one of the highlights of our trip.

EVENING Feeling like we belong It’s beginning to rain and we head back to the Inn where we light a fire, make a cocktail, and, again, watch in amazement as the boats unload their day’s catch under the lights. Truly a sight to see and something we will never forget.

Since the restaurant we were going to try in Blue Hill is closed in the fall, we decide to have another meal at the Stonecutters Kitchen and are not disappointed. The menu is casual pub fare—pizza, burgers, sandwiches, fish and chips—and very tasty, and we feel immediately like we belong. Even in the off-season, Stonington and Deer Isle are wonderfully welcoming places to spend time. While the location and scenery are indeed picturesque, it’s the people who really give the place its charm.

S U N DAY MORNING A difficult place to leave behind We can’t resist one more breakfast at the Inn and Dana greets us again with her amazing buffet. She makes it a point to tell us that both Deer Isle and Stonington are great places to live, and that when the summer months are here, they are abuzz with people from all over.

She also lets it slip that it’s her 60th birthday. I’m taken aback because not only am I closing in on that number, she oozes youthful energy that is as happy as it is contagious.

We say our goodbyes and take a slow, meandering drive through Deer Isle and then to Blue Hill. We are absolutely thrilled to have had the opportunity to visit at a time when we were able to get to know the area, meet the people who live there, and drink in the awe-inspiring beauty of a place that is not overly commercialized. As the saying goes, “It doesn’t get any more Maine than this.”

We so look forward to a return trip.

3

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wellsfargoadv Susan Pye, CFP®, CDFA® Financial Advisor Vice President - Investments Two Portland Square Portland, ME 04101 Direct: (207) 776-6251 Susan.Pye@wellsfargoadvisors.com https://home.wellsfargoadvisors.com/Susan.Pye

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Susan Pye, CFP®,Products: CDFA® u NOT FDIC Insured u NO Bank Guarantee u MAY Lose Value Investment and Insurance Susan Pye, CFP®, CDFA® Financial Advisor Susan Pye, CFP®, CDFA® Financial Advisor Vice President - Investments Wells Fargo Advisors is a trade name used

by Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC, Member SIPC, a registered broker-dealer and non-bank ailiate of Wells Fargo & Two Portland Company. © 2017 Wells Fargo ClearingSquare Services, LLC. All rights reserved.

Vice President - Investments Financial Advisor Portland, ME 04101 Two Portland Square Direct: (207) 776-6251 Susan Pye, CFP®,MECDFA® Susan.Pye@wellsfargoadvisors.com Vice President - Investments Portland, 04101 https://home.wellsfargoadvisors.com/Susan.Pye FinancialDirect: Advisor(207) 776-6251 Two Portland Square Vice President - Investments Susan Pye, CFP®, CDFA® Susan.Pye@wellsfargoadvisors.com Investment and Insurance Products: u NOT FDIC Insured u NO Bank Guarantee u MAY Lose Value Two Portland Square Financial Advisor Portland, ME 04101 https://home.wellsfargoadvisors.com/Susan.Pye Wells Fargo Advisors is a trade name used by Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC, Member SIPC, a registered broker-dealer and non-bank ailiate of Wells Fargo & President Portland, ME 04101 Company. © 2017 Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC.Vice All rights reserved. - Investments Direct: (207) 776-6251 1117-01219 Two Portland Square Direct: (207) 776-6251 u MAY Investment and Insurance Products: u NOT FDIC Insured u NO Bank Guarantee Lose Value Portland, ME 04101 Susan.Pye@wellsfargoadvisors.com Susan.Pye@wellsfargoadvisors.com Direct: (207) 776-6251 https://home.wellsfargoadvisors.com/Susan.Pye Wells Fargo Advisors is a trade name used by Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC, Member SIPC, a registered broker-dealer and https://home.wellsfargoadvisors.com/Susan.Pye non-bank ailiate of Wells Fargo & Susan.Pye@wellsfargoadvisors.com Company. © 2017 Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC. All rights reserved. https://home.wellsfargoadvisors.com/Susan.Pye 1117-01219

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Wells Fargo Advisors and your dedicated Financial Advisor will help you look at situations with a fresh perspective, and to find the Unlocks that may make your way forward clearer. It’s these relationships that have led so many clients to trust us with their assets and their futures.

wellsfargoadvisors.com

Wells Fargo Advisors is a trade name used by Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC, Member SIPC, a registered broker-dealer and non-bank ailiate ofInsured Wells Fargou&NO Bank Guarantee u MAY Lose Value u NOT Investment and Insurance Products: FDIC u NOT FDIC Insured u NO Bank Guarantee u M Investment and Insurance Products: Company. © 2017 Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC. All rights reserved.

Wells Fargo Advisors is a trade name used by Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC, Member SIPC, a registered broker-dealer and non-bank ailiate1117-01219 of Wells Fargo & Company. © 2017 Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC. All rights reserved.

Wells Fargo Advisors is a trade name used by Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC, Member SIPC, a registered broker-deale

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THIS IS SO MAINE.

WE DELIVER. Subscribe 207 772 3373 themainemag.com/subscribe

5 1. One of Peter Beerits’s sculptures on the grounds of his Deer Isle business, Nervous Nellie’s Jams and Jellies. 2. The view of Stonington Harbor from a room at the aptly named Inn on the Harbor. 3. Color and whimsy as far as the eye can see at the Dry Dock. 4. The Stonington Opera House looks out over the harbor. 5. A stunning view from the campus of the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts.

21

Susan Pye, CFP®, CDFA® Financial Advisor Vice President - Investments Two Portland Square Portland, ME 04101 Direct: (207) 776-6251 Susan.Pye@wellsfargoadvisors.com https://home.wellsfargoadvisors.com/Susan.Pye

1117-01219

We call it an Unlock.

A realization that can reveal a better path forward.

Wells Fargo Advisors is a trade name used by Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC, Member SIPC, a registered broker-dealer and non-bank ailiate of Wells Fargo & Company. © 2017 Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC. All rights reserved.

Investment and Insurance Products: u NOT FDIC Insured u NO Bank Guarantee u MAY Lose Value

Susan Pye, CFP®, CDFA® Financial Advisor Vice President - Investments Two Portland Square Portland, ME 04101 Direct: (207) 776-6251 Susan.Pye@wellsfargoadvisors.com https://home.wellsfargoadvisors.com/Susan.Pye

Wells Fargo Advisors is a trade name used by Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC, Member SIPC, a registered broker-dealer and non-bank ailiate of Wells Fargo & 3952779 AD0001C Company. © 2017 Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC. All rights reserved.

Company. © 2017 Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC. All rights reserved.

WELLNESS This page: Avid cyclist Julie Houck rides her bike along Sligo Road in Yarmouth. Opposite page: To track her workouts, Houck uses the Garmin Edge 500 GPS bike computer, uploading the data it collects to the Strava app on her desktop computer.

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FIT Tech Wristbands and apps are helping Mainers achieve fitness at every age.

By Dr. Lisa Belisle >>> Photography by Matt Cosby

Houck’s bike computer measures distance, speed, time, calories burned, and changes in elevation.

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“

“IS

that a smart watch?” inquires my patient, looking at the pink band around my wrist.

As if on cue, the previously dark face of the timepiece comes to life, suggesting that I should get up and take a few steps.

The woman, a retired schoolteacher, shows me the fitness band on her own arm. “Mine does the same thing. It’s good to have. It keeps me motivated.” Being sedentary puts us at risk for chronic problems, like diabetes and obesity, as well as increasing our chance of early death. Popular “wearable technology” from companies like Fitbit, Apple, Jawbone, Garmin, Polar, Misfit and others—as well as “apps” like Strava and MapMyFitness on the smartphones that we carry—can help Mainers of all ages stay active and reach their fitness goals.

A lifelong runner, I’ve used everything from Garmin GPS monitors to an Apple watch to monitor my mileage and other statistics. I’m not alone. The use of wearable fitness and wellness technology around the world is growing at a rate of 32 percent a year, according to the consulting firm IHS Markit. By 2020, IHS estimates that we will spend $11.2 billion on this technology—nearly double what we spent in 2017. Studies published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that these devices have a positive effect on people’s health behaviors.

Some insurance companies now provide financial incentives to those who use fitness bands. Researchers have also gained a wealth of information about our habits through the “personally generated health data”—like steps taken, stairs climbed, and hours slept—captured by this technology.

Linda Coakley uses a Fitbit fitness

wristband to help her stay motivated. “I love how it vibrates when I am sitting too long, so I get up and move around. I wear it 24/7,” she says. In 2015, Coakley retired from the Kennebunk Center for Dentistry, where she worked at the front desk for 22 years. She has increased her exercise now that she has more free time. “I know it is important to have daily physical activity to stay healthy,” she says. Four to five times a week, she goes to Quest Fitness in Saco, where she has been a member since 2012. “I work out more to feel stronger,” says Coakley.

“YOU NEED TO KNOW WHERE YOU ARE AND WHAT YOUR BODY IS DOING.” –Julie Houck When Coakley is not at the gym, she enjoys walking on Kennebunk Beach.

“The coastline is special. Maine has so many beautiful places to visit, and so much to do.” According to her Fitbit, Coakley takes more than 5,000 steps daily. “It has become my favorite piece of jewelry,” she says.

North Yarmouth artist Julie Houck also uses technology to stay fit. She has been an athlete her entire life—she ran middledistance marathons and 10Ks in college when running was not yet a popular pastime for women—and has adjusted her workouts over the years. “As you get older, you can’t just rely on your youth to carry you through, and you can’t take your body for granted,” says Houck, who was previously a freelance photographer and

is now a fine art painter. She primarily exercised at a gym until 2011, when she decided to try cycling. Calling it her “rolling meditation,” Houck particularly enjoys a route that takes her out to New Gloucester. “When you get into the zone, everything drops away. It’s just you, the road, and your bike. You feel the air on your face unlike when you are in a car.”

She uses the Garmin Edge 500 GPS bike computer and uploads the data to the Strava app on her computer. Along with TrainingPeaks software, the data helps her to plan workouts and track her cycling progress.

Strava provides Houck with a lot of information—including speed, time, route elevation, and miles ridden. “The feedback tells you that you are getting better, stronger, and faster,” she notes.

The app also enables her to see when she is getting tired, through her heart rate measurements and power data. “You need to know where you are and what your body is doing,” she says. “If you do overtrain, you can go into a descending spiral and it is difficult to get back on track.” Even when she doesn’t get out on her bike, Houck doesn’t often take days off entirely. She regularly fits in a yin yoga class at Riverbend Yoga and Meditation Studio in Yarmouth, and also does Pilates in addition to working out at Barsculpt in Portland. “I have the core strength of someone much younger,” says Houck, who points out that core strength is important for maintaining balance while on a bike.

Keeping her body healthy—and using the training plans she develops using technology—has allowed Houck to tackle some challenging terrain. She has ridden

From top: In her home office, Houck can combine the data collected by her Garmin bike computer with the Strava app and Training Peaks software to keep track of her performance and plan future rides. In addition to riding near her home in North Yarmouth, Houck also gets out on her bike in Hawaii, where she spends the winter.

six iconic climbs that are famous among cyclists for being part of the Tour de France, and has also ridden in mountainous Piedmont, Italy. This year she and her partner, industrial designer and cyclist Andrew Dunne, hope to bike the coastline of California. But Houck, who spends much of the winter in Hawaii where she previously lived full time, doesn’t need to travel the globe to find happiness. “Maine’s a great state to take advantage of the outdoors,” she says.

“There is something for everybody here.”

There is also something for everybody when it comes to wearable technology and fitness apps.

From counting steps taken while on a beach walk to measuring our heart rates while cycling up a steep hill, we now have access to our own data like never before. This information can help us reach our goals and stay motivated to be healthy, no matter how many years we have lived.

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Get to know your neighbors.

LAUREN WAYNE

PODCAST

#329

Lauren Wayne is the general manager and talent buyer for Crobo, which owns and operates the State Theatre and Port City Music Hall, and the company is the promotor for concerts at Thompson's Point. She promotes more than 260 concerts in Portland every year.

JESSICA JORDAN

PODCAST

#332

Jessica Jordan was 34 and recently engaged when she was diagnosed with stage-two breast cancer. She went through almost a year of treatment and was only two months out of radiation when her mother passed suddenly from a pulmonary embolism. In honor of her mother, Jordan completed the Tri for a Cure in July and was the race's top fundraiser with $63,000 in donations.

ROB SNYDER

PODCAST

#333

As president of the Island Institute, Rob Snyder is responsible for working with island and coastal leaders in Maine to identify and invest in innovative approaches to community sustainability.

He oversees the Institute's efforts to share solutions with communities that are experiencing similar sustainability challenges.

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Love Maine Radio introduces you to our neighbors, one conversation at a time. Hear what they have to say.

Welcome to our community.

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PROFILE

Fuel for Thought How much wood can these Woodchucks chuck?

Enough to keep their neighbors warm all winter.

By Susan Axelrod Photography by Ted Axelrod

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Donated wood split and stacked by the Woodchucks dries in a Quonset hut at the Public Works Department lot in Boothbay. A group of volunteers operating under the auspices of the Boothbay Region Community Resource Council, the Woodchucks collect, split, stack, and deliver wood to area residents in need, who use it to heat their homes.

This page: Some of the members of the Woodchucks, from left: John Underwood, Seth Barker, Harry Dudley, Ben Borkowski, Denny Wilson, Bill Smith, Doug Fowle, Shawn Lewin, Barclay Shepard, and Lewin’s dog, Bear. Opposte page: The Woodchucks are organized under the Boothbay Region Community Resource Council.

On a brisk, blue-sky Saturday morning in November, a group of men in insulated, well-worn work clothes stands atop a sprawling woodpile at the back of the Boothbay Public Works Department lot. Chatting and joking with each other, they pick up logs in their gloved hands, transferring them to a rattling conveyer belt, which loads the logs into the bed of a dump truck. When the truck is full, the wood will be delivered free of charge to someone nearby, who—without the fuel to fill their woodstove—would not be able to heat their home.

Called the Woodchucks, the group operates one of the oldest wood banks in Maine, and most of its 18 or so volunteer members are retirees. Boothbay native Bill Smith had been retired from Bath Iron Works for nearly two decades when

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he read a notice about the Woodchucks in the Boothbay Register eight years ago.

“I had two wood splitters that I built from scratch just sitting there most of the time,” he says. Smith is the Woodchucks’ MacGyver; in addition to the splitters, he fashioned the log-loading contraption from an old hay conveyor. “I thought it would be a good way to get some exercise and I love working with wood,” he says of his involvement with the group.

Barclay Shepard, who at 91 can still wield a chainsaw, was a U.S. Navy surgeon, then worked at the Veterans Administration, leading the investigation into the adverse health effects of Agent Orange, the herbicide used during the Vietnam War. Born in Boothbay, he lived until the age of 12 in Istanbul, Turkey, where his physician father established the American

hospital. “I’ve always been interested in the community,” says Shepard, who serves as the group’s scribe. “I like the outdoors and it’s a good way to get to know people.”

Boothbay area residents can reach out to the Woodchucks to remove trees that have fallen down on their properties, or to fell trees, as long as there are no buildings or wires to contend with. “We’re very careful with what we do in terms of taking down trees,” says Shepard, adding that the group takes hardwood only, not soft wood such as pine, which burns very fast and can cause chimney fires.

The wood bank concept is growing in the state, where wood is often used as a supplemental—as well as the sole— heating source, and long winters can force those who live on fixed or limited incomes

“I thought it would be a good way to get some exercise and I love working with wood.”

—Bill Smith

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From left: Borkowski pulls logs off the conveyor into the truck, while Lewin, Dudley, and Wilson load them onto the machine, which Smith rigged out of an old hay conveyor.

This page: Harry Dudley retired to the Boothbay area following a career in education in Massachusetts. He and his wife Gail founded the Landmark School, which serves children with language-based learning disabilities. Opposite page: Seth Barker is a marine biologist who, after retiring from the Maine Department of Marine Resources, launched a sea farm to grow kelp.

to choose between heating their homes or putting dinner on their tables. One in eight Maine homes is heated primarily with wood, while two-thirds of the state’s households heat with oil, making the state the most petroleum-dependent in the country and especially vulnerable to price spikes, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Operating much like a food bank, a wood bank’s volunteer members collect and/ or harvest donated wood, then split, season, and store it before distributing ready-to-burn logs to local homeowners in need. So far this heating season, the Woodchucks have delivered 40 cords of wood to 35 area households, the list of which its parent agency, the Boothbay Region Community Resource Council, keeps strictly confidential. Most Maine wood banks operate under the auspices of a similar community organization; for example, the Cumberland Wood Bank is run by the Cumberland Congregational Church, while the wood bank in Camden is a program of the Vets Helping Vets support group. Maine also has wood banks in Waldo County, Bucksport, and Penobscot, all maintained by volunteers.

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From spring through just before the holidays, or the first snowfall, the Woodchucks meet at the Public Works lot on Tuesday and Saturday mornings.

“We usually get between four and 12 people,” says Smith. “Whoever shows up is great.” This morning, Mark Phillips and his 11-year-old son, Evan, are stacking wood in a Quonset hut at the edge of the lot. Sometimes, personnel from the U.S. Coast Guard station in Boothbay Harbor turn up, or local students, fulfilling the community service hours required for graduation.

“We had eight kids and two teachers— they stacked 12 cords of wood in three hours,” Smith says.

As members of the Woodchucks arrive today, they’re directed to a sympathy card waiting for signatures on the tailgate of Smith’s truck. One of the group’s founding members, Maurice Landemare, has recently passed away and the card will be sent to his wife. “He was my dentist and we sang in the choir together,” says Shepard, explaining that it was Landemare who invited him to join the Woodchucks. “He and Henry Rowe started the whole thing back in

2008.” Rowe, who is not in the group today, retired from the CIA after a career as an electronic engineer designing spy gadgets. Other Woodchucks members have equally colorful stories. Marine biologist Seth Barker launched Maine Fresh Sea Farms after retiring from the Maine Department of Marine Resources.

He and a partner grow seaweed in the Damariscotta River, supplying 16 restaurants and a brewery with kelp and dulse. Harry Dudley and his wife, Gail, founded the Landmark School in Massachusetts, which provides specialized education for children with language-based learning disabilities.

“What I love is sitting down and having quiet time to hear the stories,” says Doug Fowle, a wooden boat builder who has volunteered with the Woodchucks for four years. “To find all these connections is a wonderful thing, and the guys have all this energy.” The commitment and enthusiasm of its members also garners the group significant community support. In December 2017, the Rotary Club of Boothbay Harbor and the Boothbay Civic Association each provided half of $13,000 for the purchase

Clockwise: Smith delivers a load of wood. Bear pitches in to help. A Boothbay native and the Woodchucks’ chief organizer, Bill Smith retired from Bath Iron Works nearly 20 years ago.

of a new log loader, which allows the Woodchucks to pick up logs up to 10 feet long and transfer them to the splitter. “I went on a joy ride to dodge the traffic in Wiscasset and passed one for sale,” says Smith with characteristic dry wit. “I brought it up at a meeting and in two weeks we had the money. We can do two to three times the amount of work we could with our muscles, which are wearing out because we’re so damned old.” While the new equipment will make the work easier, efficiency, and age, isn’t necessarily the point.

“I think it’s about the idea of volunteerism—it’s something I can do—and the camaraderie,” says Barker. “It’s a matter of many hands.” To echo the familiar saying, the Woodchucks’ hands make light work, and life better, for their fellow Mainers.

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Much in Common Maine is emerging as a national leader in the Age-Friendly Communities initiative. Â

By Clare Morin Photography by Sean Thomas

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Opposite page: Snow clouds gather in the hills of Bethel, Maine. This mountain village in the west of the state is blazing a trail for AARP’s nationwide age-friendly initiative, innovating the very way that rural communities approach the program. This page: Hanging in the Portland office of AARP State Director Lori Parham, this map shows the 44 age-friendly communities in the state—and where each program is in its multiyear journey.

This page: One of the goals of the age-friendly communities initiative is to make outdoor spaces more inclusive for people of all ages. Spanning the Androscoggin River, this bridge is a part of the Bethel Pathway, which serves as a snowmobile, cross-country ski, and snowshoe trail in the winter and a walking path for the rest of the year. Opposite page: Al Cressy, chair of the Bethel Region Age-Friendly Advisory Committee.

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W

hen Al and Jackie Cressy first closed their bed and breakfast in Bethel in 2014, they found themselves feeling unmoored, like they were drifting into uncertain new territory. For the first 15 years of their retirement, they had run Rivendell House, a B&B named after the Elven realm in Tolkien’s Middle-earth that had welcomed a steady stream of leaf peepers, skiers, and hikers to this idyllic part of western Maine. But heading into their 70s, they felt they were losing their roles in the wider community.

The Cressys found themselves discussing the issue of aging with their friends, passing around books such as Being Mortal by the Boston-based surgeon Atul Gawande. Its questions about the failing modern health care system and the flawed mindset we bring to the aging process resonated with the doubts circling their minds. The following spring, Jackie and her friend Rosabelle Tifft attended a meeting organized by AARP Maine that changed the course of their lives—as well as the lives of residents throughout the Bethel area. The meeting was about the organization’s Network of AgeFriendly Communities, an affiliate of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Age-Friendly Cities and Communities Program—an international effort launched in 2006 to help cities prepare for rapid population aging and urbanization. Jackie and Rosabelle came home that night energized and deeply inspired. What if they were to help get Bethel involved in this program and make it a better place for everyone to age in?

Three years later, Bethel has emerged as a trailblazing model of livability in the United States. It is pioneering a new “regional model,” changing the very

way that the WHO imagines the ways in which rural communities can become more age-friendly. Al has become the chair of the Bethel Region Age-Friendly Advisory Committee, organizing a group of 55 joyful volunteers. “As a retiree for 20 years, I feel it’s important to be able do something that makes a difference,” he says. “The bottom line for both of us in all of this is our sense of satisfaction— that we’re really helping to make a difference in our towns. We aren’t going to solve all problems overnight. But we do small things. And some people begin to notice what’s happening. And they get excited.”

Preparing for an Aging World The planet’s population is aging.

According to WHO estimates, the number of people aged 60 or older will rise from 900 million in 2015 to two billion in 2050; that’s a shift from representing 12 percent of the world’s population to 22 percent. There were 46 million people aged 65 or older in the U.S. in 2017 and that number is projected to climb to 73 million over the next 15 years.

“Aging in place” is the key concept behind the livable communities initiative, explains Lori Parham, the state director for AARP Maine. It’s about reacting to the new reality by building communities that are far more healthy, intergenerational, and caring. “If you survey people over 50, they overwhelmingly will tell you that they want to grow old in their home or community where they live,” she says. “They don’t want to end up in a nursing home. As it turns out, Mainers across generations want many of the same things, and AARP Maine has been working to build communities where people of all ages can prosper.”

The idea makes economic sense.

According to data compiled by Oxford Economics and AARP, the “longevity

economy”—defined as the sum of all economic activity serving the needs of Mainers over 50—accounted for 52 percent of Maine’s total GDP in 2013, a whopping $29 billion. Economic activity includes the likes of health care, employment, and tech purchases. “These people tend to give more charitably, they pay more taxes, they volunteer more hours, and they’re supporting the local economy,” says Parham. “The example I use all over the place is my grandmother and the beauty shop she went to once a week. The longer older Mainers are able to be active and connected, the more they can contribute to local economies and participate in civic life.”

How to Build an Age-Friendly Community

The age-friendly community initiative focuses on helping people age in place by making the infrastructure and services of a community more inclusive.

It’s a multiyear program based on the “eight domains of livability:” outdoor spaces and buildings made accessible for people of all ages; transportation options; housing that helps people age in place; social participation; respect and inclusion; work and civic engagement

opportunities; communication and information; and community and health services.

All it takes is someone in the community to get inspired—an individual resident, nonprofit, or local official—then meetings are held and the highest elected official sends a letter and application to the WHO. Once an application is approved, a committee is formed and the first two years are spent in assessments. These encompass surveys, focus groups, and the fine art of having conversations with your neighbors.

A report is written to show which parts of the eight domains the community will focus on, and an action plan is drafted to activate that change. The AARP provides the framework for communities to do all of this themselves. “We’re developing the tools that help them do the work independently,” explains Parham. “And what’s really exciting is we’re really developing a learning community across the state.”

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When Bethel went through the assessment process, it quickly became clear that transportation was its most pressing issue.

Older people in the area were finding it very difficult to get to appointments with specialists located nearer to the coast, as well as to run errands. The action plan included forming a neighbor-to-neighbor ride program, which offers free rides to seniors over 65 with a team of 12 insured and trained volunteer drivers. “We take people to church,” says Cressy. “We take them to tai chi classes, we take them to physical therapy, to their eye doctor. My wife Jackie organized a Walking in the Gym program and three times a week people who wish to go to that class will call for a ride.”

They also established a partnership with Lewiston-based Community Concepts, which has provided 100 free medical rides to those aged 60 and over.

As Bethel expanded its program, it realized it needed to extend its reach to include five other towns; there was no point in setting

up five different ride programs when one program across the region was working beautifully. This required Parham to push the envelope with the national AARP office in Washington, D.C., and get approval from the WHO. The resulting regional approach pioneered by Bethel is now being used in other towns in Maine such as Somerset County’s three communities of Jackman, Skowhegan, and Madison, as well as in Alaska, the Dakotas, and rural communities across the United States.

While the age-friendly action plan includes a range of initiatives across the eight domains, the ride program is the one that is getting a lot of attention nationally, and it’s turning Al Cressy into a lobbyist. “Right now, the state of Maine provides little to no funding for volunteer driving programs in a rural setting such as ours,” he explains.

“So I went to Augusta two separate times to talk to the state legislature, to indicate who we are, what our interests in volunteer driving programs are, and to urge them

Opposite page: Lori Parham in the Portland office of AARP Maine. This page: Bethel residents take part in a tai chi session during a Walk in the Gym program at Gould Academy in Bethel. Organized by the age-friendly committee, the program offers exercise opportunities for residents 55 and older.

for funding.” In May 2017, LD 1248, “An Act to Improve Public Transportation in Maine,” was passed by the Maine State Legislature. Among other provisions, it “provides funding to the Department of Transportation to support and expand local volunteer driver networks … and for regional transportation providers throughout the State to expand their services.” However, the bill was then carried over into the Second Regular Session in January 2018 to determine whether the State is able to actually fund it. Cressy explains, “With so many priorities facing the legislators, the outcome of LD 1248 still remains to be seen.”

Making Hallowell More Livable Watching people like Al Cressy carry the voice of his generation into the State House fills Nate Rudy with delight. Rudy, 42, became City Manager of Hallowell

in 2016—and he’s a prime example of a municipal official getting excited about AARP’s initiative and taking action from his side.

“If you really want to be stunned and amazed and encouraged by people’s advocacy, go to age-friendly day at the State House where there is this ocean of red shirts sitting up in the gallery during the legislature,” says Rudy. “I think we’re going to get to a place where this program grows and has a lot of influence over decision-making in the state.”

We’re meeting in the historic Hallowell City Hall on a December morning as fresh snow is being shoveled from the sidewalks. I find Rudy standing in his office in front of three monitors, furiously tapping on a keyboard. He sits down when Patricia Oh arrives; she is the AARP Maine Age-Friendly team lead who supports community efforts at a grassroots level.

Rudy begins by quoting Wendell Berry, the pioneering poet, novelist, environmentalist, and farmer: “‘I believe that community— in the fullest sense: a place and all its creatures—is the smallest unit of health and that to speak to the health of an isolated individual is a contradiction in terms.’ I’ve taken that as my mission, my guiding principle, ever since I’ve started work as a planner,” he says.

He adds that when he first came across the WHO’s eight domains of livability, it struck him as an extremely practical and effective model for community change. “I think the eight domains concept speaks to everything that everyone is talking about, in terms of urban revitalization and placemaking, community engagement, and the underpinning housing and transportation issues that challenge Maine,” he says. “It gives you a framework that is scalable to whatever size community you’re working in.”

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Opposite page, clockwise from top left: Bethel residents leave Gould Academy after the Walk in the Gym program. A section of the six-and-a-half mile Kennebec River Trail in Hallowell, which extends from Augusta to Gardiner and is heavily used by local residents of all ages.. Jackie Cressy talks with members of the Bethel Fire Department about installing free smoke alarms for seniors in the community. In the spring of 2017, Hallowell voters approved a bond for insfrastructure improvements at the former Stevens School property, where one of the buildings may be renovated to create affordable senior housing. This page: Main Street in Hallowell, one of Maine’s 44 agefriendly communities. Research shows that people who are 55 or older contribute greatly to their local economies.

This page: Hallowell City Manager Nate Rudy with a drawing for the development of the former Stevens School property.

The Portland-based nonprofit Community Housing of Maine has proposed developing one building on the property into 29 rent-controlled apartments for adults 55 +.

Opposite page: The Bethel Pathway is used for exercise and for residents of the western Maine community to get from one part of town to another.

Oh adds that part of the program’s power is that it encourages input from a population that has traditionally been on the sidelines.

“Given the fact we live in an ageist society, many older people don’t feel a part of the work that’s happening in communities,” she says. “And in Maine, because we’re emphasizing rural communities, a lot of our efforts are led by older volunteers who report to their town government about changes that benefit residents of all ages.”

In 2016, Maine had a total of 22 communities involved in the program. By the end of 2017, that number had doubled to 44. Now at 46, Maine has the most age-friendly communities of any state in the country. These range from cities like Portland, to Old Orchard Beach, Saco, and Biddeford—who are all working together—to small communities at the farthest reaches of the state such as Jackman, population 862.

What’s ultimately so moving and inspiring about this program is how it’s taking the

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ideas, experiences, and energy of an entire generation of Mainers, and giving them the tools and platform to build a more resilient and compassionate community. Nate Rudy believes that city managers throughout the state need to be closely monitoring and considering adopting this program. “I wish I could sit down with a group of municipal managers and say: you need to do this,” he says. “This isn’t just another thing to keep you busy, this will help you do your work more than anything I’ve seen before.”

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The Hardest Job They’ve Ever

Loved

Mainers find challenge and reward in caring for loved ones.

By Debra Spark Photography by Nicole Wolf

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Three generations enjoy coffee drinks at Bard in the Old Port, after some shopping.

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Opposite page: Emily Ryan (right) tries to take her son, Cam Ryan, and mother, Victoria Sprague, out once every day. Here, they are making their way from a parking spot, down Congress Street in Portland to Longfellow Books, Emily’s favorite bookstore.

This page: Mother and son share a sweet moment.

W

hen those we love need help or struggle with health problems, we want to do everything, be everywhere, afford all. We want to address their needs by offering love and practical assistance, along with all the comforts of home. There are obvious challenges to realizing our desires, however. Time, energy, money: any one of these things can be in short supply for a caregiver, and in even shorter supply for “sandwich” generation caregivers, those individuals in their late 40s and 50s who are caring for aging parents in addition to providing for their own children.

While half of the current population in their 40s or 50s have financial or practical obligations to older or younger generations, 15 percent have obligations in both directions. Of these individuals, Emily Ryan of Portland might serve as Exhibit A of a particularly challenging situation met with particular resourcefulness and charm, in no small part because the people she cares for are themselves so caring.

Emily, a recently divorced, full-time clinical social worker at Gorham High School, is mother to 23-year-old Keelia, who works in Portland, and 21-year-old Cam, who has a developmental disability due to a rare disorder called Sotos syndrome. Though he looks like a slim,

shy teenager, Cam’s brain functioning is comparable to that of a five-year-old.

Last summer, when Cam turned 21, he aged out of the Portland school system’s offerings for students with developmental disabilities. Before Emily had time to develop a new day plan for him, her 75-year-old mother, Victoria Sprague, was diagnosed with esophageal cancer.

The doctors in Long Island, New York, where Victoria was living at the time, told her that while she might imagine friends would step up and volunteer to take her to this or that chemo or radiation appointment, people’s good will would eventually dissipate. She needed a better cancer treatment plan than “I’ll manage.”

Victoria was used to being independent.

She’d raised three children, worked in publishing, and then attended law school in her 40s. She was still working part-time as a litigator when she got sick. Even so, Victoria left New York and moved in with Emily, so Emily could direct her care.

Nothing is easy about this family situation, and though Emily’s specific circumstances are unusual, nothing about them is rare. An AARP study found that, in 2013, 178,000 Mainers served as family caregivers to loved ones, many of whom

suffer from chronic health conditions like heart disease, dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease. They provided care for 165 million hours, assisting with daily living and nursing tasks, arranging direct support, implementing health care plans, driving to appointments, and more. The estimated annual economic value of this unpaid effort in Maine is just over two billion dollars.

So how does Emily do it? Sheer force of personality is part of the answer. She’s energetic, social, and, thanks in part to her career and in part to her research efforts, well informed about resources. She shares responsibilities for her son with her ex, but in the end, it is Cam himself who gets Emily through the challenges. “Cam is the silver lining. He is very loving,” says Emily. In the morning, when Emily is having a rough day, Cam will sometimes say, “Mom, you look so beautiful today,” and the purity of this impresses Emily. “I am not a religious person,” she says, and yet Cam expresses something spiritual for her: “He’s a beautiful person, and that has helped.”

Even caregivers who aren’t obligated to more than one person stress the importance of having someone who functions as a support system. The

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Opposite page: Emily laughs at something Cam has said as they cook together. This page: Emily helps Cam with a knife.

support may be the actual person who is being cared for, as is the case with Cam and Victoria. (One of the ironies of Victoria’s situation is that it allows her to be a companion to Cam, when Emily can’t be.) But a support system can also be the “yeah, I’ve been there, too,” companionship of other caregivers.

For those who can’t easily leave their homes, one way to view such stories is by accessing AARP’s “I Heart Caregivers,” an online platform for sharing caregiving experiences.

The website is sorted by state and, in 2015, caregivers from each state were honored with a painted portrait of themselves with the person for whom they were caring. Though Amy Madge lived in Massachusetts when she was a

caregiver, she was recognized in 2015 after she became a Mainer. She cared for both her parents in her childhood home, but then found she couldn’t remain in it after her parents died. The memories were too painful. “I tried to rearrange things,” she says, “but it was still Mom’s kitchen.” Her family, which at one time included six siblings, vacationed at Goose Rocks Beach in Kennebunkport when Amy was a girl, so she decided to start anew in southern Maine.

Amy now works as a patient representative at Southern Maine Health Care, but she remains committed to advocating for caregivers. “I know how hard it is,” says Amy, who documented her parents’ lives and her caregiving experiences in her book, Memories of My

Parents. “I hear from caregivers across the country who are in the same shoes.

They are struggling, leaving their jobs, and exhausting their 401ks, and they need help.”

Policy makers in Maine and in Washington, D.C., are beginning to address the needs of caregivers and their loved ones. Maine is one of 39 states to have passed the CARE (Caregiver Advise, Record, Enable) Act, which ensures more thorough discharge planning and information sharing with a caregiver before a loved one leaves the hospital. Maine’s AccessAble Home Tax Credit can help offset home modification for those with a physical disability or hardship. Also in the works are a proposed federal tax credit of up

“You can’t do it alone no matter how strong you think you are. It’s the hardest job you ever loved.”–Amy Madge to $3,000 for working caregivers and efforts to strengthen policies involving family leave. Some of the most important support, however, can’t be legislated. “What saved me was I had really good friends and a really good church,” says Amy. “Just to get out and have a cup of coffee, that was like Christmas to me. You can’t do it alone no matter how strong you think you are. It’s the hardest job you ever loved.”

Statistically, women are more likely to be caregivers and thus more likely to take themselves out of the workplace, thereby reducing their own retirement security. Pamela Champagne, a Bangor-based microfinance consultant who used to travel to Africa and Asia for her work, is one such woman. When her partner, Warren, who also worked

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overseas in Indonesia and southeast Asia, had a stroke in 2010, Pamela was 61, and Warren was 62. The stroke left Warren paralyzed on his left side, with severely impaired executive functioning. Pamela had to largely stop working to care for him and then continued to support him as she dealt with her own diagnosis and treatment for cancer. When asked how she takes care of herself while taking care of Warren, Champagne laughs, but then says she could not have helped Warren without the support of the Eastern Area Agency on Aging, which, she notes, “has a ton of resources—EZ Fix, 3D Catering, Money Minders, Senior Companions, as well as transportation—all to promote independent care rather than going into facilities.” Pamela eventually grew comfortable enough to leave Warren for the length of time

it takes her to take a dance class at the YMCA, but believes he grows uneasy when she is too far afield or even when she is talking on the phone.

Pamela fears for what might happen should she predecease Warren, and that worry forms a “background of grief” that is always with her. And yet when asked how she manages the grief, she says, “I just usually give him a hug. I am glad he is in my life, I am glad I am able to care for him, and try to think of that.” As Pamela and Warren never married, people sometimes ask Pamela why she has stayed with Warren, a question that shocks her. “It’s a burden,” she says.

“But it’s a burden of love.”

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Tightly Knit A decade in, a Belfast cohousing community is going—and growing—strong.

By Katy Kelleher Photography by Erin Little

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Opposite page: Mike Shannon, Margie Shannon, Sarah Smith, and Bill Smith walk along the snowy paths. (Sarah’s seeing eye dog, Hamilton, joins them for the stroll). There are no cars on the paths in the Cohousing and Ecovillage; each building is designed to be no more than “slipper distance” from the others. This page: The Shannons’s kitchen has a Shaker-style simplicity typical of hoes in the ecovillage.

This page: Mike Shannon reads next to a spinning wheel. “There’s a role for us here, where we can be the elders of the community,” Mike says. Opposite page: Margie Shannon weaves at her loom. The longtime couple knows that they have wisdom to share with their younger neighbors.

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Mike and Margie Shannon were strolling through the dusty grass of the Common Ground Country Fair in late September of 2007 when they came across an intriguing table. A few middle-aged folks in jeans and t-shirts were offering information about a cohousing community in Belfast, and the retired couple found their curiosity piqued. Mike had worked for the National Audubon Society for most of his adult life, and as a result, they had spent years living in provided housing on Audubon lands. “As we were getting older, we began to think about how to get back to a more communal housing space,” Mike says. “My mother, who died at the age of 103, once told me, ‘Always stay in the company of young minds.’ And that’s what we have tried to do.”

The couple signed up to receive more information about the cohousing

project. Slowly, as it developed, they became more and more involved. Now, a decade later, they are living the dream— for the most part. “There’s a role for us here, where we can be the elders of the community,” says Mike. “We’re still transitioning into it,” Margie adds. “It takes a long time to become a community, but we’re getting there.”

Mike admits that some of his friends have wondered about their decision.

“They ask us, ‘Why in the world would you spend years of your life going to meetings and discussions at your age?’” he remembers. “I thought about it for some time and the answer that keeps coming to me is simple: it’s the right thing to do.” For this lifelong environmentalist, the idea of sharing resources, reducing waste, and building a radical earth-friendly community that could act as a model for others in the United States—well, that was an opportunity too important to pass up.

The residents at the Belfast Cohousing and Ecovillage are open about the difficulties of building a community from scratch. It requires work and compromise, social skills and sacrifice. It’s a complicated trade-off. But living in a structured community can be extremely rewarding. What you give up in privacy and personal space you gain in connections, companionship, and convenience.

Sanna McKim played an instrumental role in forming the Belfast Cohousing and Ecovillage, and while she no longer lives on the premises, she still believes in the model. “I grew up in Denmark, where this is a much more common practice,” she says. “While the houses in Belfast are a little bit more spread out than they would be in Denmark, they are still what I

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BECAUSE OF THE DENSITY OF THE HOMES—THEY ARE CLUSTERED TOGETHER ON THE LAND—YOU ARE PRESERVING A LOT OF NATURAL RESOURCES.” –ALAN GIBSON

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Opposite page: Mike and Margie stand in the doorway to their porch. The Belfast Cohousing and Ecovillage features smaller-than-normal houses. Since the residents all share a common house (which has laundry, a kitchen, a gathering space, and other amenities) they don’t need as much personal space.

This page: Bill Smith plays a banjo he made himself.

like to call ‘slipper distance’ from each other.” Like its European counterparts, the Maine cohousing community was designed holistically. Each family house is smaller than your average home (some are as small as 500 square feet, while others are 1,600) but as McKim explains, “the individual homes are not stand-alone homes.” Everyone in the community (which now numbers 60, including children) shares access to the Common House, where they have laundry facilities, a kids’ playroom, a meeting space, library, large kitchen, guest rooms, and a root cellar. Residents can share meals at the Common House, if they like. (Often, meals are planned ahead of time and residents can choose how they want to be involved, whether it’s through cooking, buying ingredients,

or chipping in with clean up.) “You can afford to build the individual houses much smaller because you have a Common House, which is an extension of your living room,” McKim says.

“Then, because you built small, you can put your money into design features like air sealing and quality.” The result is a cluster of elegantly simple gabled houses with standing-seam metal roofs built on heat-saving concrete slabs with super insulated walls, triple-glazed windows imported from Germany, and mechanical ventilation systems with heat recovery. The houses feature eastern white cedar shingle siding and spacious porches—a feature beloved by their outdoorsy residents.

When Alan Gibson of Belfast-based

GOLogic began designing the homes, he used the Passive House concept from Germany as his jumping-off point. His business partner, Matt O’Malia, worked on the architecture of the homes (he wanted them to look like “fairly traditional New England farmhouses updated with contemporary details,” Gibson explains), while Gibson focused on the ecological aspects of the construction. “Because of the density of the homes—they are clustered together on the land—it means you are preserving a lot of natural resources,” he says. “Plus, when you share services as a community, you need to use less.”

He adds that the houses are “extremely comfortable.” (A fact that residents confirm time and again in conversation.)

“You don’t feel drafts in these houses,

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because they are so airtight,” he says.

“But the air is always fresh because of the ventilation system. They are very quiet because of the thick insulation, and they stay moderately cool in the summer and warm in the winter.”

As an example, Mike Shannon shares an anecdote from when he and his wife first moved in. “The power failed and the temperature outside was well below zero,” he recalls. “We had no power, no electricity, no heat and no water for five days. But even without any of those amenities, none of our houses fell below 55 degrees. We were able to stay in them, and be comfortable. That’s a testament to how they were built.”

“Our community is beginning to feel more and more like a family.”

–Bill Smith Opposite page, clockwise from top left: A poster announcing a long-ago concert hangs at the Common House, which offers residents plenty of opportunities to explore new music, food, and hobbies with their neighbors. A guitar invites musicians to play at the Common House.

Bill Smith does the crossword. This page: Sarah Smith feeds the chickens. As the community grows, they hope to expand their garden. Since the beginning, farming has been part of the plan, but it takes time to develop a rich and vibrant garden that can feed all 60-something residents.

The built environment extends beyond the walls of each individual home and into the shared space, which is crisscrossed with footpaths—not tire tracks. No cars are allowed within the community (the members share a parking area and walk from home to home). McKim notes that this makes the Belfast community particularly safe for older residents, as well as those with disabilities. Sarah and Bill Smith moved into their ecohouse in July 2014. Sarah, 69, has been blind since the late 1970s. “It’s a great place to live as a blind person, because I can always count on my neighbors for rides into town, or for help if I need it,” says Sarah. “I can do most everything else, but I can’t drive.”

When we spoke, she had just finished her weekly read aloud group. “It’s a wonderful thing,” she says. “I get to choose the books

GOLogic Architecture designed the buildings in the Belfast Cohousing and Ecovillage to be energy efficient and exceedingly comfortable. They feature standing-seam metal roofs, super insulated walls, triple-glazed windows imported from Germany, and mechanical ventilation systems with heat recovery.

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because I can’t read, but I have this lovely group of friends who come by at eight in the morning to read a book together.” They’ve read everything from the classic children’s tale The Wind in the Willows to quirky adult novel The Milagro Beanfield War. “Finding groups where you can do things together isn’t easy,” says Sarah. “But it is easier here.”

According to a survey commissioned by the AARP, loneliness is a major problem for Americans over the age of 45.

Over one-third of older Americans consider themselves lonely, and loneliness is a significant predictor for poor health. In addition to being ecologically stable, the Belfast Cohousing and Ecovillage provides a solution to this disease of modern life, bringing people of

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various backgrounds and histories together in a small, tightly knit and well-designed community. As residents settle into their houses, they also settle into their roles.

Naturalist Mike likes to share his knowledge of the Maine landscape with others. Margie is good with people, and she often helps organize events, like burrito night or knitting group. Bill is a former woodworker, so he contributes mightily to the upkeep and maintenance of their built environment. And Sarah is a good listener who enjoys helping her neighbors get along. “That’s my forte,” she says. “I try to be wise, and I have patience to hear about other people’s problems.”

In addition to the community meals, concerts, talks, and events, there’s another thing that holds this group together. “Our community is

beginning to feel more and more like a family,” says Bill. “It helps that, in our first year, we had three or four births. I think there must have been something in the water!” While growing old together is a beautiful thing, so is sharing a lifetime’s worth of wisdom with the next generation.

“Children act as a kind of glue—the Common House is one kind of glue, and kids are another,” says Bill. Bound together by a common goal, shared values, and a well-trod network of footpaths, these Belfast residents are in it for the long haul.

This page: The big red building is the Common House, where residents eat dinner together, attend concerts and dances, and host guests who come to stay overnight. Opposite page from top: Bill and Sarah Smith make music in their living room while Hamilton listens attentively. A corner of the Shannons’s living room.

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FOOD & COOKING

Breakfast Beyond the Ordinary Dana Moos makes the most important meal of the day memorable.

By Karen Watterson // Photography by Sean Thomas

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D

ana Moos has always loved to hang out in the kitchen. There’s no better spot for a catch-up conversation or an intimate talk than in the warmth of that room. On a snowy morning, we’re sipping coffee in her newly renovated kitchen, the heart of her cozy home tucked into the woods of Maine’s midcoast. Freshly baked popovers are piled in a bowl, with tiny dishes of butter and black raspberry jam nearby. Dana Moos has served breakfast to thousands of people over the years, and today I’m lucky enough to be one of them.

Moos’s love of food began early, watching her mother cook and reading food magazines in her native Maryland. She got a “free culinary education” from television cooking shows. After leaving home, she was the cook in her group of friends who shared an apartment. Her interest in the most important meal of the day began when she put on elaborate brunch spreads for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day with all her family’s favorites—including popovers. “I have fond memories of going to a restaurant in Potomac where they had these big, beautiful popovers,” says Moos. “That’s where the popover thing started.” Soon, brunch became her specialty. “Breakfast is my favorite way to really be creative.”

Moos and her husband, Greg, both former property managers in

Maryland, decided to try their hands at inn keeping in 2004. For five years, the couple owned the Kingsleigh Inn in Southwest Harbor, on Mount Desert’s “quiet side.” “You really have to like providing for people,” she says. “I get a lot of satisfaction

from making people happy.” While the meal prep and constant grocery shopping took up a lot of time, often the couple’s afternoons were free to explore the island or relax at the beach. “We were able to enjoy what the guests were also there for,” says

Opposite page: Dana Moos uses a blowtorch to caramelize the sugar on her signature grapefruit brûlée with vanilla bean crème. This page: Moos and her husband, Greg, recently renovated the kitchen in their home in the midcoast. Greg did much of the work himself.

“My whole premise is simple foods, put together beautifully.”

–Dana Moos

Moos. Every morning guests were treated to a three-course wake-up call, including fruit, baked goods, and a hot entrée. “I wanted to offer something that would make the guests say ‘wow’,” Moos says. “I’m completely driven by color and produce. I don’t need a list. I just look at the produce and think, ‘What can I do with this?’” Guests would run up to their rooms to grab their cameras for a photo of breakfast. “And this was even before Instagram!” she exclaims.

Moos developed a tasty repertoire and a reputation for creative dishes, each artfully plated. “My whole premise is

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simple foods, put together beautifully,” she says.

The Mooses sold the inn in 2009. Dana obtained her Maine real estate license and went to work with Kim Swan, owner of the Swan Agency in Bar Harbor.

There she specialized in the purchase and sale of bed-and-breakfasts and inns. She and Swan also ran the Maine Innkeeping Academy, using their experience to teach marketing and help other innkeepers. One day, Moos was asked to teach a class on “plating,” the art of making food look appealing and

attractive using garnishes and sauces.

She called it The Art of Breakfast. That class led to a cookbook of the same name, a collection of the best recipes she shared with guests, and more.

For example, there’s the cheese blintz soufflé, based on a dish her mother used to make. “It’s really delicious,” she says.

“I had to rework it so it could be plated nicely. I came up with a solution after many attempts, which has the same flavors as my mother’s, but allowed me to cut it like a cake.” Before serving a slice, Moos “paints” designs on the plate with mango, raspberry, and blackberry

Opposite page: Moos uses parchment paper to create an egg roulade. This page: Maine lobster warmed in butter will be served on top of the roulade. “Breakfast is my favorite way to really be creative,� says the former innkeeper.

This page, clockwise from top left: Popovers are a regular on Moos’s brunch table. Moos is a big fan of Fiore olive oils and vinegars. Microgreens make a colorful and lively garnish for the rich egg dish. The caramelized crust on the grapefruit shatters with the tap of a spoon. Opposite page: The finished brunch plate.

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From left: Moos adds a splash of elderflower liqueur and fresh raspberries to a glass of bubbly for an easy, yet special brunch cocktail. A page from Moos’ s cookbook with a notation for serving a crowd.

purees. The finished dish is light and creamy, and gorgeous to look at. There’s also her grapefruit brulée with vanilla bean crème. “I’ve never seen anything like this in any restaurant,” says Moos, as she brings out a propane torch to caramelize the sugar topping. “I want to get a thick crust, so I need a strong flame.” The crust is very much like that on a crème brulée, shattering with the tap of a spoon, revealing a sweet cream, a perfect complement to the tangy citrus. “This is the dish that got us a mention in Condé Nast Traveler,” says Moos. “A travel writer visited the inn and loved it.”

As the morning has worn on, we’ve made the switch from coffee to mimosas. Moos adds a splash of St. Germain elderflower liqueur to the flute, along with a few fresh raspberries.

She makes everything feel special and elegant, but insists that whatever she does can be easily replicated. That’s

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also the message Moos brings to those who attend her cooking classes at Stonewall Kitchen in York. She teaches there several times a year, and her approachable style encourages students to upgrade their own dishes with small touches and details. “People come up to me after class and say, ‘You make me think I could do this,’” she says. While we talk, Moos is working on the first step of an egg roulade to be filled with sautéed leeks and Parmesan. She pours an egg and heavy cream mixture into a lined jellyroll pan, then sends it to the oven. The dish was inspired by a similar one she had on vacation in Napa Valley.

“I thought, what can I do to make it better?” she says. Add lobster, of course.

When the eggs have been filled with the savory mixture of vegetables and cheese, then re-rolled and baked, Moos turns to the final step, melting butter in a small saucepan, then adding sherry and fresh lobster meat. Throughout the process, she offers tips that will ensure

success for the dish. “In this case, better to overcook than undercook,” she suggests. “It’s okay to let the eggs brown a little bit.” Once finished, the roulade is sliced, placed atop a bed of baby spinach, and served with a few slices of candied bacon. It’s an elegant dish, and while I admire its presentation, I can’t wait to take a bite. The roulade is indulgent and rich, but with a lovely, light texture that practically melts in my mouth. “If you follow the recipe exactly, it will come out,” Moos assures me.

Though her inn keeping days are behind her, Moos still works as a real estate broker, now with the B & B Team, selling the Maine hospitality lifestyle.

But her love of and aptitude for cooking are still very much a part of her life.

There may even be another cookbook in the works, and I’m sure it’ll extend beyond the breakfast hour. Moos entertains often for family and friends. I hope to be invited back soon.

Egg Roulade with Lobster in Sherry Butter Serves 6

8 eggs 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream 1 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 3 large leeks, washed and thinly sliced One (8-ounce) package cream cheese 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce Juice from 1/4 lemon 1 stick plus 3 tablespoons butter 1 1/2 cups shredded Parmesan cheese 1/2 cup medium-dry sherry 16 ounces fresh, cooked lobster meat, cut into small chunks One (10-ounce) package baby spinach, washed and dried Fresh chopped chives, for garnish Fresh cracked pepper

SEPTEMBER 18–22

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Grease a rimmed heavy-duty half sheet pan with butter or vegetable oil, then line with parchment paper, and then grease the parchment, making sure to press it flat to the surface of the pan, leaving at least an inch overhang.

In a blender, mix the eggs, 2 cups of cream, and 1/2 teaspoon salt on high speed for 4 to 5 seconds. Pour the mixture into the lined baking sheet.

Bake until you begin to see the surface of the egg start to lightly brown, about 25-30 minutes. Remove and let cool.

While cooling, heat the olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat.

Sauté the leeks, covered, until soft, about 10 to 12 minutes. When soft, add the cream cheese, Worcestershire sauce, the remaining 2 tablespoons of cream, lemon juice, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt and stir. When the cream cheese is thoroughly incorporated, add three tablespoons of butter, mix in, and remove from heat. Let cool for a few minutes.

Dollop small amounts of the leek filling onto the egg. Using an offset spatula, carefully spread the mixture over the entire egg sponge, trying not to tear the egg as it is very delicate. Sprinkle the Parmesan over the filling.

With the short edge of the pan closest to you using the parchment as a guide, roll the egg up onto itself (like a jelly roll cake) until you end up with the egg seam on the underside of the roll. Keep the egg covered with the parchment left after rolling as it will help keep the egg moist.

Cover the entire roll with aluminum foil and bake for another 20 minutes.

While baking, melt the remaining stick of butter in a pan with the sherry and cook for about 5 minutes, allowing much of the alcohol to burn off. Then add the lobster, lower the heat, and cover. Simmer for 3-4 minutes.

To serve, place a pile of fresh baby spinach on a plate. Slice the roulade into 6 slices, layer onto the spinach, and top with a couple of spoonfuls of the lobster butter. Garnish with fresh chives.

Recipe reprinted from The Art of Breakfast by Dana Moos.

Produced by Maine Media Collective

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Every year since 2013, Maine magazine’s July issue has featured profiles of 50 Mainers leading the state. They include artists, educators, athletes, entrepreneurs, scientists, business leaders, and philanthropists—men and women from diverse backgrounds and of varying ages. For the inaugural issue of Ageless Maine, we have chosen 10 of these outstanding Mainers—all over 50— who continue to make a difference. Their energy, drive, and commitment to their fellow Mainers is the very definition of Ageless.

ASHLEY BRYAN

by Kelly Clinton Photography by Matt Cosby

Artist Through a child’s eyes, the world is full of love, hope, and joy, and artist Ashley Bryan encourages that spirit to stay alive throughout life. Bryan, an author, illustrator, puppet maker, humanitarian, and storyteller lives on Little Cranberry Island.

He attended art school at Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in 1946 through the GI Bill and fell in love with Maine. He spent much of his career instructing at universities across the country. When he retired from the art department at Dartmouth College in 1988 as professor emeritus, he moved to the Cranberry Isles, but never ceased teaching. His influence on education was honored by renaming the local school the Ashley Bryan School. Libraries, children’s rooms, and literary festivals have also been named after him throughout the United States and Africa.

He has written and illustrated over 50 books. In addition to his many other prizes, awards, and honorary degrees, he received a Newbery Medal in 2017 for Freedom Over Me: Eleven Slaves, Their Lives and Dreams Brought to Life.

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ANNA M. GOULD

by Paul Koenig Photography by Erin Little

Cofounder and Board Chair at Camp Sunshine Anna M. Gould founded Camp Sunshine with her late husband, Lawrence, in 1984, after watching a television program about a summer camp for children with cancer. Gould says from the first pilot program they ran, she’s been in awe of how much families have to bear when they have a child with a life-threatening illness.

“Their ability to endure their circumstances and come and share their lives with us at Camp Sunshine, and then in turn Camp Sunshine’s ability to bring joy and hope to families, is still something that amazes me 34 years later,” she says. Camp Sunshine, located in Casco on Sebago Lake, is the only retreat program in the world designed to serve children with life-threatening illnesses and their families.

The camp’s mission is to provide families, who stay at the retreat free of charge, with respite, recreation, and support. Since its founding, the camp has served about 50,000 family members.

Gould says the commitment of the volunteers who help run the camp has astounded her since they first began the program. “No matter how much we have grown, they too have continued to grow,” she says of the volunteers. “I have learned that giving of oneself is in fact the best gift, as the return is immeasurable.”

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REZA JALALI

by Paul Koenig Photography by Erin Little

Faculty Member in the Honors Program at the University of Southern Maine “As a human rights and civil rights activist, I find advocating for Maine’s newest immigrants a natural role, and a calling,” says Reza Jalali, an author and faculty member in the Honors Program at the University of Southern Maine. “After coming to Maine, a state with a large white population, as a displaced person, I fully understand the significance of educating the public not only to get rid of false information and popular stereotypes, but to rehumanize our new neighbors, who have arrived in Maine in search of safety, security, economic opportunities, and human dignity.” Jalali, who has lived in Maine since 1985, says he serves as a cultural broker, bridging the gap between the native-born Mainers and those who have arrived in recent years. He hopes his advocacy on behalf of new Mainers will help them feel recognized for their contributions and accepted in their new life in Maine. He co-authored the 2009 book New Mainers: Portraits of Our Immigrant Neighbors, which told stories of recent immigrants. He is also the author of The Poets and the Assassin, a play about women in Iran; Moon Watchers: Shirin’s Ramadan Miracle, a children’s book; and Homesick Mosque, a collection of short stories. “New Mainers are already adding to the richness of life and the economic scene of the state,” Jalali says. “The question being asked is whether we, as a community, choose to support them to overcome some of the challenges they face, or let them fail as a group.”

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ANNA ELEANOR ROOSEVELT

by Paul Koenig Photography by Erin Little

CEO of Goodwill Industries of Northern New England Anna Eleanor Roosevelt is the CEO of Portland-based Goodwill Industries of Northern New England. Formerly vice president of global corporate citizenship at The Boeing Company, Roosevelt came to Goodwill NNE in 2011. Her reasons for moving to Maine included the natural beauty and a home closer to two of her five grandchildren, but just as important was that she saw a commitment to shared dignity at Goodwill NNE. The organization, with 29 stores in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, delivers a variety of services to help people find stability through work. In 2014, Goodwill NNE’s workforce services helped more than 32,000 individuals.

To help with the organization’s ten-year goal of moving 10,000 households into stability, Roosevelt says businesses should think about how to include a diversity of talents in their workplaces and realize that building stability can take practice. “Take a chance on someone and stick with them,” she says. “Commit to making that slight mental shift from being so narrowly focused on getting a particular job done in a particular way, to being more broadly focused on getting the job done by hiring an individual whom we might otherwise overlook.”

Roosevelt has a family history of public service: she is the granddaughter of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, and is the chair of the Roosevelt Institute Board of Directors.

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TED QUADAY

By Paul Koenig Photography by Erin Little

Executive Director of Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association “Advocating on behalf of good, organic food and small family farms is central to my life,” says Ted Quaday, executive director at Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA). Quaday took over the position in 2013, after spending the previous 15 years working for family farms and sustainable agriculture. He spent a decade as program director at Farm Aid, where he managed the organization’s Farm Aid Grants program and worked with family farm and food advocacy organizations around the country. Following that, he worked for three years as the Organic Farming Research Foundation’s communication director. “MOFGA’s reputation as a national leader in the organic farm and food movement is unparalleled,” Quaday says. “I am simply honored to be a part of the team.” Since starting at MOFGA, he says he’s particularly proud of the work the organization’s development group has done to rebuild increased financial stability. In less than three years, the organization has increased endowment by more than $3 million. MOFGA, based in Unity, has 11,000 members, and certifies nearly 500 organic farms and processors. He plans to retire from MOFGA in August of 2018. “Many of these businesses are focused on trading locally, adding employees, and helping to build rural communities in Maine,” Quaday says.

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MEG BAXTER

by Sophie Nelson Photography by Alexandra Daley-Clark

President and CEO of the Mitchell Institute A passionate advocate for the not-for-profit sector and those it serves, Meg Baxter was president of United Way of Greater Portland for two decades and now serves as the president and CEO of the Mitchell Institute.

During her tenure at United Way of Greater Portland, Baxter put Maine on the right side of history time and time again by updating and implementing nondiscrimination policies. Through Senator George Mitchell’s scholarship and research organization, she helps to make higher education a reality for bright young Mainers, thereby ensuring our state’s future is in good hands.

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JULIE MARCHESE

by Kelly Clinton Photography by Sarah Beard Buckley

Founder of Tri for a Cure Julie Marchese’s mother was diagnosed with cancer. Then years later, Marchese received her own diagnosis—she had cancer, too. A year after the news, Marchese decided she would race in a triathlon. Her motivated spirit propelled Marchese to present an idea to the Maine Cancer Foundation: an all-women’s triathlon in Maine.

“They thought I was kidding,” she says. “But they soon realized that I was not.” That first year Tri for a Cure sold out in six weeks, with 500 women who raised $275,000. Since then the event has grown, and after ten years has raised over $12 million. Marchese grew up in Maine. She worked for years in the family business, Jordan’s Meats, with her father, Joseph “Chet” Jordan. She left the state for college but soon returned to where her roots are, in Maine. After competing in her first triathlon, she realized her real passion— raising money to find a cure for cancer. She is currently the chief inspirational officer at Inspired Events, an event-planning company, and co-owner and managing partner of sheJAMs, LLC, a fitness training program for women. Marchese has been awarded Maine Cancer Foundation’s Founders Award and Spirit of Life Award.

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JOAN BENOIT SAMUELSON

by Sophie Nelson Photography by Kevin Morris

Founder of TD Beach to Beacon 10K Mainer Joan Benoit Samuelson won gold in the first women’s Olympic marathon in 1984. She has been inducted into the National Runner’s Hall of Fame and the Olympic Hall of Fame. Her love of and support for Maine is manifold: the Maine master gardener is a founder of the TD Beach to Beacon 10K, sits on the Bowdoin College Board of Trustees, the Friends of Casco Bay board, and the leadership board of Let’s Go!, among others, and is a strong supporter of health, wellness, and conservation efforts in Maine. “As I approached the tunnel in the Los Angeles Coliseum in 1984, I promised to give back to a state and sport that had given so much to me,” says Samuelson. “I have tried to live by this promise to myself.”

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DAN CREWE

by Kelly Clinton Photography by Sarah Beard Buckley

President of The Bob Crewe Foundation “After spending some time in Maine when I was younger, in 1991 my family and I moved to Maine believing that our lives could and would be more enriching and fulfilling,” says Dan Crewe. What Crewe didn’t realize is that he would make Maine a more culturally rich place. In 1992 he cofounded the internationally acclaimed Gateway Mastering Studios with Bob Ludwig and made Portland, Maine, a prime destination for the music-business elite. Years later, he became the president of the Bob Crewe Foundation, named for his late brother, a distinguished songwriter. The foundation’s mission is to help aspiring musicians find fulfilling careers. The Bob Crewe Foundation gave $3 million to the Maine College of Art to create the Bob Crewe Program for Music and Art. In 1996, Crewe’s 11-year-old daughter, Jessie Bullens-Crewe, died from complications from fourth-stage Hodgkin’s disease.

Crewe created the Jessie B-C Fund to raise funds for the Maine Children’s Cancer Program to support their efforts in childhood cancer research, psychological and social work for families, and quality care. Crewe also created the Jessie Bullens-Crewe Nature Preserve in Cumberland—21 acres of land, which is now owned by Breakwater School and used for science and nature studies. “I have always found pleasure and satisfaction in the challenge of fixing a problem where it exists, improving upon the status quo, and making better any situation in which I can be of service,” says Crewe.

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DES FITZGERALD

by Kelly Clinton Photography by Sarah Beard Buckley

Entrepreneur-In-Residence with Maine Venture Fund “As in life, everything is a work in progress,” says Des FitzGerald. “We are all ultimately both expendable and precious, and how we choose to challenge ourselves with continuously improving is what makes a difference between the excellent and the mundane.” FitzGerald has founded companies of his own, including Ducktrap River of Maine and BlueMarvel Inc. He was the CEO of ContiSea and vice president of development for Principle Power Inc. He was also an adjunct professor at the University of Maine Business School. As entrepreneur-in-residence at the Maine Venture Fund, FitzGerald uses his experience in business to assist developing companies, as well as local nonprofits. “Nonprofits suffer or soar from the same issues as for-profit companies. Being able to occasionally help mission-driven organizations do better has been very rewarding,” he says. He has served on numerous boards, including the Natural Resources Council of Maine and the Camden International Film Festival. “Like many of us here in Maine, I worry that our state does not yet offer enough opportunities for young people to stay in our state or to move here with positive prospects. We have to collectively change this,” says FitzGerald.

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ACCE SSIBLE TR AIL S

by Brittany Cost

Offering wildlife observation, ocean views, and more, Maine’s accessible trails give everyone the opportunity to get outdoors, regardless of ability.

Jesup Path | Acadia National Park In the Sieur de Monts Spring section of Acadia National Park, the Jesup Path features a well-groomed path and an ADA-compliant boardwalk that allow visitors to experience the white-birch forest. Located at the trailhead, the Nature Center is also accessible to wheelchair users.

Belfast Rail Trail on the Passagassawakeag | Belfast Connecting downtown Belfast and the City Point Central Railroad Museum, the 2.3mile trail runs along the route of a former railroad, on which a passenger freight train operated for almost 140 years.

Back Cove Trail | Portland

Popular with both tourists and Portland residents, Back Cove Trail is a mostly flat, 3.6mile path encircling an estuary basin near Casco Bay. Park at Preble Street Extension or on the north side of Baxter Boulevard at Payson Park; for best views of the city’s skyline, travel along the loop trail at sunset or sunrise.

Brown Woods | Bangor Explore the wetland within Brown Woods, with its wealth of old-growth eastern white pines, along this mile-long trail. In the spring, visitors may glimpse lady slippers growing near the footpath.

Southern Corea Heath Trail | Gouldsboro

A short, 0.4-mile walkway, Southern Corea Heath Trail is a perfect spot for viewing wildlife, including nesting seabirds. The boardwalk, overlooking the bog, culminates in an observation platform.

Bethel Pathway | Bethel

Along the Bethel Pathway on the Androscoggin River, a 0.9-mile section between Davis Park and North Road is paved and easily accessible, with several benches providing comfortable places to rest and take in the scenery.

The White Pines Trail | Freeport

At Wolfe’s Neck Woods State Park, the White Pines Trail winds along the shoreline of Casco Bay and includes bridges, benches, and interpretive panels. Bring binoculars—the end of the trail looks out toward an osprey nest on nearby Googins Island.

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