Timothy Goldkin Brings Portland Back to the Past
Artist Timothy Goldkin expresses his reverence for Portland’s history in his large commercial and soon public artworks
By Tony Zeli
His brand is Ramble More, and he has done a lot of rambling in his life, but Timothy Goldkin always comes home to Portland. He is known for his commercial art, including large format reproductions of old photographs in Portland businesses like Root Wild, Twelve, Another Round, and Think Tank Coworking. But Goldkin is looking for more opportunities to mount his massive works where the public can experience them.
Goldkin’s most recent installment is
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a ten foot wide wheat paste for Custom House Wharf. He was applying the fnal coats of varnish when I met him in his basement studio in Portland’s Arts District.
Goldkin jokes with me that he’s been under every wharf in Portland, and I believe he has. “Portland was actually the frst landing pad I ever had. I was born on State Street,” he tells me. Goldkin grew up in rural Franklin County, but he returned to Portland in 2008 and despite a lot of
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Celebrating Local Craft Artists at the Portland Fine Craft Show
By Tony Zeli
Imagine internationally honored artists with studios tucked away on Maine’s rural routes and byways, along lakes and mountains, where they perfect their craft. Not necessarily the easiest to reach for many of us. But on August 24th, some of the best will be coming to Portland.
Shop Maine Craft presents the ninth annual Portland Fine Craft Show. The outdoor show will be held rain or shine in the heart of Portland’s Arts District on Saturday, August 24th, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The show is in a large parking lot on Free Street next to the Portland Museum of Art. It is free and open to the public.
Shop Maine Craft organizes the
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Portland Fine Craft Show along with other shows and special events around the state. These shows support Maine’s creative economy by creating direct income opportunities for craft artists, says Show Director Simonne Feeney.
“Our organization is excited to bring back the show for another year, it’s a celebration of the incredible talent and creativity of our craft community and nurtures an appreciation for work that is handmade,” says Feeney.
This single-day event features the work of over one hundred juried fne craft artists from Maine and the Northeast. Attendees can expect to fnd a wide variety of quality work. Categories include
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Interview with Paul Drinan of the Bicycle Coalition of Maine
An update from volunteers at the Western Cemetery
Take a short tour of lobster rolls in Portland and beyond
Nancy shares the tale of the Whaleboat Island lobster caper
The Portland Fine Craft Show celebrates craft artists with over 100 exhibitors, fne craft demonstrations, and information booths in the heart of Portland’s Arts District on August 24th, 10a - 5p, 120 Free Street, Portland. -Photo by Tony Zeli, 2023
Timothy Goldkin in his basement studio in Portland’s Arts District varnishing a mural for Custom House Wharf. -Photo by Tony Zeli
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Special Thanks to W. John Funk & Stewards of Western Cemetery, Inc.
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Timothy Goldkin
work at Think Tank where WEN has an offce
rambling, has called Portland home ever since. But he credits his travels - including hitchhiking and hopping freight trains across the country - with teaching him his art.
“As I traveled, I always gravitated towards the art scenes, but more the punk side of the arts scene.” Through the years he learned different techniques and “how art works in alternative spaces.”
“The more I travel, the more I fall in love with Maine,” says Goldkin. He is clear, it’s not because other places are lacking, but it’s hard to beat the thousands of islands, rocky coast, and accessibility.
Goldkin also has a love of Maine history and deep respect for Portland’s heritage and the workers on the waterfront. Many of his works are large, tactile, murals, wheat pastes, and cyanotypes of often historic photographs. He talks of nostalgia, love of the past, and a time before phone screens and ubiquitous plastic.
This love of the past helps drive his research. Goldkin dives into historical societies and digital archives, reviewing tens of thousands of images to fnd the perfect one. “There’s millions of these photographs throughout all these archives. To dig through them is like time travel,” says
Goldkin.
In the end, if the art is working as Goldkin intends, it “inspires one to kick off their shoes and throw themselves into the ocean and play around on an island… My base desire is to reinspire a grounded-ness and a connection…”
Goldkin is mostly known for his commercial and residential art, but he is looking to get into more public artwork. He hopes the Custom House Wharf mural is just the frst public work for him. Goldkin wants locals and visitors alike to walk away with a visceral sense of history and “a little bit of reverence for where this city comes from.”
Keep an eye out for Timothy Goldkin’s art in public spaces around Portland and the rest of Maine in the years ahead. He’s sure to be doing more rambling, but he’ll always be back. After all, he says, “There’s literally thousands of islands I haven’t been to yet…”
Tony Zeli is publisher and editor. Reach him at thewestendnews@gmail.com.
Disclosure: WEN has an offce at Think Tank Coworking.
Mayo Street Arts announces recipients of micro-grant
The Traditional Arts Network (TAN) Fund has awarded small grants of up to $1,000 to nine Maine-based traditional artists and arts organizations to overcome short-term fnancial hurdles and lay the foundation for long-term goals. The application process was designed to provide artists with a low-barrier, frst time experience with grant applications. The funding will support a range of activities. This year’s recipients of the TAN Fund are:
• Anges Mukakalisa - Teaching children Rwandan drumming to preserve cultural heritage
• Clarisse Karasira - Recording an album of Rwandan and African traditional songs
• Gloire Ilonde Eale Bolele - Creating a series to promote cultural dialogue around Congolese Urban Arts
• Firefy The Hybrid - Creating a music video for the song “River,” celebrating the Penobscot River and calling attention to issues facing it such as pollution
• Kifah Abdulla - Conducting a series of public workshops on Arabic calligraphy
• Oga Suya, LLC - Growing a Nigerian BBQ business
• Orson Horchler - Recording some of the 400 traditional Albanian songs gathered by folklorist and accordionist Ylli Brekofca
• Veeva Banga - Teaching a blend of traditional and contemporary dance to young students from Congo, Tanzania, and Zande
• Yuliia Derkach - Preparing a series of Ukrainian folk art paintings for an arts festival
Goldkin's
space. -Photo by Tony Zeli
Portland Fine Craft Show
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ceramics,
and wearable fber, furniture, glass, jewelry, metal, mixed media, paper, printmaking, stone, and wood.
The Portland Fine Craft Show is a juried show and selection is rigorous according to event organizers. For those artists honored with a chance to exhibit their craft, the show represents a rare chance to reach new customers. And one craft artist will have the honor of winning the 2024 People’s Choice Award. Attendees can vote for their favorite exhibitor at the Shop Maine Craft information booth.
In addition to the vibrant mix of craft artists who will be exhibiting their work, the show will feature demonstrations of craft techniques and outreach booths spotlighting New England arts organizations, craft guilds, and schools. For more information visit shopmainecraft.com.
Tony Zeli is publisher and editor. Reach him at thewestendnews@gmail.com.
WEN publishes the PFCS Show Guide and exhibitor booth map. Find it inserted in this edition.
What’s Happening at the Western Cemetery
Stewards of the Western Cemetery, Inc. share recent achievements and improvements and announce a rededication ceremony on August 11th.
By W. John Funk
As we approach midsummer, the Stewards of the Western Cemetery, Inc. has lots of good news to report. As of July 1st, our capital campaign has raised over $170,000 in cash and pledges toward our goal of $250,000.The campaign will pay for a tool house with a water line, a relocated fagpole, a fence on the Western Promontory like that on Vaughan Street, a restoration and repair of an historic section of the wrought iron fence in the northwest corner, and various other projects recommended in the 2004 Master Plan and described in our campaign materials.
To date, the city has approved our plans for the tool house and water line, the fagpole, and the historic fence, and we have the funds to proceed. We have also coordinated with the city on mowing the grounds and removing debris from winter and spring storms.
We continue to work with volunteers on Saturday mornings beginning at 8:30 to care for the cemetery and its gravestones. Volunteers clear, repair, and restore gravestones. They remove invasive species, clip grass, and groom monuments.
At the end of June, we successfully repaired and restored forty-seven grave-
stones with the help of Joe Ferrannini, a nationally known conservator, including a rare tabletop gravestone and the gravestone of a Revolutionary War veteran Elijah Kellogg.
We will host a rededication ceremony offciated by Maine’s Bishop Emeritus Robert Deeley on August 11th. The ceremony will recognize the 25th anniversary of the Western Cemetery’s anointing as hallowed ground for the Irish Catholics buried on the premises.
We give tours of the cemetery on Sunday afternoons at 2:00 p.m. A recent tour had twenty-two visitors. We also encourage neighbors to stop by on their walks and runs to enjoy its serene envi-
ronment and learn about its residents.
Please go to our website www.westerncemetery.me for information. Our website is robust with details about the cemetery’s history, activities, the ways in which you may volunteer, and how you may contribute to the capital campaign.
Restoring the cemeter y is a longterm task. We are making great progress. But we won’t succeed without your help as volunteers. There are all kinds of opportunities. Please visit the “Get Involved” section of our website to explore the possibilities.
W. John Funk is President of Stewards of the Western Cemetery, Inc.
Union of Maine Visual Artists 50th Anniversary Gala
Sat, Aug 3 / 6 – 11p / Merrymeeting Hall, Bowdoinham / Sug. Don. $10-50
With a theme of “Express Yourself” the Union of Maine Visual Artists (UMVA) will host a 50th year Gala on August 3rd at Merrymeeting Hall, 27 Main Street, Bowdoinham from 6 to 11 p.m. The Carlo Pittore Costume Party and Art Auction celebrates community and camaraderie in the spirit of Carlo Pittore, the force behind the founding of the UMVA in 1975. Pittore’s studio was in Bowdoinham.
The band BookHead SweetTooth from Belfast will supply the music. A potluck of nibbles plus wine and beer will be available. This fundraiser will fnance and support a much-needed new website to bring tools for UMVA members to connect and support one another. Sponsors include Rising Tide Brewery, Maine Gallery + Studio Guide, and WERU Community Radio.
Suggested donations range from $10 to $50 at the door. Participating artists include well-known ones like Abby Shahn, Gail Page, David Dewey, and David Estey as well as some of Maine’s fnest up-andcoming artists hailing from Saco to Blue Hill.
UMVA is a non-proft organization that promotes and advocates for the visual arts, artists, and all arts supporters. More information at www.TheUMVA.org.
Special Print Signing to Beneft Habitat for Humanity
Sun, Aug. 4 / 4 -5 p / Barbara Prey Projects, Port Clyde
World renowned artist Barbara Ernst Prey’s limited edition print of the Marshall Point Light miraculously survived the devastating General Store fre in Port Clyde this fall. Celebrating four decades of artistic excellence in Maine, Prey will hold a special print signing of Dusk’s Early Light on Sunday, August 4th, from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. at Barbara Prey Projects gallery in Port Clyde to beneft Habitat for Humanity.
“The print is covered with grit and ash from the fre, but the print and frame are miraculously intact. It was in the general store for many years but is still in one piece – a symbol of the resilience of the Port Clyde community,” said Prey.
Also available at the signing are other recent print releases including Fibonacci’s Workshop, collection of The National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C., Family Portrait, collection The Brooklyn Museum, and a print release of her MASS MoCA commissioned painting MASS MoCA: Building 6. MASS MoCA commissioned Prey to paint the largest watercolor in the world for their recently opened building. Many other of her limited-edition prints will be available. Her annual exhibit WONDER is on view through Labor Day at Barbara Prey Projects.
Barbara Prey at Barbara Prey Projects gallery with the Marshall Point Light print Dusk›s Early Light that survived the Port Clyde fre at the General Store. -Courtesy photo
‘How Do You Live?’ A Japanese Classic on Ethical Living
Review by Stephanie Miller
Every young teenager should have a kind and loving uncle (or aunt or mentor) to provide just the right bit of timely insight and guidance on the big questions of life. What is my place in the world? What is the duty of a loyal friend? Is it possible to apologize suffciently when we hurt another? How much of my success is due to luck — or fate?
“How Do You Live?” is a Japanese classic, written by Genzaburo Yoshino in 1937 as a way to introduce ethics and culture to middle school students. He was asked to create a textbook but knowing young people (and most adults) don’t easily learn that way, he wrote a story instead. It became an instant bestseller as students talked about it at home and remains a beloved guide to mindful living around the globe. It was translated into English in 2021.
The story follows ffteen-year-old Honda Jun’ichi, nicknamed Copper, who faces enormous changes in his life after the death of his father. We read about his teenaged angst, moments of curiosity at school, new friendships, tests of loyalty, his exploration of the world’s heroes, along with the sadness and joy of everyday life. Luckily, he has his uncle to turn to. After they talk, his uncle’s compassionate insights are captured in a journal being kept as a life navigation tool for Copper when he’s ready.
It’s a strange, wise book. The story is of Copper dealing with the typical school age dramas of friendship and bullying and bravery and cowardice. Interspersed are essays on personal ethics and scientifc thought. It’s an odd reading experience. BOOK
These two parts of the book contrast each other, but each is essential.
We realize it’s never too late to start living the life you want. For example:
”If it means anything at all to live in this world, it’s that you must live your life like a true human being and feel just what you feel.”
”You should collect as many experiences [as you can], and while you do, always be true to that voice in your heart.”
Our wise uncle is not afraid to ask hard questions. When we explore what it means to be a hero by looking at Napoleon, whose life story is still widely read today, he says, “While we can admire Napoleon’s great vitality… we can also ask the question, ‘What in the world did Napoleon, with this wonderful vitality, accomplish [for humanity]?’”
Uncle tells us, “It’s hard to admit our mistakes. But in the pain of our mistakes there is also human greatness. If we were not born with the ability to conduct ourselves with morality, there would be no reason for bitter tears.”
Out of context, these quotes may feel preachy. Yet without the uncle’s wisdom, Copper’s story is simply ordinary. The result is a gentle, kind, approachable, and contemplative guide for young adults fnding their way in the world. And who among us of any age, I ask you, is not in need of some wayfnders as we travel?
'How
Do You Live?'
By Genzaburo Yoshino Algonquin Young Readers | 2023
Micro Shorts
'Tom Lake,' by Ann Patchett
All that I love about Ann Patchett’s writing is in her latest novel, "Tom Lake." Lyrical, almost lush backdrops for welldrawn characters who seem ordinary at frst, but always turn out to be living the kind of cool, quirky, thoughtful, and emotionally substantive lives that we admire.
In "Tom Lake," we meet Lara and her three grown daughters picking cherries on the family farm during the frst year of the pandemic. They badger her for all the details of what seems to them to be the fnest days of her youth, when she spent a season as an actress co-starring in "Our Town" at the summer theater festival at Tom Lake with a man who went on to become a famous movie star. It’s a novel, so of course that summer was a seminal experience in Lara’s life, and as the story progresses, also pivotal for everyone she knew at the theater.
fnding a life that makes you happy. Patchett weaves a theme throughout: When we look back on our life (or look forward, as Lara’s daughters are doing), are we content with our choices? This is not my favorite of Patchett’s work (see below), but it’s a quietly fowing, slightly dull, good summer read.
‘Modoc: The True Story of the Greatest Elephant That Ever Lived,’
by
Ralph Helfer
Smell the popcorn. Listen for the calliope music and... Step right up, Ladies and Gentlemen! This is a true-life love story of a boy and an elephant, born on the same day in a small German circus town. Over seventy years and three continents, the bond between Modoc and her boy-best friend-trainer, Bram, grows as they survive together a shipwreck off the coast of India, an attack by bandits during an apprenticeship with the legendary Mahout elephant trainers in the Indian teak forests, and their rise to circus stardom in 1940s New York City.
Modoc was an amazing creature — smart, savvy, loyal, and strong. She was a loving, kind, and patient friend. The book explores the ethical issues around performing and working animals and the effectiveness of using love instead of violence to train wild animals. It’s a story of loyalty, friendship, and adventure for animal lovers everywhere.
Read more August Micro Shorts, including Stephanie's favorite Ann Patchett novel, online at: https://thewestendnews.com/ how-do-you-live-a-japanese-classic-onethical-living/.
Read more at https://thewestendnews.com/ category/bookshort
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Breakfast Sandwiches
Lunch
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It’s a story about longing - for career dreams, unrequited love, friendship, and
Stephanie Miller is a voracious reader and local bibliophile..Find her online @StephanieSAM.
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Paul Drinan
You have a right to feel safe on the road
Every month PelotonLabs founder Liz Trice interviews a community member for WEN. This month Liz caught up with Paul Drinan, Active Transportation Director for the Bicycle Coalition of Maine.
What is active transportation and why should people who drive care about it?
Active transportation is defned as human-powered transportation. Think walking and rolling – it could be a bike, a wheelchair, a scooter, or other mobility device. Active transportation is a great investment, both for governments and individuals. Every one dollar invested in active transportation yields three dollars in health savings, because we’re healthier when we walk and bike, and our mental health and social relationships improve, too. Active transportation is the most equitable form of transportation – nothing is more accessible, more affordable, cleaner, or safer. People who drive should support active transportation because every person who walks or rolls is one less person in a car, which means less traffc, less noise, less pollution.
I have friends who live on busy roads that feel unsafe, so they drive everywhere.
Everyone has the right to be able to walk and bike safely. The average trip in Maine is only fve miles, which is totally doable on a bike – especially an e-bike. Most people don’t feel safe because nearly one hundred percent of our roads are designed exclusively for cars. Since about the 1940s, almost all of our transportation systems have been dedicated to creating space for cars. Before that, transportation investments went into walking, trains, trolleys, and yes, bikes. Did you know that roads were originally paved for bicycles?
What are the top priorities in your new role at the Bicycle Coalition?
My role includes advocacy, policy, and legislation. My top goals are to greatly expand the statewide e-bike rebate program, install automatic speed cameras in school zones and work zones, and ensure one hour of bike/ped education per year for Maine students starting in middle school. Everyone goes to driver ed, but nobody understands bicycle and pedestrian rights and responsibilities. It’s not an either/or, we need both.
It seems like it would be so easy and inexpensive to just paint lanes narrower and leave larger shoulders for bikes.Why isn’t this happening?
It feels like an oversight, but it’s not. It’s an inherent faw in today’s transportation engineering standards. What we’re talking about – reclaiming space from cars for people – requires a cultural shift and it takes a lot of work to get it done.You have to organize the people in your neighborhood, work with DOT and your municipality to get changes to any road. BCM can help, but it really requires a public appetite and bold leadership at the local level.
Thankfully, Pete Buttigieg, the current Secretary of Transportation, understands, appreciates, and is funding active transportation and there are currently tens of millions of dollars available to make these changes in your community.
How can we change it fundamentally? What is Vision Zero?
Vision Zero’s goal is to reduce roadway injuries and fatalities to zero. Biking and pedestrian deaths are totally preventable. We have to redo our standards to build safer roads for all users. That means protected bike lanes, better crosswalks, bump-outs, daylighting, and refuge islands. When people feel safe, they adopt new
What’s the most powerful thing we as residents can do to turn this ship?
You can insist on your right to feel safe in public right of ways. Talk to family and friends about strategies and solutions that work like Vision Zero and Safe Streets for All. You can join the Bicycle Coalition of Maine, take BCM’s Community Spokes training, and join your local bicycle and pedestrian advisory committee. You can write letters to city councilors and state reps, and I can help communities create those talking points. That’s my job.
What do you want everyone to know?
modes of transportation. In the last few years, Vision Zero has been adopted by USDOT and Maine’s Regional Planning Organizations (MPOs). Now we need the local municipalities to adopt it, and community members will have to push to get it implemented.
I want people to know that they have the right to be on the road and feel safe doing it, whether it’s crossing the street, riding a bike, on a skateboard, in a wheelchair, or in a car. They also have a responsibility to respect all other users and obey the law. Please contact us at bikemaine.org for more information.
This interview was edited for brevity and clarity.
PelotonPosts is produced by PelotonLabs founder Liz Trice.
Paul Drinan is the Active Transportation Director for Bicycle Coalition of Maine. -Courtesy photo
Cornelia Fly Rod Crosby is someone you've
By Layne V. Witherell
Just how many “best lobster roll” articles can we stand before we explode? Seems like every newly minted mental midget wannabe writer must weigh in on their all-time favorite, after sampling “count ’em two” lobster rolls.
For national foodie mags they serve as space fllers when they are lacking new material, trying out new writers, or just being lazy. It is not the lobsters’ fault. Is lobster overrated? Hell no! When it is freshly caught and from here... It is ethereal. The lobster is great. The hype and celebrity-based pricing is painful.
Here are some helpful hints on surviving our oft-hyped, over-oxygenated Portland’s lobster roll scene:
LUKE’S LOBSTER (60 Portland Pier)
Take an Uber as it is a lot cheaper than the over-the-top privatization bandit-
ry parking meter fees on the pier. Great bay vistas. Fresh and local. Lobster roll: $27.
EVENTIDE (86 Middle St.)
Pay a person to stand in that hourplus-long line while you go across the street and either briefy nibble on upscale sushi at Mr. Tuna or participate in the all the time happy hour at a locals divey favorite Tomaso’s on Hampshire Street. Lobster roll: $ 20. (PS: They invented the much copied “bao bun” in leu of the traditional hot dog roll.)
HIGH
ROLLER (104 Exchange St.)
Show up early and don’t forget to feed the meter. They will ticket you in a heartbeat.This is one of Portland’s all-time tax revenue providers. Remember snowbirds get off tax free in Maine. While you are here do buy some merch just to be cool. The aesthetic is Bissell Brothers hipster with an aura of 50’s diner thrown in. Lobster cheese crisp taco anyone? They are authentic in their own hipster way. Lobster roll: $17.
TWELVE (115 Thames St.)
Nowhere in Portland is the hype machine turned up to a higher gear than this over the top “best if someone else is paying the bill” restaurant. We indulged once on the prix fxe dinner on my nickel, and I will leave this place to the homesick New Yorkers. The lobster roll on the prix fxe, of course, is $28 extra, but it has been
lovingly caressed by the chef. At $39 ala carte (available at the bar) that’s a lot of caressing, touching perhaps the hem of his resume.
SCALES (68 Commercial St.)
The real deal. We remember when they had a little retail oyster bar in the original Portland Public Market that was way before it’s time; just us and the oysters pre the hype machine. Now in their luxurious digs, you have the sublime indulgence of valet parking. And if you are wise to book a window or outside table, you can revel with a view of the crazed masses at the Porthole across the way. Always authentic Portland. Lobster roll: no price listed (the valet parking makes up for the tariff).
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Lobster roll at Maine Oyster Company's headquarters, Basecamp Lodge. -All photos courtesy of Layne Witherell
Twelve, 115 Thames St.
The Real Deal
MAINE OYSTER COMPANY (38 Portland Street)
Cont'd from Previous Page
There are always upsides and downsides to Maine Oyster Co's location. The neighborhood has been groaning toward gentrifcation for decades. Businesses have come and gone. Parking is easy with surrounding streets meter-free, but outside is like a very funky street fair. Remember, you aren’t in Kansas anymore.
However, inside has the feel of an old-time oyster and lobster shack with ancient wood paneling combined with an authentic vibe. AND it is local. I enter this place in a state of awe and reverence. In over-oxygenated Portland, it is an oasis of the real. This is what we call home.
Panzanella Salad (for Judy): Heirloom tomatoes, mozzarella, sourdough, cukes, herb vinaigrette, $13. Wash it down with an Austrian rose from Anton Bauer for $10/glass.
Lobster Dog (for Layne): Featuring 2 oz. of lobster meat topping a “red snapper” dressed with aioli, $19. For those of you who are from away, a red snapper is an original Maine hot dog, not the fsh. For $50.00 you can get a serious upscale version with a lot more lobster and sturgeon caviar. My wine of choice is the Weather Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir with the elegance for the lobster and the meaty Pinot Noir character to work with the dog for $15/glass.
Lobster Roll: $29.00. Chardonnay Fleur de Chardon: $11/glass. Sancerre, when it is available and the gods shine on you, would be $16/glass.
From time to time, they will feature a ridiculously good homemade chowder as well as a toro tuna or other catch of the day.
On Draft: Maine Beer Co. Lunch (the holy grail): $8; Allagash White (classic): $7; and Zardetto Prosecco: $9.
Layne has been a professional in the wine business for many decades and was awarded the Master Knight of the Vine for his pioneering work in Oregon. He can be reached at lvwitherell@gmail.com.
And of course they have oysters: Selection varies nightly with lots available. On our most recent visit, they featured Beso del Mar, Chebeague, Nauti Sisters Farm, and Nonesuch.
Shucking Classes: $55 per person as they assist you in becoming a shucking pro with expert instruction accompanied by twelve oysters. Knives, gloves, and delicious toppings provided.
Your Road Trip Destination BASECAMP
(47 Wallace Circle, Phippsburg)
The Maine Oyster Company is all about a place (and state of mind) called the Basecamp, their headquarters where it all begins. About ffty minutes from Portland via Bath, it is a group of businesses in the village of West Point that takes you into the heart and soul of real Maine - where the lobsters and oysters thrive and get delivered live and fresh to the Maine Oyster Company restaurant or your house.
It’s all here. The lodge, the store, the classes, the tours with local lobstermen and dirty hands-on oyster farming. Want to throw a party, lobster bake, or practice oyster shucking ‘till you drop? This is old school Maine.
The good news is that there are a zillion little inlets in this state, and while Portland has become over over-oxygenated with a never-ending, hyperventilating corps of bloggers, freelancers, and press agents, there are things left in the world that are not to be mucked with.
Frankly, we found the Maine Oyster Company almost by accident. I booked a $75 three course dinner with oysters, lobster thermidor, and a glass of Prosecco thinking that it was the lovely little spot on Washington Avenue. We got in the car to make our way to dinner, and I asked my wife, “Are you taking me to Bubba’s before dinner?” No, we had just found our new favorite gem.
We have never regretted that decision. Want a real defnition of farm to table? We have been to the farm and thoroughly enjoy being a local and “regular “at our favorite table. In an over-oxygenated Portland, they are the real deal.
& DRINK
WEDNESDAY of every month 6-7 PM / 4 x 3oz. pours ONLY $18!
“Bring $10 in cash fo the basket
Whaleboat Island Lobster Caper
By Nancy Dorrans
Yep, life’s good here... Especially in the sweet short summertime on Casco Bay. We got lobsta, lots o’breweries, corn on the cob, barges, eagles, the islands, eiders, fsherman, harbor seals, kayaks, gulls, sea dogs, fshin’ boats, an occasional shark, a few whales... And on a little spot of land not far from Cousins Island called Whaleboat is where this caper occurred...
According to Maine Coast Heritage Trust (MCHT), Whaleboat Island is the largest wild island in Casco Bay:
“A grassy meadow and dense shrub land separate wind-ravaged spruce forest at either end of the island. The island’s uplands are bordered by cobble beaches, fringing salt marsh, ledges, and dramatic cliffs. There are no trails on the island, but hikers can follow the rocky shoreline during low tide. The island’s former owners protected Whaleboat through the donation of two conservation easements. In 2002, they sold the island to MCHT to ensure it would remain an undeveloped island and be open to the public in perpetuity…”
The legendary Lobster Caper took place on Whaleboat a dozen years ago. On a Friday night before Labor Day in 2012, I found myself sipping a beer at a Maine Outdoor Adventure Club (www.MOAC. org) happy hour on Commercial Street. With summer feeting, I had a dream: to paddle out to an island, cook lobster over a fre, star gaze, and camp overnight. My friends Bill, Lynn, Sue, and Dan agreed it was a great idea, and we decided to make it happen!
We all had ocean kayaks, tents, and the essential camping supplies. Bill volunteered to bring the potatoes. Sue could make a salad. Dan would bring the corn. Lynn said she would get the lobsters. I’d bring the wine, chocolate, and the pot to cook the lobsters. The scene was set for the perfect summer island adventure on Whaleboat Island in Casco Bay.
On Sunday morning, we woke up to rain, which caused us to delay our adventure by about an hour. It was just a passing shower, and the forecast predicted clearing skies by mid-afternoon. We met at Sandy Point Beach on Cousin’s Island and started unloading our boats and gear.
It was drizzling, and Lynn was running late. When she arrived, we all helped get her gear and boat down to the beach. She handed me the lobsters, and I counted them.
“Lynn,there are only four lobsters,” I said. “I told him fve!” she replied. “Maybe he sold you fve pounds?” I suggested.
Not to worry—we would share.
Two of the lobsters traveled with Dan, and I carried the other two in a mesh bag tied to the back of my kayak. As we paddled out around Cousin’s Island towards Whaleboat, the clouds were lifting and we noticed a fsherman hauling lobster traps. Lynn and I had the same idea. Bill blew his whistle and we got the young man’s attention. We asked if we could buy another lobster directly from his boat. He said, “Sure, fve dollars.”
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When I returned to collect the rest of my gear, I noticed that the bag of four lobsters was down to one. Panicked, I screamed and ran into the cove. The image of one banded lobster scrambling away with its claws held high is etched in my mind. Dan jumped into his boat to search for the other two, but it was no use—they had escaped. We were down to four. No matter—we would share.
I told a client, who is also a fsherman, my story once. He said, “Well… not the frst I’ve heard of it. I have found lobsters in my traps with bands on their claws… A-yup. Now they wouldn’t stahh-vah... Might lose a fght, but they won’t go hungry. You see... they don’t eat with those big claws…” I wonder if those two outlaws are still at large.
Our adventure ended up being both very delicious and memorable. The sun came out and then the stars. So yep, life’s been good to me so far, hee-ah on Casco Bay.
Lynn had $10 cash in her hatch. I helped retrieve it, and she bought two! Now we had extra!
I asked him if it was okay to keep the lobsters in the hatch or did they need to be in the water. He asked how far we were going. I pointed to Whaleboat Island and he assured us they would be fne in the hatch till then.
Now I had four lobsters in the mesh bag at my feet.
We landed in a cove on the far side of the island and pulled up the boats up on a sandy beach and began to unload. I untied the mesh bag with the four lobsters in it and left it in the water, weighing it down with my paddle. I should have left them in the boat.
Dorrans is founder of Adventure Marketplace... Navigating travelers on authentic, nurturing, global and local adventures since 2014.
-All photos courtesy of Nancy Dorrans
Nancy on Whaleboat Island with MOAC friends Lynn, Sue, and Bill. Nancy
Nancy's friend, Lynn, buying 2 lobsters straight from the lobsterman. (2012)
Critical Thinking is a Key Missing Piece
By Philip W. Mason
There are large socioeconomic problems that need to be solved in this country. What is holding us back from collectively organizing to do that?
The bombing of Pearl Harbor and 9/11 were two events that occurred in the last 100 years that completely galvanized us as a country. Yet the climate change crisis is the biggest existential threat humankind has ever faced, and relatively little is being done to solve it. We collectively don’t see it as a crisis.
Why is that? Pearl Harbor and 9/11 both drove us together as a country, out of strong collective fear. Fear is processed by a portion of the brain called the amygdala. In contrast, climate change just continually gets worse and worse as evidenced by the waterfront destruction in Maine last January. There is no sharp sense of fear felt collectively for the most part, and thus we are not driven together.
When there is an absence of fear, we must instead use our logical processing and critical thinking skills to learn what we can about a problem and generate solutions.
We can then have constructive conversations with others (by removing heated emotions), and possibly together generate ideas about solutions. Two examples of solutions are South Portland’s sustain-
ability efforts and the fact that Maine is already producing roughly 65% of electricity from renewables.
The process of critical thinking, put simply, effectively analyzes information and forms a judgment. It occurs in a different, high-functioning section of the brain called the prefrontal cortex, far from the fear-processing amygdala. It is only through allowing widespread critical thinking to bring us all together, that we will be able to solve climate change, as well as other socioeconomic problems such as the weak public educational system, the problematic health system, housing shortages... Critical thinking is a key missing piece.
According to William Henderson, author of “Master Critical Thinking, Creative, Logic, and Problem Solving Skills,” two ways we can improve our critical thinking skills are to become better at constructive confict and discerning whether information is true or not. Education is a road to take.
Philip W. Mason grew up in rural Gorham Maine on a farm and received a doctorate in Physics from Lehigh in 1998. He then worked in the high-tech semiconductor chip feld for more than 20 years and currently lives in Cape Elizabeth.
We’re All in this Together is a monthly Climate Justice column provided by the Portland chapter of Citizens’ Climate Lobby.
Connect to the Biking Community
By Caitlin Marshall
Just a few Wednesdays ago, I was having a rough day. It was blisteringly hot, and headlines on politics and climate were unsettling, to say the least. But at the end of the afternoon, I had something to look forward to: my frst ever group bike ride.
I met up with a dozen or so women at a park in Falmouth, went over some hand signals and safety checks, and headed out for an easy-going ten-mile loop. Passing felds buzzing with crickets, coasting down hills, and pushing to climb them again, all in the quiet company of other riders, I breathed easier than I had all day.
Group rides like this one (part of the Bicycle Coalition’s Women, Femmes & Thems Summer Series) are just one of many ways to get connected to the biking community here in Southern Maine. For me, riding in a group feels safer and more fun. This themed ride expressly centering on women also recognizes that there’s a history of excluding women from outdoor spaces. Likewise, there is a long tradition of American culture and laws that have kept BIPOC communities unwelcome, even violently so. Melanin Basecamp is one of many national hubs for BIPOC adventurers working to build a truly inclusive outdoors.
Painted bike lanes, bike racks, routes that connect to public transit – all are part of the nuts and bolts of cycling infrastructure. The Portland Bike & Pedestrian Committee works with multiple city departments to shift our built environment to one that is safe and accessible.
Or perhaps the barrier for you is that biking sounds hard… and maybe boring? Portland Bike Party is here for you! With monthly Friday night rides featuring music, costumes, and frequent stops for dancing, they’re working to shift who feels welcome biking in this town.
Improving infrastructure and incentives to welcome more biking to our city is a signifcant part of the One Climate Future plan. It helps to know we’re already on our way there. The number of people who bike to work in Portland and South Portland is triple the national average, but that’s still just 2%. Working together, we can grow this city into a truly bike friendly city, where we can all breathe a little easier.
Bright Ideas is by PCAT, who meet the fourth Tuesday of the month, 6 to 7:30 p.m. FMI email Portlandclimate@gmail.com.
Other groups are working to lower the barrier of cost. Portland Gear Hub runs two programs, Kid’s Bike Party and Bikes for All Mainers, that provide free bicycles to eligible participants, along with training cyclists to ride safely and learn bike maintenance. (And, if you own an extra bike that you don’t need, they accept donations!)
Art History Trivia
1. What painter known for her self-portraits was the first Mexican artist to be featured in the collection of the Louvre?
2. For a period from 1901 to 1904, Pablo Picasso painted mainly using shades of what color?
3. Christina's World is one of the best known paintings of the mid-20th century, and was painted in Cushing, Maine by what artist?
4. A famous nondenominational chapel in Houston, Texas contains 14 huge black paintings by what American modern artist? Find the answers online at thewestendnews.com/puzzle-solutions!
HILLTOP SUPERETTE’s
SLICE FROM THE PIE
SLICES OF COMMUNITY NEWS THAT DIDN'T MAKE THE CUT … Portland Trails hosts their newest kid-friendly event the Birds of Back Cove Scavenger Hunt on the Back Cove Trail this July complete with bird-themed activities… Coffee By Design “I’m With Her” campaign will donate $5 from every pound of Girl Blend Coffee to Kamala Harris presidential campaign… City leaders cut the ribbon at Portland’s newest public landing site Mavodones Landing located by the Amethyst Lot Park near the narrow gauge railroad… July was National Ice Cream month and Americans have made ice cream a big business with over 488 ice cream and frozen dessert manufacturers in the US… Northern Light Health announces efforts to halve its emissions by 2030 and achieve net zero emissions by 2050… Portland is 2024’s 9th Least Stressed City in America according to a WalletHub study that looked at over 30 metrics including divorce rate and traffc… Lending Tree fnds that older Mainers have the ninth highest average credit card balance in the nation sitting at $8,075… Friends of Casco Bay celebrate their 35th Anniversary by highlighting eelgrass meadows and the work these marine plants do for Casco Bay’s ecosystem…
Taylor’s First Game
Right in the middle of a big grandstand
Taylor became a Seadogs fan
With mom and dad it was such fun
She got to see her frst home run
She cheered the dogs on to Victory
While wrapped in the love of her family
There stood Slugger big and tall
But she cried a tear ‘cause she forgot her doll
-By Elaine Carver, West End
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Puzzle Solutions
Please send your submissions to: thewestendnews@gmail.com Or write to: The West End News PO Box 10876 Portland, ME 04102
Tacos – Burritos – Quesadillas – Enchiladas –Sopes – Pozole – Goat Birria – Fajitas –Cocteles de Marisco – Chile Rellenos – Carne Asada –Lamb Shanks in Adobo & much
