Maddy Faulkingham is off to a new adventure. She has begun an accelerated three and a half year program at Ross University of Veterinary Medicine in St. Kitts. Her childhood fascination and love for animals is more real. It is an ambitious undertaking but Maddy is no stranger to challenges, and this is a dream come true, which is a big motivator.

“Moosey Brick,” a new fiction novel written by East Boothbay resident Matt Hurley, is available at Sherman’s bookstore and at Amazon and Barnes and Noble online. It is Matt’s first book, largely set in Maine with lots of interesting references to the state’s people, places and things.

With our crazy, mixed-up weather at the moment, I figured I’d take a flyer and guess that full heavy snowfall may be absent from our near future. And, of course, as always, I could be wrong. But as I sit writing this week’s adventure story, it’s cold and clear with a light dusting of overnight snow, only a few days after temperatures reached nearly 50 degrees. There has been some horrendous snows in other areas of the country, namely Buffalo, New York area, where I once had to tunnel out of the house due to massive drifting. We, here in the area seem to have been overlooked (a temporary condition, perhaps) by big storms. The path of significant snowfalls seems to be off to the north of us and to the south and west. I have guessed in the past that our location next to the ocean may have something to do with that. Time will tell.

I was putting the tractor back in the shed the other evening (by evening I mean, 4:30!) after hauling some firewood and noticed a bright light in the eastern sky. I thought perhaps one of the New Jersey drones had gone astray and was scoping out our stock of foreign imports.

This is one of my most favorite times of year, but not for the reason one might think. 

For 24 years, we have published our “Around Boothbay Harbor” calendar. In that time, we have sold, shipped and donated over 40,000 copies to lovers of this paradise.

Give Don Viens a cocktail napkin and a ballpoint pen and he can sketch an idea for just about anything. In fact, I’d put money on a Don plan that doesn’t even require hard copy. Need a piece of furniture or an ornate item for your roof peak, a garden shed, or an entire house? Don can make it happen. And, quite possibly, he can make it happen in a way that you may never have envisioned using unusual materials from a 150-year-old barn stored under a tarp next to his shop. It’s as if wood has been waiting for Don’s next unique project, waiting for it to arrive. The more irregular, in many cases, the wood, the more uses revealed. Recycling is part of the genetic fabric of Don’s vision. Ideas present themselves in a karmic fashion. Wood offers reuse and Don finds a way to create new from old. It’s almost surreal.

Eleanor is in town!

The Boston Tea Party vessel made a significant 17-hour trip from Boston with tugboat help, landing at the Bristol Marine pier on Wednesday morning last week. The Eleanor is already in the hands of the exceptional Bristol Marine crew which is very focused on a substantial checklist of work. The same day the ship arrived in the Harbor it was floated onto the awaiting car and transported up the main railway, properly managed by a dozen yard workers, a tender boat and skilled diver who confirmed proper blocking support. The process of moving the ship out of the water is tedious and well thought out. A blocking plan had been in place for two weeks anticipating Eleanor's arrival but weather delayed the trip from Boston.

About this time of year, I like to do an aerial inventory of how things look around the region. It’s just one of my weird indulgences. It helps me understand what it's like to be a bird surveying good landing spots. Thankfully, I have never had to land anywhere but Wiscasset Municipal Airport, with one exception, the grass strip at Adam’s Pond where the water company now resides. Doc Andrews and I did a few ups and downs from there! Fortunately, my takeoffs and landings were well received.

Recently three area residents have been honored publicly for their many years of living among us. The Boston Post Cane is shared by New England towns with elder members of communities who have approached a century of life on the planet. In some cases, I suspect, some recipients have been over 100 years old.

Lesley Carter Blethen, postmaster at Boothbay Harbor Post Office, is retiring in a couple weeks. After 32 years with the postal service and five and half years in the Army, she is passing on the keys to the kingdom. It’s been quite a journey.