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.

Madisyn and Hayden, grandchildren of Garry Blackman, learned to play instruments at Southport Central School. They both learned to play the ukulele and Hayden added the piano. For Garry, an accomplished musician, this is not small potatoes. Learning how to play a musical instrument is a very significant skill.

It’s a good thing the weather gods in our neighborhood have been considerate of late because the last rain we had motivated me to repair a big section of roof that I have put off for too long. It became painfully obvious to me that when we had discolored rainwater flowing from a dining room ceiling light, my time had come.

Captain Bill Campbell has worked on the waters in and around Boothbay Harbor for 50 years.

He started with Captain Bob Fish at the age of 15 on the Maranbo II, then operating as the Squirrel Island ferry. Captain Fish, no entrepreneurial slouch, realized that there might be an opportunity to expand his business by additionally running tours for people visiting the region. Bill worked as a deckhand eventually graduating to “tour guide." After that Bill even got to drive the boat a bit.