Features
A Knowing Sense of Wonder
Painter William Irvine explores the transience of our lives passing through the monumentality of nature. By: Kim Ridley. Photography by: Benjamin Magro
What Your Dollar Is Worth in Maine
A survey of Maine’s real estate market. By: Joshua F. Moore
Let’s Go Native
Gardening with native Maine plants is the best way to make your house fit into the neighborhood.
In the Abstract
An elegant family retreat on the Blue Hill peninsula uses traditional forms to create a modern aesthetic. By: Edgar Allen Beem. Photography by: Brian Vanden Brink
Auction Night
In Maine, a country auction is a form of entertainment where the faces are familiar and the show is always full of surprises. By: Michael Burke. Photography by: Jennifer Smith-Mayo
Departments
La Vie en Rockland
Lily Bistro brings French flavors — and a Parisian vibe — to this midcoast city. By: Kathleen Fleury. Photography by: Jennifer Smith-Mayo
Where in Maine?
Can you identify the location of this storied performance hall? Photography by: Sue Anne Hodges
A Passion For Syrup
Maine is famous for its maple syrup. But Jefferson resident Jon Olsen, who spent more than thirty years in Hawaii after growing up in Maine, has added a little tropical touch to this Maine favorite. Tropical Maine Natural Syrup and Marinade (207-549-7787) is a combination of maple syrup and passion fruit concentrate. The result is a unique and tangy topping — for adventurous palates only — perfect for kicking up traditional pancakes a notch or adding a frenzy of flavor to anything from fish to fruit salad. Photography by: Jennifer Baum
Letters to the Editor
Read what our readers have to say about Maine. Photography by: Sara Gray
Special Delivery
Before Facebook, social networking in Maine meant chatting with the bread man. By: Joshua F. Moore
Briefly Noted
Today, thanks to the Patriot Act, if you plan on crossing the border from Maine into Canada, even if it’s just to get gas or groceries, you’ll need a passport. It wasn’t always so. In fact, the people of the area known as the Upper St. John Valley (the borderland consisting of northern Maine, northwestern New Brunswick, and eastern Quebec) have worked and lived together for hundreds of years — long before the Webster-Ashburton Treaty established the international border in 1842.
Saving Hog Island
Under threat, a world-famous conservation school reboots. By: Colin Woodard. Photography by: Jennifer Baum
Quick Bites
There are few pleasures in this world greater than a good slice of toast. And we’re ready to claim that Arabica Coffee Co. (2 Free St., 207-899-1833) in Portland has the best in the state. The homemade bread is baked by South Portland’s own Doug’s House of Toast bakery. From plain white to cinnamon-raisin swirl to cheddar cheese and chive, this toast is no ordinary slab of bread. It’s thick, and lightly toasted, and, well, just plain perfect.
Editor’s Note
Uncommon surname. By: Paul Doiron
Saturday Breakfast
We didn’t know we’d started a weekly ritual until it came to define our life. By: Susan Sterling. Photography by: Jennifer Baum
A Grand Guide
Randy Spencer shares his stories from a life as a Maine guide in Grand Lake Stream. By: Roberta Scruggs
North by East
What’s in a number? sic transit, and more.
The Maine Viewpoint
Editorial opinions from across the state.
Bean’s Bold New Look
Photograph Courtesy L.L.Bean Signature