Saving Maine

My nonfiction book, Saving Maine, is now published on Amazon for the Kindle. Here's the link:

http://www.amazon.com/Saving-Maine-Personal-Gazetteer-ebook/dp/B0056J0PHI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1308505567&sr=8-2

The picture was taken by Cynthia Dockrell and shows Daicey Pond in Baxter State Park, looking at Katahdin. A glorious place and an inspiration.

Capitol for a Day

The Governor was running around the Midcoast yesterday, being ferried from business to business in his Capitol for a Day program. Had I been in Maine, I could have caught him at Windjammer Cruises in Camden, Dragon Cement in Thomaston, O'Hara Corporation in Rockland, or even in Owls Head at the Breakwater Vineyards. I would not have seen him at a land trust office, a half-way house, a hospital, a homeless shelter - people there would be, well, inconvenient, and worthy not of help from the state but of as much new legislation as possible to deny help.

While he was away from Augusta, the Maine House (no debate) and Senate (31-3) passed a non-binding resolution, to be sent to the US President, Secretary of the Interior and Congress, stating opposition to the idea of a national park in the Maine woods. No explanation, little discussion, overwhelming support. I'm dumbfounded - do these legislators really represent the people of Maine? Or is it a case, once again, of special business interests influencing the process? Which group drafted the resolution? The paper companies, with their out-of-state owners? The developers, also from out-of-state? Roxane Quimby, with her stated desire to seed a national park with her 70,000 acres, must be a scary woman to inspire this resolution, more nonsense from an Administration (you just know LePage was behind it) much more interested in the negative than the positive.

Or maybe I'm just dumb, out of touch. Maybe the people really don't want it, maybe the legislature really is doing its job. I think it's more likely that a way of life - logging, hunting, independence - is doing battle with a quality of life - clean air and water, perpetual forests, mystery - and neither side admits that their ultimate goals are the same. How about Capitol for a Day at Big Niagara Falls in Baxter State Park?

Graduation

My daughter Emma graduated from Union College on Sunday. The rain held off, Judy Woodruff and Marvin Bell gave inspiring speeches, and friends and relatives (including 170 years of combined grandmother-ness) made the occasion even more special. A tremendous thing, these small, liberal-arts colleges - it makes one very hopeful for the future of the world. And not a little proud of this graduate's many accomplishments.

Purple

It's the time of year when passions run high, the rhododendron (purple tending to red) just starting to burst, the lupine (tending to blue) halfway exploded, the lilacs (just plain perfect purple) in full bloom and glorious scent. The morning was so brilliant I wanted to put on a purple robe and swagger about. June was made for all kinds of life-changing events, like graduations and weddings and sitting outside without a sweatshirt.

Although this being New England, with its vestiges of royal British turpitude, things change. The wind switches to the southeast off the water, high clouds at noon drop the temperatures a bit more, and optimistic shorts become practical jeans. High-born thoughts turn to lunch. The lawn suddenly needs mowing. The poppies put off their opening for another day.

But the whole hot and passionate summer lies ahead, when nobody in Maine needs a purple robe to feel like a king.